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By Cherie H. Tilley

The possibility of drilling oil wells from underground locations is not a new concept. It bas not been cost effective for the oil industry in the past and therefore disregarded. Today's state of the art in tunneling and shaft sinking greatly improves the potential for this type of oil field development scheme. This report presents a plan for providing a aeries of drilling bases and the design of the drilling location. The design minimizes the amount of excavation needed to develop the oil field and maximizes the use of rapid excavation techniques.

Jan 1, 1983

By Philip M. J. Gray

"The real cost of conversion from ore to semi-fabricated non-ferrous metals has been increasing for many years. Consumer resistance and improved knowledge and techniques now available justify investment in revolutionary as well as evolutionary methods of extraction. Metallurgical factors in current practice which preordain high production costs are identified as: smelters' demand for clean minerals, use of processes with low intensity of working per unit of reactor volume, use of low-velocity reactions, use of long reactor retention times relative to the speed of reactions, dilution of values in solution and commitment to electric power as a source of energy.Six new types of flowsheet are proposed for processing from ore to metal, composed of steps which are economic to construct and maintain and making maximum direct use of fossil fuel and the energy content of minerals. The basic knowledge and technology for developing these flowsheets exists. It is very tentatively suggested that these routes might reduce the capital and production cost for conversion of ore to metal by 30-50%."

Jan 1, 1980

By Bas R. Hemmen

GeoBrain is a facility at GeoDelft with the purpose to provide society with all relevant geo-engineering knowledge and experience in a structured way. On the basis of the available knowledge and experience engineers, decision makers and construction supervisors can come to a fast, reproducible and objective choice, taking into account the consequences. The paper presents examples from the GeoBrain experience databases and forecasting models developed for foundation engineering and directional drilling, or: "GeoBrain Foundations" and "GeoBrain Drilling". GeoBrain is closing the gap between theory and practice. It is aimed directly at reducing uncertainty and the costs of failure, thereby increasing the quality of profession and minimising the risk in geo-engineering works.

Jan 1, 2006

By Harold B. Fell

MANY oil producers are in disagreement with the idea held by some that an increase in the price of crude oil would be unlikely to stimulate much production and that we will be obliged to draw upon foreign sources of petroleum to supplement our domestic production as the years go by. Supporting our con trary opinion are numerous facts and figures. The most recent official estimate of the maximum efficient rate of production from the oil wells of the United States is 5,271,000 bbl per day. The Economics Advisory Committee of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission estimates, assuming certain supplies from imports and from natural gasoline and benzol, that crude oil require-

Jan 1, 1947

By Eric J. Beckman

Recovery of metals from dilute solution, whether the matrix is solid, or liquid, remains a considerable technical and financial challenge. Methods currently exist whereby metals can be extracted from either type of matrix, yet these methods consume significant quantities of reagents and can also generate multiple waste ,streams in the process. Technology developed in our lab allows efficient application of environmentally-benign CO2 to a number of separation problems involving metals. For example, we have employed biphasic mixtures of C02 and water as a green acid leach medium. Metals have been extracted from a steelmaking process residue and then recovered as metal carbonates through depressurization. In this process, metals are extracted and recovered without the use of reagents other than CO2 and water, and CO2 is sequestered as a solid. In addition, through synthesis of Cal-miscible phase transfer agents, we have shown that CO2 can replace the organic solvent currently used in refining of precious metals, The sensitivity to pressure of phase behavior in a CO2-mixture may allow significant streamlining of the process as well. Finally, CO2 soluble chelating agents have been used to extract toxic metals from acidic effluent such as that found in plating facilities.

Jan 1, 1999

By T. F. J. Hälbich

Namakwa Sands aims to conserve environmental resources and prevent or minimize environmental impacts from its operations. The challenge faced by Namakwa Sands is the rehabilitation of the arid winter rainfall Strandveld and lowland Succulent Karoo vegetation zones affected by its mining activities. Extensive experimentation with different rehabilitation methods resulted in the development of an effective rehabilitation programme. The use of topsoil as a seed bank and shade-cloth as windbreaks have significantly aided the rehabilitation process. The aim of the programme is to stabilize the soil environment so as to allow the germination and development of the local plant species. The ability to control wind erosion is critical to the success of the rehabilitation effort. A programme of biodiversity audits has been started to measure the recovery of plant species in the rehabilitated area. The principle of continuous improvement, coupled to site-specific rehabilitation studies, is applied to enhance the rehabilitation programme.

Jan 1, 2003

By Takashi Sasaoka

A great deal of coal will be left under the final end-walls in Chinese surface coal mines because of lower slope angle in shoveltruck mining systems and larger mining depths. In traditional surface mining systems, the coal under the end-walls will be buried by the inner dumping site, and these coal resources are generally abandoned. Considering these situations, the application of end-wall mining systems was considered in order to recover the residual coal around the end-wall. This mining system can improve economic benefits by exploiting haulage and ventilation roadways from end-walls and utilizing the existing transportation systems. In order to develop the appropriate pillar design methodology for the end-wall mining system, several empirical formulas and methods were discussed based on the formulas developed so far and the mechanics properties of coal and rocks in the Chinese coal mine. From the results of a series of theoretical and numerical analyses, it can be concluded that the coal pillar width calculated by the Mark- Bieniawski formula may serve as an important reference for pillar design in end-wall mining systems, and the end-wall mining system can increase the coal recovery from residual coal resources around highwall and reduce the effect of underground mining operation on slope stability

Jan 1, 2013

By S. K. Kawatra

A high calcium fluid-bed combustor ash has been shown to be an effective binder at dosages of 1 to 2% of the magnetite concentrate weight. Magnetite pellets 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) in diameter were produced with dry crushing strengths greater than 22.3 Newtons/pellet (5.0 pounds force/pellet), which is comparable to the results produced using conventional bentonite binder. The effectiveness of fly-ash-based binders was considerably improved when calcium chloride was added as an accelerator. Addition of calcium chloride at a rate of 0.1 to 0.2% of the total powder weight increased the strength of dried pellets by as much as 22% compared to the strength of pellets made using fly-ash without accelerators.

Jan 1, 1997

By Wayne A. McCurdy

Seldom in history has any industry undergone such radical and rapid change as that experienced by coal. Since 1947, when bituminous coal production reached an all-time high of 631 million tons, the industry has faced market problems not believed possible prior to the build-up of the great market demand occasioned by the wartime emergency and post-war recovery period. Subsequently, it suffered practically complete loss of the formerly huge railroad fuel market to dieselization; natural gas expansion ate into many markets; and oil took a heavy toll. Although anthracite, on the other hand, did not have a record year in 1947, it did attain a production figure of 57 million tons. Competitive forces since then have hit this fuel harder than bituminous coal. As we are aware, most prognosticators have pointed to a glowing long-range future for coal, with some forecasters estimating coal production by 1975 to be as high as 800 million tons. The largest increase in the use of coal in future years is expected to come from expansion of the industry's two largest growth markets-steel and the electric utilities. Optimists would have us believe that coal need merely bide its time to be carried to prosperity by the increased demands of these two basic customers. But the coal industry knows from bitter experience that even "assured" markets-as the railroads and domestic consumers once were-can be lost through lack of progress and lack of research. And coal's projected growth markets are not “assured.”

Jan 9, 1962

By Maria I. De Rosa

Analysis of mining equipment fires from 1990 through 1999 reveals that there were 340 large mining equipment fires, resulting in 72 injuries and five fatalities. Many of the fires resulted in the loss of equipment and all posed potential or real risks to the operator. In 97 cases, the fires raged out of control due to engine shut­off failure, even upon activation of the machine fire suppression system, due to the spraying of pressurized hydraulic flu­id and fuel onto hot engine surfaces. In other cases, even after engine shutoff, the fires re-ignited, fueled by the contin­ued flow of flammable fluids remaining in the lines onto the hot engine surfaces. In many of the fires, flammable vapors evolved and penetrated the cab, violently igniting, forcing the operator to exit under very hazardous conditions. The use of emergency evacuation lines in the fuel and hydraulic fluid systems, and methods to reduce or prevent the spraying of pressurized fluids onto hot engine surfaces would greatly improve the chances of successfully suppressing large mining equipment fires. In addition, the use of systems for preventing the ignition of flammable vapors inside the cab, and detecting and suppressing fires originat­ing in the cab, would greatly enhance operator safety. The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently conducted experiments on meth­ods to reduce the fire hazards associated with large mining equipment. These experiments evaluated the use of cab inerting systems to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors inside the cab and sup­press fires originating in the cab, while maintaining a breathable atmosphere for the operator to bring the equipment to a stop and safely exit the cab.

Jan 1, 2008

By Don Peel

Mineral aggregate, the most widely used mineral resource globally, has attracted little academic or public interest. Of all mining developments, the aggregate resource is seldom factored into resource management decisions. This lack of recognition to the strategic aggregate resource has significant economic, environmental, and social implications. Impact to the economics, the environment, and the community coincide with the key elements of the United Nations concept of ?sustainable development?. To build on the concept, the mining sector contracted the International Institute for Environment and Development to assess how mining activity contributes to sustainability. As a result, a useful assessment process was developed by the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) Task Group entitled ?Seven Questions to Sustainability: How to Assess the Contribution of Mining and Mineral Activities.? In Alberta, recent opposition to mineral resource development by community residents offers an opportunity to employ the MMSD?s assessment procedure. The public opposition to the mining activity was addressed through a stakeholder planning process initiated by the municipal council of Sturgeon County, Alberta. As a result the Calahoo/Villeneuve Area Structure Plan (CASP) was formulated and adopted. To measure the effectiveness of the CASP planning process in terms of sustainability, this paper applies the MMSD?s Seven Question assessment to the Calahoo/Villeneuve Area Structure Plan.

May 1, 2004

By J. B. Scott, J. L. Popham, H. F. Coffer, J. J. Reynolds

This paper concerns field experiments to define the areal extent, orientation and thickness of an artificial fracture in the Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex. The fracture was made by a sand-oil treatment of 176,-000 gal of lease crude containing a fluid-loss additive and 270,000 lb of 20-40 mesh subangular Poteet sand. The well was perforated with a jet gun, consisting of six shots in a single plane. Fourteen test holes were drilled at various locations around the fractured well. Drill-stem tests, Micro and Sonic Logs, coring and sampling of formation cuttings were used to determine the presence of the fracture in these holes. The test holes were drilled at distances up to 250 ft in a radial pattern around the fractured well. In addition to fracture areal extent and orientation, sand grain size before and after fracturing, erosion of perforations and fracture thickness were studied. INTRODUCTION The orientation,12 areal extent3, 4 and thickness5-9 of artificially induced fractures in reservoir rock by hydraulic means have been discussed in great detail in the oil industry in recent years. Methods for initiating vertical"' and horizontal" fractures have been tested in the laboratory and the field. Although the methods used give successful well stimulation, good field data on the physical characteristics of the fracture are lacking in the literature. It is recognized generally that properties of a fracture, such as thickness, sand placement in the fracture" and shape, may vary from reservoir to reservoir. This paper gives data on size, orientation and sand placement in a large fracture initiated in a single plane in Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex. It is not intended as a speculative study; rather, it is restricted to actual field data on fracture properties. No attempt is made to prove that the same type of fracture occurs in all wells. The field procedure was to drill 14 test holes at various locations around the fractured well. By employing several different testing techniques, the presence of the fracture and some of its characteristics were determined. These techniques as well as the results obtained are discussed in detail in this paper. DESCRIPTION OF FRACTURE TREATMENT N. J. Chittim Well No. 37-1, completed in the San Miguel No. 1 sand, Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex., was chosen for the field study. The San Miguel sand is a tight, well consolidated sandstone with an average porosity of 23 per cent. The permeability ranges from 0.1 to 10 md, with a median permeability of 2.3 md. The sand thickness averages 23 ft and is located at depths of 1,150 to 1,700 ft throughout the field.I3 The fracture treatment performed on Well 37-1 was as follows. 1. The well was drilled to a depth of 1,438 ft with native mud, and 51/2-in. casing was set and cemented to the surface. 2. The casing was perforated at 1,349 ft with a fracture-initiating jet gun. This gun consists of six shots, 7/16-in. diameter in a single horizontal plane. The jets were oriented in two groups of three, 180" opposed. The perforating device was designed to initiate a fracture perpendicular to the wellbore.

By P Benjamin, H Bohannan, C Farr

Geoffrey Blainey's historical account of the mining activity on the west coast of Tasmania, æThe Peaks of LyellÆ documents the changes over 130 years of activity in the region. Commissioned by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, emphasis is placed upon the development of the Mount Lyell Mine in Queenstown. Chapter 19 æWidening HorizonsÆ details the review the Mount Lyell Company undertook in 1904/05 to ensure the future of the operation, following the pessimistic outlook regarding diminishing reserves and poor grade ore. The analogies documented between the Mount Lyell Company at that time, and Gold Mines of Australia 90 years on are remarkable, with both companies demonstrating a commitment to the Mount Lyell area through active exploration, the proactive search for alternative technology and the recognition of the valuable human resource. As Blainey writes (Blainey, 1993), æwith its expanding chemical works, its huge Tasmanian mines, its railways and smelter, its coke works and its mine crusade, Mount Lyell was probably one of the nation's five great industrial companies in 1906 or 1907. This brief phase of industrial and mining expansion had its seed in the threat of extinction . . .Æ After a number of reprieves, the Mount Lyell mine did stop production in 1994, but that only provided an impetus for a review and rebirth.

Jan 1, 1998

Improve the health and safety of underground mine workers by finding ways of keeping them away from unsupported areas of the mine. Background Roof falls have been the leading cause of fatal accidents in the underground coal mining industry. During 1985-89, 92 coal miners were killed by falls of roof and rib, with more than 4,000 miners injured. According to accident investigation reports from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 47% of the victims of these fatal roof fall accidents were in the area of unsupported roof al the time they were killed. There is an urgent need to find out why miners go under unsupported roof and to devise strategies for preventing this unsafe behavior. Approach To discover what can be done to prevent miners from going under unsupported roof, confidential interviews were conducted with 297 miners who work in the face crews of 6 different coal mines. The interview topics included company policies and actions regarding going under unsupported roof, how foremen react to people who go under unsupported roof, circumstances likely to cause some people to go under unsupported roof and how to prevent these situations, and observations concerning those who go under unsupported root.

Jan 1, 1991

By Kirk Yeager

All explosive formulations display some sensitivity to heat. A common technique utilized to measure an explosive’s response to thermal stimulation is differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As DSC analysis is run on quantities of material easily handled in a laboratory setting, and is relatively inexpensive, it tends to be one of the more predominant tools utilized to determine potential thermal hazards of energetic materials. The analysis of energetic materials via DSC provides unique challenges, as both large energy outputs and significant production of gaseous products result from their decompositions. In addition, the unique thermal decomposition characteristics of ammonium nitrate (AN) based materials have also created difficulties in DSC analyses. A wide variety of techniques have been developed to study the decomposition of explosives. Traditionally, sealed glass capillaries were utilized to house samples. Recently, the introduction of specialty cells designed to withstand high pressures has enabled new sampling techniques to be developed. Analyses of explosives with both traditional and “high-pressure” cells will be compared and contrasted. Lessons learned about the application of both techniques towards analyzing thermal hazards such as incompatibilities will be presented. Inconsistencies in the results displayed during analyses of AN-based explosives will be highlighted. Recommendations on the best approach for analyzing the more problematic AN formulations will be given.

Jan 1, 2000

By S. R. Maloof, W. R. Mitchell, J. A. Mullendore

Preliminary experimental evidence is presented to show that the metallic impurities aluminum, iron, and silicon, and beryllium oxide as found in commercially pure hot-pressed beryllium powder can be reduced to lower Concentrations by Zone -Purification techniques. The reduction in the concentration of aluminum to extremely low levels (10 PPm) is noteworthy, since earlier work demonstrated that aluminum is a major factor contributing to the hot-tearing of beryllium during fusion welding. On the basis of present findings, a method is suggested for producing beryllium metal of improved weldability. EXPERIMENTAL research now being conducted on the purification of beryllium indicates that several of the metallic impurities and beryllium oxide can be reduced to lower concentrations by employing standard horizontal zone-refining techniques. For the preliminary work, commercially-pure hot-pressed beryllium having a purity of 97.84 pct was used. The chemical composition is given in Table I. The hot-pressed beryllium was machined into bars 5/8 by 5/8 by 4 to 6 in. in length. Beryllium-oxide boats which had been conditioned by prior heating in a vacuum of 10"5 mm of Hg at 1100°C for 3 hr were used to hold the beryllium while it was zone melted. The boat with its charge, along with a smaller beryllium-oxide boat containing scrap beryllium to be used for gettering purposes, was loaded into a quartz tube and evacuated to 10-6 mm of Hg. Alter alternately evacuating and flushing three times with purified argon, the furnace tube was backfilled to a pressure of 1/6 atm of A and sealed off by means of a vacuum-tight stopcock. It was then removed from the pumping equipment and mounted on the traveling carriage of the zone-refining apparatus. Heating was accomplished with a 10 kw 450 kc induc- tion heating unit using an induction coil consisting of two turns of 3/16-in. diam copper tubing. Before starting to zone melt, the atmosphere in the furnace tube was gettered by heating the scrap beryllium in the smaller boat to above its melting point and holding at temperature for several minutes. The carriage was then shifted so as to locate one end of the beryllium ingot in the large boat within the induction coil. A molten zone approximately 3/4 to 1 in. was established by loading directly into the ingot. The molten zone was moved very slowly along the length of the ingot. Before each pass was made the procedure for evacuating, flushing, and backfilling, and so forth was repeatedI' Speeds of 1 1/2 and 3 in- per hr were used with up to twelve zone passes. The appearance of a typical zone-refined ingot is shown in Fig. 1. After zone refining, the grains in the ingot appear to be elongated in the direction of zone travel, whilst before, they are essentially equi-axed. A microexamination revealed the presence of a network in the beryllium grains as seen in Fig. 2. Laue spots in back reflection pictures taken of the sample were not sharp, indicating the presence of subgrains in the structure. As can be seen, however, many of the network boundaries cross beryllium grain boundaries. It has been shown by Martin and Moore1 that beryllium solidifies as a bcc structure which then transforms to the hexagonal structure at about 1250oC.It is believed that the observed network is merely the outline of the bcc structure which formed from the melt and are not subgrain boundaries. In order to eliminate surface contaminants, approximately 1/16 of an inch of material was removed from the outer skin of each ingot after zone refining.

Jan 1, 1962

By David A. Zegeer

It's a pleasure to be here, and an honor to be invited to address this distinguished group of professionals. Today, I'd like to begin with an overview of progress in coal mine safety and health. I'll discuss some current areas of concern. And I'll make some suggestions as to where we may be headed in the future. This year marks the coal industry's 15th anniversary under the Coal Mine Safety and Health Act, which took effect in 1970. We have come a long way in those 15 years. As a coal mining man from way back, I remember the era when the Coal Mine Safety and Health Act first was passed. Some of you may remember it, too. At that time, the safety and health of coal miners was in the public eye even more than it is at present. One reason was a mine explosion that killed 78 miners when it occurred in a large underground coal mine in November 1968. That disaster raised tremendous public concern about protecting the safety of miners.

Jan 1, 1985

By Raul A. Deju

This paper shows how one can relate the chemical reactions between water and a silicate bed to the equations of flow. First the reaction mechanism is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Once the reaction mechanism is established, the equations of flow are solved and a solution (under physically reasonable side conditions) is obtained. Experiments to substantiate the solution are also presented.

Jan 1, 1969

By Albert B. Horn, J. J. McKetta, O. L. Culberson

Since water is present in natural gas and petroleum reservoirs, it is of engineering value to have accurate experimental data regarding the behavior of water in hydro-carbon systems. Since experimental data of this nature are so scarce in literature, a program is under way at the University of Texas to obtain experimental data regarding the distribution of water in petroleum hydrocarbons. This initial paper is subdivided into three parts: A. The apparatus and analytical procedure are discussed. B. The equipment has been checked by comparing the experimental data with data of literature on the solubility of methane in water at 77°F and pressures to 10,000 psia. C. Experimental data are presented at 100, 160, 220, 280, and 340°F on the solubility of ethane in water at pressures to 1200 psia. As the temperature is increased the solubility of ethane in water first exhibits a minimum and then a maximum solubility. The range of applicability of Henry's Law is discussed. INTRODUCTION Although considerable experimental data have been published on water-hydrocarbon systems in the hydrate region, the information on these systems in the vapor-liquid and the vapor-liquid- 'References are given at end of paper. Manuscript received at the office of the Petroleum Branch August 31. 1949. liquid regions at elevated pressures is extremely scarce. A survey of the literature on hydrocarbon-water systems at elevated pressures was presented by McKetta and Katz12,13,14 showing the systems and phases investigated. In addition to these existing published data, Poettman and Dean" have reported the water content of propane in the three-phase region (only the propane-rich liquid and the vapor phases were studied) and Michels, et al.15 have reported the solubility of methane in water at pressures to 6800 pounds per square inch at 77°F and at pressures to 1500 psia at temperatures to 300°F. It has been shown12,14 that the presence of water will materially affect the phase equilibrium of hydrocarbon systems. In order to make experimental studies on the quantitative effect of the presence of water in naturally-occurring hydrocarbon systems, it is desirable to have data available on binary hydrocarbon-water systems. A program is underway at this laboratory to determine the phase relations of the hydrocarbon-water systems. Initially the investigation will be limited to binary systems with water as one of the components. Later ternary and complex systems will be investigated and reported. EQUIPMENT AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE Apparatus In order to avoid a description of the methods employed in each subsequent paper, a description of the apparatus and the analytical procedure will be given here. The apparatus is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The numbered items in Fig. 1 represent the high pressure valves. The equilibrium cell is of the totally enclosed type, with a volume of 550 cubic centimeters. The cell is mounted in an air bath which in turn is mounted on pillow blocks and connected to a rocking mechanism so that the cell and bath will oscillate approximately 30 degrees above and below the horizontal at 35 oscillations per minute. The air bath is heated by two resistance heaters. The first or primary heater is 250 watts and is controlled by a thermoregulator; the second heater is of 500-watt size and is manually controlled to aid in bringing the cell to equilibrium temperature. Air circulation in the bath is accomplished by means of a fan. the shaft of which is concentric to the heaters. The walls of the bath are insulated with 2-in. thick blocks of 85 per cent magnesia. Temperature observations are made with three calibrated thermocouples. One couple is sealed in a well provided within the equilibrium cell, and is used as the criterion of the cell being at the equilibrium temperature. The other two thermocouples are located on opposite sides of the cell to indicate temperature uniformity within the air bath. The thermoregulator, used in conjunction with a relay, gives a variation in the temperature of the air in the bath of plus or minus one degree Fahrenheit. However, since the equilibrium cell weighs approximately 55 pounds, the

Jan 1, 1950

By Leason Adams

THE thermocouple as a device for the measurement of temperature is rivaled only by the platinum-resistance thermometer. Both instruments are capable of the highest precision, but the thermocouple, on account of its cheapness, ease of construction, and small cross-section, is finding a continually widening field of usefulness for industrial control as well as for laboratory measurements. Formerly, the thermocouple was subject to two disadvantages: errors due to lack of homogeneity of the metal and the labor involved in the interpolation between fixed points on the temperature scale. Former publications from the Geo-physical Laboratory have described the methods' for the selection and testing of thermocouple wire and have presented standard calibration curves2 for platinum-platinrhodiun and copper-constantan couples, so that the most important objections to the thermocouple as a precision thermometer have been removed. The calibration tables published in 1914 covered the range 0-1755° for the platinum-platinrhodium couple and 0-350° for copper-constantan. It has seemed desirable to extend the table for copper-constantan to -200 and also to include a table for the Hoskins thermocouple. Accordingly, in this paper, the new tables are presented, together with a brief explanation of their use; and, finally, certain diagrams and a paragraph on "cold-junction corrections" are given. Standard Calibration Tables.-In Fig. 1, which illustrates how the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of each of the three couples varies with the temperature, the temperatures of one junction are plotted as abscissas and the corresponding thermo-e.m.f.'s as ordinates. The second junction of the couple is supposed to be at 0°; the curves, therefore, pass through

Jan 9, 1919