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By R. L. Slobod, B. H. Caudle, R. A. Erickson

In predicting the sweepout pattern efficiency to be expected in a .secondary recovery operation, the reservoir engineer is often confronted with a situation in which part of the producing formation lies between the last row of wells and the reservoir boundary. To date, there has been little or no reference in the literalure to sweepout pattern efficiencies in such areas. This paper presents the results, of a laboratory study in which the area contacted around the edge of a reservoir injected in a five-spot pattern was determined. The X-ray shadowgraph technique was used in this study. It was found that surprisingly large portions of the reservoir area lying outside the well network are conracted by the injected fluid before, abndonment conditions are reached. In fact, it can he said that at least 00 per cent of the circa lying outside the last row of wells and within a distance of one well spacing of these wells will ultimately be contacted by the injected fluid in the case of most water floods. Frorn the results given in this paper, it is possible to estitilate not only the extent to which encroachment into these areas will occur but also the injection volume necessary to produce the wells to abnndonment conditions. INTRODUCTION While considerable work has hern done in recent years1.?.'.''.' evaluating the fraction of the reservoir contacted as a function of the mobility ratio for several different well patterns, there has been practically no mention of what happens to the oil in that portion of the reservoir which lies between the last row of wells and the reservoir boundary. In fact, the assumption is generally made that little or no recovery can he expected From this area. This assumption is incorrect and in many cases will lead to seriouq errors in calculating reservoir performance. The fraction of the area outside the regular well pattern contacted in a five-spot injection system has been studied using the X-ray technique5 to follow the progress of actual floods in porous models of reservoir elemental areas. In this paper, the method for carrying out such a study and the results showing the fraction of the area in question swept as a function of mobility ratio and the produced fluids are presented. THE REPRESENTATION OF A RESERVOIR BY ITS ELEMENTAL AREAS She portion of the reservoir lying between the edge of a reservoir and a line connecting the outermost wells may be roughly designated as the part of the reservoir outside the regular well pattern. An example of such an area is shown as the shaded portion in Fig. 1. The case of a square reservoir utilizing a five-spot injection program and with one full well spacing between the outermost wells and the boundary (Fig. 1) was selected as the single example which would provide the most insight into

Jan 1, 1956

By Julius Pohlman

Considering the truly wonderful natural resources of the United States, and the variety and extent of uses for hydraulic cement at the present day, it seems strange that the manufacture of the artificial product called Portland cement has not been introduced here. Possibly the reason may be we have in different States of the Union rock deposits from which a cement can be obtained that is as good, and some claim even better, because of a more uniform quality, than the English product after it has been subjected to transportation across the ocean. One of these natural cement-rock deposits is found in the northern part of the city of Buffalo, and its manufacture has been carried on successfully for the past eleven years by the Buffalo Cement co., Mr. L. J. Bennett, President. The quarries cover an area of about two hundred acres, of which only twenty-five acres have been exhausted up to date; and the supply is assured for years to come. One acre yields on an average 80,000 barrels of cement; hence 12,000,000 barrels is a low estimate of what these quarries will yield before they are exhausted. According to the Geology of New York this cement-rock deposit is called the Water-Lime group, and forms in this section the uppermost member of the Upper Silurian. Its outcrop can be traced along the base of the second limestone terrace of Western New York, but at Buffalo a very large part of the overlying Corniferous limestone has been removed by natural agencies, leaving only about eight feet (six feet of rock and two feet of clay) on the top of the cement-rock, and thus furnishing the conditions for successful quarrying at a minimum expense. This rock is really an impure limestone, a mixture, as it were, of the underlying shales of the Onondaga Salt group with the overlying

Jan 1, 1889

By AIME AIME

ON the afternoon of Feb. 20 of this year a new volcano was born in the center of the State of Michoacan, Mexico, about 100 miles inland from the Pacific Coast. Creation of this new mountain - forming crater began on an almost flat cultivated field at the south margin of a small basin about a mile in diameter and having an altitude of approximately 6800 ft. above sea level. This basin is connected to a gently inclined plain that forms the Parangaricutiro valley, the chief town of this municipality, bearing the same name as the valley, being situated three miles from the site of the new crater. The village of Paracutin, from which the new volcano received its name, is about one mile to the northwest of the crater. From the City of Mexico to the volcano is a distance of 330 miles. The paved highway running from Mexico City to Guadalajara, by way of Toluca and Morelia, is left at Carapan; from here another paved branch highway goes to Uruapan. The town of Paracutin is reached by a narrow dirt road 18 miles from Uruapan and connects with a road leading to Parangaricutiro where horses may be hired for a 40-minute trip to a place where visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the volcano. It is possible to get within half a mile of the point of eruption in this manner.

Jan 1, 1943

By Oliver B. Hopkins

During the year 1936, a new high record was established for Peruvian production, the total amounting to 17,594,689 bbl., which brought the cumulative production of the country up to 205 million barrels. The 1936 figure represents an increase of 530,288 bbl. over that of 1935. The property of the International Petroleum Co. contributed 369,577 bbl. of this increase and the Lobitos property 158,233. Exploration work in the country was continued. The Selden Breck Co. examined a strip of the National Reserve in eastern Peru from Tambo del Sur to the Rio Pachitea. This company was granted a concession for a term of four years embracing approximately 50,000 acres near the confluence of the Rio Pachitea and the Rio Ucayali. During the year, the Peruvian Government commenced drilling a well on one of the reserved zones at Zorritos. At the end of the year, this well had reached a depth of 1300 feet. La Rrea-Parinas Estate.—Production on the La Brea-Parinas Estate of the International Petroleum Company, Ltd., reached an all-time high in 1936 of 15,126,491 bbl., an increase of 369,577 bbl. over the 1935 record. The total production from 1890 to 1936 was 163,668,014 barrels.

Jan 1, 1937

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

"October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February." -Mark Twain Although the preceding chapters describe the type of preliminary evaluation frequently performed in the mining industry, it has been assumed that input data are known with certainty-clearly an enormous simplification. In reality, estimates of ore grade, mining cost, metal price, etc., are subject to varying degrees of uncertainty due to the inability to predict the future with much precision. Management would probably not, for example, be equally attracted to two projects each offering a 20% DCFROI-one for a new gold venture in Nevada and the other for an undersea manganese nodule operation in the Pacific. The high risk with the latter investment tells the obvious; there is more to investment decision-making than a deterministic analysis using "best estimates" of input parameters. The science of decision theory normally distinguishes between decisions under uncertainty, where probabilities of various outcomes are unknown; and decisions under risk, where such probabilities can be estimated. The first case is rarely en- countered in practical capital investment analysis in mining, so the remainder of this chapter focuses on that class of problems where rational probability distributions for the future states of input variables can be estimated. RISK IN MINING Risk in the context of this chapter is the unforeseen deviation of individual cash flows from expected values for a capital project. For a mining venture, the source of this uncertainty could be any number of factors relating to such items as ore grade, ore reserve tonnage, operating costs, product prices, etc. With conventional *Adapted from O'Neil, T.J., 1979, "Procedures for the Preliminary Financial Evaluation of Metal Mining Ventures," Computer Methods for the 80s, A. Weiss, ed., AIME, New York, pp. 556-573.

Jan 1, 1984

By George F. Becker

Complexity of Rock-Fractures. - The strains to which rocks have been subjected are manifestly very complex, and it is entirely safe to presume that every possible node of deformation and rupture is exemplified. The most superficial inspection of any ordinary mountain region is sufficient to assure the observer that the rocks have been pressed, stretched, bent, buckled, twisted, and shorn. The study of torsional rupture cannot fail, therefore, to throw light on geological phenomena. The question is, how areas which have been broken in this manner are to be distinguished from those which have yielded to other systems of forces. Phenomena of Joints. - It is well known that a large part of the more homogeneous rocks and some very heterogeneous rocks are intersected by partings, often called joints. These partings are frequently flat surfaces, even when seen in very large exposures, but are sometimes surfaces of moderate single or double curvature. Joints usually occur in groups, in each of which the several partings are parallel to one another, and several such groups often intersect the same rock-mass. In such cases the different systems make large angles with one another. Nearly all students of the subject of jointing have reached the conclusion that joints are faulted surfaces, the dislocations usually being of small amplitude; and this conclusion receives abundant support from the study of thin sections under the microscope. It has thus been shown that much even of what would be regarded in I hand-specimens as mere slaty cleavage consists, in reality, of innumerable microscopic faults. For this reason, Mr. Daubrée rejects the term "joint," as failing to imply the existence of relative motion, and has introduced the terms “diaclase” and “paraclase” as substitutes.1

Jan 1, 1913

By K. A. ACKLEY

The petroleum industry experienced a year of satisfactory accomplishment in Oklahoma during 1945. Crude oil production was increased, a new record for recent years was established in well completions, and refinery operations were maintained at a maximum level. Daily average crude oil production increased to 382,000 bbl., reflecting a 13.5 per cent gain compared with production during the previous pear. Total wells drilled during 1945 amounted to 2556, a gain of 28.7 per cent over 1944 Refinery throughout averaged 187,500 bbl. daily, an increase of approximately 4 percent over the preceding year.

Jan 1, 1946

By F. J. Radd, R. L. McGlasson

The mechanisms of corrosion and corrosion fatigue damages to sucker rods are examined from a fundamental electrochemical viewpoint, and the relationships of sucker rod microstructures to these damaging effects are defined. The common corrosive agents in crude oil production and storage are discussed as to types of attacks that they cause. The variations of fatigue strength with alloy content, surface preparation, and stress ranges are analyzed. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to how microstructures largely influence and control sucker rod performance. INTRODUCTION Greater than 90 per cent of the crude oil produced by artificial lift methods is produced through sucker rod pumping systems. In the USA each year more than $14 million is spent for sucker rods in new and old pumping installations. It is important to make this investment a wise one. Essentially, the sucker rod system is a long series of steel rods, operating under alternating stress loadings and under mechanical vibrations, which connect the surface power source with the subsurface pump. These rods often operate in a variety of corrosive media, including water, brines, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sul-fide, and air. Basically, this paper is concerned with the problem of the behavior of certain steels in various corrosive media under high and dynamic stress patterns. The main objective of this paper is to show how, once the stress effects and the corrosive environments are defined, one can still realize structural control and beneficial influence upon corrosion and corrosion fatigue. FUNDAMENTAL DEFINITIONS AND ANALYSIS In the corrosion and stress behavior of this solid state mixture of iron and iron carbide called steel, one must analyze upon what major factors does its service life depend and of what, exactly, is steel composed. The former question can be referred to two external factors and two internal factors. The two major external factors are: 1. the nature of the stress patterns — size and range of stresses present 2. the nature of the corrosion — erosion environment — the corrodent and/or wear involved The two fundamental internal factors that govern the strength and useful life of a steel both in normal duty and in heavy-duty corrosion service are: 1. the nature of the steel volume properties 2. the nature of the steel surface properties For the latter question normal steel is defined as a solid mixture of iron and iron carbide particles, generally with certain accidental and intentional elements present. (The amount of iron carbide present is determined by the carbon content of the steel.) These additional elements generally dissolve into either the iron (ferrite) or the iron carbide (cementite) components.

Jan 1, 1955

By A. S. Adams

A glance at the list of papers1 that have been published since 1920 on the general subject of flotation suggests the variety of ideas that exist regarding the underlying cause of the phenomenon. Among these ideas, we find several coherent theories, but none that adequately and completely explain the phenomenon. Ralston2 and Bains3 suggested an electrical theory which has to do with the attachment of mineral particles to a bubble by the attraction of unlike electrical charges. This theory has its root in the fact that a bubble of air in pure water is electrified in such a way that the surfacc is negatively charged while the body of the water is positively charged. This result, which was first discussed by Helmholtz, also obtains when the water contains anything except a high concentration of hydrogen ions, or ions which are trivalent or tetravalent. The theory also holds that the mineral particles have positive charges on their surfaces, and so there is attachment between bubble surface and mineral particles by the old law of electrostatics, which states that unlike charges attract. Contact Angle and Oil Attraction The contact angle—the angle formed by a fluid-fluid boundary when both are in contact with a solid-—has been indicted several times for complicity in the phenomenon of flotation. This angle is supposed to indirectly measure the surface energy of a solid. Thus if we have two fluids in contact with a solid, we may express the difference between the two fluid-solid tensions as equal to the fluid-fluid tension times the cosine of the angle between the two fluids.4 If the two fluids are in contact with the solid, this is, no doubt, an excellent way of establishing relative surface energies. However, in flotation, we deal with substances which are not wetted by water. What assurance have we, then, that the angle

Jan 1, 1928

By Joseph D. Weeks

NOTE BY THE SECRETARY.—This address having been made the object of much hostile comment, arising, as Mr. Weeks believed, in large part from misunderstanding of its purpose and meaning, was, by his express direction, withheld from official publication in the Transactions until he should have so modified or added to it as to make such misunderstanding impossible. His illness and death prevented him from executing this intention; and, consequently, the only version of the address now in the Secretary's hands is one of which the author had forbidden the publication. Under the circumstances, therefore, it seems best to publish, in this place, only some portions of the address and its appendixes which have a historical value and are beyond controversy, giving at the same time a summary of its general nature, based upon the original manuscript and upon correspondence with Mr. Weeks. For this summary, the Secretary is alone responsible. The address was essentially a restatement of well-known and established facts, which it interpreted as proving that, of the three elements of the Bessemer process (namely, the pneumatic principle, the successful mechanical application of that principle, and the recarburization with spiegeleisen), William Kelly was the first inventor of the first, Bessemer of the second, and Mushet of the third. Mr. Weeks used the words " original inventor " in the sense (as he explained in one place) of first inventor, and neither asserted nor believed that Bessemer's con-

Jan 1, 1897

By Malcolm F. Hawkes

AUSTENITE grain size has long been recognized by metallurgists as an important property of steels because of its influence on toughness, hardenability, machinability and creep strength. Much research has been carried out on wrought steels to develop methods for disclosing austenite grain size, and to provide knowledge of the grain-size -characteristics of steels produced and heat-treated in various ways. Much less work in these fields has been done on steel castings; partly because, owing to the variable and complex microstructures of cast steels, it is frequently very difficult to obtain results that are not questionable. The object of this investigation, therefore, was to establish, for a wide variety of carbon and alloy cast steels, suitable methods for disclosing austenite grain size and some knowledge of the grain-size variations to be expected. The steel foundryman is interested in austenite grain size at two different stages in the manufacture of his products; one is just after the steel is cast, and the other is after any reheating operation carried out above the critical temperature range. In both, it must always be kept in mind that the grain size being sought is actually a previous austenite grain size, and that the austenite no longer exists once the steel has cooled to room temperature. The problem of the investigator is always to use evidence obtained from the structure at room temperature to deduce this previous austenite grain size, which was established the last time the steel existed at a temperature above the critical range. Since most steel castings today are at least annealed or normalized, the measurement of austenite grain size established by heat-treatment will be considered first. More than So commercially produced cast steels representing a wide variety of compositions and melting practices were used in the study. For each steel, grain-size determinations were made after each of three widely varying heat-treating schedules; namely, one hour at 1550°F, one hour at 1700°F, and six hours at 1700°F. The list of steels and results obtained on them will be found in the appendix. (See page 21.) A discussion of the knowledge gained on the applicability of various test methods and on grain-size characteristics of cast steels in general follows. MEASUREMENT OF AUSTENITE GRAIN SIZE ESTABLISHED BY HEAT TREATMENT METHODS SUITABLE FOR DETERMINING AUSTENITE GRAIN SIZE AFTER HEAT- TREATMENT AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES AND TIMES It was desired, as one of the results of this investigation, to be able to recommend to steel foundries a method, or methods, of disclosing grain size best suited to accurate

Jan 1, 1947

By E. S. Leaver

THE presence of soluble base metals in precious-metal ores usually precludes cyanidation as the best method of treatment. The laboratory experiments described in this paper show the possibility of cyanidation of gold-silver ores containing less than 0.5 per cent, of cyanide-soluble copper and the effect of zinc in the cyanide solution. PART I.-COPPER IN CYANIDATION The proposed process of cyanidation of precious-metal ores containing copper is based on the regeneration of about 80 per cent., of the cyanide used in the dissolution of the copper. The method of regeneration involves a combination of the sulfide and the acid precipitation of the copper and silver. The resultant solution is made alkaline with lime, and the gold is precipitated with zinc dust. Solubility of Copper Minerals in Cyanide Solution In order to determine the solubility of copper minerals, including metallic copper, under the usual conditions for cyanidation, experiments were conducted with synthetic ores. Each ore sample was prepared by mixing the particular pure copper mineral with barren sea sand. Both the mineral and sand were ground to pass 100 mesh before they were thoroughly mixed. The percentage of copper in each head sample was determined by direct assay, excepting the metallic copper sample, which was computed on weights before mixing. Table 1 gives the results.

Jan 1, 1929

By Ward W. Minkler

Since 1978, the titanium metals industry, throughout the non-socialist world, has experienced a period of growth and prosperity unparalleled since the late 1950s. Sponge producers, melters and mill product manufacturers have operated at capacity, record shipments have been attained, new producers have entered the industry and established producers have implemented expansion plans. However, there is now mounting evidence that the underlying elements which generated this vigorous surge have abated, at least temporarily. It now appears that in 1982, the industry will encounter overcapacity, excessive inventory accumulations and the probability of declining prices. Therefore, it does seem appropriate that we now take inventory of the present and future markets for titanium with the hope we can identify both near term opportunities as well as challenges the industry now faces. If we view the development of titanium markets as a function of time, they fit rather neatly into three sectors.

Jan 1, 1982

By W. M. Peirce

ON May 16, 1871, twenty-two men met in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and founded the American Institute of Mining Engineers.* If we could transport ourselves back to that year and survey the state of science and technology in general, and, in particular, the field of our immediate interest-nonferrous metals-we would feel a justifiable pride in what had been accomplished up to that time. These accomplishments in the metal field were at the moment in the process of documentation by an Englishman, J. A. Phillips, in a new 700-page edition of his book to be published in 1874 under the title of "Elements of Metallurgy." True, looking over his shoulder, we would smile to read that "all metals are capable of assuming a crystalline form under favorable conditions," and that tensile testing is done "by adding weights to a firmly suspended wire until it fractures," and we would find only three pages on aluminum and none on magnesium. We would, however, find an astonishing wealth of detailed knowledge on iron and steel and the then common nonferrous metals and alloys such as brass and bronze. But if we possessed a little prophetic vision as we directed our attention to the short period that had elapsed since the close of the Civil War, we

Jan 1, 1947

By C. MeCulloch

A NOVEL practice in the bituminous coal industry is the accelerated method of burning coal to ash used in the laboratory of the Fidelity washery of the United Electric Coal Companies, Du Quoin, Ill. Development of this method has supplanted the tedious float-and-sink process for plant control at this plant. In normal operation the plant operators have available within thirty minutes the accurate ash percentage of the coal loaded in the railroad cars and can therefore make adjustments to maintain a practically uniform quality of washed coal, regardless of the variations in washery feed.

Jan 1, 1937

Mining examinations are of several kinds and the scope of the investigation depends in each case upon the purpose for which the examination is made. A formal examination of a developed mine is an expensive undertaking; from one to several months are allowed for the work according to the size of the property; many samples are taken; investigation is made of the geological features, including, perhaps, a topographical and geological survey of the surface; the metallurgical treatment of the ore is studied; finally, a determination of costs is demanded. Formal examinations are made for prospective purchasers or as a basis for the consolidation of several properties, and occasionally, in the owner's behalf, to verify the work of resident engineers, or to determine the readiness of a mine for equipment and the kind and capacity of equipment it shall receive. A formal examination of a mine should not be undertaken until a preliminary examination has shown that it is justified. It is regrettable that some engineers are in the habit of prosecuting long and exhaustive examinations of properties whose lack of merit should be, and perhaps is, apparent from the start, or of continuing their investigation long after an unfavorable result is seen to be inevitable. This wasting of a client's money is a species of trickery difficult to prove, and therefore the more contemptible. Preliminary examinations are precisely what the term implies, and are undertaken to determine the advisability of making

Jan 1, 1932

By L. Ianniello

AMONG the more interesting peculiarities of plutonium is the brittleness of its room-temperature monoclinic phase, a, since the adjacent higher-temperature phase (transformation temperature, 112C), ß, is also monoclinic but very ductile. Other elements, e.g., tin and manganese, have phases which exhibit similar contrast in plasticity. However, it was considered unusual when the a phase which has less than 0.1 pet tensile elongation' was rolled to 90 pct reduction in thickness at room temperature.' Since brittle behavior often is a structure-sensitive property, but could also be the result of covalent-type bonding, further experiments reported here have been conducted in an attempt to illuminate the problem. Electrorefined plutonium was rolled under various conditions and examined to determine the strain-hardening characteristics and also to determine under what conditions rolling could be performed. The rolling mill had 6.0-in.-diam heatable rolls with a variable roll speed (6.25 to 445 in. per min). Microhardness measurements were taken using a square-base diamond indenter with loads from 50 to 1000 g. The method used for rolling plutonium at room temperature consisted of prior

Jan 1, 1964

[A Aalseth, Earl P. (M 51) Geol, Amerada Petr. Corp., Box 1498, Billings, Mont. Abadie, Henry G. (M 43) Asst to Supvr of Oper, Long Beach Oil Dev. Co., 255 S. Santa Clara, Long Beach 7, Calif. Abbe, T. Waldo (A 56) Ass't Dist Oper Supt, Sun Oil Co., Beaumont, Tex. Abbott, J. L. (M 56) Partner, Pritchard & Abbott, 501, Century Bldg, Fort Worth, Tex. Abbott, Richard H. (J 51) Owner, Abbott & Howard, 422 W. Hermosa, San Antonio, Tex. Abbott, Seth J., Jr. (M 51) Tekoil Corp., .2;A6 Mercantile Nat'l. Bank. Dallas, Tex. Abbott,. William G. (M 50) Div Mgr, Rice Eng. & Op. Inc., Box 1142, Hobbs, N. M. Abderhalden, R. R. (J,59) Box 100, Carmi, Ill. Abel, Malcolm D., Gen Mgr, Bakke Oil Co., Midland, Tex. Abel, Raymond L. (M 28) Prof of Chem Engr, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 13, Pa. Abel, Wayne K. (M 57) 1513 Patton Drive, Odessa, Tex.]

Jan 1, 1961

By John Chipman

RECENT developments in iron alloys containing nitrogen have indi-cated that this element may exert a considerable influence on the proper-ties of the metal. This influence is not always in an undesirable direction and the indications are that nitrogen should be regarded as an alloying element, the amount of which should be subject to control, rather than as an inherently deleterious impurity. In controlling this element in liquid iron to the best advantage, it is necessary to have a reliable background of fundamental data pertaining to solubilities, rates of solution and chemical reactions of nitrogen in liquid iron. Obviously, the first step in such an investigation is the determination of the solubility of nitrogen in pure iron, and this has been the object of the experiments described in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in solid iron has been measured by Jurich,1 Sieverts,2 Martin,3 and Iwasé4 and the agreement among the first three inspires confidence in their results. No accurate determinations of its solubility in liquid iron have been recorded though several investigators have obtained approximate results. Strauss5 was able to introduce 0.03 to 0.04 per cent nitrogen into steel by the action of either ammonia or nitrogen on the liquid metal. This was accomplished by Eilender and

Jan 1, 1935

Frank L. Bader has been appointed to the sales staff of Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. in the Philadelphia territory. H. C. Burrell, former coordinator of raw materials, Pittsburgh, Penna., has been made manager of raw materials for Columbia-Geneva Div. of U. S. Steel Co., San Francisco. J. H. Cazier has resigned as general superintendent of Bagdad Copper Corp., Bagdad, Ariz., to devote full time with E. A. Scholz to the operation of the Copper King, Phillips and Black Pearl Mines near Bagdad. They have operated the Copper King zinc mine for more than two years.. Production started from the Black Pearl and Phillips tungsten mines during the past year. Robert T. Chapman has resigned from Reynolds Mining Corp. to join Westmoreland Manganese Corp. as general superintendent. Annan Cook, with Kennecott Copper Corp.'s exploration dept. for the past three years, has been appointed district geologist for the eastern states.

Jan 1, 1952