Water Mud Research Articles

Paleocurrent Study of the Tesnus Formation, Marathon Basin, Texas

ABSTRACT The Tesnus Formation of west Texas is discussed as an integral part of the Ouachita geosyncline. It is probably equivalent in age to at least part of the Stanley-Jackfork sequence of the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma. The general characteristics of the formation indicate that the Tesnus sediments were deposited as a flysch facies in the subsiding Ouachita geosyncline. An environment of quiet water mud deposition was frequently interrupted by the rapid introduction of sand, possibly carried by turbidity currents. The paleocurrent study, in which sedimentary current structures on the undersides of the sandstone layers were used, indicates that the source was to the southeast.

The role of fish as conveyors of microorganisms in aquatic environments.

Microbial analysis of 60 fish caught in three areas of Flathead Lake, Montana, substantiated the theory that fish carry a significant population of bacteria and fungi on their body surfaces and in their digestive tracts. Bacterial counts often were in the hundred thousands per square centimeter. Numbers and kinds of bacteria varied from fish to fish, showing no relation to location or kind of fish. Gram-negative, chromogenic rods were found most frequently. The ease with which these organisms were removed indicates that fish are important as passive carriers of bacteria in the aquatic environment.There was no evidence that the fungi isolated were commensal with the fish or parasitic on them. Since all the fungus species isolated except one have been found in water or bottom mud of Flathead Lake, it would appear that fish operate also as passive conveyors of fungi. The idea that fish play a major role in microbial distribution is given substance by the fact that 48 species of fungi have been isolated from surface samples and 8 additional species from the contents of stomach and oesophagus.

MICROECOLOGICAL FACTORS IN OYSTER EPIZOOTICS

On oyster beds as elsewhere, mud–water interfaces exhibit a biological film harboring saprobic microorganisms. The abundance of these is directly proportional to the amount of decomposing organic matter present. Different communities of protozoa and bacteria characterize each of the levels of organic pollution, which may be defined biologically in terms of a modification of the "Saprobiensystem" of Kolkwitz and Marsson. While the microorganisms concerned are not conspicuous on clean substrata except where especially favorable conditions are afforded certain of them by some dead animal or plant, their general abundance is indicative of pollution. This follows overaccumulation of reducible deposits, initiated by irregular tidal flushing, freshets, and winter icing, and rendering the microenvironment anaerobic. Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea virginica survive temporary exposure to the direct effects of such conditions as well as to near-lethal temperatures, but, weakened thereby, become vulnerable to invasion by saprobes from the enriched biological film. Unless environmental conditions improve before the oysters lose ability to recover, abnormal mortalities will be hastened by the activities of these microorganisms, notably Hexamita inflata (Protozoa). Relevant literature is reviewed, and possible local remedies are discussed. Canadian data are supported by original observations from Wales and Pakistan. Among other new host and locality records, Cristispira balbianii (Spirochaetales) and cercariae of a bucephalid trematode are listed from Ostrea belcheri from Karachi.

Clay minerals of some sendos in Fukuoka

Abstract For many centuries, Japanese have lived on a mat “tatami” which is made of rice straw and mat rush. It is one of daily essentials in the homes of Japanese style. The area under cultivation of mat rush (Juncus effusus L. var. decipiens) is about 8,000 hectares according to statistics (1), and is chiefly distributed in the south-western prefectures, such as Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto. Its total yield amounts to approximately 80,000 tons a year in dried rush. The harvested rush is sorked in a mud water for a while before drying by exposure to the sun. Some special earths have been used in the preparation of the mud water. To the earths is given the term of “sendo” in Japanese. “Sen” means dyeing, and “do” earth. Although sendo refers to not only the earth itself but also coating the rush with earth, it will be limited hereafter to the former meaning in this paper. Sendo-producing area is rather limited, and rush producers usually get it at a market.

An Improved Water-in-Oil Emulsion Mud

Abstract A water-in-oil emulsion mud free of inert solids has been developed to provide a solution to certain problems associated with drilling, completing and servicing wells. Such invert-emulsion muds are satisfactory for use in wells with temperatures up to 300F and with pressures requiring densities up to 18 lb/gal. The emulsifier used in the preparation of these muds is the mixed salts of fatty acids. It is used in weighted muds in conjunction with a unique organophilic-clay suspending agent. The muds are prepared with ordinary mixing equipment at the wellsite. These muds have been used for drilling through the productive zone, for covering the zone to be perforated or to protect existing perforations during workover operations. Fewer difficulties in servicing wells and in getting wells back on production were experienced when these invert-emulsion muds were used as protective fluids to prevent water or mud from contacting exposed formations. Qualifications of Invert-Emulsion Muds An increasing number of wells are being drilled, completed and serviced with oil-base emulsion muds. These water-in-oil emulsions are commonly called "invert emulsions". The amount of water in an oil-base mud may vary from a trace to 60 per cent of the liquid volume of the mud. For purposes of this paper, the primary distinction between an invert-emulsion mud and an oil-base mud is based on whether the water is added as a definite part of the mud composition. In an invert-emulsion mud, the water phase has the important function of imparting controllable properties and characteristics to the mud. The muds described here have been found to have the most satisfactory properties when the water phase constitutes between 20 and 50 per cent of the liquid volume. In the experimentation and development of a general purpose invert-emulsion mud, certain requirements have gradually evolved. In the preparation of the mud:the emulsifier should be an easily handled, ground product, free of inert solids;the materials should be readily mixed with conventional rig mixing equipment in no longer time than required for mixing a water-base mud; andthe emulsifier should be effective for fresh and saline waters in a variety of crude and refined oils.

Increased Drill Bit Life Through Use of Extreme Pressure Lubricant Drilling Fluids

Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 216, 1959, pages 195–202. Abstract Oil well drilling muds prepared with lubricating aids such as oil, graphite or mica will not produce a sufficiently strong protective lubricant film for the bit bearing surfaces under high load conditions encountered in drilling operations. Consequently, the damage to the bearing surfaces resulting from the absence of such a film frequently results in a shortening of the drill bit life. Several different types of extreme pressure lubricating additives for use in muds have been developed. These additives are capable of providing a protective lubricating film for bearing surfaces subjected to high load pressures. A modified version of the Timken lubricant tester, an instrument commonly used for testing the extreme pressure lubricating properties of oils, is used for measuring and controlling the lubricating qualities of the mud. Comparison tests made in the laboratory with 5 ⅝-in. tricone bits drilling on steel plates immersed in extreme pressure lubricating muds and conventional muds showed that the bearing life of those bits tested in the lubricating mud was three to four times greater than obtained with conventional muds. Drilling tests made with extreme pressure lubricating muds in West Texas increased over-all bit life three to fourfold, reduced drilling torque and wear on drill pipe and drill collars. Introduction Roller bit cones contain roller, ball and journal-type bearings that are subjected to very heavy loading during drilling operations in which the only lubricant available for these bearings is either water or drilling mud. These bearings must be able to operate satisfactorily in order for the cutting structures on the surface of the cones to be fully utilized. Frequently, the bearings wear to the point that the cones freeze and the bit must be pulled before the cutting structures on the cores become worn. In some instances the hearings continue to turn with severe wear but the cones, which are held on the bit by the bearings, drop off; and this causes an expensive fishing job. In other instances the bearings wear to the point that the cones pinch in causing an undergauge hole and delays to ream the hole. The advantage of increasing bit bearing life is self-evident.

New Log Interpretation Techniques for Gulf Coast: ABSTRACT

The fact that porosity can be measured accurately with the sonic log has prompted new procedures for estimating saturation, wherein data concerning the various permeable beds in a given well are compared. 1. In one approach a comparison is made of the values of the formation water resistivity computed from the resistivity log and from the sonic log. Actually, apparent formation water resistivities are calculated in assuming that all sands are wet. With the concept of continuity, this procedure makes possible a quick determination of zones of saturation in shaly sand and in cases where there are appreciable variations in formation water salinity with depth. 2. It has been found also that comparison of the apparent formation factor obtained from the sonic log with that computed from a short investigation resistivity log may reveal in many cases the presence of residual oil or gas and thus detect potentially productive formations. This procedure is valuable when true formation resistivity and the resistivity of the formation water are in doubt. Although these two procedures permit only a qualitative interpretation of the log, they have the advantage of speed and simplicity. The quantitative interpretation that remains to be done can be performed very quickly since all the non-productive formations have been eliminated by the foregoing procedures. The first procedure is best adapted to formations of high porosity and in fresh mud. The second procedure works best in formations of low porosity and with little contrast between the mud and formation water resistivities. Examples illustrate the application of these two techniques in the Miocene, Frio, and Wilcox sections of the Gulf Coast. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2517------------

The Salinity Characteristics of the Middle and Upper Reaches of the River Blyth Estuary

The distribution of free-living nematodes inhabiting the intertidal muds of the Blyth estuary has been studied in relation to salinity distribution. This paper presents the results of the investigations into the salinity variations in both the tidal water of the estuary and the interstitial water of its muds, while the distribution of the free-living nematodes will form the subject of a later paper. In this country the salinity conditions in the estuary of the River Tees (Alexander, Southgate & Bassindale 1935), the estuary of the River Severn and the Bristol Channel (Bassindale 1943a, b), and the River Tamar (Cooper & Milne 1938, Milne 1938, 1940, Percival 1931, Spooner & Moore 1940) have been studied in detail. The River Blyth estuary is much smaller than any of these, and only the general principles found in the larger estuaries can be applied to it. Day (1951) and Yonge (1949) give reviews of these general estuarine conditions. The distribution of free-living nematodes in water of varying salinity has been the subject of much research in the Baltic Sea and in certain areas of the Zuiderzee, while in this country Rees (1940) has dealt with free-living nematodes as part of a larger study of the ecology of a mud flat in the Bristol Channel. Bassindale (1943b, p. 3) has pointed out that 'it has long been known that if the salt content of the water in which they live is changed sufficiently slowly, many animals can acclimatize themselves to large changes. Thus although the magnitude of the change is important, the rate of change is also significant'. In the Zuiderzee and Baltic, rates of salinity change are much less rapid than those found in estuaries, and the distribution of nematodes under conditions of high rates of change has not previously been studied. Nematodes live in the interstitial water of the mud, and Rees (1940) has shown that the greater part of this constituent of the microfauna is concentrated in the surface 2 cm of intertidal mud. It was therefore necessary to investigate salinity conditions in the interstitial water near the surface of the mud. Reid (1930, 1932), Alexander et al. (1932) and Smith (1955) have worked on the salinity of interstitial water in mud and sand, and all have found that salinity conditions tend to be more stable with increasing depth, and that salinities could be maintained at a high level-varying with depth-below nearly fresh overlying water at low tide. Reid states that '. . . marine burrowing animals living in estuaries are in no way

On the Investigation of Core Analysis of a Exploration Well

Edogawa R-I is the exploration well for the northern extension of the newly found Tokyo Gas Field. The core and circulating mud water were examined under the principle of geochemical survey for natural gas field. The subjects of examination are as follows: (1) Methane in mud water-After driving CH4 by air from mud water, the mixed gas is dealt with interferometer.(2) Chlorinity of mud water-After separating mud by centrifugal machine chlorine is titrated.(3) Chlorinity of intersticial water-Adding distilled water, the core is disintegrated by roller mill, then the chlorinity is measured as well (2). The titration value is exchanged into the concentration for intersticial water, using the specific gravity and water content.(4) Ammonia in intersticial water-The residual water of (3) is used. The concentration is decided using Nessler's reagent.(5) Foraminifera-Foraminiferal number and percentage distribution of main species were studied with depth.(6) Grain size composition-Beaker Method was used for fine grains. Method (1), which has been widely tried in the Japanese gas fields, could not give conspicuous result in the present case. In general, this method should be criticized at the lower reservoir pressure, when almost no free gas. Method (2) may roughly indicate the variation of chlorinity of intersticial water with depth. The value, however, is highty controlled by many factors. The chlorinity and ammonia content of intersticial water of core may be chiefly controlled by permeability of stratum, although these two values may have different meaning regarding the process of gas formation. The chlorinity-depth relation reflects the destruction process of gas deposits caused by clear invading water. Foraminifera may be available for preliminary correlation and important to environmental indicator of deposition.

The micrococci in a marine environment.

Micrococci forming part of the marine flora, are especially important in fish spoilage. They are common in estuarine mud but rare in sea water and in marine mud of the Australian continental shelf. Non-pigmented and orange strains are most abundant; lemon-yellow strains are found in the early stage of spoilage of teleost fish, but are rare in mud. About 10 % of the cocci form packets, and these are commonest in mud. Nearly all marine micrococci are saccharolytic, hydrolyse urea, and attack asparagine, aspartic acid and alanine. The classification and taxonomic position of these cocci are discussed.

Basic Properties of Viscosities and Yield Values of Clay Mud water

Because of the thixotropic properties, the viscosities and yield values of water base clay mud do not display fixed values but are changing at all times. Such basic properties of the mud, measured by means of the capillary-tube type viscosimeter, are described in this paper.

Some Algae from Pope County, Illinois

An opportunity to collect algae in southern Illinois presented itself in the summer of 1944 when I was stationed at Lake Glendale in Pope County, as a member of the Illinois State Natural History Survey. Lake Glendale is an 80 acre artificial lake, located in the Robbsville Recreational Area of the Shawnee National Forest. The dam creating the lake was completed and the valve impounding the water closed in the fall of 1939. During the spring of 1940, Survey crews stocked the lake with fish and planted a number of species of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants about the margin. By 1944 Typha and Potamogeton had occupied all of the shallows to a depth of one and one-half meters, and Cbara sejuncta A. Br. had colonized out to a depth of three meters. Collections of algae were made from open pools in the Typha beds, from entangled masses growing over the Potamogeton and Chara, from algal mats floating in open water, from growths on logs, stumps and mud in shallow water, from the stone and concrete work of the dam and spillways and from the sand and soil about the margin of the lake. A few collections were also made from a number of stock ponds that have been constructed on the lands of the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station which is located in Pope County in the neighborhood of Lake Glendale. Collections from this source are not numerous as rapid sedimentation has rendered the edges of most of these ponds unapproachable. The Typha beds are very dense and have encroached to the inner limits of deep water and have thus reduced the favorable algal habitats. I would like to express my appreciation to Drs. T. H. Frison and G. W. Bennett of the Illinois Natural History Survey for their decision appointing me temporarily Assistant Aquatic Biologist for the summer of 1944. I am particularly grateful to Dr. D. F. Hansen who is in immediate charge of the Survey's Lake Glendale project, for his encouragement and help in the work which made possible these collections. The assistance of R. Webb of the Southern Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station in making the ponds on University property accessible is hereby acknowledged. The identification of the Myxophyceae was done by Dr. F. Drouet of the Chicago Natural History Museum and of the Characeae by F. K. Daily of the Herbarium of Butler University. The identification of the remaining specimens and the preparation of the manuscript was carried out in the botanical laboratories of Yale University with the aid of the Theresa Seessel Fellowship. Specimens of all of the collections listed have been deposited in Herbarium of the Illinois Natural History Survey, in the Cryptogamic Herbarium of the Chicago Natural History Museum and in my personal herbarium. Collections listed without specific locality data were taken from Lake Glendale. The arrangement of the genera follows the order of Smith's Fresh-Water Algae of the United States.

Experimental Study on the Penetration of the Mud Water into the Formations

Experimental Study on the Penetration of the Mud Water into the Formations

Oxidation of Hydrocarbons by Marine Bacteria.

Using oxygen consumption as a criterion it has been demonstrated that various kinds of pure and mixed hydrocarbons are oxidized by bacteria found in sea water and marine mud. The bacteria were grown in sea water enriched with hydrocarbons as the only source of energy. In the initial experiments the manometric technic was used for following oxygen consumption but later it was found that more accurate results were obtainable by determining the dissolved oxygen content of water.Sea water inoculated with enrichment cultures was thoroughly shaken to insure uniformity in its composition and its saturation with oxygen, after which it was siphoned into 150 ml glass-stoppered bottles. While holding the bottles at an angle to provide for trapping the hydrocarbon in the shoulder of the bottle, 0.1 ml of hydrocarbon was introduced with a pipette. The bottle was then stoppered, care being taken not to entrap any air bubbles. Duplicate bottles of water were analyzed at once for oxygen content using the Winkler technic,...

Protection of Mud Water from Heat and Salts

Protection of Mud Water from Heat and Salts

On Some Chemicals used in Drilling Mud Water

On Some Chemicals used in Drilling Mud Water

On the Rotary Drilling Circulating Mud Water

On the Rotary Drilling Circulating Mud Water

Cementing Method and Mud Water of Drilling Well

Cementing Method and Mud Water of Drilling Well

The Rate and Extent of Anaerobic Decomposition of Sulfite Waste Liquor by Bacteria of Sea Water Mud

The Rate and Extent of Anaerobic Decomposition of Sulfite Waste Liquor by Bacteria of Sea Water Mud

Isoetes Lechleri Mett.

During July, 1928, I received from Dr. W. R. Maxon, at the U. S. National Museum, a large number of specimens representing a gather-ing of Isoetes made in Colombia. These were collected by Messrs. E. P. Killip and Albert C. Smith (No. 17964.) during the exploration in Colombia under the auspices of New York Botanical Garden, Gray Herbarium, U. S. National Museum, and Arnold Arboretum. The date of collection is Jan. 21, 1927, and the Eastern Cordillera locality is Dept. Santander; Laguna de Cunta, edge of Paramo de Santurban, alt. 3880 meters. Environment: Rooting in mud in shallow water at margin. Usually submerged but often aquatic and even entirely terrestrial. All the plants are rather small, but many of them bear sporangia packed with mature spores. A careful examination of these specimens revealed features approximating those of the Peruvian species I. Lechleri Mett. as described by A. Braun (Verh. des Bot. Verein fur Brandenburg. 4. 1862.) It is to be noted in this connection, that Braun's I. socia and I. Karstenii, the latter from Venezuela (loc. cit.), were, apparently with Braun's concurrence, united with I. Lechleri by Motelay and Vendryes (Actes Soc. Linn. Bordeaux. 36. 1883.) These forms are alike in showing smooth megaspores and complete velum. The other Peruvian species, I. triquetra A. Br. is without velum and has tuberculate megaspores. It seems almost impossible to obtain any authentic material of these South American forms. Mr. E. P.