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[ARTICLE I. NAME AND OBJECT Section 1. This Society shall be known as the Society of Petroleum Engineers of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. Section 2. The object of the Society of Petroleum Engineers shall be to furnish a medium of cooperation among those interested in the petroleum-natural gas industry an to promote the advancement of this branch of mineral technology through meetings to stimulate the preparation, reading, discussion and circulation of papers connected therewith. ARTICLE II. MEMBERS Section 1. Any person who is a member of AIME may become a member of this Society by the specified process. Section 2. Local organizations may be formed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers as subsidiary units, the membership of which shall be subject to and in accordance with the by-laws of the Institute.]

Jan 1, 1961

By E. William Heinrich

With the mounting emphasis on unconventional energy sources, total consumption of lithium minerals will increase significantly in the next decade. The recent development of the lithium battery, for example, may greatly boost the demand for lithium metal. At the same time, the growth in the ceramic, glass, and chemical industries is bound to increase the demand for lithium minerals. In fact, the entire consumption or utilization breakdown of lithium minerals will change considerably from its current pattern. Briefly, today's market for lithium minerals' can be grouped into three categories: (1) Lithium concentrates. Accounting for 57% of market use, these concentrates are beneficiated Li-A1 silicates for ceramic, glass, and glass-ceramic raw materials. The concentrates are chiefly spodumene; inverted iron-depleted beta-spodumene; and petalite or its isochemical decomposition product spodumene + quartz intergrowth ("squi"). In the past, lepidolite has also been used.

Jan 9, 1974

By A. V. Henry

THE kaolins of the southeastern United States were known to civiliza-tion as early as the latter part of the eighteenth century-and yet the GEORGIA PRODUCTION UNITED STATES PRODUCTION IMPORTS Fig. 1.-KAOLIN PRODUCTION AND IMPORTS. commercial history of Georgia kaolins may be said to begin in the year 1900. The U. S. Bureau of Mines reported for that year a production of 6885 tons of "miscellaneous" clays in Georgia. A comparison of these figures with those of 1934, when the production rose to 284,556 tons (65 per cent of the domestic production), indicates the growing economic and technologic importance of this raw material. Fig. 1 clearly shows that a part of the increase is due to a normal growth in the use of kaolinitic clays and a part is due to replacement of clays formerly imported.

Jan 1, 1937

By Irving Fatt, R. M. Weinbrandt

Efforts have been made for many years to observe pore structure of sedimentary rocks on a microscopic scale. A better description of the pore structure in reservoir rock would aid in the development of relations between flow through tube network models and flow in consolidated reservoir rock. The unique qualities of the scanning electron miscroscope (SEM) make it the ideal tool to use in a study of pore structure. Previous methods of studying pore structure included plastic casts of pore space and optical microscopy.l-7 There is now available a new method to observe three-dimensional flow channels in reservoir rock: a scanning electron microscope having variable magnification from X20 to X20,000 and approximately 1000 times the depth of focus of the conventional light microscopes. This microscope also can obtain stereoscopic images and can measure and diagram flow channels so that it is possible to construct a network of tubes that will model consolidated reservoir rock. THEORY OF THE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE The scanning electron microscope (SEM) functions by projecting a beam of electrons through magnetic focusing lenses at a specimen and recording secondary electrons excited by the primary beam. The amount of secondary electron emission portrays the topography of the specimen because more secondary electrons are emitted from high points than from low points. A schematic of the SEM is shown in Fig. 1. The property of the SEM that is of most importance in this study is its great depth of focus. The depth of focus results from using electrons

Jan 1, 1970

By John J. Borkert, Carl E. Gerity

In situ mining offers a new and proven method of exploiting sedimentary uranium deposits. The feasibility and economic evaluation of exploiting a uranium reserve by either open pit or underground mining should also include a similar study for in situ mining. This report compares the economics of mining several hypothetical uranium deposits at various depths, grades and reserve sizes by open pit and in situ mining. The evaluation process evolved establishing, where possible, common geological and logistical parameters to both methods of mining. The various assumptions that are unique to either open pit or in situ mining were also drafted, where possible, as equal and common functions to be used in each economic evaluation of the reserve models. After the various parameters were defined, they were programmed to an economic analysis of the various hypothetical uranium deposits by the selected mining method. From the vast array of cost evaluations, total capital and operating cost per pound U308 produced, DCF-ROI, and total net profits before State and Federal taxes were selected as the most meaningful results to compare. From the various geologic parameters used, it was determined that the economic viability of a mining venture is most sensitive to a depth-grade thickness ratio. The three selected evaluation products were plotted against the various depth-grade thickness ratios of the hypothetical uranium deposits. The results of the economic cost analyses show in situ mining generally to be a better method to maximize total net profits and to maximize return on investment.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. W. Raymond

I have the pleasure of exhibiting samples of the rock in which the South African diamonds are said to occur, for which I am indebted to Mr. Franz Groeger, of Vienna, formerly an assistant of the Royal Imperial Geological Institution, whose account of the general geology of Southern Africa was contained in a recent number of the proceedings of that Institution. The rock is apparently a sort. of tufa, evidently of volcanic origin. Mr. Groeger assured me that it could be seen in situ, bounded by uplifted stratified rocks; and that diamonds had been mined from it, by means of shafts, some distance below the surface. Groeger calls it " greenstone-tufa," and says of it, in the proceedings of the Geological Institution, " it breaks through the younger members of Group III [lower Trias and Jura], .... and crops out in oval masses, filling fissures.....The occurrence of this tufa is not locally limited, but has been traced and proved already over a large territory." Dr. Hunt remarked that the material looked like the trass of the Rhine region. He thought it a new occurrence for diamonds. He believed diamonds to belong to ancient crystalline rocks, although these materials might be brought up by volcanic agency, and the diamonds remain unaltered. In the volcanic rooks of Auvergne, crystals of sapphire, zircon, and spinel are found; and yet no one supposes that these minerals have been generated by volcanic agency. He had had a conversation with Bertrand de Lorn on this subject, who agreed with him that these minerals, being hard and resistant,

By R. P. Smith, L. S. Darken

FOR a high-purity iron-carbon alloy, the phases existing at equilibrium at temperatures slightly above the temperature of the metastable eutectoid are austenite and cementite (hyper-eutectoid) or austenite and ferrite (hypo-eutectoid) and those below the eutectoid temperature (carbdn content > 0.02 pct) are ferrite and cementite. Such an alloy, held in a carefully controlled and measured temperature gradient (about 1 cm per deg) which includes the eutectoid temperature, then quenched and examined metallographicall.y, provides a precise measure of the eutectoid temperature. The samples were hollow cylinders approximately 1.3 cm OD, 0.63 cm ID, and 2.5 cm long, which had been carburized to the desired carbon content at 1000°C with an appropriate hydrogen-methane mixture. In order to cool the samples to room temperature with a minimum change of carbon content and absence of cracks they were quenched in a Cerro Bend bath at 480°C, followed by a water quench to room temperature. Three cylinders were suspended in the furnace1 in a purified helium atmosphere, by a closed end, thin wall, silica tube which also served as a thermocouple well. The top and bottom cylinders served only as a means of making the temperature gradient along the center cylinder more uniform. The temperature was determined with a platinum-platinrhodium thermel calibrated by comparison with a thermel certified (* 0.5OC) by the National Bureau of Standards. After holding in the temperature gradient for 24 to 72 hr the samples were quenched in Cerro Bend at 480°C, followed by

Jan 1, 1960

By J. J. Bailey, R. C. Dean

Dr. Maurer has reviewed the large and confused field of rock mechanics and drilling. We have focused our attention on advance drilling and the disengagement of rock. To understand drilling in greater detail is certainly desirable, but such understanding does not necessarily hold any certain promise of near-term practical advancement. In the longer term, it is probably essential. Present work on drilling and our understanding of drilling falls roughly into three separate classes (and, indeed, these are in no way peculiar to drilling): 1) we have knowledge of certain (scientific) topics which seem to be relevant to the process, 2) we have knowledge of the drilling process in both qualitative and quantitative terms from observation of the actual process, and 3) we have certain modeling procedures, by which we bridge the gap between these two previous areas. The usefulness of our scientific knowledge depends critically upon this last item. In all our following remarks we shall consider only those problems of drilling and the disengagement of rock in which the rock behavior is essentially brittle. Let us start by examining some of the problems of constructing an even moderately detailed theoretical model of the drilling process in the small. The prospects of any near-term success in that direction seem extremely meagre; nor is it clear that any great advancement in the practical art of drilling is even likely to result from the construction of such a detailed model. On the other hand, as we shall suggest later, considera-

Jan 1, 1967

By E. R. Kaiser

COAL research during 1942 was directed in an important degree toward the solution of problems of wartime importance. A wider selection of coals for carbonization to meet the increased demand for coke, and the improved utilization of lower-grade coals for boiler fuel were made possible by fundamental studies on cod and ash behavior that had been started several years ago. The coal industry's interest in the work of the various laboratories brightened significantly as results were demonstrated on smokeless combustion in stoves, on stokers without coke trees, and on pulverized firing of forge furnaces. Despite the limitations of priorities and scarcity of materials, the mineral industries building of the West Virginia University was completed and equipped with facilities for research on coal min

Jan 1, 1943

By P. H. Mell

The little village, from which this formation receives its name, is situated on a bluff of the Alabama River, 175 feet above water level. This bluff is a portion of high table land that begins in the western portion of Choctaw and extends through Clarke and Monroe counties. We find points on this ridge more than 100 feet higher than Tuscaloosa, and nearly as high as the Tennessee River at Tuscumbia. Through this the Alabama River cuts its way, exposing a beautiful cross-section of the strata, of which the accompanying sketch may give some idea. The fossils are found about 75 feet below the surface and 100 feet above the level of the river. There are seven distinct strata. 1. The lowest, extending from the water's edge up the bluff 80 feet, is a soft calcareous rock containing about 15 per cent. of carbonate of lime, with occasional specks of mica. In this a few Ostrea, Turritellæ, and Flustræ were found, but so friable as to fall to pieces when handled. 2. Next comes a stratum varying from 2 to 8 feet, consisting of

Jan 1, 1880

By F. A. Emmerton

I have used for about two years, in the laboratory of the Joliet Steel Company, a rapid method for the determination of phosphorus in iron, steel, and ores, which possesses one or two features sufficiently novel to warrant description. In general, it is the method described by Mr. Benjamin B. Wright (Transactions, vol. x., p. 197), involving the precipitation of the phosphorus by means of molybdate solution, and its estimation in the yellow precipitate by reduction of the molybdic acid, and titration of the resulting oxide with a standardized permanganate solution, according to the principles laid down by Werncke (Fres, Zeit., vol. xiv., p. 1). In the use of this method, I had difficulty at first in obtaining a yellow precipitate of reasonably uniform composition. It is a well-known fact that, to secure this result, the conditions of precipitation must not vary. The principal condition is temperature; and acidity, concentration, proportion of nitrates and chlorides, and time, are important elements. I am aware that uniformity in these conditions has been obtained to a reasonable extent by many chemists,. so that they are enabled to use with success, methods based on the

Jan 1, 1887

By Robert W. Hunt

Delays in the completion of the alterations to the plant at the works of Messrs. Oliver Bros. and Phillips, in Pittsburgh, coupled with the increased demand for metal made from regular Bessemer pig, placing the firm many hundreds of tons behind in their deliveries, prevented Mr. Henry W. Oliver, Jr., from redeeming his promise to place his works at my disposal for further tests of high-phosphorus irons, until May 5th. Upon that date, I assumed charge of the operations in his steel-plant. Mr. Oliver had purchased Neshannock pig as a basis for a supply of phosphorus. My information is to the effect that this iron is made from low-grade Lake Superior ores and mill-cinder, the latter "ore" being utilized to about 40 per cent. of the total mixture. At all events the pig had quite as much phosphorus, and in as varying quantities, as the most exacting could desire. My experiments of last fall had well satisfied me as to the effect of from 0.35 to 0.55 per cent. of phosphorus in the Clapp Griffiths metal. Hence at this time my first trials were directed to

Jan 1, 1886

By Dale Dixon, A. R. MacPherson

The present comminution process in principle has remained more or less the same for the last 50 years. The majority of the changes have been in the fields of equipment improvements and size increases of prevailing systems. The development and utilization of completely new systems has virtually been non-existent. As energy and steeel costs increase and lower grade ores are mined, the comminution costs per ton of ore treated must improve accordingly or the operations will not be profitable. The chapter examines further developments in existing systems and touches on relatively unexplored methods of comminution appropriate for future needs.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. E. Kemp

1. Situation.—From Monterey in the State of Nuevo Leon, the Sierra Madre mountains stretch away to the southeast and present a steep front to the northeast. The Monterey and Mexican Gulf railway. which connects Monterey with Tampico. follows their general line with its road-bed a few miles out from the foothills. At a distance of 100 miles from Monterey it passes through the town of Linares. and from Linares one can see far away to the southeast the peaks of another group of mountains rising from the general plateau and forming a more eastern

Jan 1, 1906

By E. W. Murbach

The oxidation of uranium carbide by oxygen at various pressures, and by air, has been investigated at temperatures up to 600°C. Arc-melted and cast uranium carbide displays oxidation behavior that appears to be dependent on its treatment after melting. ccReactive" uranium carbide, which results from exposure of freshly melted material to laboratory air, ignites in oxygen at about 275° to 350°C depending on pressure, and in air at about 350°C. The product of the initial oxidation appears to be UO2+.. Continued heating produces U30,. The initial oxidation rate is poportional, roughly, to the square root of the oxygen pressure. The activation energy determined for the initial oxidation reaction is 7.1 kcal, from 400° to 600°C in 10 mm of oxygen. AN investigation of low-decontamination methods for reprocessing uranium carbide reactor fuels is being carried out at Atomics International. One of the reprocessing cycles includes oxidation of the fuel at relatively low temperature (300° to 500°C) and reaction of the product oxide with carbon at elevated temperatures (above 1500°C) to produce uranium carbide. A number of small-scale experiments have been carried out in which uranium carbide was oxidized in air and oxygen at various pressures to measure reaction rates and to obtain other information concerning the oxidation process. In initial experiments with arc-melted UC, ignition was observed at about 275°C in oxygen or 350°C in air. However, similar experiments by Neymark' at 426°C in air showed no ignition. It was soon determined that the difference in oxidation behavior was due to the treatment of the UC following arc-melting. Neymark's experiments were carried out with freshly melted UC while those reported in the

Jan 1, 1963

By P. H. Mell

AMONG the minerals exhibited at the Atlanta Exhibition of 1881, soapstone, kaolin, and asbestos were well represented. The first two occur in large quantities, of very pure quality, throughout the South. The last is somewhat limited in amount, yet in certain localities it exists in masses sufficiently large to pay for working; in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama it has been mined with some profit. I would, in this paper, call special attention to the minerals soapstone and kaolin, because their many valuable qualities seem to have been al most entirely overlooked by our Southern manufacturers. Steatite, particularly, occurs in such large quantities, and generally in such close proximity to the great iron regions of Alabama and Georgia, that it is amazing that the iron companies will persist in sending abroad under. heavy expense for firebrick. It would require a much smaller sum of money to quarry this rock and place it at the various furnaces ; and the results obtained, I am sure, would prove its superiority over the majority of firebrick brought into this region. Soapstone, as well as kaolin, is found throughout the metamorphic regions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Below-will be found seven analyses that I have made of this mineral, taken from various points in the four States above mentioned. I have also subjected these same specimens to severe fire-tests, and the results were very satisfactory. The tests were conducted in the following manner: Small portions of the compact variety were carefully weighed and placed in a Fletcher's new crucible furnace for gas, and subjected for half an hour to a heat that will in 12 minutes fuse iron. The only effect upon these specimens was a slight change in color .to a darker shade, a small loss in weight, due evidently to the evaporation of water, and, in one or two specimens, a slight degree of fusion on the sharp edges. The first specimen subjected to investigation was taken from a large outcropping in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Specific gravity, 2.88 ; hardness, 1.9; color, blue gray. Composition Water, - 2.68 Silica, - 65.46 Iron oxide, - 2.10 Alumina, - 15.02 Magnesia, - 15.35 100.61

Jan 1, 1882

By A. Azis

The problem of expressing a nation's mineral resources in terms that convey a sense of economic reality poses a great challenge to those charged with keeping government policymakers informed. A model is presented that can be used to simulate and examine the effects of, for instance, differences in levels of output, transportation costs, mining costs or selling prices on the exploitability and expected order of development of new mineral deposits. The model in its present form can be used to screen, as a first cut, the economic from uneconomic deposits in cases where little or nothing is known about them in detail. To date, this has generally been done - reluctantly - by subjective judgments. This model provides an improvement on the "informed opinion" approach, as it forces those who use the model to be both systematic and explicit in their assumptions. Moreover, the procedure is repeat- able and each step can be defended and justified. Implications can be examined of the uncertainty associated with many of the variables. The model is entirely too general to be of use for actual feasibility studies. It is not useful, in the case of speculative or little-known deposits, to provide a model that has an input format more detailed than the information that is likely to be available. Should the user see a need for it, the model can easily be expanded to allow for the input of more detail or more variables.

Jan 1, 1977

By Carl R. Christiansen

Since the first pay hole in Missouri's "New Lead Belt" was drilled in 1955, this district has become one of the world's leading sources of lead. The belt extends from north of Viburnum in a southerly direction to near Eminence, a distance of about 35 miles. The St. Joseph Lead Company was the discoverer and first to develop new mines in the Viburnum area. Since the discovery of the New Lead Belt, many companies have engaged in exploration programs and several major companies have become active in development of new mines. These include Cominco American, Inc., which operates a joint venture with Dresser Industries; Ozark Lead Company, a subsidiary of Kennecott Copper Company; and Missouri Lead Operating Company, a joint venture of Arnax and Homestake. St. Joseph Lead Company, with over 100 years of experience in the Old Lead Belt, has served as a leader in development of equipment and mining techniques, making its properties some of the most efficient mining operations in the world. The new producers give the district the benefit of fresh viewpoints, as their engineers are mostly from outside of Missouri and their previous experience has been considerably different from conventional lead belt practices. While all operations are similar in that they are room-and-pillar, the diverse experience of the operators has produced a group of mines that employ a variety of equipment and mining techniques to give increased efficiency

Jan 1, 1970

By Alfred E. Hunt

Professor EGGERTZ first published a method based upon the fact that, when steel is dissolved in dilute nitric acid, and heated until the separated flocculent carbonaceous matter goes into the solution, the liquid assomed a brown color proportionate in intensity to the amount of the combined carbon in the steel. This method has been so variously modified that at present but few chemists use exactly the same procedure. It is the object of this paper to present

Jan 1, 1884

By James T. Wood

STRATIGRAPHY structure and closure of the Paloma field are discussed, with some details regarding the present state of development. The Paloma anticline, a large dome modified by faults, is the largest single closed dome in the southern San Joaquin Valley without surface outcrop or topographic expression. It owes its discovery to geophysics. Of nine wells drilled to the Stevens sand, seven are productive. The ultimate productive area may approximate 3000 acres when the limits of the field are determined.

Jan 1, 1942