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By H. E. Howe, A. A. Smith

The creep properties of lead alloys have been studied by a number of investigators but most of the work has been done on extruded material and the amount of data available on rolled alloys is surprisingly limited. Greenwood1 and his collaborators investigated various rolled commercial leads containing relatively small amounts of impurities, Phillips2 likewise studied rolled commercial leads, although he did include a few alloys— such as tellurium lead and one per cent antimonial lead. But as far as the authors are aware no data on the creep properties of so-called "hard leads"-—i.e., containing from 4 to 8 per cent antimony—have been published. In this paper some data are presented on a few antimonial lead alloys and compared with a copper-bearing lead. Preparation OF Specimens All the alloys used in this investigation were cast at a temperature of 400°C. into an open cast-iron mold preheated to Ioo°C., the resultant casting being % by I by 10 in. The copper-bearing alloy was cold-rolled by 10 per cent passes to a thickness of 0.100 in. Creep specimens 16 in. long were prepared by clamping the strips between wooden blocks and machining the edges of the strips parallel by means of a plane. Careful manipulation gave parallel specimens with no reduced section and with a minimum of distortion. The antimonial lead castings were hot-rolled in 10 per cent passes at a temperature of I50°C. to a thickness of 0.400 in., the heating being carried out in an electric oven after each pass through the rolls. After the castings had been broken down to 0.400 in., they were allowed to cool to room temperature and then cold-rolled to 0.100 in. with the usual Io per cent passes. Sufficient time was allowed after each pass for the strips to cool to room temperature. The apparatus and method of measuring strain have been adequately described in a previous paper3 and essentially the same practice was used in obtaining the present data. Time-extension curves for only two alloys are given, since these are typical of all. Figs. I and 2 show the time-extension Curves for the copper-bearing alloy A at 30°C. and loo°C., and Figs. 3 and 4 show

Jan 1, 1945

By F. C. Kelley, L. L. Wyman

In order to clarify and amplify the existing data concerning the action of the cementing material in cemented tungsten carbide alloys, the authors have initiated this investigation of the entire range of cobalt-tungsten carbide alloys. Inasmuch as the ultimate objective is relative to what actually goes on during the sintering of cemented tungsten carbide materials, this work was necessarily restricted to heat treatments similar to those used in actual production of these materials. In the course of numerous experiments, the authors have noted several conditions that indicated that there was a solubility to be considered. Among these factors are the following: 1. Many of the alloys showed a much larger amount of binding constituent to be present than could possibly be accounted for by the cobalt content. 2. In many areas, grains of the carbide constituent are much larger than the particles of carbide originally added. In addition, these grains are of very regular contour. 2a. In samples of cemented tungsten carbide which had been fused in the atomic hydrogen torch in the presence of excess binder constituent, immense grains are formed, and their shapes are very regular. This is also true when the cemented tungsten carbide of 13 per cent. Co content is fused alone in the atomic hydrogen torch. Contrary to general expectation, chemical analysis of this material, after fusion in the atomic hydrogen torch, checks the analysis of unfused material. 3. In making the cemented tungsten carbide materials by the process of exerting the pressure at the time of heating a certain portion of the ' contents squeezed out of the mold. Chemical analysis has shown that this material contains approximately 12 to 20 per cent. of tungsten. The microstructure shows a cored dendritic structure interlaced with eutectic network, and some graphite, as shown in Fig. 1. 4. Thermal analysis of these materials has consistently indicated an arrest point close to 1350" C.

Jan 1, 1931

By Dubois Eastman

BEHIND the contrasting liquid-fuel technologies of Germany and the United States lie the basic differences of scarcity and abundance. The chemists and engineers of each nation have developed processes that accommodate available raw materials. In the United States, processing is based on an abundant supply of petroleum, which is refined into a variety of fuels and lubricants. Germany has little indigenous petroleum but has a readily available supply of coal that can be converted into liquid fuels and lubricants. As a result, in Germany several basic processes have been developed for the conversion of coal into synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). In turn, this gas is processed into products. As a normal function of its researches into petroleum processing, the petroleum industry in the United States has made careful studies of various conversion and synthesis techniques. A number of oil companies are carrying out independent development programs with the aim of synthesizing hydro- carbon products that can be marketed at a price that will compete with the price of refined petroleum products. American oil companies hope to perfect synthesis processes that will directly benefit the consumer. A good example of progress in these terms is the synthesis plant at Brownsville, Texas, which is based on the conversion of natural gas to synthetic fuels and other valuable products. When this plant is operated at near capacity, it is expected that the products will be able to compete favorably for the consumer dollar. The complete gasification of coal is a technique well rooted in history. As a controlled process on a small scale, it goes back centuries. As a practical technique on a commercial scale, it dates back to 1839, when "producer gas" appeared in Germany for limited industrial use. By 1873, "water gas," or "city gas" as it is sometimes called, was being manufactured commercially in the United States for use in heaters and stoves. The water-gas process was the cornerstone for modern synthesis. To older methods that were concerned only with carbon and oxygen reactions, it added hydrogen by means of steam. Thus far the goal of conversion was to produce gas for heating, lighting, industrial use, and cooking. The long step forward to synthesis was made in 1927, when Germany started to make gasoline from coal by means of the revolutionary Bergius hydrogenation process. A year earIier, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch had announced their process, which finally reached the

Jan 1, 1953

By Hermann Wedding

It is now fourteen years since we German ironmasters, in considerable number, visited the United States on the occasion of the Philadelphia Exposition, and found the iron metallurgy of this country, as must be frankly confessed, in an advanced stage of development not previously suspected by us. At that time the United States already occupied, as now, the second rank, with Germany in the third, the product of pig-iron for that year being, in Great Britain, 6550, in this country, 2093, and in Germany, 1850 kilotons.* This relative position has not been changed. The present annual product of the three countries is, in round numbers, Great Britain, 8380, the United States, 7790, and Germany, 4530 kilotons. But the proportion of the United States, which was, in 1876, but 15 per cent. of the world's product, has now advanced to 30 per cent. When we left America in 1876, it was not only with gratitude for cordial hospitality and for the liberality with which our professional colleagues here had opened to our inspection whatever was worthy of notice in our special field, but also with the conviction that we had collected a great treasure of new and interesting information which we could utilize for the benefit of our German Fatherland. Particularly the achievements of the never-to-be-forgotten Holley in the field of Bessemer practice, set us an inspiring example for imitation in our own country. As an expression of our thanks in more practical fashion, I attempt in this paper to sketch what we have done in Germany since

Jan 1, 1891

By C. G. Dunn, J. L. Walter

Either (100) (001] or (110) (0011 oriented secondaries, or both, depending on annealing atmosphere and material composition, grew in a matrix of 2-dimensional grains. The growth dependence of secondaries of(hkl) orientation in the iron and 0.6 pct Si-Fe is explained in terms of surface energy driving forces and the dependence of these driving forces on both (hkl) orientation and amount of oxygen at the surace. (100) [001] grains grow when suflicient oxygen is present at the gas-metal interface to make y100 the lowest (hkl) surface energy. When little or no oxygen is present at the gas -metal interface, making Y110 the lowest surface energy, (110) (001 1 grains grow. When Y100 and y110 are approximately equal but lowest among (hkl) surface energies, both (100) (0011 and (110) (0011 grains grow simultaneously. An excess of surface oxygen produces complete grain growth inhibition in high-purity iron; i.e., a 3-dimensional grain structure is retained over long annealing periods. However, a small amount of silicon in the iron reduces the growth inhibiting tendency of oxygen without altering the (hkl) surface energy relationships. Some information on annealing twins is presented. SECONDARY recrystallization in high-purity a iron, cold rolled to strip a few mils thick, was reported recently.' The present paper provides additional information on this subject, also furnishes similar information on both zone-refined iron and a high-purity 0.6 pct Si-Fe alloy, and treats the more important surface phenomena that determine to a large extent whether one or more secondary recrystallization textures will appear during annealing. Previous studies on high-purity 3 pct Si-Fe2,3 have shown the importance of (hkl) and impurity-atom dependent gas-metal surface energies on the formation of secondary recrystallization textures in high-purity material. For example, either (100) or (110) oriented grains may have the lowest surface energy depending on the amount of oxygen at the gas-metal interface, and hence the highest driving force for growth if other growth factors are the same. Another important phenomenon in high-purity material is stabilization of the matrix structure; neither impurities nor a strong matrix texture seem to be necessary when recrystallization and normal grain growth occur, developing a stable two-dimensional type grain structure. The average grain size in such a structure is usually between one and two times the specimen thickness. Consequently, most of the grains have grain boundaries terminating at exposed surfaces, and this results in gas-metal interfaces (or hkl surfaces) as well as

Jan 1, 1962

By Niels Hansen

Dispersion-strengthened aluminum products consist of an aluminum matrix containing finely distributed ceramic or intermetallic particles. Examples of the two types of product are SAP, in which the dispersed phase is aluminum oxide, and materials made from atomized aluminum alloy powder, in which the dispersed phase can be FeA1, particles.' A fundamental difference between the two types of product is that the elongation of aluminum/aluminum oxide products decreases with increasing temperature, whereas the elongation of aluminum- FeA13 products, like that of aluminum alloys, increases with increasing temperature. As regards the structural stability, aluminum/aluminum oxide products are stable to temperatures above 600° C as aluminum oxide does not react with aluminum, whereas prolonged heating at above 400°C of aluminum-FeA1, products leads to coarsening of the intermetallic phase and loss of strength.' On the basis of these results it is supposed that a dispersion-strengthened product combining strength, ductility, and stability at elevated temperatures may be obtained if the dispersed phase reacts with the matrix in such a way that the reaction does not proceed at any significant rate at the application temperature. Different ceramic or intermetallic compounds may be selected as the dispersed phase, and, as alloying of the matrix phase may also influence the reaction, many possibilities exist for each metal. In the present study, aluminum products containing different oxides have been examined. For a reaction to take place between the dispersed oxide and the aluminum the free energy of formation of the oxide (MeO) must be greater than that of aluminum oxide; the difference should, however, not be too great in order to limit the reaction rate. Furthermore the aluminum alloy formed when aluminum reacts with the dispersed oxide should have a melting point near

Jan 1, 1969

By A. Bleier, E. D. Goddard, R. D. Kulkarni

The influence of the collector structure on the amine (RNH2, R=alkyl) flotation of quartz has been systematically investigated using a modified Hallimond microflotation cell. This study focuses on the effect of varying chain length, branching in the alkyl group R, polyfunctionality of the collector molecule, and alkyl substitution on the nitrogen atom. In addition, adsorption at the solution/air interface and electrokinetic results for the solid/solution interface were employed to further elucidate the role ad the interrelation of the structural parameters in the flotation process. Estimates of an electrical double layer attractive energy between the bubble and the solid particle are made.

Jan 1, 1976

By H. T. Lundberg, J. H. Ratcliffe

In airborne gravity surveys effects of acceleration and irregular movements of the aircraft must be balanced out or overcome. The gradient of vertical gravity is recorded, therefore, by using two masses instead of one. As the amplitude variations are infinitesimal and difficult to measure accurately, at present it is enough to determine whether variation of gradient during flight is positive or negative. The positive portions of the pattern can then be indicated and contoured. Even with these simplifications, the source of energy must be exceptionally stable. General Principles: In the conventional gravi-meter the weight of a standard mass is determined at a number of selected points within the survey area. In most systems weight is determined by comparing the gravity pull with extension or torque

Jan 1, 1960

By Walter L. Maxson, Fred C. Bond

There is more information contained in a screen analysis than is ordinarily recognized, and there is an increasing need for methods of making this additional information easily available. As more comprehensive studies of crushing and grinding are made, and as the possibilities of decreased expense and increased extraction through a closer control of grinding are explored, methods of interpreting screen analyses assume an importance which they have not had heretofore. The information commonly desired, which can be determined from a complete and carefully made screen analysis, includes: (1) the size distribution of the material passing the finest screen, (2) the presence of a hard grinding fraction, (3) the location of natural grain sizes, (4) the presence of different materials with markedly different grinding characteristics, (5) the presence and amount of finely divided material such as clay, which is merely unlocked in grinding, and (6) the total surface area of the ground product. It is necessary to know the fundamental law of size distribution of a homogeneous material in order to correctly resolve a screen-analysis curve, and to understand the variations and anomalies that a sample may exhibit when compared with the ideal curve. This fundamental law was developed by Gaudin,1 who showed that when the logarithm of the per cent weight retained on any screen and passing the next larger screen in the Tyler standard screen scale was plotted against the logarithm of the screen aperture the resulting curve for the finer sizes of a homogeneous crusher or grinding-mill product would be a straight line. Gross and Zimmerley2 experimentally confirmed Rittinger's law, which states that the useful work done in crushing a homogeneous material is directly proportional to the new surface area produced; and showed that in the larger screen sizes resulting from impact crushing a

Jan 1, 1935

By John Wulff, Richard P. Seelig

The importance of the pressing operation in the forming of articles by powder metallurgy depends to a great extent on the type of product to be made. While in some few cases the pressing is merely a means of compacting loose powder particles into a solid mass preliminary to a sintering treatment, in most applications it constitutes a molding operation with the purpose of shaping the raw material in powder form into a certain predetermined, accurately defined part not altered in shape by subsequent sintering. In still other cases, no pressing at all but sintering in molds gives useful articles. A limited number of products are made by the simultaneous application of pressure and heat. The factors that control the product of the pressing operation are raw material, lubricant, type, size and shape of die and compact, magnitude and time of application of pressure, as well as temperature of pressing. All such factors need to be controlled; yet, depending on the function of the pressing operation, greater emphasis may be placed on processing factors other than the pressing operation. In any complete discussion of pressing, subsequent sintering cannot be disregarded. For the sake of brevity, the present paper has been limited to the mechanics of pressing and only occasionally refers to sintering. For the same reason, hot-pressing has been omitted as beyond the scope of this paper In any survey of the literature on the pressing of metal powders, the 1938 paper of Balshinl on the theory of the process of pressing deserves mention. The first attempts at an interpretation of pressing phenomena were made by Balshin' and RakovskL2 The experimental results of both are of great interest. Since the experimental results are not described, the work was repeated, using our own interpretation of the possible techniques, and is reported in the following pages. The basic theory of Balshin,' based on a hydro-dynamic analogy, however, leads to hut another way of plotting density and pres- , sure against height of a pressed compact. Since it does not give any new insight into the phenomena, nor account for the influence of side-wall friction, a discussion of the theory has been omitted from this paper. Density Gradients in Compacts The process of pressing metal powders in a die (disregarding for this consideration the powder filling and ejection operations) may be divided into three phases: (I) packing, (2) elastic and plastic deformation, (3) cold-working with or without fragmentation. It must be emphasized that these three steps do not follow each other in sequence; on the contrary, in practice

Jan 1, 1946

By John Wulff, Richard P. Seelig

The importance of the pressing operation in the forming of articles by powder metallurgy depends to a great extent on the type of product to be made. While in some few cases the pressing is merely a means of compacting loose powder particles into a solid mass preliminary to a sintering treatment, in most applications it constitutes a molding operation with the purpose of shaping the raw material in powder form into a certain predetermined, accurately defined part not altered in shape by subsequent sintering. In still other cases, no pressing at all but sintering in molds gives useful articles. A limited number of products are made by the simultaneous application of pressure and heat. The factors that control the product of the pressing operation are raw material, lubricant, type, size and shape of die and compact, magnitude and time of application of pressure, as well as temperature of pressing. All such factors need to be controlled; yet, depending on the function of the pressing operation, greater emphasis may be placed on processing factors other than the pressing operation. In any complete discussion of pressing, subsequent sintering cannot be disregarded. For the sake of brevity, the present paper has been limited to the mechanics of pressing and only occasionally refers to sintering. For the same reason, hot-pressing has been omitted as beyond the scope of this paper In any survey of the literature on the pressing of metal powders, the 1938 paper of Balshinl on the theory of the process of pressing deserves mention. The first attempts at an interpretation of pressing phenomena were made by Balshin' and RakovskL2 The experimental results of both are of great interest. Since the experimental results are not described, the work was repeated, using our own interpretation of the possible techniques, and is reported in the following pages. The basic theory of Balshin,' based on a hydro-dynamic analogy, however, leads to hut another way of plotting density and pres- , sure against height of a pressed compact. Since it does not give any new insight into the phenomena, nor account for the influence of side-wall friction, a discussion of the theory has been omitted from this paper. Density Gradients in Compacts The process of pressing metal powders in a die (disregarding for this consideration the powder filling and ejection operations) may be divided into three phases: (I) packing, (2) elastic and plastic deformation, (3) cold-working with or without fragmentation. It must be emphasized that these three steps do not follow each other in sequence; on the contrary, in practice

Jan 1, 1946

HeRbeRT Haas,—(communication to the Secretary*).—Fig. I plainly shows that the comparison of the steam-turbine and Diesel-engine plants was made on a basis of 6,000 kw. continuous operating load. The tabulation of costs for an 8,000-kw. load is merely done to show the relation of increased output on the unit power costs. Both plants would sacrifice their reserve capacity, which is to insure continuous operation, if operated to generate 8,000 kw. continuously; unless Mr. Hawkins advocates the operation of one of the turbines at 33.33 per cent. overload, retaining the other as a standby, which, besides overtaxing the turbine, results in a great loss of efficiency. It would be well for Mr. Hawkins to qualify certain of his statements. Thus, under the caption "Diesel Engines, Selection of Units," he says that '(two of the largest Diesel-engine builders take the position that, in the present state of the art, they would not attempt to put out units over 1,000 kw.;" he should qualify it by saying that "two of the largest American Diesel-engine builders take the position that, in the present state of the art in the United States, they would not attempt to put out units over 1,000 kw." The reason that American manufacturers restrict themselves at present to units of that size is to be found not so much in a lack of experience in building large units as in a lack of a sufficient demand for them in the United States to justify the heavy capital outlay connected with the development of such engines. There are relatively few localities in the United States where fuel prices are as high as they are in the South-, west, and regions of high fuel prices are sparsely settled and have a very limited demand for power. Where low fuel prices obtain, steam turbines are active competitors of Diesel engines for large power plants, particularly when the station load factor is low. As most of the American manufacturers of Diesel engines work under license agreements with European manufacturers, which limit their market to the United States and its possessions and Canada, a further limitation is imposed upon them, leaving to European firms practically the entire world as a market. The greater number of power plants range in size from 300 to 1,000 hp.; the average size of the central station, on a basis of all central stations in the United States, not greatly exceeding 500 kw.; in these sizes it is hard for steam engines to compete with Diesel engines, unless fuol oil prices are excessively high, and coal prices very low, or the exhaust steam is used for heating purposes.

Jan 1, 1917

By E. M. Boatman, S. J. Pirson, R. L. Nettle

More than a decade ago some theoretically derived relationships were proposed that permitted the prediction of the relative ability of reservoir fluids (oil, gas, water) to flow simultaneously within the porous structure of rocks. While many successful predictions of fluid-flow ratios from wells have been made from electric logs, the theoretical deductions have not been subjected to laboratory verifications. For the relative permeability to liquid and gas, simultaneous flow of water and air was used, employing the familiar external-gas-drive technique. While in the process or water desaturation, the resistivities of the test cores (Woodbine sand) were measured. Their permeabilities varied from 10 to 280 md. The laboratory results indicated the need for changing the values of exponents in the theoretically derived formulas, whereas the form of the functions of resistivities and saturations remained as derived by theory. For the relative permeability to oil and water, the three-core dynamic technique was used on six cores. In this case it was found that the formulas were valid with but slight modification as derived by theory, to a sufficient degree of accuracy for engineering use and for well productivity prediction from electric logs. INTRODUCTION Conventional quantitative well log interpretation generally stops after reasonable values for formation porosities and water saturations have been established. Yet such in formation is insufficient to predict either the outcome or the desirability of well tests and completion, let alone the economic aspect of producing oil- and gas-bearing sections which might have been established by conventional log analysis. To give an engineering answer to such questions, it is necessary to predict the expected fluid flow ratios, the productivity index and the ultimate recovery from potentially productive wells. This problem requires in part for its solution a determination of the relative permeability characteristics of the potentially producing formations, both to oil (or water) and gas, and to oil and water.

Jan 1, 1965

By Lo-Ching Chang, Kenneth M. Goldman

INTRODUCTION THE kinetics and mechanism of transfer of a constituent across a slag-metal interface are fundamentally important because many metallurgical processes involve the existence of a slag phase and a metal phase. Industrial processes seldom proceed to equilibrium, and information of the rates and modes of reactions are therefore often of greater practical importance than equilibrium data. A study of the kinetics of sulphur transfer across a slag-metal interface under reducing conditions will contribute a great deal toward a better understanding of desulphurization in the blast furnace process. The general principles existing in the transfer of a constituent, such as sulphur, across a slag-metal interface can be extended to similar transfer phenomena in other metallurgical processes. The present paper will demonstrate how such studies will lead to fruitful results from both the practical and theoretical standpoints. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The apparatus used was simple. A graphite crucible 1 5/8-in. id, a wall 1/8-in. thick, and a depth of 4 in., was packed in an outer fused silica tube with powdered magnesia. The crucible assembly was rotated at a speed of 235 rpm inside an induction coil. A charge of 250 g of Armco ingot iron was introduced into the graphite crucible and melted by induction heating. The melt was held at a desired temperature [ ] for 3-5 min., after which 7.5 g of granular ferrous sulphide was added and the bath was held for another 3-5 min. A metal sample was then taken by means of a fused silica tube and a rubber suction bulb. Immediately after the metal sample was taken, 30 g of a prefused and crushed slag were introduced. The slag reached the temperature of the furnace in 1 to 1 1/ 2 min. Slag

Jan 1, 1948

By C. V. Millikan

Temperature measurement in wells is an old practice and geothermal gradients have been of interest to geologists for many years.le2 Their application to the operation of oil wells is a more recent practice. It has long been recognized that temperature anomalies occur in drilling and producing wells but thermometers that could obtain a satisfactory record of the anomalies were not available. The normal geothermal gradient is con-sidered as being about one degree Fahren-heit for each 60 ft. of depth.4 This "nor-mal " gradient varies in different areas, but whatever it may be in an area there is little variation from the surface to as deep as the : drill penetrates. The normal gradient is appreciably changed by gas expanding ; from the reservoir into the borehole or by the movement of fluid through a borehole : while drilling, producing, or circulating. It is the resulting anomalies and abnormal gradients from which conditions in wells can be interpreted. Some of the applications of such interpretations are locating the position of oil or gas sands, permeable strata in a reservoir zone, gas-oil contact, source of water, casing leaks, and the top of cement behind casing. Thermometers A thermometer for use in wells must be sensitive and have a low thermal lag. The sensitivity should permit recording 0.2OF. or less for differential temperatures although the actual temperature need not be more accurate than 1°F. The thermal lag should be as low as rugged construction will permit in order to allow surveys to be made in a minimum of time. Of the several kinds of thermometers, these requirements are most easily obtained with the vapor-pressure, expansion, and electric-resistance types. Thermometers for use in wells may be self-contained—that is, the complete instrument is lowered into the well and a record made of the temperature—or the thermal element only may be lowered into the well and the temperature recorded at the surface. The vapor-pressure and expansion types are more adaptable for a self-contained instrument while the electric-resistance thermometer is more suitable for surface recording of temperatures. The self-contained instrument can be run against high pressure on a single wire line with only one operator required. The instrument and its hoisting equipment is easily portable and can be mounted on a small car. The disadvantages are a somewhat greater thermal lag and the necessity of completing a run before any temperature or temperature anomaly is known. A surface-recording thermometer has the advantage of being somewhat more sensitive and of having a lower thermal lag. The Operator can see what anomalies are encountered and can immediately change the running conditions of the instrument or the well conditions in order to obtain the most

Jan 1, 1941

By C. V. Millikan

Temperature measurement in wells is an old practice and geothermal gradients have been of interest to geologists for many years.le2 Their application to the operation of oil wells is a more recent practice. It has long been recognized that temperature anomalies occur in drilling and producing wells but thermometers that could obtain a satisfactory record of the anomalies were not available. The normal geothermal gradient is con-sidered as being about one degree Fahren-heit for each 60 ft. of depth.4 This "nor-mal " gradient varies in different areas, but whatever it may be in an area there is little variation from the surface to as deep as the : drill penetrates. The normal gradient is appreciably changed by gas expanding ; from the reservoir into the borehole or by the movement of fluid through a borehole : while drilling, producing, or circulating. It is the resulting anomalies and abnormal gradients from which conditions in wells can be interpreted. Some of the applications of such interpretations are locating the position of oil or gas sands, permeable strata in a reservoir zone, gas-oil contact, source of water, casing leaks, and the top of cement behind casing. Thermometers A thermometer for use in wells must be sensitive and have a low thermal lag. The sensitivity should permit recording 0.2OF. or less for differential temperatures although the actual temperature need not be more accurate than 1°F. The thermal lag should be as low as rugged construction will permit in order to allow surveys to be made in a minimum of time. Of the several kinds of thermometers, these requirements are most easily obtained with the vapor-pressure, expansion, and electric-resistance types. Thermometers for use in wells may be self-contained—that is, the complete instrument is lowered into the well and a record made of the temperature—or the thermal element only may be lowered into the well and the temperature recorded at the surface. The vapor-pressure and expansion types are more adaptable for a self-contained instrument while the electric-resistance thermometer is more suitable for surface recording of temperatures. The self-contained instrument can be run against high pressure on a single wire line with only one operator required. The instrument and its hoisting equipment is easily portable and can be mounted on a small car. The disadvantages are a somewhat greater thermal lag and the necessity of completing a run before any temperature or temperature anomaly is known. A surface-recording thermometer has the advantage of being somewhat more sensitive and of having a lower thermal lag. The Operator can see what anomalies are encountered and can immediately change the running conditions of the instrument or the well conditions in order to obtain the most

Jan 1, 1941

By T. C. Mendenhall

All persons, actively engaged in your profession, must have a natural interest in the subject of weights and measures. All members of the engineering profession have to do with operations of weighing and measuring—some with measuring more than weighing, and some with weighing more than measuring—but all with both of these processes to a greater or less degree. Methods of weighing and measuring have improved constantly from the earliest times and have kept pace with the advance of other technical processes. It is, therefore, believed that you will be interested in a few remarks concerning some of the more recent advances in relation to the establishment of decimal standards of length and mass in this country. Before speaking of this, I will refer very briefly to some facts which may not be very generally known regarding our customary system of weights and measures. Although the yard is universally accepted as the unit of length, and the pound as the unit of mass, it is not generally understood, I believe, just in what respect the yard is the unit of length, or the pound the unit of mass. That is to say, it is not generally known in what degree these units have been legalized by Acts of congress. Doubtless, many of you are familiar with the facts which I will briefly recapitulate. The Constitution of the United States authorizes Congress to establish a system of weights, measures and coinage. The establishment of a system of coinage, as you know, was one of the first acts of the government, and the system then adopted is certainly one of the most perfect, if not the most perfect, that the world has yet seen. But, although Congress had the power to establish a system of weights and measures, it has never yet seen fit to exercise this power; that is to say, Congress has never yet

Jan 1, 1890

Until a comparatively few years ago, interest in tantalum was limited almost wholly to its scientific investigation, but its extreme resistance to the action of even the strong mineral acids, its great avidity for the common gases, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and its capacity for transforming alternating to direct current are winning for it a place in our industrial life. Tantalum is not attacked by any single acid except hydrpfluoric, nor is it affected by solutions of alkalies. Aqua regia, which readily dissolves both platinum and gold, has no action on it. This resistance to the common corrosive agents is an outstanding property of tantalum and accounts for many of the applications to which it has been put. When heated, tantalum reacts readily with oxygen and nitrogen and absorbs large volumes of hydrogen, 740 volumes being taken up at a dull red heat. This capacity for absorbing gases is being utilized to an increasing extent in the manufacture of vacuum tubes, in which tantalum is used for the metal parts, especially for grid wire. It is said to be a superior metal for this purpose, particularly in power and sending tubes, because of its low secondary emission. The use of tantalum in the manufacture of electrodes, dishes, spatulas and other laboratory apparatus appears to be fairly steady. There has been some development in its use for dental instruments, surgical tools, pen points, hypodermic needles and acid-proof pumps. Recently it has been used in the manufacture of spinnerets for the rayon industry, of nozzles for the manufacture of artificial casings for sausages and of lining for plant equipment. Tantalum in Electrolysis It has been known for some time that certain substances permit the passage of an alternating current in one direction more readily than in the other. Tantalum possesses this property to a marked degree.' When an alternating current is passed through a cell with tantalum electrodes and sulfuric acid electrolyte, a thin film is soon formed at the

Jan 1, 1930

By Phillip B. Bucky, Fred D. Wright

The present known petroleum reserves are limited, and unless important new fields are discovered the Nation will be dependent, in the not too distant future, upon imports or upon synthetic liquid fuels to supplement domestic petroleum supplies. As a national defense measure, it would appear desirable to develop a substitute source of liquid fuels within the borders of the country if new discoveries of petroleum should Prove disappointing. Congress undoubtedly had this in mind when it passed the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act (78th Congress, approved April 5, 1944). The act directed the Bureau of Mines to construct and operate demonstration plants for producing synthetic liquid fuels from coal and oil shale, and from forestry and agricultural products. As a part of this program, the Bureau of Mines has built a demonstration plant at Anvil Points, near Rifle, Colo., for retorting the oil shale, and has developed a mine to supply the plant with oil shale. At the beginning of mining operations, the physical qualities of the oil shale, which would have a bearing upon the selection of mining methods and practices for exploiting the deposits, were largely unknown. A comprehensive mining-research program has been set up to determine the best methods and practices to follow to obtain the lowest overall practicable mining cost for producing the oil shale on a large scale. Unusually low mining costs will be necessary for shale oil to be produced commercially. Consideration now is being given to exploiting a series of flat-lying beds 70 ft thick by a room-and-pillar method of three benches with the advance heading at the top. This report is one of a series giving the results obtained in research on mining problems, The structure and physical qualities of the oil shale indicate that the 70-ft interval of the oil-shale measure can be safely mined in open stopes; studies indicate that this method would be the most economical one to use.' As labor will be a major item of expense, the largest equipment that could be operated efficiently in the workings would be required to obtain the lowest practicable mining Cost. It Was therefore desirable to know the maximum safe span of unsupported rooms and the size of pillars necessary to support the overburden. This paper describes the work done at the Columbia School of Mines Barodynamic Laboratory in determining the maximum safe unsupported roof spans and the minimum safe pillar dimensions for the oil-shale mine at Rifle, Colo.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. G. Richardson

The performance of laboratory water floods is compared with the flooding behavior calculated by the Buckley-Leverett techniques from steady-state relative permeability-saturation relations. Both the steady-state and unsteady-state experiments were conducted on the same sand-packed column. Relative permeabilities were calculated by the Welge technique from the unsteady-state waterflooding displacement experiments and compared with those measured by steady-state techniques. An evaluation of the various calculation procedures was made. It was demonstrated that steady-state relative permeabilities could be used to calczcJate waterflood performance. INTRODUCTION To calculate the waterflooding behavior of a given reservoir, relative permeability-saturation relations of the reservoir rock are required. These relative permeabilities are commonly measured on core samples by steady-state experiments such as the Penn State technique.' The relative permeabilities obtained in steady-state experiments are calculated from oil and gas flow rates and pressure drops measured under conditions of equilibrium distribution of oil and water in the pore spaces with slow approach to equilibrium. On the other hand, in water floods the water saturation at a given point changes rapidly with time as the flood front passes. Extensive research2 has shown that the steady-state relative permeabilities to oil and water are independent of the rate of flow and the fluid viscosities. Research has also demonstrated that the waterflooding performance of homogeneous sands uniformly contacted by water is independent of rate when capillary pressure gradients, which are important in short laboratory columns, are made negligible. However, there is little experimental data in the literature comparing relative permeabilities calculated from steady-state flow experiments with those calculated from flooding experiments. In this paper, the production data of two water floods and the relative permeabilities calculated from a series of steady-state experiments on an unconsolidated sand column are presented along with the comparisons calculated by the Buckley-Leverett and by the Welge techniques. The purpose of this study was to determine if steady-state relative permeabilities could be used to predict the waterflooding performance. This study also permitted an evaluation of the Buckley-Leverett and Welge calculation procedures and allowed an insight into the nature of microscopic displacement of oil by water. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used in this investigation was a Lucite column 1 ft long and 11/2 in. in diameter. A drawing of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. Six pressure taps were evenly spaced along the top of the column to measure the oil pressures. Three pressure taps fitted with small porous disks were spaced along the side of the column to measure water pressure. Water was admitted to the inflow face of the sand through a porous disk while oil was admitted through a hole in the porous disk and distributed to the face of the sand by grooves machined in the porous disk. Retainer screens of 325-mesh stainless steel were cemented over the inlet and outlet ports and the pressure taps to prevent loss of sand. The column was packed with a clean dry sand all of which was finer than 200 mesh. Next, the sand was saturated with a solution of 150,000 ppm sodium chloride solution. The column was weighed dry and water-saturated to obtain data for the calculation of the pore volume. A 151-cp oil was then injected into

Jan 1, 1958