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By Ralph Schilthuis

SEVERAL investigators1-8 have reported evidence of the existence of native or connate water in oil-and-gas-bearing strata. Both water and salt have been detected in cores of oil sands that yielded oil and gas exclusively when produced. Electrical logs often reveal unexpectedly low resistivity through oil and gas sands, indicating the presence of some material that is a considerably better conductor of current than oil and gas. Furthermore, calculations9 of the oil and gas content of reservoirs based upon production and reservoir-pressure decline data indicate appreciably lower values than are arrived at under the assumption that the pore space is occupied completely by oil and gas. ORIGIN AND OCCURRENCE OF CONNATE WATER IN OIL-AND-GAS-BEARING FORMATIONS The view has been expressed,10-15 and is generally agreed upon, that the expulsion of oil and gas material from source beds and the subsequent migration and accumulation occurred in the presence of salt water. As the strata that usually form reservoirs for oil and gas were laid down by, or in the presence of, ancient seas, the pore space within the strata must have been saturated with salt water before the entrance of the oil and/or gas. Thus, the accumulation of oil and/or gas in the upper regions of structures suitable for reservoirs must have required displacement of the connate water therefrom. In the absence of any forces other than gravitational, it would be expected that the displacement of the connate water out of the zones finally occupied by gas and oil would be complete, and that the vertical distribution of gas, oil, and water in a reservoir would be strictly in the order of their densities. Apparently, however, surface and interfacial forces that will not permit complete segregation of the fluids are active within the capillary spaces comprising a reservoir. The effects of these forces on both accumulation and production of oil and gas have been the subject of study by a number of investigators. 16-37

Jan 1, 1938

By G. L. Oldright

NEARLY all of the present schemes for treating complex (i. e. lead¬silver-zinc-copper) ores are based on the idea that lead holds, and will hold for some time, the strongest economic place from the viewpoint of supply and demand of all the non-ferrous metals. Copper, it is thought, will come back to its own when European affairs are stabilized, although at that time competition from Chile, Peru, and Katanga, in particular, will be more severe than in pre-war days. The future for silver and for zinc is uncertain. New uses are developing for zinc, and the market has remained better than many expected, but the stabilization of world markets will bring in foreign competition instead of relief. The cost of producing zinc from simple zinc ores, by the retort process, will, from the nature of the labor required and the increasing cost of fuel, increase steadily. As a result, the small producers of purely zinc ores around Joplin are shutting down their mines, even with a good market price for zinc; on the other hand, the producer of lead from complex ores, in the Rocky Mountain states, is confident of a profit from the sale of his lead, and is seeking means to make the zinc in his ore pay some part of the cost of treatment. However, the tonnage costs for mining and ore dressing are much higher in the Rocky Mountain states, as may be seen by comparing tax-return statements from the various states. Even before the recent drop in the price of silver, many mines were operating on a very slender margin of profit; labor and supplies cost more. Mining at greater depth has shown most orebodies to grow increasingly more complex, so that improvements in mining and ore-dressing practice have not been sufficient too compensate for the additional expense involved in beneficiating these ores. The smelters have had to meet the same general economic situation, so they can only give

Jan 3, 1924

By Robert W. Hunt

The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was the first American technical organization to consider steel-rail specifications and sections. If I am not mistaken, the first contribution on those subjects to the Proceedings of the Institute was presented by Prof. Thomas Egleston, in 1874, and was entitled "Investigations on Iron and Steel Rails made in Europe in the Year 1873.1" The next contribution was Dr. C. B. Dudley's report of his investigation for the Pennsylvania Railroad of the wear of steel rails in their tracks, in 1878, which contribution led to a very memorable discussion that extended through several meetings.2 In 1880, Mr. C. P. Sandberg3 presented an article on rail specifications and inspection and rail sections. This was followed, in 1881, by A. L. Holley,4 in his exhaustive report on the then used American rail sections. The next contribution, I believe, was made by myself5 at the Buffalo meeting, in 1888, on steel-rail specifications, which I followed,6 in 1889, by a paper on steel-rail sections. Since that time there have been numerous contributions to the Transactions of the Institute in relation to the manufacture of steel rails. The American Society of Civil Engineers officially took up the investigation of the relation of rail sections to the wear of car wheels in 1888. In the prosecution of this work, the Society appointed a special committee, whose labors extended through several years and resulted in an exhaustive report to the Society in 1893.7 Later, another committee was appointed to consider specifications for the manufacture of steel rails; the labors of this committee extended over a period of several years, a final reporta being made in 1910. It was my fortune to be the secretary of both of those committees. The American Society for Testing Materials, organized in 1899, took up the consideration of rail specifications and is still giving attention to that subject through its established procedure of investigations by committees. In 1900, the American Maintenance of. Way Association was organ-

Jan 1, 1920

By G. Sachs, G. Espey

Simple methods can be used for the determination of the residual stresses in thin walled tubing if the stresses consist of high tensile stresses at the one surface and high compressive stresses at the other surface. Such a stress distribution is approximated in sunk tubing and in deep-drawn shells. It is possible to cut sections from such articles in such a manner that a major part of the residual stress is relieved by a bending of the Part that is separated from the adjacent metal. The circumferential stress is evaluated from the change in diameter D, occurring on splitting a length of tubing (Fig. Ib) or from deflection resulting from the cutting out of a circumferential tongue (Fig. Ia) .6 The bending moment M released by such a flexure is. M - EI (I-I) = EI R1-R0 I - u2(R0-R1) I -V2 R0XR1 where E = modulus of elasticity, v = Poisson's ratio, I = moment of inertia of the section, R0 =. mean radius before splitting, R1 = mean radius after splitting. The release of this bending moment corresponds to the release of stresses, which, in a thin section, vary linearly from one surface to the other, and have the following value in a particular fiber a certain distance (x) from the surface: S = c d I - V2 x c x d 2 2 RI - R0____E (d ) R1 - R0 X R0 X R1 ~ i - u2 (2 x) Ro X R1 where C is the section modulus and d is the thickness of the section, the ratio M:C being d: 2 for a rectallgular section.* The maximum stress values at the surfaces are. Smax = +E X d X R1-R0 I — u2- 2 R0 X R1 For most purposes the simpler equations: EXd AD1 = ± I - u2 x dm2 and will be satisfactory, where D,, is the aver. age of the mean diameters of the tubing

Jan 1, 1942

By L. L. Wyman

The resultant embrittlement caused by the exposure of oxygen-bearing copper when hot and exposed to reducing gases has been the subject of many studies.' Little attention, however, has been given to the possible embrittling effects due to atmospheres or conditions that under some circumstances might be the source of a reducing gas. At rather infrequent intervals there occur reports of copper becoming embrittled during normal annealing cycles in commercial steam-atmos-phered furnaces such as customarily are used for this operation. As might be expected, several other factors exist—such as oil, dirt on the wire, or in the furnace, or metallic surface contacts—that might produce reducing gases and be the source of the trouble. However, in consideration of the statement made by Ruder,2 it would seem that under some conditions steam itself might prove to be the source of trouble. A consideration of the amount of the dissociation of water vapor up to temperatures of the melting point of copper shows that3 the amount of hydrogen that could come from this source is far too minute to account for any embrittlement. What such information does not tell is what will happen at the surface of copper when subjected to steam at elevated temperatures, for entirely different conditions may persist, which would account for Ruder's observation. Furthermore, there are no data as to what might happen at the surfaces of other materials present, the resultant of which might affect the condition of the copper present. For this reason, it was decided to make a series of experiments comparable to those previously conducted by the writer,' which would clarify the effect of the steam on copper, and in copper in the presence of steel. Material The material used in these experiments was tough-pitch copper wire of rectangular cross section, about % in. thick, picked at random from the regular factory production of material used for windings, etc., in the electrical industry. Chemical analysis of this material gave the follow-

Jan 1, 1940

By Morris Cohen

WITHIN the past two years, a number of publications have called attention to the double peaks, or stages, that appear in the hardness and strength curves of certain aging alloys. The author has shown the existence of double hardness peaks during the aging of a high-purity silver-copper alloy;' and on the basis of electrical resistance, microscopic, dilation and lattice-parameter measurements, he concluded that the initial hardness peak occurs prior to precipitation while the secondary hardening is due to precipitation. It was suggested that the general mechanism of age-hardening involves two consecutive processes, the first consisting of nucleus or knot' formation, and the second consisting of actual precipitation and particle growth. It was further held that the two stages are interdependent, but because of nonuniform precipitation they may overlap each other to an extent that increases as the aging temperature is raised. At high aging temperatures, the effect of the first stage cannot be detected because of the rapid occurrence of precipitation. . The general theory of age-hardening recently presented by Dr. M. L. V. Gayler3 is in close agreement with the picture outlined above. With reference to work done on duralumin, copper-beryllium and copper-silver alloys, Dr. Gayler also concluded that age-hardening takes place in two consecutive steps: first, diffusion (in which the solute atoms migrate to certain crystallographic planes), and then precipitation. However, W. L. Fink and D. W. Smith4 have shown that the double aging peaks that appear in the strength curves of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys may be explained without recourse to pre-precipitation phenomena. By means of very careful metallographic technique, Fink and Smith demonstrated that during aging the precipitation takes place at an accelerated rate along the grain boundaries and slip planes as a result of the plastic deformation caused by the drastic quench from the solution heat-treatment temperature. † The general precipitation occurs at a

Jan 1, 1938

By Samuel Hoyt

This paper gives a short account of plastic deformation as observed in single crystals of zinc, zinc having been selected for the experiments described herein because the phenomena are comparatively so simple and can be studied throughout such a wide range. It is hoped that the paper will serve to show the type of information which studies of single crystals afford and will contribute toward the solution of the general problem of metallic behavior. PRODUCTION OF ZINC SINGLE CRYSTALS The method of Czochralski,1 as modified by vow Gomperz,l was used to produce the crystals studied. The equipment is shown in Fig. 1. Molten zinc is held in a crucible at a temperature which is not far above its melting point, as measured by a pyrometer. A lava disc floats on the melt, and is provided with a central hole about 1 min. in diameter. A glass tube, drawn into a capillary at the lower end, is suspended from a string which is wound up by an electric drive at the speed desired. At the start, the glass capillary is let down into the melt and the hoist is started. The capillary brings up a small quantity of molten metal with it to a point just above the lava disc. At this point, a jet of hydrogen cools it and causes it to crystallize, with the result that a -small crystal forms. As the hoisting is continued, more molten metal is drawn up, in turn to be solidified by the jet of hydrogen. This additional metal continues the growth of the crystal already formed, and a long, cylindrical crystal results. The speed of hoisting used was generally between 0.1 and 0.5 mm. per sec., and the crystals were from 4 to 6 in. long and about 1 mm. in diameter. By varying the conditions, crystals of quite different orientations were obtained and were used in the study of the phenomena to be described.

Jan 1, 1927

By B. M. Larsen, W. E. Shenk, T. E. Brower

Shortly after our previous paper on this subject was printed1 we located a source of uncertainty in the results arising from the unexpected fact that hydrogen slowly reduces silica at 1100" C. in presence of iron, even when the iron nowhere touches the silica, although in absence of iron it does not do so. This difficulty has been completely obviated by the use of a small high-frequency furnace, which enables us to heat the specimen for analysis without raising the temperature of the silica vessel to a point at which any appreciable reduction of the silica glass occurs. We now describe this modification of procedure, and present some typical results obtained with it. For any given specimen of steel, the results are entirely definite and reproducible, but their precise significance is still open to some question, as indeed is true of all methods of oxygen determination SO far developed. Further elucidation of this question is to be expected from the cooperative comparison of the several methods now under way under the auspices of the Bureau of Standards at the instance of the Iron and Steel Division of the A.I.M.E. Apparatus The final form of apparatus we have used is identical with that described and illustrated in our previous paper, except for the substitution for the Globar furnace of a small high-frequency furnace actuated by a vacuum tube oscillator2 0f about 1.5 kw. capacity, and for a slight modification of the containing vessel. This transparent silica vessel is illustrated in Fig. 1 of this paper. Its enlarged portion is about 5 cm. in diameter and 13 cm. long. The silica tube for inlet of hydrogen is fused into this bulb and ends beneath the metal "bucket" holding the steel sample. This sample is in the form of fine millings. The "bucket" is suspended by a platinum wire from the cap of Pyrex glass. The high-frequency

Jan 1, 1934

By G. L. Oldright

Nearly all of the present schemes for treating complex (i. e. lead-silver-zinc-copper) ores are based on the idea that lead holds, and will hold for some time, the strongest economic place from the viewpoint of supply and demand of all the non-ferrous metals. Copper, it is thought, will come back to its own when European affairs are stabilized, although at that time competition from Chile, Peru, and Katanga, in particular, will be more severe than in pre-war days. The future for silver and for zinc is uncertain. New uses are developing for zinc, and the market has remained better than many expected, but the stabilization of world markets will bring in foreign competition instead of relief. The cost of producing zinc from simple zinc ores, by the retort process, will, from the nature of the labor required and the increasing cost of fuel, increase steadily. As a result, the small producers of purely zinc ores around Joplin are shutting down their mines, even with a good market price for zinc; on the other hand, the producer of lead from complex ores, in the Rocky Mountain states, is confident of a profit from the sale of his lead, and is seeking means to make the zinc in his ore pay some part of the cost of treatment. However, the tonnage costs for mining and ore dressing are much higher in the Rocky Mountain states, as may be seen by comparing tax-return statements from the various states. Even before the recent drop in the price of silver, many mines were operating on a very slender margin of profit; labor and supplies cost more. Mining at greater depth has shown most orebodies to grow increasingly more complex, so that improvements in mining and ore-dressing practice have not been sufficient to compensate for the additional expense involved in beneficiating these ores. The smelters have bad to meet the same general economic situation, so they can only give

Jan 1, 1924

By A. W. Farenwald

Fine grinding cannot be accomplished in machines in which the component parts move in definite and restricted paths with respect to each other. Such machines are crushers. A "grinding mill" may be defined as any machine in which the crushing elements are free to make direct contact with each other but are kept from doing so by the sand to be crushed. Such a machine must possess the ability to give numerous contacts per unit of time. Upon consideration, one will see that this definition nearly includes the old Chilean and Huntington mills, the "rolls" and the stamp mill. It definitely includes all forms of ball, pebble and rod mills. The ideal (perfeet) grinding mill may be defined as one in which the crushing elements are identical in shape and substance and possess perfect freedom of motion with respect to one another. Of the mills mentioned, only the ball and pebble mills come under this definition of the ideal mill. Even the rod mill fails to get a place under this definition of the perfect mill. Modern Fine-grinding Mill In current practice fine grinding is performed in rotating cylinders1 partially loaded with hard objects, the agitation of which accomplishes the crushing or grinding of the rock or ore. The hard objects called "grinding media" nearly always are steel or some other alloy of iron. Hard rock (flint pebbles) have been and still are used to a limited extent. When steel is used as the grinding substance, the form is the sphere or "ball." The combination of rotating cylinder and steel-ball grinding media is termed "ball mill." Shapes other than the sphere have been tried. Cylindrical grinding media also have been and are now used in grinding mills. When cylindrical media are used the mill is termed "rod mill." Mechanical Elements of Grinding Mills The mechanical elements of a grinding mill arc: (1) the rotating element, (2) the grinding media, (3) the rotating means.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. N. Lambert

This chapter discusses the evolution of high-speed shaft sinking in the South African goldfields. Whether we are talking of an additional shaft at an existing mine or the opening of a new mine, the increasing depth of the ore-bearing reef and the unremitting inflation of costs have provided the compelling incentive to shorten the time taken to sink a shaft and start earning revenue. The high costs of sinking a modern shaft system in South Africa are indicated by the recent example of a deep-level mine in the Orange Free State where the cost was nearly $22!42 million. This was for a single large shaft of 33 ft 6 in. diam (in all cases, shaft diameters refer to the finished diameter of the shaft, e.g., inside the concrete) and 7600 ft deep with a prestressed concrete brattice wall dividing the shaft into upcast and downcast compartments. Higher costs and the consequent demand for increased tonnages, deeper shafts with higher rock temperatures, which necessitate highly sophisticaled ventilation and refrigeration requirements, have all accentuated the importance of time in a shaft-sinking operation. Rectangular shafts with their simple design and comparatively reasonable sinking speeds remained popular for many years until greater mining depths combined with a host of the other allied problems inevitably led to changes in shaft design. Circular shafts appeared to offer many advantages, particularly when considering ventilation, strength, mechanization, and sinking through bad ground and heavily watered zones. However, these advantages were largely offset by the slow rate of advance necessitated by the need to stop sinking in order to line the shaft. The development of the curb ring which enabled lining to take place above the bottom of the shaft and the use of multideck stages allowing sinking and lining to be carried out concurrently resulted in a major break- through. Rectangular shafts, which are still popular elsewhere, have been superseded in South Africa by circular shafts which are almost without exception the only shafts sunk in our goldfields today.

Jan 1, 1970

By Frank Wartman

RECENTLY Horace Freeman1 obtained a patent on a successful method of conducting a roasting procedure described as to general features by Carl Schnabel2 almost forty years ago. Essentially, the Freeman process of roasting consists in introducing the finely powdered sulfide mineral, suspended in air or any other suitable gaseous medium, into the upper portion of a heated chamber. The stream of suspended particles is directed vertically downward. A counter-current stream of gas introduced at the bottom of the chamber flows upward. The mineral particles are oxidized as they fall through the heated atmosphere of the chamber. All air required for the oxidation may be admitted either at the top or the bottom of the chamber, or may be divided between the top and bottom inlets in any desired proportion. Heat may be recovered by passing the gases leaving the furnace through a waste-heat boiler or other form of interchanger. In speaking of the results obtained in roasting pyrite, Freeman says:3 Steam yield from the boiler exceeds 1 pound of steam per pound of pyrite con-sumed, which pays the cost of operation of the burner. The oxide produced is in the form of fused particles or hollow shells of magnetite, containing about 65 per cent of iron. It contains the gangue material ordinarily produced in flotation concentrate, of course, but it is being found that most of this can be eliminated by magnetic separa-tion, and that the sulfur content, as consistently produced, is below 0.2 percent. This material is especially interesting as a high-grade iron ore, free from phosphorus and low in sulfur. It may be sintered or briquetted. It is even more interesting as a raw material for sponge-iron production, to be directly smelted in electric furnaces without the usual cooling of the iron powder and magnetic separation between the reducing kiln and the electric furnace.

Jan 1, 1933

By Karl Sundberg

ELECTRICAL investigations carried out in regions containing sedimen-tary rocks showed that sediments generally are good electrical conductors, a fact which at the present time is used for structural investigations by electrical methods. It is of fundamental importance, not only for these investigations but also for electrical prospecting in general, to know the electrical properties of various soils and rocks. It will be useful, there-fore, to discuss this question with the hope that the general points of view discussed in this paper will perhaps be, completed by further observations and determinations of material from various localities. This paper is based principally on the study of literature, and the purpose is primarily a discussion of the main factors that determine the electrical conductivity of soils and rocks. It will follow, however, that the factors discussed here also frequently decide how far a certain orebody can be regarded as a good electrical conductor compared with the sur-rounding rocks. All-rocks are more or less porous; and the pores are filled with liquids and gases. Their electrical conductivity, therefore, depends on the following factors: 1. The electrical conductivity of minerals composing the rock. 2. Electrical conductivity of the liquid filling the pores. 3. Proportion of the volume of liquid filling pores of the rocks to the solid rock material. 4. Shape of the pores. 5. Arrangement of the particles of gas and liquids. 6. Temperature. Dry minerals, with the exception of certain ore minerals, are complete nonconductors from the point of view of applied geophysics; in the present investigation we deal with rocks which have no conducting minerals, and factor 1, therefore, is not important. The same is true of soils. The liquids contained in soils and rocks in most cases are waters, some-times oil. As oil is a nonconductor of electricity, the impregnating waters will determine the electrical conductivity of soils and rocks.

Jan 1, 1932

By Cyril Smith

ALTHOUGH not of the same importance as electrical conductivity, the capacity for conducting heat is nevertheless a very important property of metals and alloys. A knowledge of thermal conductivity is of value in selecting alloys for many purposes and in the calculation of the efficiency of apparatus which is being designed. Unfortunately, the determination of thermal conductivity is extremely slow and tedious, consequently few data have been obtained. A further reason for the lack of information is that there has long been an impression that the thermal conductivity of an alloy is directly proportional to the electrical conductivity and that it can therefore be calculated from the latter. The Wiedemann-Franz-Lorenz law of constant ratio of the two conductivities holds with a considerable degree of precision for all the pure metals, but appreciable deviations occur in certain alloys-particularly those containing nickel-and it seems difficult to predict exactly what the ratio will be. Therefore direct determinations of thermal conductivity should be made whenever the results are, needed with any accuracy. This research is intended eventually to cover all the alloys of copper that are of commercial importance, including the binary alloys of copper with zinc, tin, aluminum, nickel, silicon, manganese, cadmium and phosphorus, and the ternary alloys copper-nickel-zinc, copper-nickel-silicon, copper-manganese-silicon, copper-zinc-tin, etc. Most of these alloys are customarily used in the wrought condition and therefore were tested in the form of annealed rods. A limited number of sand castings were also obtained and examined. This paper contains a complete review of all the previous work that has been done on copper alloys, and includes a detailed description of the apparatus and method of procedure used in the present research, together with the new results obtained on the copper-zinc series, which is the only one completed at the present time. Subsequent papers describing the other alloys will contain the experimental results and discussion only.

Jan 1, 1930

By Morris Cohen

Within the past two years, a number of publications have called attention to the double peaks, or stages, that appear in the hardness and strength curves of certain aging alloys. The author has shown the existence of double hardness peaks during the aging of a high-purity silver-copper alloy;' and on the basis of electrical resistance, microscopic, dilation and lattice-parameter measurements, hc concluded that the initial hardness peak occurs prior to precipitation while the secondary hardening is due to precipitation. It was suggested that the general mechanism of age-hardening involves two consecutive processes, the first consisting of nucleus or knot2 formation, and the second consisting of actual precipitation and particle growth. It was further held that the two stages are interdependent, but because of nonuniform precipitation they may overlap each other to an extent that increases as the aging temperature is raised. At high aging temperatures, the effect of the first stage cannot be detected because of the rapid occurrernce of precipitation. The general theory of age-hardening recently presented by Dr. M. L. V. Gayler3 is in close agreement with the picture outlined above. With reference to work done on duralumin, copper-beryllium and copper-silver alloys, Dr. Gayler also concluded that age-hardening takes place in two consecutive steps: first, diffusion (in which the solute atoms migrate to certain crystallographic planes), and then precipitation. However, W. L. Fink and D. W. Smith4 have shown that the double aging peaks that appear in the strength curves of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys may be explained without recourse to pre-precipitation phenomena. By means of very careful metallographic technique, Fink and Smith demonstrated that during aging the precipitation takes place at an accelerated rate along the grain boundaries and slip planes as a result of the plastic deformation caused by the drastic quench from the solution heat-treatment temperature. The general precipitation occurs at a

Jan 1, 1939

By Graham Bright

THE rapid increase in reliability, the low cost f operation, the ready application of safety devices, and the growing availability of central-station power have made the question of installing a hoist of the electric type no longer debatable. Where adequate electric power is available, there are few cases where it would be advisable to install a steam or air hoist. The type of electrical equipment depends largely on the nature of the power supply, its capacity, and the form of the power contract under which power is purchased. In a large majority of cases, the available electric power is alternating current, three phase, 60 cycles. There is, however, considerable 25-cycle power in use; and in a few instances constant voltage direct current is the only power available for a small or an occasional medium-size hoist. Where a new hoist is to be installed, the designer of the mechanical parts can readily take care of the maximum stresses likely to be imposed by the' motor. Where the hoist is already installed and operated by steam or air and it is desired to substitute an electric motor for the engine, a careful check should be made to determine the advisability of using the old mechanical parts. In most cases it is better to install a complete new hoist than to attempt to use old mechanical parts. A steam engine has a definite maximum torque, which the hoist has been designed to withstand, while a motor may be able to deliver momentary torques beyond the strength of the mechanical parts of the hoist. The selection of the proper type of electrical equipment can only be made after complete information is obtained and certain calculations made to determine the capacities required. There are several methods used in making hoist calculations, but no matter what method is utilized a fair degree of familiarity with hoists and hoisting conditions is necessary before an intelligent analysis and proper selection can be made.

Jan 9, 1921

By Morris Cohen

Within the past two years, a number of publications have called attention to the double peaks, or stages, that appear in the hardness and strength curves of certain aging alloys. The author has shown the existence of double hardness peaks during the aging of a high-purity silver-copper alloy;' and on the basis of electrical resistance, microscopic, dilation and lattice-parameter measurements, hc concluded that the initial hardness peak occurs prior to precipitation while the secondary hardening is due to precipitation. It was suggested that the general mechanism of age-hardening involves two consecutive processes, the first consisting of nucleus or knot2 formation, and the second consisting of actual precipitation and particle growth. It was further held that the two stages are interdependent, but because of nonuniform precipitation they may overlap each other to an extent that increases as the aging temperature is raised. At high aging temperatures, the effect of the first stage cannot be detected because of the rapid occurrernce of precipitation. The general theory of age-hardening recently presented by Dr. M. L. V. Gayler3 is in close agreement with the picture outlined above. With reference to work done on duralumin, copper-beryllium and copper-silver alloys, Dr. Gayler also concluded that age-hardening takes place in two consecutive steps: first, diffusion (in which the solute atoms migrate to certain crystallographic planes), and then precipitation. However, W. L. Fink and D. W. Smith4 have shown that the double aging peaks that appear in the strength curves of high-purity aluminum-copper alloys may be explained without recourse to pre-precipitation phenomena. By means of very careful metallographic technique, Fink and Smith demonstrated that during aging the precipitation takes place at an accelerated rate along the grain boundaries and slip planes as a result of the plastic deformation caused by the drastic quench from the solution heat-treatment temperature. The general precipitation occurs at a

Jan 1, 1939

By T. V. Moore, H. D. Wilde

In many of the important problems of the petroleum engineer, it is necessary to know accurately the laws governing the flow of gas and liquid mixtures in vertical pipes. Although much work has been done along these lines, no satisfactory solution to the problem has been found. A good theoretical discussion of the energy balance in a gas-lift has been published by Versluys.1 One of the most important factors affecting the efficiency of the flow of oil and gas mixtures is slippage, and in most of the experimental work that has been done no provision has been made for the measurement of this quantity. As Versluys pointed out, since there is no method now known to estimate it from the data usually taken, slippage must be determined empirically. This paper presents the results of some work carried on to measure slippage in short experimental gas-lifts. As shown herein, slippage can be easily calculated in a vertical pipe carrying a mixture of oil and gas if the fractions of the pipe occupied by liquid and gas respectively are known. In this work, the fraction of the pipe occupied by the liquid was measured under a wide variety of conditions and the relationship between this fraction and other quantities, which are easily measured in ordinary work, was determined. It was hoped that the quantitative relationship obtained from this work could be used for making accurate calculations in flowing or gas-lift wells, but unfortunately it did not check satisfactorily when applied to actual wells. Apparently flow in long flow pipes is more efficient than in the short ones used for the experimental work. Nevertheless, it is felt that the data themselves arc of interest; that the method of attack may be of value in future work and that the relationship derived between slip and the relative velocities is a contribution toward the solution of the gas-lift problem.

Jan 1, 1931

By Frederick Laist

While remodeling No. 1 section of the concentrator at the Washoe Reduction Works of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. during the summer of 1912, for the purpose of ascertaining what additional metal recoveries could be made by improvements in concentration practice which had been developed by the staff of the Boston & Montana Reduction Department, at Great Falls, it was deemed advisable to carry on some experiments on the treatment of the regular mill tailings by roasting and leaching, to see whether the losses of metal values might not be still further decreased. In the course of these experiments about 5,000 tons of tailings were roasted, and of the resulting calcine about 200 tons were leached. The results were so satisfactory that it was decided to continue the work on a larger scale, particularly as regards the leaching end of the process, and construction work on an 80-ton roasting and leaching plant was accordingly commenced during the latter part of February, 1913, and is being pushed as rapidly as possible. 80-Ton Leaching Plant. This plant will consist of one 20-ft. roasting furnace of the Mac-Dougall type, specially adapted to the work of roasting for leaching; two leaching tanks, 32 ft. in diameter by 12 ft. deep, together with the necessary solution tanks, air lifts, precipitating launders, etc. It has been decided to precipitate the copper from solution on scrap iron, so as not to hamper the roasting and leaching departments by any weakness that might develop in the precipitating department. It is, however, the intention to experiment with a number of different methods of precipitation; for example, by electrolysis and by hydrogen sulphide. The acid required for the operation of this plant will be purchased, ad the quantity required is not sufficient to justify the installation of an acid plant. An acid plant will, however, be established in con-

Jan 1, 1914

AT A MEETING of the Shareholders of the Russo-Asiatic Cons. Ltd., in London, Oct. 23, 1922, LESLIE URQUHART, chairman of the com- pany made the following statement:* I come now to our recent negotiations with the Soviet Government and to the agreement which has resulted from them. You will remember that the conference at The Hague broke up without having achieved anything very definite. It was not, however, a failure. It elicited from M. Litvinoff an offer which will, I think, come to be regarded as a milestone in the progress of Russia from a ruinous and unpracticable Communism towards a modified form of capitalism. The offer made by M. Litvinoff at The Hague amounted in effect to this: that in return for political recognition on our part the Soviet Government would first acknowl-edge its liability for Russia's national foreign debts, and, secondly, would give the original foreign owners of property in Russia effective compensation. A very great advance that. It showed-and there have been many other signs to confirm it-how real and persistent has been the internal evolution of Russia during the past year from Marxism to the economics of the Western world. I will not now detain you with the reasons why M. Litvinoff's highly promising and significant offer came to nothing. The fact that it had been made and the further fact that The Hague Conference had separated indefinitely were the important things. The first fact seemed to indicate that the Soviet rulers, after all, proved to be people with whom one could do business. The second fact rather emphatically showed that the way to do business with them was not by unwieldy poly-glot conferences of ministers, officials and experts representing a few dozen different governments and a few dozen different sets of national interests. That method had been tried at Genoa. It was tried again at The Hague. Each time it failed, and having failed it left the road clear for a simpler and more direct approach.

Jan 12, 1922