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By James W. Reeves

DuPont was the titanium metal pioneer who put the greatest effort into both R&D and commercial sponge and powder metallurgy production. This was concentrated in the period 1945 through 1963. The commercial results were development of the chloride process for TiCl4 using ilmenite, development and improvement of the Kroll process, development of a modified Hunter process to make titanium powder and commercial development of a direct powder process. The powder metallurgical process failed because of the inability to meet powder chloride specifications. All this work remained a trade secret until published in NMAB -392 by Mahla in 1983. There were other processes explored by DuPont, both improved sponge and powder processes. Much of this work has been continued by others but none, as of yet, resulting in new improved titanium metal capacity.

Jan 1, 2001

By W. M. Reilly, Martin E. True, O&apos

A technique, equipment, and a compound have been developed and field tested for sealing tubing joint thread leaks without removing the tubing from the well. This eliminates the necessity of killing the well with possible damage to the producing formation, which could result if it were exposed to drilling mud. A thread sealing compound, developed and tested in the laboratory, is introduced into the tubing and squeezed into the joint to eliminate the leak. A high percentage of successful field applications have eflected an appreciable cost reduction in repairing leaking tubing strings in East Texas and in the Louisiana Gulf Coast area. INTRODUCTION In producing oil and gas wells the industry has been plagued with a never ending problem of tubing connection leakage. This situation is becoming increasingly more significant as more gas wells are placed on production and as higher pressures are encountered at greater depths of current drilling. Substantial progress has been made in minimizing thread leaks by careful handling and cleaning of joints and by the use of improved sealing compounds in combination with controlled makeup. But even with the use of the best known methods and sealing materials during initial makeup, occasional leaks through tubing joint threads appear inevitable. In some instances, tubing joints in high-pressure gas wells have been found to leak gas at relatively less pressure than that at which the tubing had been tested satisfactorily using liquid. Many expedients have been employed to prevent the physical replacement of tubing when leaks have developed. Perhaps the most commonly used is the sodium silicate treatment in which the solution is lubricated into the tubing to form a crystalline plug in the leak. Generally, any benefit realized is of a temporary nature. In addition to field studies on handling and makeup of tubing, extensive laboratory work has been undertaken on the development and testing of thread dopes.' Also, substantial effort has been devoted to testing tubing joints using high-pressure gas as a pressure medium.' The results of this work have emphasized that tubing joints are susceptible to occasional leaks, especially when subjected to relatively high differential pressures. To cope with the problem of leaking connections, an extensive investigation was undertaken to devise means of sealing leaks without removing the tubing from the well and without reducing the inside diameter of the tubing. The purpose of this paper is to present a technique, together with the associated equipment and compound, which have been developed for effecting a seal of leaking tubing in place. DISCUSSION Work was initiated simultaneously on two ventures: (1) to develop a satisfactory leak sealing compound and (2) to develop tools necessary to find the leak and place the compound. Leak Sealing Compound In the development of a sealing compound, tests were conducted on those compounds commercially available which include: (1) conventional thread lubricants, (2) thermo-setting resins and (3) other materials which held promise of effecting a seal. Although none proved completely satisfactory in their available form, two commercial compounds proved nearly equally effective in sealing leaks during laboratory tests after proportioned quantities of graded silica had been added. Field usage has indicated that the preferred compound is one prepared of an aluminum-stearate base thinned to the proper constituency and carrying a mixture of fine mesh graphite and graded silica. The compound developed by Humble Oil & Refining Co. is designated as Tubing Thread Leak Sealant 800. Placement Tools and Technique In developing tools to detect joint leaks and to place the sealing compound, work was done initially on wireline equipment. Preliminary designs were completed of a tool somewhat on the order of a pressure bomb to test individual joints with gas at high pressure to determine if the joint was leaking. An entirely different tool equipped with opposed packers was intended for placement of the sealing compound at high pressures in each leaking joint. The application of these tools

Jan 1, 1958

By Richard B. Reese, George R. St. Pierre, Robert A. Rapp

The vapor pressures of pure iron and pure chromium have been measured using a Knudsen cell coupled with a mass spectrometer. The experimental results agree well with some previously reported data; heats of sublimation and vaporization have been calculated. From vapor pressure rr~easurernents, the activities of iron and chromium in their binary alloys have been determined for NcY = 0.10 to 0.65 over a 1400" to 1700~ temperature range. The activity of chromium in the liquid alloys was found to exhibit positive deviation from ideal behavior when referred to solid chromium as the standard state; however, for the activity of chromium referred to nonequilibrium undercooled liquid chromium as standard state, the activity behavior is almost ideal. ALTHOUGH the Fe-Cr system is important as the basic system of alloy steels, the thermodynamic properties of this system have not been thoroughly investigated at elevated temperatures. In view of the potential practical applications of such data as well as their contribution to alloy theory, further study of the Fe-Cr system was undertaken. In addition, further development of experimental techniques for equilibrium measurements at high temperature is required. The present research involved an application of the Knudsen effusion method in conjunction with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Belton and ~ruehan' have measured the activities in Fe-Ni and Fe-Co alloys by a similar method. Speiser, Johnston, and lackbburn' have determined the vapor pressure of pure solid chromium between 1283" and 1561°K by a Langmuir free evaporation technique. The vapor pressure of chromium was described by the expression: over the temperature range 1283" to 1561°K. McCabe, Hudson, and paxton3 have measured the vapor pressures of pure iron and pure chromium by the Knudsen cell technique around 1500°K. The vapor pressure and heat of sublimation at O°K, AH,", for pure chromium agreed within experimental error with the measurements of Speiser et al. at 1200°C. Kubaschewski and HeYmer~ determined the vapor pressure of pure solid chromium in the temperature range 1170" to 1400°C by the Knudsen effusion technique combined with a radioactive tracer analysis of crS1. Their results agreed with the work of previous investigators. Edwards, Johnston, and Ditmars5 have measured the vapor pressure of pure solid iron by the Langmuir technique between 1356" and 1519°K. The vapor pressure of solid iron in the temperature range studied was given by: The data of McCabe, Hudson, and paxton3 on the vapor pressure of pure iron around 1500°K by the Knudsen effusion technique were in good agreement with those obtained by Edwards et a~.~ Hultgren, Orr, Anderson, and Kelley give the selected values for the AH: of pure iron and pure chromium as 98,990 *200 and 94,340 * 500 cal per mole, respectively. These values are the average values determined in the several investigations by different methods. The Fe-Cr phase diagram7 is shown in Fig. 1. Previous determinations of activities in this system have been carried out by several investigators, but most of the work has been done on solid alloys. Using a Knudsen effusion method with cr5', Kubaschewski and Heymer4 reported that the Fe-Cr system exhibits positive deviation from the ideal behavior for compositions ranging from NCr = 0.0398 to 0.699 at 1170"

Jan 1, 1969

By Guo Chen, Yifeng Shi, Xiaobiao Shang, Nanshang Shen, Bangqi Zhang, Jinhui Peng, Junruo Chen

"The energy is introduced directly into the volume of the honeycomb ceramic regenerator due to the complex interaction of microwaves with minerals in microwave gas heating system. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate the electromagnetic field by solving Maxwell's equations using finite-difference time-domain method. Computational result is presented for the microwave power absorption of the regenerator. Effects of the dielectric constant and the effective loss factor on the microwave power absorption in the regenerator are studied as well. Numerical results show that the heating pattern strongly depends on the dielectric property of the regenerator. The demonstration of the model of electromagnetic field distribution can be applied effectively and efficiently to optimize the fundamental parameters in the microwave heating processing.IntroductionIn recent years, microwave energy has been utilized in many fields, such as food processing, chemical engineering and mineral processing [l]. In contrast to conventional heating, where heat is transferred from a surface to the interior, microwave energy is introduced directly into the volume of minerals due to the complex interaction of the microwave with the mineral. Based on volumetric heating effects, microwave heating has several advantages such as pollution free, rapid heating technique, internal heating, high efficiency over conventional heating [ 1-4]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Mark Bauckman

Discussion Topics • Market Needs • Technology Developments & Best Practices • Industry & Government Developments • Future Possibilities & Your Role

Jan 1, 2006

By J. Shibata, N. Murayama, H. Yamamoto

As one of effective usages of wastes discharged in the non-ferrous metal industry, the syntheses of AlPO4-5 and hydrotalcite were carried out using aluminium dross as a raw material. AlPO4-5 is an aluminium phosphate condensate with properties of zeolitic materials and large pore size. Hydrotalcite is an inorganic anion exchanger and has a layered structure of complex hydroxide. They were synthesized in an autoclave at high temperature and pressure. Various physical properties such as crystal structure, surface texture, and specific surface area were measured. AlPO4-5 can be synthesized from aluminium dross under hydrothermal conditions at 180°C-200°C, and 3h. At the same time, AlPO4-34 and non-porous AlPO4 were also formed as by-products. The crystals of AlPO4-5 have a hexagonal structure. Lt is desirable to heat the reaction product at around 550 °C to remove tri-ethyl amine. The specific surface areas of the reaction product before and after heat treatment at 550°C were 17.9m2/g and 358m2/g, respectively. Hydrotalcite can be obtained by a co-precipitation method from the aluminium dross and waste MgCl2 solution discharged in the aluminium regeneration process. Small amounts of SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3 remain in the reaction product as an impurity component. The interlayer distance of the obtained reaction product is about 0.3 nm. Hydrotalcite changes to Mg-Al oxide during calcination at 500 °C for 3h, and then hydrotalcite is formed again by a rehydration operation. The physical properties of the reaction products obtained from the wastes were very similar to those from fresh reagents.

Jan 1, 2004

By P. A. Surgeon, R. R. Sayers

It is not the purpose of this report to try to describe all the work done during the past year for the improvement of health or the prevention of illness among miners , but to call attention to a few of the more outstanding investigations in which progress has been made . Among these , the investigations on the physiological effects of carbon monoxide , dust and ventilation , and temperature and humidity will be discussed . Carbon Monoxide . During the years 1920 and 1921 , much more work has been done on the various A survey phases of carbon monoxide than has been carried on for a number of years . of carbon monoxide poisoning in the American steel works , metal mines , and coal He conmines was made by Dr. Henry S. Forbes , of the Harvard Medical School . ** cludes from his survey that late after- symptoms following acute severe gassing rarely occur , and that almost always there is evidence of pre - existing pathological conditions when such effects do appear . He further states that he found no evidence of cumulative harmful effects resulting from frequent exposure . Dr. Forbes , Dr. Forbes , assisted by Louise Hompe , made a laboratory investigation in which anesthetized animals were exposed to carbon monoxide , illuminating gas , and benzol *** . The investigators conclude that , under the conditions of their experiments , there is no change in the coagulation time of the blood . It has been stated by many investigators that the blood of those affected by carbon monoxide does not clot as quickly as normal blood . While the investigation referred to above may not cover all the conditions , it is a valuable contribution to the subject as it indicates that the small hemorrhages found in the membranes covering the central nervous system , abdominal organs , etc. , at autopsy of those dying of carbon monoxide poisoning is probably not due to direct toxic action of the gas upon the blood .

Feb 1, 1922

By Chris A. Fleming

"The ability to recover cyanide from gold plant tailings has been known almost as long as the cyanidation process has been practiced, but there has been little incentive to process tailings in this way in the past. With the development of technologies that make it possible to recover and recycle free or complexed cyanide directly from gold plant slurry tailings, which indicates, on paper at least, significant cost savings compared to cyanide destruction, coupled with the introduction of legislation to seriously limit the discharge of cyanide to the environment in most gold-producing regions of the world, many companies are evaluating the cyanide-recovery alternative.There is arguably an even more compelling reason for mining companies to consider cyanide recycling. With the growing storm of negative public opinion that the use of cyanide in the mining industry is attracting - following several highly publicized spills over the last couple of years - the time has come for the gold industry to demonstrate environmental diligence and stewardship in the use of this commodity that is so vital for their industry. There is no doubt that the widespread implementation of cyanide recycling will reduce the impact of the cyanidation process on the environment, both by reducing the risk of spills (with less cyanide being transported from manufacturing plants to gold mines), and by reducing the loading of toxic and nontoxic metals and ions in the tailings.This paper briefly discusses the pros and cons of the different processes that are available for the treatment of gold plant tailings to regenerate and recovery cyanide for recycling, and presents a techno-economic argument for the incorporation of this technology into many gold plant flowsheets today."

Jan 1, 2003

By H. R. Crawford, P. B. Crawford, A. F. Tragesser

A method has been developed to calculate wellbore temperatures during mud circulation and the actual cementing operation to aid in the design of cement slurries. The method agrees within 10F with previously measured values. The calculation technique provides temperatures, as functions of time, at varying depths in both the casing and annulus. The technique also provides this information if a relatively cool cement slurry is pumped into the well immediately following circulation of hot mud. Circulating bottom hole temperatures of brine and a bentonite mud were measured. INTRODUCTION As wells are drilled deeper, greater demands are being made on all phases of the industry, and new technology has been developed to provide satisfactory well completions. However, little or no work has been conducted on accurately determining bottom-hole, static and circulating temperatures.. In designing a cement slurry, such factors as density, fluid loss control, viscosity, deterioration from ternperature, compressive strength and pumping time must be considered. Individual well conditions often make it necessary to include still other factors. Pumping time is a primary consideration and, as wells are drilled deeper, encountering higher bottom-hole temperatures, this property becomes even more important. Cement slurries must be designed with sufficient pumping time to provide safe placement in the well; however, the slurry cannot be overly retarded as this will prevent the development of satisfactory compressive strength. The pumping time of a specific cement is currently obtained by subjecting the cement to simulated conditions of temperature and pressure. A reasonably accurate bottom-hole pressure may be obtained by considering hydrostatic heads of fluids, friction pressure and wellhead pressures. However, accurately determining bottom-hole temperatures is much more difficult. Bottom-hole static temperatures are estimated by considering several sources of information, including logging temperatures, published temperature gradient maps and field experience. This information is usually questionable due to disagreement of data from the various sources. Temperature gradient maps were constructed based on temperatures recorded many years ago while running bottom-hole pressure tests. These thermal gradients then represent an average of well conditions and cannot always apply to a specific well. Also, logging temperatures may be affected by the time since fluid was last circulated, rate of penetration, circulating rate and many other factors. Therefore, even though logging temperatures are available, the question still exists as to the correction factor that should be applied to obtain an accurate static temperature. After obtaining static bottom-hole temperature, it is then necessary to relate this to circulating temperatures actually encountered by the cement slurry. This is accomplished by selecting a test schedule from the API RP-10B corresponding to the estimated well conditions.' The API-recommended practice for testing oilwell cement provides testing schedules for various well depths and conditions. These schedules are intended to simulate down-hole conditions during cementing. They provide a rate at which both temperature and pressure are increased until the estimated circulating conditions are reached. These testing schedules represent circulating temperatures for an average well and, although there is flexibility in choosing the test schedule that most accurately simulates the temperature of an individual well, it still is not possible to consider all the well conditions that will affect the bottom-hole temperature. Many factors affect cement temperatures; for example, the length of time a well has remained static prior to running casing and cementing, the circulation time, the temperature of fluids used in cementing, fluid density and flow properties of fluids. The pumping time for a typical retarded cement could vary from 2 to 4 hours with a 10F change in testing temperature. Variations in pumping time are the most critical in highly retarded cements used in deep, hot wells; yet, predicting bottom-hole circulating temperatures is more difficult in these wells. This work was conducted to develop a means of calculating circulating temperatures as a function of well depth, casing and hole size, pumping rate and time, fluid and reservoir physical properties and thermal status of the well. PREVIOUS WORK In 1941 Farris reported on a study to develop information leading to a more practical laboratory evaluation of oilfield cementing mixtures and performance.' It was then recognized that the pressure factor was being neglected,

By A. M. Anthony, A. Y. Atta, S. S. Magaji, U. Abubakar-Zaria

There are two major gold recovery methods: the hydrometallurgical technique, which employs cyanide solutions, and amalgamation method, which involves mercury (Hg). These methods present considerable health, safety, and environmental concerns. Past applications of alpha-cyclodextrin (α-CD) on gold scraps show that α-CD is not only inexpensive, but is also environmentally friendly. This research work used α-CD to recover gold from gold ores instead of gold scraps. The gold ore was sourced from Shanono gold deposit site Kano State,Nigeria. The gold ore was characterized by fire assay (FA) for the precious metal. The concentrate was digested with aqua regia (AR) for 24 h. Modified AR, where hydrochloric acid was replaced with hydrobromic acid, was used for the gold digestion due to the good match in molecular recognition between gold bromide ion (AuBr)− and α- CD in a second sphere coordination complex. The digestate was characterized using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Gold recovery using this technique is pH sensitive, and five pH values (2.0, 3.6, 4.0, 5.4, and 6.0) were investigated. FA analysis showed the Shanono gold ore deposit contains an average of 4.71 ppm of gold, AAS analysis showed highest gold recovery of 69% at pH 4.0, which is lower than recoveries from the metal scraps. This could be due to the presence of other gangue minerals closely associated with the ore. However, gold recovery using α-CD on Shanono gold ore has shown to have a higher yield of 69% compared to 35.5% yield obtainable by Artisan Small Scale Miners using mercury.

May 5, 2020

By A Simmons, J Chan, A Li, Q Gu, D M. Brett

The paper presents an example of field density achievements using thin layer deposition and solar drying and compares this with compaction data from laboratory testing and field trials of mechanical densification processes.

Jul 1, 2021

By T Duff

This paper describes results from small scale tests conducted to determine the distribution of pressure on target plates when subjected to loading due to the detonation of a buried mine in various media. The tests are conducted by using saturated sand, dry sand, and water as the loading media. Different stand-off distances are investigated. Kolsky bars and pressure sensors are used to determine the free-field pressure - time profile of the output of the charge at any location on the vehicle bottom. For verification of the pressure results at certain distances, the specific impulse measured by utilizing different size round plates are employed. In order to investigate the loading mechanisms, high speed cameras are applied. The small-scale test results can be scaled to full scale by using verified scaling laws.

Jan 1, 2014

By Congling Shi, Marek Borowski, Yue Wang, Jianwei Cheng, Xixi Zhang, Xuan Xu

As the first barrier to prevent accidents caused by explosions in underground coal mines, the integrity and stability of mine seals have great effects on mine workers’ lives and underground production safety. In this paper, the mechanical responding performance of typical mine seals under the impact load are studied by using numerical simulation method. By such simulation studies, the safety of different seals subjected to the explosion load is evaluated. Seals’stability are also investigated under effects caused by various influence factors including thickness of mine seal, cutting depth into surrounding rocks, rock type, and the roof-tofloor convergence under given the explosion load. The research results can provide theoretical basis and reasonable improvements for mine seal’s construction practices for improving its anti-explosion performance.

By Peter Schmäh, Tobias Engel

The E-Power Pipe technology was originally developed for the trenchless installation of protective pipes and pipelines of 10" to 28" diameter, over long distances of more than 4,000 ft. The twostage process combines elements from Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and microtunnelling technology. A microtunnelling boring machine (MTBM) excavates the borehole using a specially designed, temporary jacking pipe. A Rack & Pinion jacking frame pushes the equipment during the pilot bore and pulls in the prefabricated pipe string in a second step. The slurry microtunnelling machine is equipped with a jet pump, creating the so-called AVNS machine type. A new generation of small hard rock cutting wheels complements this considerable achievement for the tunnelling industry

Dec 1, 2022

By B. Mishra, W. A. Averill

"The application of various hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes in the extraction, purification and production of radioactive metals as well as the use of various materials, ego metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, etc. in the process, construction and handling equipment in the nuclear industry has generated a large stockpile of radioactively contaminated waste material and scrap metal which can not be directly discarded, recycled or considered for long-term storage due to its volume and potential hazards, without the separation of radionuclides. This paper reviews the emerging methods that have been investigated and suggested for dealing with some of these wastes and scrap material.The separation technologies studied for the recovery of radioactive components from the pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processing wastes have been discussed in details with results from some of the recent theoretical and physical modeling work as well as the data obtained from the actual waste treatment. Specific processes shall be described in terms of its advantages and limitations. These emerging separation technologies are being considered by the US Department of Energy as alternatives for dealing with the issues of environmental management [EM] and decontamination and decommissioning [D&D].IntroductionThe high temperature carbothermic or metallothermic smelting reduction methods for metal production are associated with the generation of significant quantity of waste as slags, flue dusts, sludges, residues, effluent salts etc. Certain hydrometallurgical processes also generate lots of aqueous waste due to the inherent nature of the technique. Also, the gas-based reduction processes are not applicable to many stable metal compounds, such as alumina, titania, beryllia, lanthanide and actinide oxides, etc. due to thermodynamic considerations. All these methods cause substantial environmental hazard. There is a need to develop alternative processes which have low waste or ideally a ""zero-waste"" generation.Pyrochemical processes using molten salts provide a unique opportunity for the extraction and refining of many reactive and valuable metals either directly from the beneficiated ore (aluminum, beryllium, neodymium, plutonium, uranium, etc.) or from other process effluent that contain reactive metal compounds. The processes reduce metal compounds electrolytically (A12O 3 and BeCI2) on a carbon anode or by calciothermic reduction (Po, Nd). The by-product, in the latter case, is a calcium oxide saturated halide salt. The waste-treatment to recycle the halide has to be done as a separate step or stored as a contaminated waste. A successful separation technology can provide a new insight to the waste minimization strategy for the nuclear industry."

Jan 1, 1996

By R. H. Smith, A. C. Polk

The physical properties of the materials are listed, together with a short explanation of how this material binds the sand grains together without materially reducing the effective permeability of the sand. The chemical can be used in wells with bottom-hole temperatures ranging from 105°F to more than 350°F A description of the equipment required and the techniques used for applying these plastics to the wells is included. Introduction Recovering oil and gas from unconsoli-dated sand formations offers one of the most troublesome of all production problems. These sands generally present no particular trouble while drilling is in progress, but after the well has been completed and a pressure differential has been established across the face of the producing zone, the formation begins to L'slough," resulting in "sanding up" of the well. The term "sanding up" means that sufficient volumes of sand have moved into the well bore or casing to cause a serious reduction or complete halt of all flow of oil, water or gas. In rare cases a well may produce only a small amount of sand and still continue to flow or pump, the sand being carried to the surface in the fluid stream. However, in such instances, the result may be a costly repair bill due to the effect of the sand on surface and pumping equipment. The difficulty of producing petroleum from sands that are loosely cemented has long been recognized by petroleum engineers but only within the last few years has any new approach to the problem been undertaken. This involves the use of plastics that are capable of bonding the individual sand grains in place without materially reducing the effective permeability of a formation. The successful application of plastics for the consolidation of poorly cemented sands is relatively recent but now it is widely used in many of the more difficult areas on the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. This relatively new use of plastics1 in the oil fields has been preceded by much laboratory and field research on the use of various chemicals2,3 for solving numerous well-completion and work-over problems. Plastics now are being used successfully to control gas-oil and water-oil ratios,4'6 in zone isolation, the repair of casing leaks, the elimination of caving in cable-tool drilling wells6'7 and in the setting of linerss and casing.9 Sand-consolidating plastics, however, are basically different from all others in that they must not form an impervious seal. Field Practices The approach to the sanding-up problem usually has been the mechanical obstruction of the movement of the sand grains.

Jan 1, 1947

By A. C. Polk, R. H. Smith

The physical properties of the materials are listed, together with a short explanation of how this material binds the sand grains together without materially reducing the effective permeability of the sand. The chemical can be used in wells with bottom-hole temperatures ranging from 105°F to more than 350°F A description of the equipment required and the techniques used for applying these plastics to the wells is included. Introduction Recovering oil and gas from unconsoli-dated sand formations offers one of the most troublesome of all production problems. These sands generally present no particular trouble while drilling is in progress, but after the well has been completed and a pressure differential has been established across the face of the producing zone, the formation begins to L'slough," resulting in "sanding up" of the well. The term "sanding up" means that sufficient volumes of sand have moved into the well bore or casing to cause a serious reduction or complete halt of all flow of oil, water or gas. In rare cases a well may produce only a small amount of sand and still continue to flow or pump, the sand being carried to the surface in the fluid stream. However, in such instances, the result may be a costly repair bill due to the effect of the sand on surface and pumping equipment. The difficulty of producing petroleum from sands that are loosely cemented has long been recognized by petroleum engineers but only within the last few years has any new approach to the problem been undertaken. This involves the use of plastics that are capable of bonding the individual sand grains in place without materially reducing the effective permeability of a formation. The successful application of plastics for the consolidation of poorly cemented sands is relatively recent but now it is widely used in many of the more difficult areas on the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. This relatively new use of plastics1 in the oil fields has been preceded by much laboratory and field research on the use of various chemicals2,3 for solving numerous well-completion and work-over problems. Plastics now are being used successfully to control gas-oil and water-oil ratios,4'6 in zone isolation, the repair of casing leaks, the elimination of caving in cable-tool drilling wells6'7 and in the setting of linerss and casing.9 Sand-consolidating plastics, however, are basically different from all others in that they must not form an impervious seal. Field Practices The approach to the sanding-up problem usually has been the mechanical obstruction of the movement of the sand grains.

Jan 1, 1947

By B. M. Larsen

AN increasing amount of attention is being paid to the possible influence of oxygen, in its several modes of occurrence in steel, upon some of the properties of the metal; but clearly investigations along this line are unlikely to yield significant results until reliable analytical methods for the determination of oxygen have been established. This paper presents some results of a study of an improved Ledebur method which aims to determine a definite portion of the oxygen; namely; that which presumably is present in diffusible form in the. solid steel. These more or less preliminary results lead us to believe that the oxygen so determined has some significance; their presentation at this time will, we hope, stimulate discussion of, and focus attention upon, certain rather neglected aspects of the problem. Considerable work has been done recently on methods of estimating inclusions and on the vacuum-fusion method for oxygen; with results which, however, are of somewhat questionable significance. It is commonly presumed that the oxygen in a bath of molten steel in a furnace is present partly as a separate phase consisting of suspended particles of oxides or silicates, partly in solution, the latter being probably the more important. Upon addition of a deoxidizer, it reacts with some portion of the dissolved oxygen and precipitates it as additional suspended particles; the oxygen not eliminated in this way, which remains in solution in the liquid steel, may be regarded indifferently either as dissolved oxygen or as dissolved FeO. When the steel is poured, some of the suspended particles rise towards the surface, others remain trapped in the finished steel, appearing as nonmetallic inclusions in amounts corresponding usually to about 0.01 to 0.03 per cent 02 in the steel. The dissolved oxygen may be partly eliminated as CO during freezing of the ingot, but some remains either in solution or in part precipitated as FeO. Finished steels may thus contain oxygen in several forms: (1) In non-metallic inclusions which are probably quite insoluble in the solid metal at all temperatures; (2) in solid solution which at lower temperatures may be supersaturated; (3) in FeO particles produced by relief of this

Jan 1, 1932

By Tony Amis

There is very limited information relating to the potential impact of temperature cycles, outside the variation that occurs naturally, on the behaviour of foundation piles. Such thermal loading occurs when piles are used as heat exchange elements within a Ground Sourced Heat Pump system, in addition to carrying building loads to competent strata. An investigation has been undertaken where a conventional load test has been extended to include a period in which the load is maintained and temperature cycles applied. Instrumentation was installed in the test pile, an adjacent borehole, two of the anchor piles and the heat sink pile in order to be able to develop an understanding of the temperature variation and associated strain changes within and between the various elements. Conventional electronic strain and temperature gauges have been used in conjunction with optical fibre sensors which also measure strain and temperature changes. The results have confirmed the validity of the assumption made in the thermo-dynamic design of the system, the compatibility of the differing measurement systems and differing installation methods for the optical fibres, and initial assessment suggests that the load-settlement response of the pile is not adversely affected by the temperature cycles applied.

Jan 1, 2008

By D. A. Peterson

A research program is currently in progress at the University of British Columbia to determine the potential of composite cable bolt reinforcement in Canadian mines. Several prototypes of glass fibre cable bolts have been tested. Their evaluation consisted of lab testing at the University of British Columbia, United States Bureau of Mines (Spokane) and trial installations at Detour Lake, Winston Lake, and Myra Falls Mines. A market analysis of cable bolts within the Canadian mining industry has been completed. Fibre reinforced polymer composites have a high potential as cable bolt reinforcement in mining applications. They prove to be a viable alternative to steel cable bolting.

Jan 1, 1993