TECHNOLOGY oil industry is maintained b y the com pany, a n d facilities are available for the handling of radioactive sources of high intensity. However, company realized that even these elaborate facili ties were inadequate to cover the ex tremely broad and varied fields of fun damental research required t o keep pace with the modern oil industry, and to assure advances in well logging art. More information about the strata sur rounding a borehole can b e obtained from radioactivity logs when more is known about t h e effect of neutrons and gamma rays o n various types of geo logical formations. N e w Use for O l d Friend
J. H. Buck (right), technical director of Well Surveys, watches T. P. Hubbard adjust ion source of company's van de Graaff accelerator used for well logging
Well Logging with α v a n de Graaff First unit devoted exclusively to precise research in radioactive well logging A VAN DE GRAAFF accelerator recently de Graaff accelerator is the first atom -*** installed in the Tulsa research smasher devoted exclusively to oil well laboratory of Well Surveys is the first logging research. The only other ac atom smasher in Oklahoma, and one celerator in the entire oil industry is of the first to be used for research in a similar machine recently installed at the oil industry. Magnolia Field Research Laboratory, Van d e Graaf accelerators, which Dallas, Tex. Radioactive Logging. In recent have operating ranges from 0.5 t o 10 million volts do not, in general, produce years well logging has become ex particles of as high energy as those pro tremely important in the completion duced by the cyclotron, cosmotron, and exploitation of oil wells. A t t h e synchrotron, and betatron. On the present time nearly all rotary-drilled other hand, they have substantial ad wells are logged at least once before vantages in stability, homogeneity, and completion. A large number are logged intensity of the particle beams they by many different methods so that oil produce. Other advantages include producing formations and other zones smaller size, lower construction costs, of interest can b e located and accu rately correlated with depth. and less maintenance expense. By choosing the right target mate Of all commercial logging methods rial, employing the proper ionized par which are used in locating and identi ticles in the beam, as well as t h e correct fying subsurface formations, only ra accelerating potential, it is possible to dioactive logs are capable of obtaining produce a great variety of nuclear reac the necessary information both in open tions with this machine. Any of the or cased holes. This is possible because atomic particles desired for research, atomic radiations such as gamma rays including neutrons, beta rays, x-rays, and neutrons penetrate great thick gamma rays, protons, or alpha particles nesses of iron, water, rock, and other may be produced. Many uses are fore material. These radiations are em seen for the device, but its primary use ployed to "see" through the steel cas at Well Surveys is as a source of atomic ing and observe the properties of sur particles for precise research in radio rounding rocks, and in many cases active well logging. qualitatively measure the fluid within Originators of gamma-ray and neu the formations. tron oil well logging, company is the Radioactive Research. A radio only one engaged solely in research and chemical laboratory with the only re development in this field. Their van motely controlled manipulator i n t h e 1020
CHEMICAL
A Louisiana State University assist ant professor is credited with discovery of a method for locating oil deposits b y use of microorganisms. Considered b y some oil experts as a great advance ment in the oil industry, t h e patented method is simple and inexpensive. Raymond J. Strawinski says t h e work of other men gave him his initial idea t h a t bacteria might be a way of tracing petroleum deposits. Since gas is found with oil deposits and a small amount of it probably works its way to the sur face, Strawinski reasoned t h a t there would b e some microorganisms feeding on this gas near the surface. His method involves obtaining soil samples at a two-foot depth from the area b e i n g prospected, incubating these with a rich gas mixture of oxygen, car bon dioxide, a n d any of t h e hydrocar bon gases (methane, ethane, propane, and b u t a n e ) . This is added to a min eral salt medium to encourage optimum growth of the hydrocarbon-consuming microorganisms in the soil samples; then rates of hydrocarbon gas consumption in the mixture are measured. Since bac teria are known to be sensitive to very small amounts of organic matter, in this case hydrocarbon gas, method is effective and perhaps b e t t e r than chemical detection. Procedure is not affected by fertilization of soil and sea sonal variations in the areas studied. Method will not point out exact lo cation of oil, because escaping gas does not necessarily rise vertically to the sur face, b u t experience has confirmed presence of oil in immediate vicinity. Mass, Scale Section for NBS National Bureau of Standards has or ganized a mass and scale section t o be headed b y Douglas R. Tate, which will combine mass section, scale section, and additional related work. Reorganiza tion will bring together program for certifying legal and scientific standards AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
of mass, program for periodic calibration of master railway track scales, standardization of test weight cars, and application of electronic devices to the weighing field.
M a g g e d iron o r e , 76 tons of it, was used to trace the flow of iron ore through a blast furnace in Ford experiment. Test w a s conducted t o determine feasibility of using fine iron powders obtained by concentrating lowgrade ore as p a r t of the c h a r g e . Tests showed t h a t 6 0 % of powder was retained during smelting, but t h i s was not high enough to make charging of such powders practicable. Although amount of material was large, radioactivity w a s 100 times less t h a n safety level prescribed by A E C . • Savings of nickel in alloy castings are predicted from research results obtained at Battelle. A. M. Hall, division of alloy development, says H F grade alloy containing approximately 209^ chromium and 9 % nickel can substitute for H H grade alloy containing 2 6 % c h r o m i u m and 12% nickel. Effective t e m p e r a t u r e range is 1200° to 1600° F . • Plastic-coated
glass
fiber
Scale Models for Defense Scale model of land based submarine test facility of submarine intermediate reactor is typical of model constructed by Atkins & Merrill, makers of scale models for several of AEC's development projects. Atomic or industrial scale models may take 2000 or more man hours to build. Materials used are specially formed wood, plastic, or metals itself, say J. S. Jerczak and J. A. Belisle of Thiokol. Process converts epoxy resins to strained lattice structure. When t h e two basic products are combined, a w i d e range of properties can b e h a d bv selection of concentrations of t h e
screens
are undergoing intensive w e a t h e r i n g tests at Army's engineer research and development laboratories, Ft. Belvoir. Inability of conventional screens t o hold up under varied w e a t h e r conditions prompted investigation of plasticcoated type. • I m p r o v e d d r y - c h a r g e electric stores g e b a t t e r y is in planning stages at Gould-National Batteries. A d v a n t a g e will be shorter soaking period after introduction of sulfuric acid w h e n ready for use. Company says b a t t e r y can b e kept in stand-by indefinitely without deterioration.
two ingredients. Actually, polysulfides act as modifiers for epoxy resins, contributing lower shrinkage, lower strain, flexibility, impact resistance, lower moisture transmission, lower pouring viscosity, a n d better peel strength.
in every form... for every possible use! Check
• Tubing w i t h special shapes is now
being extruded by Babcock & Wilcox. Integral fins on inside surface of t u b ing, needed for unusual problems in heat transfer, is one of the specialties. Production h a s passed experimental stage.
Are Yow Acquainted With All These Various Borates, Concentrates, and Ores?
£ Bright-nickel plating p r o c e s s d e veloped by Hanson-Van WinUeMunning is called Nickel-Lume. It operates at low temperature, uses stable brightening agents, has high tolerance to impurities, uses regular nonpremiurn anodes and standard plating equipment, a n d produces bright thin d e posits. Bath contains nickel sulfate, nickel chloride, boric acid, a n d brightener additives.
Each has its place in industry—eadh, in varying degree, provides boric oxide—yet no o t h e r supplier offers such a w i d e diversification. That's because we are specialists in the borai. Vid. One single source—with mine, resea* _n, and refinery —guarantees quality. If you have a B2O3 problem, we have the answer!
• Coreaction of e p o x y r e s i n s w i t h polysulfide liquid p o l y m e r s results in products having many properties better than either polymeric product b y
the Products of Interest to
• • • • • •
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