Search Documents

By W. W. Adams, T. D. Lawrence, D. R. White

"This paper presents the results of the eleventh yearly accident-prevention contest, the National Safety Competition of 1935, conducted by the United States Bureau of Mines. Participating in the competition were 336 mines and Quarries in 37 States. Five mining or quarrying companies, each the leader in its group for having established the best safety record during the year, were awarded the national safety trophies 'Sentinels of Safety.Since these annual contests were begun 11 years ago the scope of the competition has been broadened materially, both as to the number of plants participating and as to the number of man-hours of exposure to accident hazards. Moreover, marked progress in the pre¬vention of accidents has been achieved, as is indicated by an almost constant downward course in the accident-frequency rates for the contest group as a whole during the past 11 years. On the other hand, the accident-severity rates for the group showed an upward trend during the first part of the period and a downward trend during the latter part, except in 1930 and 1934, when two disastrous explosions occurred with heavy loss of life, and in 1935, when there was an increase in the number of fatalities although no major disasters occurred. The accident rate for 1935, both as to frequency and severity, was higher than for 1934.The National Safety Competition is conducted by the Bureau of Mines in the interest of safety in the mining and quarrying industries. This object is accomplished directly through the efforts of the competing companies and their employees to win first place in the competition and thereupon receive well-merited and national recognition for their achievement. Indirectly the purpose of the contest is accomplished through studies by the Bureau of Mines of the fasts contained in the accident reports which the competing companies furnish to enable the Bureau to compute the accident rates that are the basis for determining the winners of the contest.The statistics that constitute the basis for determining the winning companies and the relative standing of all companies are prepared uniformly without regard to the States in which the companies operate, or to differences in classes of accidents covered by State laws relating to compensation for injuries resulting from industrial accidents."

Jul 1, 1936

By A. B. Hooker, L. C. IlsLey

"The last previous Bureau of Mines publication relative to details of permissible electric mine lamps is Bulletin 332, which describes 16 lamps approved prior to May 1930. Some of the lamps have become obsolete through the development of improved models which, with several new types, make it desirable to supplement the Bureau's published data relative to permissible electric mine lamps.In the following descriptions, lamps approved since May 1930 and prior to July 1, 1935, are placed in the three following groups: (1) Electric cap lamps, (2) electric hand lamps, and (3) lamps for miscellaneous applications,ELECTRIC CAP LAMPS APPROVED UNDER SCHEDULE 6B1. Edison model J lamp, approval no. 24. - The features that distinguish this lamp from earlier models of Edison electric cap lamps are:(a) The battery consists of two F-2 cells of square cross section and about 1-1/4 inches higher than M-14 cells in the model H lamp, making the battery narrower and higher than any of the earlier models of Edison cap lamps.(b) The cells are insulated from each other and the Monel-metal casing by enclosure in vulcanized-rubber baglike enclosures. Both cell terminals are insulated from the cell jar.(c) The battery is equipped with rubber-tube Bunsen-valve-type gas vents.(d) The battery casing is secured by a new-type magnetic lock.(e.) The battery and cover terminal clips have been redesigned to give a wiping contact."

Jun 1, 1936

By F. M. Goodwin, John Campbell, W. P. Yant, G. W. Jones

"INTRODUCTION The cooperative investigation dealing with the general hazards of combustible gases and vapors in manholes owned by the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. and the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co. in Boston, Mass. and surrounding territory, was continued during 1934.The method and procedure of conducting the survey for 1934 were the same as those followed heretofore.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe cooperative investigation was arranged through the interest and effort of F. D. Comerford, president of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Boston; E. M. Farnesworth, Jr., vice president and general manager of the Boston Consolidated Gas Co.; and A. C. Fieldner, chief engineer, Experiment Stations Division, U.S. Bureau of Mines. Thomas H. Haines, superintendent, Distribution Department, of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co., cooperated in furnishing both men and information for the work.The New England Telephone and Telegraph Co., through Chief Engineer G. K. Manson, R. F. Esterbrook, H. G. Crush, and A. J. McCarron, cooperated by assigning a telephone company employee for the test truck. The company has borne its proportionate share of the expense and has taken an active interest in the work during the year. The test crew was operated under the direct supervision of John Campbell, superintendent of the Special Service Department of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co., and 7. M. Goodwin, vice president of the Boston Consolidated Gas Co."

May 1, 1936

By Everett P. Partridge, J. E. Conley

Available statistics show that the demands of the American chemical industry for sodium sulphate have been increasing slightly in recent years. The supply from domestic sources, particularly in the form of byproduct salt cake from the acid manufacturers, has been tending to decrease this to the growing manufacture of synthetic acid. Both hydrochloric and nitric acids are being synthesized from their elements. The natural result has been that a smaller amount of salt cake is available. Simultaneously, the expansion of the kraft-paper industry, especially in the South, has brought about greater demand for sodium sulphate in that section. This demand is being met by domestic byproduct salt cake, by imported German sodium sulphate made from potash waste liquors, and by favorably situated domestic deposits of Glauber salts and the anhydrous salt, thenardite. No shortage of natural sodium sulphate exists in the United States, but usually such deposits occur in semiarid regions far removed from transportation facilities and from markets. Moreover, the major portion of the natural deposits is Glauber salt or mirabilite (Na2 504 • 10H20), which must be dried or dehydrated in order to meet consumer requirements. The water of hydration represents, roughly, 55 percent of the total weight of the crude salts and therefore has a very important influence on transportation costs, in many instances the cost of getting even the dehydrated product to market is the deciding economic factor. Therefore, the recovery of production of anhydrous sodium sulphate from plant-waste liquors or from natural brines of suitable composition might be economically feasible.

Mar 1, 1936

By Fred W. Snow

THE mines of the Consolidated Copper and Sulphur Company, consisting of the Eust1s, the Albert, and the Capel mines, are situated w Ascot township, Quebec, about ten miles southeast of Sherbrooke, on the main line of the Quebec Central railway. Of these mines, only the Eustis is now producing, and it has been operated almost continuously for the past seventy years. Mining methods have been improved in recent years but are still old fashioned when compared with those employed in more modern and up-to-date mines. The ore is of milling grade and is mined for its copper and sulphur con-tent. Silver is present in small quantity, together with a trace of gold. The ore is mined by the shrinkage stope method. Pillars are frequently left as supports for the hanging-wall to prevent serious dilution of the ore and are sometimes recovered after the ore is drawn from the stope. Occasionally, small blacks of ore in close proximity to the shaft are mined by a cut-and-fill method. HISTORY ALBERT AND CAPEL MINES: The Albert and the Capel mines, originally known as the Capelton mine, were discovered in 1863 by George Capel (1). By the end of 1866 the Albert shaft had been sunk to a depth of 121 feet on an incline of about 30 degrees where a vein five feet thick was encountered. In 1879, these mines passed into the hands of G. H. Nichols and Company, by whom they were operated practically continuously until 1907. When mining operations ceased in that year, the shafts had reached depths on the incline of approximately 2,300 feet and 1,000 feet, respectively. These mines have been allowed to cave and fill with water and have been inaccessible for many years.

Jan 1, 1936

By Fred A. Krafft

The time allotted to this paper will permit only the sketching of general principles and practice as generally employed in the industry to maintain and preserve the physical well-being of the miner and his family. Let it be emphasized on behalf of the industry that coal opera- . tors, individually and collectively, have given primary consideration to the appointment of a mine or community physician who is charged with the responsibility of caring for the sick and injured. However, it too frequently happens that with the selection or appointment of the camp doctor many operators wash their hands of further responsibility toward the health and the working efficiency of their employees. The coal industry is so organized in most of the coal-producing areas that not only is the health of the individual miner an important production problem but the collective health of the entire mining community is a fundamental operating problem. This is particularly demonstrated when epidemics of communicable diseases attack entire communities, with resultant loss of life and production and general community distress. The problem and responsibility of maintaining high health standards among miners and their families should be given as much consideration as safety, economical production and efficient distribution are given in the successful operation of coal mines. Company Policy In the inauguration or administration of a medical program for a large mining operation or for an individual mine, the first question to be solved is what the company policy is to be with respect to the following factors pertinent to a medical program: 1. On what basis will the company and the employees finance the program ? 2. Should a contract doctor or a full-time doctor on salary be employed ? 3. What measure of service is to be rendered the employee and his family in return for his monthly contribution to the medical program?

Jan 1, 1936

By Maurice Ewing, J. A. Peoples, J. W. Peoples, A. P. Craby

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the application of the earth-resistivity method of subsurface investigation to the problem of locating seams of anthracite coal beneath a mantle of soil and subsoil. Details are given of the successful use of this method in locating the outcrops of anthracite seams in actual prospecting. The presence of the outcrop of an anthracite seam is indicated at points where electrical resistivity tests showed relatively low readings. The reason for this is that in some localities the resistivity of anthracite was found to be about 0.0001 megohm-cm. compared to 1 to 200 megohm-cm. for shales and sandstones. For two reasons it is believed that the data summarized in this paper should be of particular interest. In the first place, most of the interpretations of the resistivity survey have been checked by subsequent drilling and some by the removal of the overburden and the exposing of the anthracite seams. It is infrequent that the opportunity for checking results so thoroughly is given. In the second place, the fact that recent commentatorsl,2,3 on the application of geophysical methods to mining have concluded that direct prospecting for anthracite and other types of coal is not promising makes the good results obtained more significant. So far as the authors can learn, the only previous experiment with electrical methods in the Pennsylvania anthracite field was one made by Sherwin F. Kelly in 1921, when he used the self-potential method at Wilkes-Barre4. The profile he made does not show a very marked correlation with the geologic cross section. Kelly points out that stray currents from electric motors in the mines undoubtedly affected 'his results, but the experience of the present authors with stray currents from mining machinery suggests the possibility that the potentials measured by Kelly were due almost entirely to this effect.

Jan 1, 1936

By T. L. Joseph

Blast furnaces are most efficient thermally when the CO2 in the top gas is highest. Oxygen introduced in the air blast is converted to CO in the combustion zones. The extent to which CO, generated in front of the tuyeres, is converted later to CO2 depends upon the ratio of ore to coke in the charge and the degree to which CO2, formed by reduction of iron oxides with CO, reverts to CO by the secondary reaction C + CO2 = 2CO. About 300 to 400 lb. of carbon' per ton of pig iron is normally involved in the solution-loss reaction or direct reduction of FeO with carbon, which produces the same over-all results; that is, lower CO2 in the top gas. Rich2 has recently reported a reduction in fuel consumption at slower rates of blowing on two furnaces in spite of higher heat losses per ton of iron. Lower fuel consumption at slow operating rates was due to more complete reduction of the ore that resulted in higher CO2 in the top gas and consequently more efficient use of carbon. Kinney3 has reported substantial savings in fuel as a result of crushing and sizing the ore charge. Improvements in practice brought about by sintering magnetite concentrates, flue dust and fine ores have been due to the establishment of conditions favoring more complete reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace. The extent to which oxides and fluctuations in composition in pig iron affect the quality of steel and finished product needs further study. There is evidence that more thorough preheating and reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace tend to give a better quality of iron. Bogatzkii4 found from laboratory work that the amount of oxygen entering electrolytic iron, melted under various slags, was directly proportional to the concentration of free FeO in the slag and inversely proportional to the basicity of the slag. Herty and Gaines5 concluded that the silicate content of open-hearth steel before deoxidation is related to the concentration of silica in the pig-iron charge, indicating that most of the persistent inclusions are silica from the iron. They also found that

Jan 1, 1936

By Basil B. Zavoico

The developments in the Russian oil industry during 1935 marked a very definite turning point from the time when the industry was being educated to the modern methods of oil-field finding and development, refining, transportation and marketing, to the time when the industry has thoroughly assimilated the modern technique and is now firmly standing on its own feet, as is shown by the remarkable qualitative, if not quantitative, progress in 1935. The oil industry promises that 1936 will be a record year in every respect with both quantity and quality approaching the desired high levels and standards. More particularly the Soviet Government is beginning to be successful in the development of new fields and such new production in geographically strategical points of the country will be in the coming years a factor of great importance in the industrial life of the country. The most notable achievements of the last year have been: the very successful development of the Ishimbaevo oil field in the Lower Oural-Permian Basin; the discovery and development of several promising oil fields in the Puta district of Azerbaijan, while large flush production of Baku area was extended 50 miles due southwest into the Saliani-Aliat district, where a 3000-bbl. well was completed early in 1936 at Pirsagat. Also, an apparently important discovery was made at Zikh, on the Apsheron Peninsula proper. These discoveries, as well as several important strikes in the deeper producing sands in the older fields of the Apsheron Peninsula, have greatly augmented the proven reserves of Russia and made them available either at the points where transportation facilities were already present or at points not too far distant from major industrial centers of the country. Of course, not all objectives were achieved during the past year, and several major difficulties remain to be solved in the coming years, the more important of which are: (1) supply of equipment and of parts; (2) the unavailability of competent technical men in sufficient numbers, which more particularly affects the distant fields; and (3) the problem of distribution of oil products throughout the country, especially the question of handling the needs of small consuming areas, which, while individually unimportant, in the aggregate require huge distribution.

Jan 1, 1936

By John T. Crawford

Much has been written of late regarding the flotation of coal as a means of reclaiming the valuable portion of the fines encountered in nearly all methods of coal preparation. Whether the process be wet or dry, whether the dust be sent through the entire process or removed prior to the cleaning by some such method as screening or aspiration, one of the final products consists of a considerable proportion of — 48-mesh material. The percentage of this —48-mesh material depends upon the mining method, transportation, storage, and method of preparation. The tonnage of this dust material ranges from 1 to 10 per cent of the total output of the cleaning plants. Four methods of disposal are available for this coal: 1. Disposal with the refuse from the plant. 2. Addition, after being reclaimed from the wash water, or dust collectors, without cleaning to the larger sizes. 3. Separate disposal as a pulverized fuel. 4. Cleaning so that addition to the larger sizes benefits the product as a whole. It is also true that flotation in one form or another is the only known way to effectively clean this material. While some processes do a reasonable cleaning job down to and including +l00 mesh, by far the greater majority stop at or short of the + 48-mesh size. Much of the literature on coal flotation passes by the fred pulp density and size by merely stating that the feed varies from 20 to 30 per cent solids and that the size range is from — 1/4 in. or — 1/8 in. to 0. Small wonder then that some operators with entirely different conditions, and not knowing the machine capacity, throw up their hands in despair when flotation is mentioned. Too much parallel is drawn between flotation methods as applied to ores and as applied to coal, to the detriment of the latter. In the flotation of metalliferous ores the feed pulp density ranges from 20 to 30 per cent solids, depending upon the amount of mineral to be floated and upon the size analysis. Thus where 2 to 5 per cent of the

Jan 1, 1936

By Alden B. Greninger

Twinned metal crystals are usually designated as either deformation twins or annealing twins. If twins are to be classified according to the treatment the metal has undergone just prior to the observation of the twins, there are two other possible groups: (1) solidification twins,† when observed in the as-solidified or as-cast condition, and (2) transformation twins,† when observed in a metal which has been cooled from above an allotropic transformation temperature. McKeehan has demonstrated that ferrite does, occasionally at least, contain twinned structures2. The twins, which he studied by optical methods, were obtained during the preparation of iron single crystals by very slow cooling through A3. He proved that the twin relation was actually that which previous investigators had predicted; namely, twinning along three planes of the form (112). Since McKeehan's discovery, little or no attention has been given to this transformation twinning of alpha iron, or to the possibility that it might occur at all speeds of cooling from above A3 instead of merely during the preparation of single crystals. McKeehan's twins were evidently regarded as interesting only in proving that a body-centered cubic metal could form twinned structures—at least under certain conditions. It is generally believed that iron seldom if ever forms annealing twins. Certainly the straight-line banding which is so abundant in annealed face-centered cubic metals is characteristically absent in iron annealed below A3. However, O'Neil13 has studied "twin-like" crystals in annealed alpha iron and concludes that the specimen he studied actually contailled a few annealing twins. Tamura4 as reported "twin-like" crystals both in wrought iron and mild steel; specimens of the latter were annealed above and below A3 and showed "twin-like" crystals after both kinds of treatments.

Jan 1, 1936

By Gilbert E. Doan, William C. Schulte

An extensive program of investigation is being carried out at Lehigh University in the study of arcs and arc welds of high-purity iron1, sponsored by the Engineering Foundation. The part of that program reported in the present paper deals with welds made of high-purity iron in an argon atmosphere and for comparison with them welds made of the same iron in ordinary air. Welds of commercial steel also were made in argon and in air. The primary purpose of the study is to discover the basic physical constants of iron welds when not contaminated either by impurities in the iron or by the action of oxygen and nitrogen of the air during welding. Upon these constants can be founded such future studies as will determine what effects the various impurities and alloy elements present in steel have upon its welding characteristics, and what influence is exerted by the action of oxygen and nitrogen. The welding of steel involves such a multitude of variables, both of composition and of procedure, that development in the fabrication of this most important metal has necessarily been slow, wasteful, and in many instances discouraging. In the present investigation, the simplest possible condition has been selected; namely, iron practically free from contamination and a nonparticipating atmosphere, the inert gas argon. This simplification reduces the number of variables to a point where more rigid control of the system is possible. Although this study is significant for the contributions it makes to the science of steel fabrication, yet it is hoped that it will not be without value also in increasing knowledge of the. nature and behavior of iron and steel in general. From the standpoint of open-hearth practice, and to some extent from the standpoint of electric-furnace practice also, the conditions of melting and casting iron in this investigation are extraordinary. The casting temperature is high, the mean temperature of the metal probably reaching 2000' C. (3600' F.)? The rate of chilling of

Jan 1, 1936

By Leonard C. Grimshaw

The idea of bonding two dissimilar ferrous metals, and making use of both, is an old one. Tips have been brazed onto tool shanks for many years. The bonding of larger pieces to form whole bars and sheets has also been accomplished, but has received little attention in the technical literature, although a number of patents have been issued covering various methods for its accomplishment. There are three main motives behind the manufacture of composite steels. One is that the physical properties of one steel may supplement those of another; a useful, but at the same time, hard, brittle steel may be backed by a soft ductile one, or a stainless steel may be backed by a steel possessing greater strength. Another motive is direct lowering of cost; an expensive steel may be backed by a less expensive one, bringing down the cost of the piece as a whole. The third motive is an indirect lowering of cost, as when a useful steel is backed by a steel that is easier to machine, so that machining cost on a finished product is lowered considerably. Often more than one of these motives lead to a decision to use a composite steel. Previous Methods There are two methods in use that result in tolerably good bonds between ferrous metals: (1) the casting method, and (2) what we shall call the "heat-pressure" method. This "heat-pressure" method covers processes in which the bond is made between two prepared surfaces by heating them and then applying pressure. Usually sufficient pressure must be used to produce appreciable spread and elongation, or else we arc merely brazing and not truly welding. Casting methods for welding together ferrous metals have been used more than 74 years, and are described in the technical literature as applied

Jan 1, 1936

By G. R. Fitterer

By means of the C-Sic thermocouple1, liquid metal temperatures have been found to vary much more than was previously supposed, and fortunately these variations can be directly associated with some of our former knowledge which combined to form the "art" of liquid-metal manipulation. Commercial Development of This Device Several types of installations are operating in different plants. There are so many variables in steel plants in regard to operation, procedure, arrangement of pouring platforms, ladles, etc., that most of the installations now in service in this country are "tailor-made"; nevertheless, it is felt that satisfactory gains have been made, inasmuch as each installation has indicated some effect of temperature upon the metallurgical operation, and has pointed the way toward technical and financial benefits. In most cases, it has been necessary to accumulate the temperature data until sufficient metallurgical information is available for the drawing of conclusions. When mechanical difficulties have been eliminated, a distinct correlation of these factors has been obtained. The installations now in service are used for the determination of temperatures in the basic open-hearth furnace prior to tapping and in ladles from both acid and basic furnaces prior to pouring. Some of the installations are in shops making the higher priced steels; others are in "tonnage shops." The errors of human element, smoke screens and emissivity corrections connected with the use of the optical pyrometer do not affect the C-SiC thermocouple readings. The accuracy of the C-Sic thermocouple and the temperatures measured are discussed later in this paper. Temperature Variations or Liquid Pig Iron One well-known discussion between the blast-furnace and open-hearth (or Bessemer) departments has occurred intermittently for more

Jan 1, 1936

By H. H. Lowry

Science attracts the attention and interest of an individual or an industry in general only in proportion to the apparent direct application to its immediate welfare or benefit. Engineering accomplishments, as aphlied science, therefore receive more recognition than the scientific discoveries on which they are based. Even self-evident truth needs endless repetition before recognition: engineering as applied science cannot advance beyond the science on which it is founded. Scientific research, and discovery, is sometimes forced by the limitations recognized by those active in its development for the use of society and industry and sometimes results from an apparently superficially illogical curiosity about natural phenomena. Research has received inadequate support except in industries born in the laboratory, the chemical and electrical industries, from which many lessons might well be drawn by their elder associates. The rapid growth of these industries has been largely due to close cooperation of scientists and engineers. Most rapid advance is made when the research worker and the engineer keep in close touch with each other's ideas and problems. Many of the developments of modern industry are based on discoveries buried for years in scientific journals because the "time was not ripe" at their discovery. The situation with regard to utilization of coal is quite the oppositre. The fundamental facts in regard to the scientific aspects of the problem of developing the energy from coal are scarcely known. The engineer, without much scientific cooperation, has accomplished much in increasing the number of kilowatt-hours per pound of coal from 0.31 in 1919 to 0.69 in 1934, in increasing the 1000 gross ton-miles of freight hauled from 12.2 to 16.4 per ton of coal in the same period, in fuel economy in production of coke, and in developing the production of motor fuel in Germany and England by hydrogenation of coal. This lack of scientific research on the utilization of our most important natural resource, coal, has been due undoubtedly in large part to the reluctance of investigators to study the interrelationships involved in the complicated processes in which coal is used. These complexities are made

Jan 1, 1936

By James Terry Duce

In order to facilitate interpretation of the data in this chapter, we print the following excerpts from circulars to authors, compiled by Mr. Frank A. Herald when he was Vice Chairman for Production of the Petroleurn Division: Generally in Table 1 the unit for presentation of data is a field. For our purposes a field is defined as the whole of a surface area wherein productive, locations are continuous. Such unit commonly includes and surrounds nonproductive areas. Such unit commonly includes a great variety of geologic conditions-—several units of continuous productive reservoirs of distinctly different structure and of distinctly different stratigraphy. Therefore it is hoped that our authors will subdivide "field" so as to enable students to make analyses that may have scientific and/or commercial value. As to each space in the tabulation, it is either (1) not applicable, (2) the proper entry is not determinable, (3) the proper entry is determinable, but not determinable from data available to the author, (4) the proper entry is determinable by the author. In spaces not applicable, the author will please draw horizontal lines; in spaces where the proper entries are not determinable, the author will please insert 2; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable but not determinable from data available to the author, the author will please insert y; in spaces where the proper entries are deter-minable by the author he will, of course, make such entries. Generally, y implies a hope that in some future year a definite figure will be available. Inability to determine precisely the correct entry for a particular space should not lead the author to insert merely y. Contributions of great value may be made by the author in many cases where entries are not subject to precise determination. In such cases the author should use his good judgment and make the best entry possible under the circumstances. For many spaces, the correct entries represent the opinion of the author (for example, "Area Proved") and in such cases the entries need not be hedged to such extent as in cases where the quantities are definite yet can be ascertained only approximately by the author. In cases under definite headings but where figures are only approximate, the author may use 2. For example, if the total production of a field is known to be between 1,800,000 and 1,850,000, the author may report 1,8xx,xxx; or if the production is between 1,850,000 and 1,900,000, the author may report 1,9xx,xxx. Where a numeral is immediately to the left of x or y, such numeral represents the nearest known number in that position. As to quantity of gas produced from many fields the question will arise as to whether the figures should include merely the gas marketed or should include also estimates of gas used in operations and gas wasted. Although rough approximations may be involved, our figures should represent as nearly as possible the total quantity of gas removed from the reservoir.

Jan 1, 1936

By H. E. Rorschach

Activity in the oil and gas fields of Oklahoma was more pronounced in 1935 than in 1934, with 2320 completions, an increase of about 21 per cent. The state produced approximately 185,000,000 bbl. in 1935. Osage County and shallow pools in northeastern Oklahoma showed considerable activity. The assembly of a complete table of the oil fields of the state (Table 1) was not achieved, as many of the early records of operators and pipe line companies are not complete, and data for the older fields will perhaps never be fully tabulated. Table 1 includes all of the new fields and most of the important fields of the State of Oklahoma. Increased Field Activities The discovery of large production in the deep Simpson group in the old Fox field in Carter County in the southern part of the state, the discovery of new producing horizons in the Fitts pool, and the extension of Wilcox production in the "Mansion" area at Oklahoma City were the outstanding developments in Oklahoma in 1935. Wildcatting resulted in the discovery of new pools such as Jesse, Hoyt, Grayson, South Keokuk, Wofford, Britton and Stillwater. The Fitts and Edmond pools were rapidly developed during the year. Fox Pool.—Deep production in southern Oklahoma became a reality in October when the Williams No. 1 well of Carter Oil Co. and others, in the Fox pool, began producing oil at the rate of 10,000 bbl. per day from a depth of 8088 ft. After flowing wild several days, the well was killed after pipe stuck and a difficult fishing job resulted. The job had not been completed at the end of the year 1935. This test, considered one of the most important oil discoveries in the Mid-Continent area, opened the entire South Oklahoma area to a deep exploration campaign for Simpson production and production in the Pennsylvanian series on the south flank of the Arbuckle Mountains.

Jan 1, 1936

By Norman Maxwell

There was more activity in crude production in northwestern Pennsylvania in 1935 than for several years before, resulting in an increased oil production and also in the number of wells completed. Crude -production approximated 16 million barrels for the state, an increase of about one million barrels over 1934. Demand, indicated by refiners' runs to stills, increased proportionally, leaving stocks of available crude at the end of the year at the lowest point since the middle of 1934, when they reached an all-time low. The price of crude varied during the year from a low of $2.02 to a high of $2.27 at the end of the year for Middle district oil. The price of Bradford and southwest Pcnnsylvania oil changed accordingly. The average for the year would be a lower price than in 1934. A summary of the production data for the year 1935 is given in Table 1. In making up this table, 1935 figures were simply added to the table published by S. H. Cathcart last year1. A list of important wildcats is given in Table 2. Bradford Field Approximately 10,000 acres of the proven producing area of the Bradford field is in Cattaraugus County, New York, and it is possible, by differences, to distinguish the Pennsylvania production from the New York portion. The listed production for the Bradford field includes only that portion of the field situated in Pennsylvania, but also includes production from a small pool, locally known as the Mt. Jewett-Kanesholm pool, where the Bradford sand is being developed and flooded in precisply the same manner as that of the Bradford field itself. The Mt. Jewett-Kanesholm pool is not, strictly speaking, an extension of the Bradford field, but inasmuch as it is so closely allied with the Bradford field-—that is, the sand is the same and the production methods are the same—the production and drilling figures include this area.

Jan 1, 1936

By Alexander Deussen

The figures listed in a table for Gulf Coast fields given by L. P. Teas1 in 1934 are so greatly at variance with results that I have obtained from a serious study of this subject over a number of years, that I am disposed to challenge the correctness of Mr. Teas' figures as an accurate representation of acre-foot yields of Gulf Coast fields, and as regards at least two of the fields listed by Mr. Teas I desire to "put into the record" some figures that, according to my study, are more nearly in accord with what I conceive to be the actual facts. Upon investigation I find that Mr. Teas' figures, inadvertently no doubt, arc not what they purport to be. Apparently the figures were arrived at by considering as thickness of the producing formation the net thickness of producing rock corresponding "to the total of the net portions of the producing zones which actually yield oil into the drill hole"—and in following this method I am under the impression that Mr. Teas was acting under instructions of the Institute in the preparation of this paper, in order to get comparable figures from the several fields of the United States. Apparently the author interpreted these instructions to mean that in the absence of cored thicknesses of producing horizons the actual number of feet of screen set in the various producing zones was to be taken as the basis for arriving at the thickness of these zones and the "acre-foot" yields. It is obvious that in many instances only 20 ft. of screen, or even 10 ft. of screen, might be set in a well, when there might be actually 100 ft. of oil sand present. In the early operations in the Gulf Coast it was usual to set much less screen than the amount of sand. It follows that the "acre-foot yields" so arrived at would be much greater than those found by using the full amount of sand. In Mr. Teas' table, it was indicated that up to the end of 1933 "acre-foot" yields had been obtained in the several fields as listed in Table 1. A casual inspection of these yields will show that certainly they do not properly reflect the amount of oil produced from an acre-foot of the

Jan 1, 1936

By F. B. Plummer, R. B. Newcome

The practice of introducing acid into oil wells to increase production of oil and gas has been in use since 1894, when it was first used in the Pennsylvania oil fields30.‡ It is only since 1928 that it has been used to any extent in the Mid-Continent18. The process has proved successful in increasing production, at least temporarily, in depleted oil fields where the producing formation is highly calcareous and where water drive is not too pronounced. In the Zwolle field in Louisiana, where the producing horizon is a chalk, increases of 100 per cent have been recorded25. In north-central Texas, where the oil is produced from the Marble Falls limestone, equally pronounced increases have resulted3. The production also in some fields yielding oil from quartz sand cemented with calcitc has been benefited. The evidence of actual increase in total recovery of oil, however, has been questioned by some engineers18. It has been pointed out that the results of the treatment of a well in a now district, where the process has never been tried out, can never be predicted with certainty, since other factors besides percentage of calcareous content of the oil sand play a large part in determining the success of the method. Numerous articles have been published on acid treatment and on the effects of acid on limestone1-35, yet very little has been written concerning experimental work on the actual effect of acid on capillary pores and larger oil-coated voids of oil sands. This is due partly to difficulties in duplicating field conditions in a laboratory and partly to the fact that the process has been carried out largely by contracting companies that have been unwilling to publish details of their results for fear of loss of business to competitors. The authors, using equipment developed to measure the radial permeability of oil-sand cores2', have developed a method of investigating the results of acid treatment which has enabled them to test numerous cores and to study in some detail the action of acid on the different types of rocks, particularly fine-grained rocks.

Jan 1, 1936