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 CANADA 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF MINES 
 
 Hon Mai^in Burkeli., Mimstf.k; R. G. McComnell. Dkputv Minii^tkr. 
 
 MINES BRANCH 
 
 Eugene Haanel. Ph.D., Director. 
 
 BULLETIN N*. U 
 
 Report 
 
 on 
 
 Some Sources of Helium 
 in the British Empire 
 
 BY 
 
 J. C. McLennan, Ph.D., F.R.S. 
 and AMOciatM. 
 
 PMitlud by ptrmission iff tin Briliih Admiralty 
 
 OTTAWA 
 
 J. DE UABROQUERIK TACHfi 
 
 PRINTER TO THE KINO'S M03T EXCELLEN . 'AJEJl'V 
 
 1»30 
 
 No. 522 
 
CANADA 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF MINES 
 
 Hon. Maktin Buiuu, Miniith; R. G. McConnbll, Dbputy Miniitbb. 
 
 MINES BRANCH 
 
 EUOBNB HAANBt, PB.D., DikBCTOB. 
 
 MILUTIN N*. n 
 
 Report 
 
 on 
 
 Some Sources of Helium 
 in tlie British Empire 
 
 BY 
 
 J. C McLennan, Ph.D., F.R.S. 
 and AMociatM. 
 
 PubUtlui by UrmissloH of Ikt BrUish Admiralty. 
 
 OTTAWA 
 
 J. 01 LABROqUERIE TACH£ 
 
 PRINTER TO THE KINO'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 
 
 ItM 
 
 No. 522 
 
 " •'^fc' ■ ■, 
 
iii 
 
 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 
 
 Dr. EuoENR Haanbl, 
 
 Director Mines Branch, 
 Department of Mines, 
 Ottawa. 
 
 Sib, — Early in 1915, Dr. J. \.!. McLennan, lieail of tin- Depurtnirnt 
 of Phyiics in Toronto University, wan rrquested i)y thi- Board of Invention 
 and Research, London, England, to investigate th(> helium content of the 
 various natural gas supplies within the Empire, it having been suggested 
 that if a sufficient supply of helium gas could be secured, thin gas would 
 prove more suitable than hydrogen for use in aeronautics, owing to its 
 inert character. 
 
 The results of this investigation are of interest not only to the s(.-ientist, 
 but also to the practical aeronaut. It has been shown that the largest 
 source of supply of helium at present known within the Empire is locate<i 
 in Canada. Commercial methods of separating Helium from the other 
 gases with which it occurs have already been dtvelop«'d as a direct result 
 of these preliminary investigations. The production of helium on a 
 commercial scale, from certain natural gases in Canada, is almost certain 
 to follow; and this production may become an important factoi in the 
 development of an aeronautical service in this country, and probably in 
 other parts of the Empire. 
 
 The British Admiralty have authorized Dr. McLennan to make public 
 the scientific results of this investigation. Dr. McLennan has very kindly 
 offered the manuscript to the Mines Branch for publication, as one of the 
 series of bulletins on tec.mical subjects of special commercial importance 
 now being issued. 
 
 The manuscript of this article is s'lbmitted herewith, and I recom- 
 mend that it be published as a Bulletin by the Mines Branch. 
 
 I have the honour to be, 
 Sir, 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 (Signed) Alfred W. G. WUton. 
 
 Enffineer in charge of Investigation of 
 
 Chemical Induatnct. 
 
 mu-w 
 
iv 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Shortly aftn- the commencement of the war, it berMne evident thrt, 
 if Helium were available in lufflcient quantitiea to replace Hydrogen in 
 Naval or Military airahini, the loeaeB in life and equipment ariaing from 
 the UM of Hvdrogen would bo enurmuualy Imwened. Helium, aa is known, 
 ia moat suitable aa a filling for ainhip envelopei, in that it i« 
 non-infltmmable and non-exploaive, and, if detired, the engines may be 
 placed Within the envelope. By ita use, it is also pooible to secure addi- 
 tional buoj '\ney by heating the gas (electrically or otherwise), and this fact 
 might possihiy lead to considerable modifications in the technique of 
 airship manc< uvres and navigation. The loss of gas from diffuMon through 
 the envelope is also less with Helium than witn Hydrugpn, but, on the 
 other hand, t.he lifting power of Helium is about ten per cent less than 
 that of Hydrogen. 
 
 Proposals navt been frequently put forward bv urientigts in the British 
 Empire and in enemy countriea regardinK the development of supplies 
 of Heliiun for airship purposes, but the first attempt to give practical 
 effect to these proposals was initiated by Sir Richard Thrtlfull, who 
 received strong support from the Admiralty through the Board of Invention 
 and Research, under the Presidency of Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Fisher. 
 O.M., G.C.B., etc. 
 
 It was known that supplies of natural gas containing Helium in 
 varying amounts existed in America, and it oecame evident from the 
 preliminary investigations made by Sir Richard Threlfall, and from 
 calculations submitted by him as to cost of production, transportation, 
 etc., that there was substantial ground for believing that Helium could 
 be obtained in largo quantities at a cost which would not be prohibitive. 
 
 The writer was invited by the Board of Invention and Research, 
 London, England, in 1915, to determine the Helium content of the supplies 
 of natural gaH within the Empire, to carry out a seriefi of experiments on 
 a semi-commercial scale with the Helium supplies available, av.d also to 
 work out all technical details in connexion with the large-scale produciion 
 of Helium, and the large-scale purification of such supplier as might be 
 delivered and become contaminated with air in service. In this work he 
 received valuable assistance from his colleagues Professors John Satterly, 
 E. F. Burton, and H. F. Dawes; Captain H. A. McTaggart; and Mr. John 
 Patterson of the Meteorological Office, Toronto; also from Mr. R. T. 
 Elworthy of the Mines Branch, Ottawa. 
 
 In the course of these investigations, which were carried out with the 
 co-operation of L'Air Liquide C ., it was found that large supplies of 
 Helium were available in Canada; and from some rough preliminary 
 experiments, on a small commercial scn'e, it was estimated that Helium 
 could be produced at a cost of about ''' », its per cubic foot at normal 
 pressure and temperature. Later r-jrk, ...>wever, has shown that the cost 
 of production will be somewhat less than this amount. 
 
 In the preliminary work of development, an experimental station 
 was established at Hamilton, Ontario, to treat the natural gases of western 
 Ontario. This ihase of the work was placed in charge of Professor Satterly, 
 and with him were associated Mr. John Patterson, Professors E. F. Burton 
 and H. F. Dawes and Mr. Lang. In treating the gas, considerable difficulty 
 
WM exMrienoed at fint in ^ettinc rid of the heavirr hydroearboiu, but 
 by making luitable modificationi in, and additiom to the ordinary type ci 
 L*Air Uquide Oxygen rectifying column, the problem of wparating out 
 the Helium which wai preeent in the gaa to the extent of only -SA per cpnt 
 waa wived. In February, 1918, it waa found poMlbl^ to raiae the percent* 
 age of Helium in the gui by paaaing it throu|(b th( rectifying column once 
 onlv. At the gas obtained in this way conewted of Nitrogen and Helium 
 with a small percentage of Methane, the problem of obtaining Helium 
 with a high degree nf purity wa* a comparatively aimple one. 
 
 In one particular eet of experiments on this final rertification. Helium 
 of 87 per cent purity waa obtained. For the actual running of the station 
 and for the technical modifications in, and addit ns to the rectifying 
 column, Mr. John Patterson was largely reflp>nsibi. . The experimental 
 station was removed in the autumn of 1018 to western Canada and 
 placed in charge of Mr. Patterson. At this station a new type of rectifica- 
 tion equipment was installed. No serious experimental difficulties were 
 experienced, and the investigation is now well advance<l on the road to 
 production on a moderate scale. The Helium content of the rirhest gases 
 m western Canada was found to be about -36 per cent. 
 
 In the summer of 1917, when the United States had decided to enter 
 the war on the side of the Allir^, and after the investigations referred to 
 above were well under way, pr .i mIb were made to the Navy and Army, 
 and to the National Research Council of the United States, to co-operate 
 by developing thj supplies of Helium available in their territory. These 
 were made on behalf of the Admiralty, through the Board of Invention 
 and Ursearrh, oy Sir Ernest Rutherford, and a special Commission 
 consisting of Commander Bridge, R.N., Lieut.-Conimander Lowcock, and 
 Professor John Satterl^. 
 
 The authorities cited, agreed to co-operate with vigor in supporting 
 these proposals, and large orders were at once placed by them with the 
 Air Reduction Co., and the Linde Co. for plant, equipment, cylinders, 
 etc. The Bureau of Mines, Washington, also co-operated by developing 
 a new type of rectifying and purifying machine. By July, 1918, the 
 production of Helium in moderate quantities was accomplished, and fron. 
 that time on%vard, the possibility of securing large supplies of Y ''un. was 
 assured. 
 
 During the progress of the development and prcluction ages in 
 Canada and in the United States of America, steps vcre tnken by the 
 Admiralty to institute near London, England, an ev'-riinental station 
 under the direction of the writer. This station waa de^- nsd for purifying 
 supplies of low percentage content Heliu a .'hich mi;.at oume forward 
 from the base of supplies, or which might b' * become contaminated with 
 air in service at the front. 
 
 Investigations were also set in train to develop industrial and scientific 
 uses for Helium, and to work out experimental details of the technical use 
 of Helium in aircraft. Among others, investigations were begun on the 
 inflammability and explosibility of mixtures of Hydrogen and Helium; 
 on the use of Helium for thermionic amplifying valves; on the p .itabilit> 
 of Helium for gas filled incandescent lamps and gas arc lamps; on the 
 permeability of balloon fabrics for Hydrogen and Helium; on large scale 
 charcoal absorption methods of purif}ring the gas; on the use of Helium for 
 high electrical resistances; and progress was made in the installation of 
 equipment for the production of Liquid Helium for low temperature 
 
leflearch. Step8 were also ta'.en to examine, apectroscopically, all samples 
 which eame forward, with the object of ascertaining whether any indication 
 could be obtained of the existence of any new and hitherto unobserved 
 gaseous elements. 
 
 Those who participated in these investigations were Professors Satterly 
 and Burton, also Captain H. A. McTaggart, Mr. R. T. Elworthy, Mr. V. 
 F. Murray, Mr. E. Edwards, Mr. J. T. F. Young, Mr. H. J. C. Ireton, and 
 Mr. K. H. Kingdon — all, with one exception, members of the University 
 of Toronto. 
 
 In the early stages of the investigation, valuable help was secured 
 froin Lord Shaughnessy and the members of his staff on the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway; from the President and Board of Governors of the Univer- 
 sity of Toronto; from the Director of the Meteorological Office, Toronto; 
 and from the Directors of the various natural gas producing companies in 
 Canada, in particular from those of the National Gas Co. of Hamilton 
 and those of the ('anadian Western Natural Gas, Heat, Light and Power 
 Co. of Calgary. 
 
 The solution of the problem of producing helium in large quantities 
 was, before the beginning of the war, one which would have been considered 
 by many visionary and chimerical, but through the enthusiastic support 
 and financial aid received from the British Admiralty, London, and from 
 the Bureau of Mines and the Naval and Air Boards, Washington, the 
 possibility of the production on a large scale has been realized. 
 
 London, May 1, 1919. 
 
 (Signed) J. G. McLennan. 
 
vu 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB. 
 
 Letter of transmittal by Dr. A. W. G. Wilson iii 
 
 Preface by Professor J. C. McLellan, F.R.S iv-vi 
 
 Section I. 
 
 The Helium Content of the Natural Gases of Canada: — 
 Report bv Professor J. C. Mol^nnan, F.R.S., and 
 Profewsors E. F. Burton, F.R.8.C., 
 John Sutterly, F.R.S.C., and E. F. Dawes. 
 
 Introductory — 1 
 
 Helium Content and Uadioaetivity 1 
 
 Developing Companies — 
 
 Producers of Natural Gas in Canada 3 
 
 Provinee of Ontario — 
 
 Gas Heariii)! Fields 10 
 
 Gas Pnxluction of Different Fields 10 
 
 Pipe Lines 10 
 
 Collection of (iases 11 
 
 CJas Bearing Geological Horizons 11 
 
 Table for Ontario 12 
 
 Province of Alberta — 
 
 Natural Gaa Fields 12 
 
 Gas Supply 12 
 
 Gas Mains 13 
 
 Devejloi)ing Companies 13 
 
 Gas Bearing Formations 13 
 
 Table for Alberta 14 
 
 Province of British Columbia — 
 
 Port Haney Gas 15 
 
 Pitt Meadows Gas IS 
 
 Pender Island Gas 15 
 
 Location of Natural Gas Wells in British Columbia 16 
 
 Summary of Wells and Gases — 
 
 Ontario Gas Fields 16 
 
 The Alberta Gas Fields 1» 
 
 British Columbia 20 
 
 The Composition of Natural Gas 20 
 
 Determination of the Helium Content— 
 
 The Combustion Method 22 
 
 The Condensation Method 24 
 
 Section II. 
 
 The Radioactivity of the Natural Gases of Canada: — 
 
 Report bv Professor J. C. McLennan, F.R.8., and Professor John Satterly, 
 
 F.R.S.C 36 
 
 Section III. 
 
 The Helium Content of a Natural Gas from New Brunswick, Canada: — 
 
 A Determination by Mr. R. T. Elworthy, B.Sc 52 
 
 Section IV. 
 
 On the Helium tias Field in Alberta, Canada:— 
 
 Report by Mr. John Patterson, M .A 54 
 
 Section V. 
 
 The Helium Content of the New Zealand Natural Gases : — 
 
 Report by Professor J. C. McLennan, F.R.S., and Captain H. A. McTaggart — 57 
 
 Report by Profes.sor John Satterly, F.R.S.C 61 
 
 Section VI. 
 The Helium Content of Natural Gas from Hcathfield (Sussex), Bath (King Spring), 
 (Somerset), and Pisa (Italy) : — 
 Report by Captain II. A. McTaggart and Mr. R. T. Elworthy, B.Sc 03 
 
VUl 
 
 P]«te 
 
 Fig. 1 
 " 2 
 " 3 
 " 4 
 
 " 5 
 
 " 6, 
 
 " 7. 
 
 " 8. 
 
 " 9. 
 
 " 10, 
 
 " 11, 
 
 " 12. 
 " 13. 
 " 14, 
 
 " 15, 
 
 " 16. 
 " 17. 
 
 " 18. 
 « 19. 
 " 20. 
 
 523. 
 524. 
 
 525. 
 526. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 Photofrapk. 
 
 I Spectrogram of natural gas samples from Heathfield, Bath, New Zealand. 
 
 and New Brunswick 03 
 
 Drawingi. 
 
 . Section from Port Cotbome to Kincardine, Ont lo 
 
 " Whitby to Courtright, Ont 10 
 
 " Eastern Ontario through Pennsylvania 10 
 
 , Generalized geological section from Grand Rapids to Calgary, 8how^g the 
 "lay" of the strata, and also wells drilled at Pelican, Athabaska, 
 
 Morinville, Edmonton, Wetaskiwin, and Calgary 12 
 
 , Generalized geological section from Calgary to Regina, showing "lay" oif 
 
 strata and well borings 12 
 
 , Generalized geological section from South Kootenay Pass to Regina, showing 
 
 "lay" of strata and well borings 12 
 
 Blackhpath-»S?neca field. Mains l>elonging to Dominion Gas Co. and 
 
 National Gas Co., and wells sampled ig 
 
 Blackheath-Seneca field. Main belonging to National Gas Co.j ajid wells 
 
 sampled jg 
 
 , Apparatus for determining the helium content of natural gas by combustion 
 
 method 23 
 
 . Apparatus used for removing hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, and sulphuret- 
 ted hydrogen, by condensation with liquid air 25 
 
 Apparatus for collecting laboratory samples of helium, freed from hydro- 
 carbons, at source of supply 33 
 
 lonisation vessel and electroscope ....-......'... 37 
 
 Apparatus for preparing working standard radium solutions .... ' . . ! . , 39 
 
 Gas field of the Canadian Western Natural Gas, Light, Heat and Power Co., 
 
 Ltd 58 
 
 Apparatus for determining the helium content of natural gas by condensation 
 
 method (special container with partially treated gas) 59 
 
 Apparatus for the spectroscopic examination of rare gas residues 61 
 
 Apparatus for the determination ot helium in gases by condensation mfthod. 
 
 (Bottle container.) 64 
 
 Burrell gas analysis apparatus 67 
 
 Silica balance gg 
 
 Gas density balance. Diagrammatic sketch 71 
 
 Maps. 
 
 Map showing gas and oil fields and pipe lines in southwestern Ontario end 
 
 Map showing occurrences of petroleum, natural gas, and bituminous sands, in 
 
 western Canada " 
 
 Map showing location of main gas line, Bow island, Calgarj- " 
 
 Map showing location of natural gas wells in British Columbia " 
 
SECTION I. 
 
 THE HELIUM CONTENT OF THE NATURAL GASES OF 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 Report by Professor J. C. McLennan, F.R.S., and Professors 
 
 E. F. Burton, F.R.S.C, John Satterly, F.R.S.C, and 
 
 E. F. Dawes. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Helium Content and Radioactivity. 
 
 In a paper by Professor J. C. McLennan* on the Radioactivity of the 
 Natural Gases of Ontario, results of an investigation were given which 
 showed that radium emanation was present in varjnng amounts in all the 
 gases drawn from the wells situated in the different gas producing districts 
 of the Province. In the same paper some considerations were presented 
 which suggested that helium would probably be found as well to be one 
 of the constituents of these natural gases. In the investigation referred 
 to, however, no attempt was made to determine the emanation content 
 of the different samples of gas in absolute measure. Indeed, that would 
 have been impossible, for at the time the experiments were made sufficient 
 data were not available to enable one to accurately ascertain the radio- 
 active contents or fix the units for the different radioactive substances. 
 The experiments did suffice, however, to show that wide variations existed 
 in the emanation content of the gases taken from different geological 
 horizons or selected from different localities. For example, in the case of 
 one sample the electrical conductivity of the gas arising from the presence 
 of radium emanation in it was found to be 145 units on an arbitrary scale, 
 while the conductivity of a second sample when measured on the same 
 scale turned out to be as high as 8,045 units. 
 
 Since the publication of this paper numerous communicationsf have 
 appeared giving results of determinations of the helium and emanation 
 content of the natural gases of the United States of America and of certain 
 European countries, but up to the present, v?ith the exception of the paper 
 by Professor McLennan and one which has recently appeared on some 
 physical tests made on a gas well in Alberta by Professors Boyle and Tory,t 
 no determinations at all of this nature have been made in Canada. 
 
 Quite recently, however, some considerations of a practical as well as 
 of a theoretical nature made it desirable to undertake an exhaustive 
 examination of all the natural gases in Canada with a view to ascertaining 
 their helium and emanation content, and also of establishing, if possible, 
 some simple relation between the amount of the emanation present in a 
 gas and the proportion of helium in it. 
 
 This survey has now been made by the writers, and the natural gases 
 of Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia have been systematically 
 
 • Proceedings of International Electrical Congress, St. Louis, 1904. 
 
 t Mache and Bamberger, Wien. Ber. 123, p. 325, 1914; Moureau and Lepape, Comptes Rendus . 
 p. 598, 1914; Cady and McFarland, Jour. Amcr. Chem. Soc, Vol. XXIX, p. 1523, 1907. 
 t Boyle and Tory, Trans. Roy. Soc. Can. 3, IX, p. 139, 1915. 
 
 1 
 
examined. Tho present communication deals with the determinations of 
 the helium content of the gases and the observations on the Radioactivity 
 of the same gases are embodied in a second paper by Professor J. (". 
 McLennan, F.R.S., and Professor John Satterly, F.R.S.C., which is given 
 in Section II. 
 
 The general result of the investigation goes to show that it was found 
 impossible to establish a direct proportionality between the helium and 
 the emanation content of a gas. 
 
 DEVELOPING COMPANIES. 
 
 The wells in the various gas fields of t'anada have been put down by 
 various controlling or subsidiary companies. The following list of pro- 
 ducers of Natural Gas in Canada was specially prepared for this report by 
 the Division of Mineral Resources and Statistics, Mines Branch, Ottawa, 
 in Ai'.gust 1919:— (See p. 3) 
 
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 Province of Ontario. 
 
 CiAH Rkahino I-i»:u>t. 
 
 Naturul kuh Hum been dfvolopwl in the Provincr, in what may Ih« 
 approximately lU-finiHl aa Sfvi-n distrirtN or fii'liU, \\z. : — 
 
 1. The Oil Sprinn»-P«tn>U'um Field. 
 
 2. The Ti»)Urv Field. 
 
 3. The Helkirk-Uainhnm -Dunnville Field. 
 
 4. The Hrant-OnoiwIuKa Fit-Id. 
 
 5. The Hlaekhenth-Seneeii Field. 
 
 6. The Wellan.l Field. 
 
 7. The Toront.. Field. 
 
 Thew diothets are all indicated by cireleg in red on Map 523. 
 
 ClAn Production ok DirFERRXT Fikldm. 
 
 It IB diflieult to state exactly the available Hupply of gas from the 
 various fields, but from an examination of all accessible Government 
 Reports* and from information furnishetl to u« privately by various 
 develo^'^(^ companies, the following appears to us to be a fairly aecurati^ 
 estimate of the annual production of the different fields: — 
 
 Amount of Supply 
 
 Availalilo In 
 I ul>i<^ (n't pvr year. 
 
 1. Oil Springs, Petrolia Field 170 million 
 
 2. Tilbury, and other Kent fields 8,000 " 
 
 3. Selkirk, Kainham, Dunnville Field 2,100 " 
 
 4. Brant Onondaga P'ield 60 " 
 
 o. Blackhcath-Seneca Field 500 " 
 
 6. Welland Field 3,000 " 
 
 7. Toronto F'ieltl negligible. 
 
 Total 13,830 million. 
 
 PiP£ Lines. 
 
 The gas from the different fields has been piped to different industrial 
 centres. The largest and longest main goes from the Tilbury Field to 
 Ilamilton and on the way furnishes a supply of gas to such cities and towns 
 as I mdon, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Paris, Brantford, Gait. 
 
 A branch from this main runs from Chatham northwards and supplies 
 the towns of Oil Springs and Petrolia. The wells in the Selkirk district 
 are all linked up and fed into a main which runs from Simcoe through 
 Cayuga and Canfit' '. to Hamilton. The group of wells in the Raii^ham 
 and the Dunnville district are also 'inked up and their output is sent into 
 this main. A branch main runs from Dunnville to St. Catharines. The 
 gas from a group of about 40 wells in the Blackheath-Seneca district is also 
 led in a separate 6-inch main to the City of HamiK. m. In Welland County 
 
 * Canada, Department of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas Resourres of Canada, Clapp 
 and others, 1915, No. 291; The Oil and Gas Field of Ontario and Quebec, Wyatt Malcolm, IQIS, 
 No. 1S61; Chemical Composition of Natural Gas found in Ontario, Ontario Bureau of Mines, 1914. 
 
Im. 
 
 the 
 lent 
 ious 
 rate 
 
 trial 
 d to 
 iwns 
 
 plies 
 trict 
 )Ugh 
 ham 
 into 
 The 
 also 
 iinty 
 
 Clspp 
 1915, 
 1014. 
 
 i (inn 
 jHuiy 
 FhIIm, 
 t> of 
 
 cam'H 
 . aixl 
 them' 
 
 ■ WIIH 
 
 climi- 
 ed ill 
 H the 
 rhew! 
 MUre 
 I out 
 llow- 
 ininK 
 I ten 
 iffeet 
 t. 
 
 put 
 und. 
 epth 
 
 ilaga 
 
 itne- 
 
 the 
 
 iship 
 
 itton 
 
 'hitc 
 feet, 
 feet. 
 
 'hite 
 been 
 500 
 )n a 
 h of 
 
 pply 
 
 d in 
 
 put 
 
 has 
 
Xincarrftna 
 
 Windham 
 
 Fig. 1. Section 
 
 Fio. 2. S« 
 
 ^ Creak ^ Durkard Fprmation BromnayiH* 
 
 Pittsbu.fh 
 
 Summit ^efrol^ _ 
 
 Mtlfcrsfown 
 
 tooo *ooo seoo sooo loooo 1*000 ret 
 
 72333— p. 10. 
 
 FiQ. 3. Section, from Eastern Ontaiio, Canai 
 
SEA L£I>^£L 
 
 HtfiiCM/ 9 lOoe fooo moo •mmo sooo moco reer 
 
 1. Section, from Port Colbome to Kincardine, Ont. (After Urumell.) 
 
 FiQ. 2. Section, from Whitby to Courtright, Ont. 
 
 frtidtnt Tidiilm 
 
 ""^^ *<KA6n/ 
 
 TheroU. J/.Ctffwifim 
 
 Mij«» f-"^. - 
 
 Tr^<yoir!^^'- 
 
 u.o, Canada through Pennsylvania, U.S.A. 
 
Natura 
 
 approximati 
 
 1. 
 
 Tl 
 
 2. 
 
 t: 
 
 3. 
 
 T 
 
 4. 
 
 T 
 
 5. 
 
 T 
 
 6. 
 
 T 
 
 7. 
 
 T 
 
 These 
 
 It is d 
 various fie 
 Reports* i 
 developing 
 estimate oi 
 
 1. C 
 
 2. 1 
 
 3. g 
 
 4. I 
 
 5. I 
 
 6. 1 
 
 7. ■: 
 
 Theg 
 centres. ' 
 Hamilton 
 as London 
 
 A bra 
 the towns 
 are all lin 
 Cayuga a 
 and the I 
 this main 
 gas from i 
 led in a se 
 
 * Canadi 
 and others, : 
 No. 1561; CI 
 
11 
 
 the wells are largely under the control of the ProNnncial and Natural Gas 
 Company. In all about 300 wells have been put down by this C!ompany 
 and at the present time the gas is largely eonsumed at Niagara Falls, 
 Ontario. A small supply is furnished by the Company to the City of 
 Welland. 
 
 These gas mains are indicated by circles in red on Map No. o2:<. 
 
 Collection of Gases. 
 
 In collecting the gases two methods were adopted. In most cases 
 large glass bottles of about 5 gallons capacity were filled with wati r. and 
 inverted over a vessel containing water. The gas was then led into these 
 bottles and they were filled as the water was replaced. When a bottle was 
 filled, and while the mouth and neck were still immersed in water, a close 
 fitting rubber stopper was inserted in the mouth and securely fastened in 
 position by a strong specially designed metal clamp. In other cases the 
 gas was collected in large steel tanks of about a cubic foot capacity. These 
 were used when the gas was collected directly from wells where the pressure 
 was considerable. They were filled up to rock pressure and washed out 
 from four to seven times according to the pr -ssure of the well. By follow- 
 ing this procedure it was considered that any of the original air remaining 
 in le tanks at the final filling would not be more th .n one part in ten 
 thousand. A trace of air of this amount being present would not affect 
 to any extent the determination of the helium and emanation content. 
 
 Gas Bearing Geological Horizons. 
 
 In the oil springs, Petrolia field, a number of wells have been put 
 down, but only a small and short-lived supply of gas has been found. 
 The gas is found at a depth of between 330 and 515 feet and also at a depth 
 of 1,900 feet. 
 
 In the Tilbury field the gas is found in dolomite of the Onondaga 
 formation. The wells run from 1,200 feet to 1,450 feet in depth. 
 
 In the Selkirk field most of the gas is obtained from the Clinton lime- 
 stone and from the White and Red Medina sandstone, particularly the 
 latter. The wells run from 785 to 900 feet in depth. In Rainham township 
 and in the neighbourhood of Dunnville the gas comes from the Clinton 
 sandstone. The depths of the wells are between 600 •. if 800 feet. 
 
 In the township of Onondaga and in the Bow i'ark pool. White 
 Medina is the principal producing formation at a depth of about 540 feet, 
 but some gas is also found in the Clinton limestone at a depth of 430 feet. 
 
 In the Blackheath-Seneca field the gas is found in the Clinton lime- 
 stone at 397 feet and in the White Medina sandstone at 497 feet. 
 
 In the Welland fitld the main supply of gas is obtained from the White 
 Medina sand at a depth of 840 feet, although smaller quantities have been 
 found in the Red Medina at 600 feet and in the Clinton formation at 500 
 feet. Showings also prevail in the Niagara at 490 feet. In addition a 
 show of gas has been obtained in the Trenton limestone at a depth of 
 about 3,000 feet. 
 
 In the York field a number of wells have been put down, but the supply 
 is negUgible. In the well at the St. Augustine Seminary gas was found in 
 the Lorraine shale at a depth of 330 feet. Other wells have been put 
 down to the pre-Cambrian limestone at a depth of 1,260 feet. Gas has 
 
 72333— 2t 
 
12 
 
 been found in the shales at 434 feet, in the Trenton limestone at 780, 885 
 and 1,080 feet. 
 
 The following table contains a summary of this information and 
 appended is a chart (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3) showing the relative positions of 
 the different geological formations. For this chart we are indebted to the 
 Report on Petroleum and Natural Gas Resources of Canada, by F. G. 
 Clapp and others, which was published in 1915 by the Mines Branch of 
 the Department of Mines of Canada. 
 
 Table fob Ontabio. 
 
 Field. 
 
 Depth of Gas-bearing 
 StraU. 
 
 Formation. 
 
 1. Oil Springs, Petrolia . 
 
 2. Tilbury 
 
 330, 315. and 900 feet. 
 786 to 900 feet 
 
 3. Rainham and Dunnvillc . 
 
 4. Brant, Onondaga 
 
 8. Blackheath-Seneca 
 
 8. Welland 
 
 7. Toronto. 
 
 600 to 800 feet 
 
 430 and 540 feet 
 
 387 and 497 feet 
 
 ■500, 600, 840, and 3,000 feet 
 
 330, 434, 780, 885, 1,089, and 
 1,260 feet. 
 
 Onondaga dolomite. 
 
 Clinton limestone and White and Red 
 
 Medina sandstone. 
 Clinton and White Medina formation. 
 Clinton linestone and White Medina. 
 Clinton limestone and White Medina. 
 Clinton, Red Medina, White Medina. 
 
 and Trenton limestone. 
 Lorraine shale, Trenton limestone, pre- 
 
 Cambrian formation. 
 
 Province of Alberta. 
 
 Natural Gas F-'s'.lds. 
 
 In Alberta., natural gas has bee' 
 roughly defined as follows: — 
 
 .veloped in districts which may be 
 
 1. Medicine Hat Field. 
 
 2. Bow Island Field. 
 
 3. Sweet Grass Country. 
 Milk River Field. 
 
 4. Suffield, Brooks, Bassano. 
 Calgary Field. 
 
 5. Okotoks Field. 
 
 6. Wetaskiwin, Viking, Vegreville Field. 
 
 7. Athabaska Field. 
 
 These fields are indicated in red on Map 524.* 
 
 Gas Supply. 
 
 In the Medicine Hat field there are in all some 28 wells located 
 within an area of about 25 square miles, enclosing the city of Medicine Hat, 
 The supply from this system was about 20,000,000 cubic feet daily in 1913. 
 Since then it has slightly decreased. 
 
 At the present time there are in ail 18 wells put down in the Bow 
 Island Field. It is located to the north of the villages of Bow Island and 
 Burdette, and covers an area of about 25 square miles. 
 
 The maximum capacity of this system is stated to be about 40,000,000 
 cubic feet per day. The actual amount of gas consumed per day, however, 
 
 'Department of Mines, Canada, Report on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Resources of 
 Canada, No. 281, 1914, p. 233. 
 
Ihe 
 fCJ. 
 
 ■of 
 
 Fio, 4. QeDpraliied geological lection from Grand Rapidi tc Cslgkrjr: ibowing the "Uy" at the itnta, Mid aUo welfa 
 
 -i_ I J 
 
 I 
 
 u-<i' •"' **•"?- 
 
 FiQ. 6. Generaliied geological wctiuD from Calgary to Regina: 
 
 72Jf3— p. 12 
 
 Fig. e. Generalised geolocieal leetion from South Kootenay Faa to 
 
d abo welk drilled >t Peliou, AthabMlu, Morinvilk), Edmonton, Wataikiwin, and C«l(wy. (By F. O. CUpp and L. O. Huntley.) 
 
 ^tlff Kirv aitmlma 
 
 
 MM^rmrm Satt^t 
 
 1 
 
 atA •itrti. 
 
 to Rcfina: ■bowing "Uy" of itnU and wdl boringi. (By F. Q. CUpp and L. Q. Huntley.) 
 
 I 
 
 X 
 
 \ \ 
 
 I 
 
 41 
 
 ii i r I l l I II ! I ) mm 
 
 3 
 
 atfi Wit 
 
 na: ibownig "lay" of abate aad ««U borav. (By F. O. CSapp and L. O. Hnatky.) 
 
I I 
 
13 
 
 from the Bow Island system at the present time does not amount to as 
 much as 20,000,000 cubii; feet per day. 
 
 Two wells have been recently put down in the neighbourhood of the 
 Sweet Grass hills near the Milk River close to the boundary between 
 Alberta and Montana. But little gas has as yet been drawn from these 
 wells and the available supply is estimated at about 3,000,000 cubic feet 
 per dav. A well just opened at Barnwell has an output of about 4,000,000 
 cubic feet per day. 
 
 There is one well at Suffield and one at the C.P.R. pumping station 
 some 12 miles to the south of the town. Supply from these wells is 
 approximately 250,000 cubic feet and 1,000,000 cubic feet respectively. 
 
 At Brooks two wells have been put down with a total daily outout of 
 350,000 cubic feet. j' puv vh 
 
 The one well at Bassano has a daily capacity of 80,000 cubic feet. 
 
 At Calgary there is one well, namely, that put down on the Walker 
 property. This well has a capacity of 80,000 cubic feet per day. 
 
 The gas wells in the Okotoks district are about 20 miles to the west 
 of that town and are situated in the region in which exploratory work for 
 oil is going on. At present gas is here produced by only two or three wells, 
 with a daily output of about 2,000,000 cubic ' t. 
 
 At Wetaskiwin there are three wells producing gas, and one each at 
 Vikmg and Vegreville. At Viking, however, additional wells are being 
 put down at the present time. 
 
 The supply at Wetaskiwin is about 600,000 cubic feet per day, and at 
 Viking about 3,000,000 cubic feet daily. 
 
 In the Athabaska country the largest supply of natural gas has been 
 developed at Pelican Rapids. There the available supply is about 860,000 
 cubic feet per day. At Fort McMurray and at Fort McKay only small 
 showings have as yet been developed. 
 
 Gas Mains. 
 
 Practically all the wells in the Medicine Hat field are linked up into 
 one system and the supply is used entirely in the city of Medicine Hat for 
 industrial and domestic purposes. 
 
 The gas from the Bow Island system is conveyed in a 16-inch main 
 for over 160 miles and furnishes a supply to the towns of Lethbridge 
 McLeod, Claresholm, Okotoks and Calgary. This pipe line is shown on 
 Map 525. 
 
 DbVELOPINQ COMPANIEd. 
 
 For a list of the companies which control the supplies of gas from the 
 different Alberta fields, see present report, pages 7-9. 
 
 Gas Bkarinq Formations. 
 
 In the Medicine Hat field the gas is largely drawn from the Niobrara 
 formation at a depth of about 1,000 feet, though some is obtained at 600 
 feet in the Belly River shales and a small amount from the Dakota 
 formation at about 1,800 feet. 
 
 In the Bow Island wells a small amount of gas is obtained at from 
 800 to 1,000 feet in the Belly River shales, but the prinr" al supply comes 
 from the Dakota sands at about 1,900 feet. 
 
14 
 
 At Suffii'ltl the Kan was obtained »X a tU-plh of 900 twt in tin- Belly 
 lllviT Hhalt'H. 
 
 At the t'.l'.U. punipiriK stuti«)n, 10 niilen wmtli of Suffield, a coii.xidir- 
 able HUpply of xas hart l>ei'ii <lev('lo|HM| at a lU-pth of l.tMX) feet in the 
 Niubrara and Henton sliales. 
 
 At Hrookit a well wa« put down to a depth of 2,7S>o feet paHHin^ entirely 
 thruu|{h the Dakota Hand. A moderate supply of khh wan ol)tained in this 
 formation. 
 
 At HaMsano the \n\n eonu-H from the shaleM, but the woUh were abandoned 
 before the Niobrara or Dakota saiuU were reaehed. 
 
 At ('aluary a well was put down to a <lepth of 3,414 feet, and a 
 luoderau- supply of ({as was obtained at KW to HV.) feet, at 1,440 to 1,44.'» 
 feet, at 1,')7'2 feet aiitl at 2,T(>0 feet, in the Melly Iliver shales. 
 
 At Okotoks, oiH' of the ehif-f wells, the Din^man No. 1, has been put 
 down to 3,1(00 feet where Ras is obtained in considerable amount at the 
 present time, (.iiis was also obtained in this well at 4.')() anil S(Kt fei-t. Thi! 
 gas comes largely from the Helly River shales. 
 
 At Wetaskiwin the gas is obtaineil from tin- Pierre sands, at about 
 1.700 feet. 
 
 At Vegreville gas wati obtained in moderate (juantities in a -and 
 stratum of the Niobrara formaticm at a depth of 1,300 feet, and at Viking 
 the first sign of gas was obtained at 403 feet and later on at 2,180 feet and 
 again at 2,202 feet close to the Dakota sands. 
 
 At Pelican llapids in the .Vthabaska field a considerable supply of gas 
 was obtained in the Dakota sands at t)2.'> and 800 feet. At Fort Me.Murray 
 wells have been put down to a depth t)f 1,40.') feet running 2()0 feet in 
 granite. Only a .small supply of gas has yet been obtained. Several wells 
 have been put down near Fdrt Mr Kay in the granite, to a depth of about 
 1,200 feet. Here there is only a small showing of gas. 
 
 The f.dlowing table shows a summary of this information, and charts 
 which arcompany it (see figs. 4, .") and 0) give the relative position of the 
 different geological horizons. These again were taken from the report by 
 Mr. F. (J. Clajjp previously mentioned. 
 
 Table for Albebt.\. 
 
 Welh 
 
 Mc<lirinp Hat 
 
 Bow I-iland •■ 
 
 SuffiWd 
 
 C.l'.R. PuiiipiiiK .Station. 
 
 Hrooks 
 
 IfBHMinO 
 
 Calgary 
 
 Okotoks 
 
 Wetaskiwin 
 
 Viking 
 
 Vegreville 
 
 Pelican Rapids.. 
 Fort McXiurruy. 
 Fort McKay 
 
 Depth at which G'M i.s 
 uhtained. 
 
 Formations from which Gus issueo. 
 
 ,000 and 1,800 f-et 
 
 800 and 1 .<M) feet 
 
 'JttOfect 
 
 l.HOOfeet 
 
 l,4.'H)f«-t 
 
 l.SOOfeet 
 
 839 to 849 feet. 1.440 to l,44.'i 
 
 feet. 1,572 teet and at 2,760 
 
 feet. 
 
 4.50. 800, and :i,900 feet 
 
 1,700 feet 
 
 403. 2,180 and 2,232 feet 
 
 1,360 feet 
 
 625 and 800 feet 
 
 Pmall supply 
 
 Small supply 
 
 N'iobrara (Minds, Helly River shalc.i 
 
 and Dnkiitn winds. 
 Belly River shales, but chieflj 
 
 Dakota sands. 
 Belly River shales. 
 ><iobrara sands and Benton shales. 
 Dakota sands. 
 Shales. 
 Belly River shales. 
 
 Belly River shales. 
 Pierre sands. 
 Dakota sands. 
 Niobrara sands. 
 Dakota sands. 
 To granite. 
 To granite. 
 
IS 
 
 Province of British Colum'oia. 
 
 In Britinh CulumWiii iiuturtil itaa Iiuh hei-n (iovolopiMl nt Port Haney, 
 Pitt Meudowri on the nmiuluml iiml ut Pfiulcr Ulund in tliu gulf uf 
 Gforniu. (See Map A20.) 
 
 Pout Hanky Ciah. 
 
 The wi'll at Port Huni'y in iil)out 4 milos to the iiorthoust of the 
 C.P.U. station of thi; Hunu' iiainc. 
 
 As n-Kardii this wtll, the follovinK information hat-, ix^n obtained 
 from the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines of the Province of 
 British Colunihia* (.«•(• pai^es H'J2, IllW; for th" year ending Slst IJecember, 
 1914:— 
 
 "The NJte of the drill-hole is in the bed of tl e Kanaka creek, a short 
 distance above where it joins the Fraser river, and about 1 mile from the 
 Dewdney Trunk road. The well is about 000 feet deep. Water is steadily 
 flowing out of it, ami a continuous stream of gas l)ui)bles keeps rising tu 
 the surface of the water. 
 
 "An analysis of the nas, by (1. S. Kldrid^e & Co., of Vancouver, gives 
 the following;: - 
 
 "Oxyften 7 '5 jKr cent. 
 
 '"Carbon dioxide 1-2 " 
 
 "Olefines • 1 '. " 
 
 "Paraffins ■_>2-5 
 
 "Nitrogen t38-3 " 
 
 "The gas from this well, it will be seen, contains a considerable per- 
 centage of nitrogen, l)ut it was found by our analysis to show a helium 
 content of only -013 per cent." 
 
 Pitt Meadow.s Gas. 
 
 At Pitt Meadows the Cossett Development Company, of which 
 Mr. \V. Innes Patter'Mi, of Vancouver, is manager, is putting down a 
 well in the hope of obiaming oil. It is now at a depth of 1,900 feet, and it 
 is filled with exceedingly salt water which comes right up to the surface. 
 Through this water gas is bubbling up in large ([uautities, but I could 
 obtain no reliable information as to what the output of the gas was. By 
 immersing a funnel in the water in the pipe, I readily filled, in abouv a 
 minute, a bottle of 5 gallons by the displacement of water from it. 
 
 Our analysis of the gas showed that practically none of it was con- 
 densable at liquid air temperature. It showed about 99 per cent of 
 nitrogen with -5 per cent of oxygen and •;") per cent of carl)on dioxide. 
 The helium content, which was only a trace, was found to be -003 
 per cent. 
 
 Pender Island Gas. 
 
 The third sample of gas investigated from British Columbia was 
 obtained on Pender island. This island is in the Gulf of Georgia and is 
 passed by tbe steamers on the way from Vancouver to Victoria. It can 
 be reached by going by railroad from Victoria to Sidney on Vancouver 
 Island and thence by motor launch for about 12 or 15 miles. 
 
 * Report of Minuter o( Mines, British Columbia, I9U. 
 
!• 
 
 The holr fr«»m whir' i.' kah eomeii on thin inland \n «n the farm of i 
 Mr Davidnoii. I wir down in wi-iting for coal U> adi'pth of l.^HJlefl 
 but" none hiing ohta' . .. it wan abandonwl. The hole ii» only -i ■raall on 
 and wan made. I w.t* mformwl, by a diamond drill. The mouth of th 
 well, which ii« in a hollow of the uround about 2 feet deep, m alxjut 30 fee 
 above the U>vel of the Hea. Kx.eedinRly iait water \n continuouHly pounm 
 out of the well, and a small (luantity of Ka« is eontmuouHly bubblin 
 through the salt water. Our analyniH of thi« ua» Hhowed it to be praeticall 
 all nitronfii with a helium content of only 028 per rent. 
 
 Location or Natural (Sah Wbluj in Hritihh Commbia. 
 
 An I .-ntioned above, the only BourccM of natural ku" •» Britis 
 Columbia renarding which I could Rit any information are- 
 Port Haney Indicat^ion No. 11. 
 
 Pitt MeadoWH ,, }*• 
 
 Pender IhIiuuI '•'• 
 
 Thew are indicated on the aceompanyiuK map (Map 520 
 
 I ha«l learned before pro( dinK to nritish Columbia that nitrogen wii 
 
 one of the chief conHtituents of these Rases, and knowing that the wor 
 "nitroaen" in the analyses of natural Rases is frequently useil to denol 
 the non-combustible constituents. I thought, perhaps, the helium conter 
 miKht be considerable. The n-sult of our analysis, however, is disappoin 
 inK, for only small traces of helium were found. The percentages presen 
 
 B8 already mentioned, are as follows:— 
 
 ■' Helium content. 
 
 PortHaney J"^ P^'.^^^- 
 P'tt Meadows •J|"2 „ 
 
 Pender Island "^^ 
 
 I 
 
 Summary of Wells and Gases. 
 
 We give here a few particulars about individual wells of the differei 
 fields from which samples of the gases investigated v.uc (i .wn. 
 
 Ontario Gas Fields. 
 Oil Springs and Peirolia Field. 
 
 All ill Lambton Co., Enniskillen Tp. ., r. , •♦ 
 
 A —No. Oil Springs. Depth, 1,912 feet. Gas from the Dolomite^ i 
 
 1 .898-1 ,912 feet. Kock pressure, 830 pounds per square inch. Ou 
 
 put, 15,000,000 cubic feet per day. 
 
 B. — Oil Springs Co. Well. j. t u 
 
 C— Bredger's Well, llock pressure, 700 pounds; well connected up bi 
 
 never used. , • u iv. 
 
 D.— Park's Well. Kock pressure, 300 pounds per square inch. W( 
 
 used continually. 
 
 Tilbury Field. 
 
 All in Kent Co., Tilbury Tp. 
 A.— Glenwood Station. Rock pressure, 420 pounds. ^ ,. , o- 
 
 B.-Askew Well, Lake Shore Road south of Glc"«""^- ^PjJ; J'f^ 
 feet. Gas from Onondaga Dolomites. Output, 2,000,000 cut 
 feet a day. Rock pressure, 552 pounds per square inch. 
 
 I 
 f 
 
17 
 
 C — GI«>nw<MHj (iaH. OlitHined ut Hi.niiltoii HriKhtH rcducinic •tntion. 
 
 Pri'Muri-, 1(f) poiiniU |m'i M|uare inch. 
 D. — Tilbury, mu\$H' Vitw, iiurthfrii pi|>c lint*, t 'ikimiliuii (iuit Cu. I'rt'Murc, 
 
 27A |)<)umiM |MT M|tiiiri* inch. 
 E. — Tilbury, Wfll 1., I). Bruwn'H farm. I'n'Knurc, 2H« |M)umlK p<T wiuan- 
 
 inch. 
 
 Selkirk, Ralrtgh, !)iinuvill> t'itliL 
 
 All in HtiKlinuiml ( 'o. 
 
 A.--nunnvill<'. 
 
 B. — Selkirk Miiiiin. Tak« ii at Hamilton from the K-inch naw main" Other 
 Hiile of valve, 40 pontuU |)reM!*tire iwr fiiiiarc inch. 
 
 ('. — Ilainham Centre. Svent Well. 270 pounitrt presHure per s(|iiurc inch. 
 
 Y). — ilainham Centre Maiiix. Selkirk Field. 
 
 E. — Dunnville. C. Hoxh'h Well. \ new well, openeil a week before 
 nampled. Four miles east of Diiiniville and J mi'e from (Joderich 
 and Buffalo Railway. PresHun-, 2 10 pounds per H(|uareinch. Modi- 
 rate Hupply. 
 
 V. — Dunnville, a new well. 
 
 (1. — Dunnville, Mumbv's Well. Just op«>ned. Depth, 703 feet. Output, 
 100,000 cubic feet a dav. 
 
 H.— Ilobbin**' Well. Depth, 702 fe«t. Output, (■)0,()00 cubic feet a day. 
 
 Brant'Ofinndayti Fitlil. 
 
 In Brant Co., Onondaga Tp. 
 
 A. — Ononduni Main. Taken at Brantford. 
 
 B. — Van Sickle Farm Well. 
 
 C. — liow Park Well. Einht similar wells on the farm here, betwcu'u fiOO 
 
 and 700 feet deep. The nas comes from the Clinton at -IIIO feet 
 
 an(l the White Medina ut .WO feet. One of these was tt'sted in 1904 
 
 by Professor McL«'nnan for radioactivity.* 
 D. — Onondaga. Middleport maiTi. Takj-n Ixtwt-en Onondaga and 
 
 Middleport. 
 
 Hlackht'oth-SeiieCd Fiehl. 
 
 All in Northern part of Haldimand Co. 
 
 A. — Blackheath (las. Dominion Gas Co.'s mains, the Selkirk feed being 
 
 cut off. 
 B. — Blackheath (ias. Main Line from South. National (Jus Co.'s main 
 
 fed by 40 wells. Taken at Mr. Fitzgreave's house. Pressure 
 
 about 1.5 pounds per square inch. 
 
 • Ser Introductory. 
 
18 
 
 C. — Blackhoath Gas. National Gas Go.'s main fed by three wells tliroii 
 a 3-inch main. PrcsHure about 100 pounds per square inch 
 
 JL 
 
 THE sclkihh 
 
 CUT OFF 
 
 -r 
 c 
 
 .<'B 
 
 l''i(:. 7. Bliirklu-atli-Scnrrji field. Mains buloiigiiin to Doiiiiniim Gas C"(inipaiiy, 
 NatiiinaHias Company; and wells sampled. 
 
 D. -Blarkhcath Gas. Taken from main.s of National Cuis Go. 
 
 Hamilton. 
 Iv — Blai'kheath Main (National (ias Go.). 
 
 G. I- Wells among the 40 supplying Blackheath. 
 H.] 
 
 MAIN 
 
 • F 
 
 •« 
 
 Fig. 8. Blackheath-Soneea field. Main belonfiing to National Gas Company; 
 wells sampled. 
 
 W'dland Field. 
 
 Well No. 382. 
 
 A._Stevensville. Berlie Tp. Depth, 730 feet. Dug to White Medi 
 Rock pressure, 1 U) pounds. Output, 11)0,000 feet a day. 
 
 B. — Wainfleet and Bertie (Niagara Falls Main). 
 
 G. — Niagara Falls (Provincial Natural Gas and Fuel Go.). 
 
 D.— Stevensville. Well 382. 
 
 E.— Sherkstone. Well 318. Provincial Natural Gas and Fuel Go. 
 
 y.—Willouglibv Tp. Very deep well. Depth, 3,030 feet. Gas at 2, 
 feet in the Trenton Umestone. Pressure, 100 pound> Output mo( 
 ate. One of those tested in 1904 t)y Prof. McLennan for radi 
 emanation.* 
 
 G.— Point Abino. Bertie Tp. Depth, 910 feet. Gas at 500-580 feet fi 
 Onondaga and at 902 feet from White Medina. One of these 
 t(st<>d in 1904 by Prof. McLennan for radium emanation,* 
 
 • See Introductory. 
 
19 
 
 lis tlirouuh 
 rvch 
 
 ompany; and 
 
 te Medina. 
 
 Co. 
 
 as at 2,940 
 put moflcr- 
 for radium 
 
 iO feet from 
 f these was 
 n.* 
 
 impnny, aiiil 
 
 S 
 as Co. at 'i 
 
 H. — Stevensville. Hertie Tp. Tluco miles east of Uidgeway aloiiji Lake 
 Shore. Well No. l:jt). A new sulphur well. Depth, oGO feet. 
 (Jas fonn<l in up|)er i)art of Niagara limestone, lloek pressure, 
 1")") pounds per sipiare inch. Output, 1 ,.")0t),()()0 eubie feet a daj'. 
 
 I. — Stevensville. Ilinnberstone Tp. W. No. 1:57. das found in Red and 
 in White Medina. 
 
 Toronto Field. 
 
 St. Augustine's, York Co., Soarboro I'l). Depth, iWO feet, (las 
 eonics from Lorraini' >t ,i' ' at "iUO feet, which is about 11 feet above 
 the siu'faee of tlu »-.;ii- r mi !,:i!-<. Ontario. Pressure oidy 8 inches 
 of water. 
 
 T.r. Al.lSKHl i. ( V> I'lKLDS. 
 
 MctUcitH' ii.it I'idil. 
 
 A. — Cousins and Sissons Well. Two miles S. of ci'iitre of the city. 
 
 Depth. 1,()7.') feet. Output, ;},()(M),()00 feet a day. 
 IJ. — Main behind the Methodist Church. 
 C.— Old Well (Park Well). Seven or eifrht years old. l)(>pth, 1,000 feet. 
 
 (Jas from 700 feet down. Rock pressure, 2'}0 lbs. per square inch. 
 
 Output, 3,000,000 fi'ct a dav. 
 D.— C.r.R. Well. Depth, 1,020 feet. 
 K. — Smith's Well. Three miles S. of centre of the city. Sunk in 1913. 
 
 llock pressure, 800 lbs. Large outi)Ut. 
 F.— IClectric Park. Depth, 1,200 feet. Output, 3,000,000 cubic feet a day. 
 G.— Central Park. Depth, 1,300 feet. Output, 3,000,000 cubic feet a day. 
 H. — Low pressure, lop of hill. 
 L — C.P.R. Low pressure. Two years old. Depth, 1,020 feet. 
 
 Bow hiand Field. 
 
 A. — Well No. 4. Oldest and largest. Six miles north of Bow Island, 
 20 feet from River Saskatchewan. Rock pressure, 480 lbs. per 
 square inch. Output, 20,000,000 cubic feet a day. 
 
 B.— Wells Nos. 3, 11, 14. Main from these dehvers 10,000,000 cubic feet 
 a day. 
 
 C.— Well No. 10. Burdette. Rock i)ressure. 480 lbs. per scpiare inch. 
 Output, 4,000,000 cubic feet a day. 
 
 D. — Main. Filled at Calgary. Pressure here 100 lbs. per square inch. 
 
 Siiret (ira.i:s Countnj. 
 Stiffield, liroohs, liasmno, CaUjary Field. 
 
 A.— Sufheld. Town well. Depth, 900 feet. Rock pressure, 270 lbs. per 
 
 square inch. 
 B. — C.P.R. Pumping station. Agent, The S. Alberta Land Co. 
 C— Bassano. One mile south of C.P.R. track. Depth, 1,500 feet. Rock 
 
 pressure, 115 lbs. Output, 80,000 cubic feet. 
 D.— Brooks. West Well. Depth, 1,400 feet. Pressure, 270 lbs. per 
 
 8<}uare inch. Output, 250,000 cubic feet a day. 
 
20 
 
 E.— Brooks. East Well. Depth, 2,795 feet. Plugged at 1,450 feet. 
 F.— Calgary. Walker Well. Depth, 3,414 feet. Pressure, 280 lbs. j 
 square inch. Output, 80,000 cubic feet a day. 
 
 Okotoks Field. 
 
 A.— Dingman Well. Head casing gas from 400-800 feet. Outpi 
 
 1,000,000 feet a day. 
 B.— Dingman Well. tJas from 3,900 feet. Output, 1,500,000 cubic f( 
 
 a day. CJas from other horizons brings yield up to 3,200,000 cul 
 
 feet. Much gasoline vapour in gas. 
 
 0. Wetaskiu'in, Viking and Vegreville Field. 
 
 A and B.— Wetaskiwin Well. Depth, 3,800 feet. Gas from 1,700 fe 
 Yields 250,000 cubic feet at 20 lbs. per square inch pressu 
 and 350,000 cubic feet at 90 lbs. per square inch pressure. 
 
 C and D.— Viking Well. Depth, 2,300 feet. Gas from 2,300 feet. Ro 
 pressure, 250 lbs. per square inch. Output, 3,000,000 cul 
 feet a day. Gas has the odour of garlic. 
 
 British Columbia. 
 
 A. — Pender Island. Flow less than a cubic foot a minute. 
 
 B. — Port Haney. S.E. corner of North Westminster district. 
 
 200 feet. Gas from sandstone and shale at 193-200 feet. 
 C. — Pitt meadows. 
 
 Dcp 
 
 THE COMPOSITION OF NATURAL GAS. 
 
 It will be seen from the Table on pp. 49-51 that the percentage 
 helium ranges from -32 or -33 in the Blackheath and Bow Island rcgi( 
 down to very nearly zero in th( Toronto and British Columbia regions 
 
 The composition of natural gases varies widely often in the same fi 
 due to different geological horizons being tapped, and Cady and McFarla 
 found "that in general the helium content increases with the nitroj 
 though a direct proportionality does not exist. Of course the percenti 
 of both decreases as the percentage of hydrocarbons increases, althou 
 the ratio of helium to nitrogen may increase." 
 
 A few of their results for Kansas gases may be quoted in brief. 
 
 Locality of Well. 
 State of Kansas. 
 
 ^tethane. 
 
 Ethane. 
 
 Helium. 
 
 Nitroge 
 
 
 14-3 
 786 
 94-3 
 791 
 8M 
 972 
 929 
 980 
 
 M 
 
 7-7 
 
 ■0 
 
 7-4 
 
 120 
 
 •0 
 
 •0 
 
 •0 
 
 164 
 56 
 •37 
 •25 
 •16 
 •10 
 •04 
 •009 
 
 829 
 
 Elmdaie 
 
 121 
 
 Garnett 
 
 4-6 
 
 Aumista 
 
 124 
 
 
 6-4 
 
 
 24 
 
 Sheffield 
 
 Paola 
 
 5-4 
 
 '81 
 
 
 
 The traces of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Olefines, Carbon Monoxi 
 Hydrogen, etc., are not entered in this table. 
 
21 
 
 feet. 
 
 JO lbs. per 
 
 Output, 
 
 cubic feet 
 ),000 cubie 
 
 1,700 feet, 
 h pressure, 
 pressure, 
 jet. Rock 
 ),000 cubic 
 
 t. Depth, 
 
 •centagc of 
 md regions 
 
 regions. 
 
 same field 
 McFarland 
 le nitrogen 
 percentage 
 i, although 
 
 rief. 
 
 Nitrogen. 
 
 82-9 
 12. 1 
 4-6 
 12-4 
 6-4 
 3-4 
 S-4 
 
 Monoxide, 
 
 Chemical analyses of the gas wells sampled in the present research 
 were not performed by us. Analyses have been published by Mickle and 
 others* of some Ontario wells, by F. G. Clapp and othersf of some Canadian 
 wells in general, and in other cases by individual companies owning the 
 wells. A list is given here of the best analyses we could find. The less 
 important constituents have been omitted from the tables. In the case 
 of the Ontario Fiel 1 we have averaged up the samples according to the 
 divisions into which we have divided the whole field. 
 
 From Report by G. R. Mickle on Ontario. 
 
 Name of District. 
 
 1 . Oil Springa and Pctrolia Field 
 
 2. Tilbury Field 
 
 3. Selkirk, Rainham, Dunnvilie Field.! 
 
 4. Brant Onondaga Field 
 
 5. Blackheath-.Seneca Field 
 
 6. Welland Field 
 
 7. Toronto Field . 
 
 Methane. 
 
 Ethane. 
 
 Nitrogen. 
 
 fi9 
 
 14 
 
 1.5 
 
 «3 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 78 
 
 13 
 
 8» 
 
 72 
 
 17 
 
 11 
 
 79 
 
 13 
 
 8 
 
 82 
 
 12 
 
 6 
 
 85 
 
 
 13 
 
 Etc. 
 
 Propane 2J. 
 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen i. 
 
 Carbon dioxide 2. 
 
 From Report by F. G. Clapp and others. 
 
 In this Report the Ethane imd other hydrocarbons are not separated 
 from the Methane. 
 
 District or Locality of Well. 
 
 Methane. 
 
 Nitrogen. 
 
 Chief other Constituents. 
 
 Welland County* 
 
 96-6 
 92-2 
 99'5 
 98-6 
 86-7 
 91 6 
 
 2-7 
 ,5.6 
 
 14 
 60 
 
 8-2 
 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen -7. 
 
 Carbon dioxide 1.4. 
 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen -5. 
 
 Oxygen • 1 . 
 
 Hydrogen 5-4 and heavy hydrocarbons 1-8. 
 
 Oxygon -2. 
 
 New Tilbury and Romney*. . . . 
 
 Central .\lbertat 
 
 Calgary (Walker WelDJ 
 
 
 • Page 62. Vol. 1 of the Report, 
 t Page 340, Vol. II of the Report. 
 
 t Page 320, Vol. II of the Report. 
 ( Page 64, Vol. I of the Report. 
 
 The au.. 
 
 ^or the following are various:- 
 
 Locality of Well. 
 
 Medicine Hat City, gas 
 
 Medicine Hat, Smith's well 
 Calgary and Bow* Island Pipe I.ino. 
 Okotoks Gas. Dingman well: — 
 
 Casing head gas 
 
 Bottom gas 
 
 Vikingt 
 
 Pender Island, B.C 
 
 Port Haney, B.C.J 
 
 Pitt Meadowsi 
 
 Methane. 
 
 90 
 
 76-6 
 91-3 
 
 66. 1 
 
 99 
 
 94 
 
 22-5 
 
 Ethane, 
 etc. 
 
 3 
 4 4 
 
 f 
 
 34 1 
 t 
 t 
 
 Nitrogen. 
 
 S 
 11 
 
 8.5 
 
 5 
 99 
 68. 3 
 
 Oxygen. 
 
 Carbon 
 
 
 Dioxide. 
 
 •1 
 
 .8 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 •2 
 
 ■1 
 
 '49 
 
 ■25 
 
 •2 
 
 ■5 
 
 •4 
 
 6 
 
 f 
 
 f 
 
 7-5 
 
 12 
 
 ■5 
 
 •5 
 
 The 
 methane. 
 
 signifies that the ethane has not been separated from the 
 
 * North Western Light, Heat and Power Co. 
 
 t Dr. Kelso, Univer»ity of Edmonton. (Se« Boyle and Tory's paper.) 
 t Annual Report of the Minister of Mines. British Columbia, 1914. 
 I Satterly and Dawes. 
 
22 
 
 Ordinary marsh gas has pcrcontatjes of oxyjicii ranuinn f.- .m 3 to 
 whilo in natural >jas the range is from • 5 to .00 per cent. The oxygen ('ont( 
 is usually a deciding factor as to whether the gas is of marsh gas or nati 
 Ras type. Marsh gas sometimes, l)ut rarely, contains nitrogen up to 50 j 
 cent. 
 
 Determination of the Helium Content. 
 
 Two methods were Us-cd for isolatinjj; tin helium in a fjiven sample 
 the natural nr ;*: — 
 
 (1) Couiliustion of the f:as with pun oxygen, removal of the result: 
 
 water and carbon diox'de hy means of suitahl" reagents, a 
 absorption of the niti-ogen antl remaining traces of other ga 
 by means of coeoaiuit charcoal cooled in liquid air. 
 
 (2) Condensation of those constituents of higher boiling points ii 
 
 condenser immersed in liquid air. and purification of the resi( 
 by means of charcoal in liquid air. 
 
 The Combustion Method. 
 
 By burning electrolytic oxygen in the gas or the gas in oxygen, 
 hydrocarbons and hydrogen present may be changed to water and carl 
 dioxide and the amounts of these constituents determined and romoi 
 in the manner commonly employed in gas aualysi . The apparatus ui 
 is shown in Fig. 9. The gas was passed from the measuring tube H (1,; 
 c.c. at normal pressure and ordinary temperatmc) through the tap 
 into the combustion bulb L, of about a litre capacity; electrol- tic oxyi 
 was passed from a second measuring tube through W into the sa 
 chamber L, this combustion vessel is similar to that used by Ellis, Bii 
 and Ardagh in their gas analysis. f The mixture was ignited by 
 electrically heated platinum coil P, supported by a cork fitting tigh 
 into the openii. - I at the top of L. Pleasured quantities of the natu 
 gas and the oxyg . were admitted into L, and the whole mixture caused 
 circulate several times past the incantlescent platinum wire by alteinat 
 raising and lowering the mercury reservoirs attached to the "washe 
 M and N. Most of the water icsulting from the burning gradu: 
 collected in the lower part of L, and could be run off at intervals throi 
 the small bulb Ci. When the appearance of the platinum coil shov 
 that combustion was completed, the gaseous mixture was forced slo' 
 through the three tubes K, which contain calcium chloride, potassi 
 hydroxide, and phosphorus pentoxide, respectively ; these reage 
 absorb the water vapour and carbon dioxide. The residue from 
 mixture is usually called nitrogen, although it may include rare gascj 
 particular helium. All constituents except heliimi are removed from 
 
 * For jinalysis of (sa)<P9, both with .ind without fractional distillation, with spoeial refer 
 to natural gas, ser: — 
 
 (\) Ramsay and Tr.ivera.— Travor?, the oxperimcntal study of rises. 1901. 
 
 (2) BurrcU and .Seihert.— The sampling and examination . mine gases and natural 
 
 liulletin 42, I'.S. Jiureau of Mines, also Journal of the Amerir'an Chemical .Society, 
 
 XXXVI. 
 a) Lebeau and Daiiiiens, C.R.. T. ri.VI, 191."!, also Clas World. Vol. LIX, 1913. 
 (4) Cady and McV'arland- fleliuin in natural gas and the composition of natural gas. Joi 
 
 of the American (Chemical Society. Vol. XXIX. II. 
 
 t Ellis, Hain and Ardagh. The Chemical Composition of Xatunil das found in Ontario, 
 Report, Ontttrio Bureau of Mines, 1914. 
 
23 
 
 .m 3 to 6, 
 ;cn contcr t 
 ; or natural 
 p to 50 per 
 
 I saTuplc of 
 
 (■ rt'sultiint 
 ti('llt^<. and 
 jther gases 
 
 loints in a 
 the rosiduo 
 
 ixvfit'n, the 
 unci carbon 
 d removed 
 iratus nsed 
 )e B (1,200 
 the tap Y 
 tie oxygen 
 
 the same 
 Bllis, Bain, 
 ted by an 
 ing tightly 
 ;ho natural 
 e caused to 
 altei nately 
 "washers" 
 : gradually 
 als through 
 ■oil showed 
 reed slowly 
 
 potassium 
 » reagents 
 > from the 
 re gasej, in 
 d from the 
 
 Hicial rc'terenco 
 
 d natural (tas. 
 il Soriety, Vol. 
 
 13. 
 
 al gas. Journal 
 
 n Ontario, 23rd 
 
 il 
 
34 
 
 mixturo-by passing it into a tube containing cocoanut charcoal cooled ii 
 liquid air. The subsequent purification of the residue was carried out ii 
 the same manner as de8cril)ed under the condensation method. 
 
 Experiments were made with the combustion method on two gase 
 only, those from Scarborough Tp., Toronto field, and Oil Springs, 01 
 Springs field, respectively. The results agreed fairly well with t'.os 
 obtained from the same wells by the condensation method. 
 
 .See Table, pp. 49-51. 
 
 The Condensation Method. 
 
 As the specific purpose of the present gas-analysis investigation wa 
 to find the percentage content of helium and to obtain a working know 
 ledge of the hydrocarbon content of the gas, the tedious combustioi 
 metho<l was replaced by the simpler method* of liquefying all the con 
 stituents which have a Vjoiling point above that of air by passing the ga 
 through a condenser immersed in liquid air. All the hydrocarbons an 
 the carbon dioxide and sulphuretted hydrogen are condensed in this waj 
 The uncondensed portion which may contain oxygen, hydrogen, nitroger 
 and helium was then passed through charcoal immersed in litjuid air. Th 
 helium alone is unabsorbed and can be pumped off and measured. 
 
 The following table gives the melting and boiling points of some c 
 the gases likely to be met with in natural gas: — 
 
 Gas. 
 
 B.P. 
 °C. 
 
 M.P. 
 °C. 
 
 Gas. 
 
 B.P. 
 °C. 
 
 M.P. 
 'C. 
 
 Helium 
 
 Hydrogen 
 
 Nitrogen 
 
 Carbon monoxide. . 
 Oiygen 
 
 - 269 
 
 - 243 
 
 - 194-4 
 
 - 190 
 
 - 181-4 
 
 - 271 
 
 - 2.59 
 
 - 214 
 
 - 207 
 
 - 227 
 
 Methane 
 
 Ethane 
 
 (^arbon dioxide 
 
 Sulphuretted hydrogen. 
 
 - 164 
 
 - 93 
 
 - 80 
 
 - 62 
 
 - 185- 
 
 - 195 
 
 - 65 
 
 - 86 
 
 Fig. 10 represents the final form of apparatus. 
 
 A is a glass bottle in which the gas was brought from the field. Tt 
 gas is forced from A into the glass tube B, where it collects by wati 
 displacement. The capacity of B was adjusted to be 1,200 c.c. und( 
 ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. The gas was introduce 
 into the apparatus in units of this volume. Before commencing tl 
 analysis tlie charcoal tubes were strongly heated by electric heaters 1 
 about 300° C. to expel absorbed gases, and the whole of the apparatus \ 
 the right of the tap was carefully exhausted. All the taps were the 
 turned off. The charcoal on cooling absorbed the remainder of the gas 
 apparatus and a good vacuum resulted. 
 
 On turning the taps D and Y the gas flowed from B through a dryir 
 tube E containing calcium chloride into the condenser F of about 400c. 
 capacity, which was immersed in liquid air kept in a Dewar's tub 
 Condensation of the hydrocarbons occurred at once, the liquid air boilii 
 off rapidly. Comparison of the manometer G with the barometer J ga^ 
 the pressure of the uncondensed gases in F plus the vapour pressure of tl 
 condensed gases. 
 
 Usually B was filled and emptied five times in quick succession so th 
 the first charge in F was 6,000 c.c. of natural gas. After some minut 
 
 ^^dy and McFarland, Jour. An «r. Chera. Soc., Vol. XXIX, 1907, p. 1523. 
 
25 
 
 M.P. 
 'C. 
 
 185-8 
 195 
 
 65 
 
 86 
 
 
 a 
 a. 
 
 a 
 
 
 ii 
 
26 
 
 vlicn llii' li<niicl air liad ccuHd from hoilinp and tlif nianomottT was at 
 rest the prissurc in 1' was read. Subtractinji fniiii tliis rcai.inn the vapour 
 piTssin-f of nicthanc at the tcniporatun' of li(|iiid air we gft the prcHsuro 
 of thf iincoiulcnsahli- hhsvh in F and knowing the voliinu' of I" it is an 
 tasy matter to find approximately the pcrftntajjc uf uncondcnsaltk' nasos in 
 tiic sample of natural gas. This analysis, rough though it is, gives us.ful 
 information as to the suitability of the natural gas for the manufacture of 
 heliimi on a large scale. 
 
 Meanwhile the tube L, of about 800 e.e. capacity, whicli is full of 
 finely broken cocoatuit charcoal, had l>ren immersed in licjuid air. 
 
 The tap K was then opened uiul the uucondensied gas shared between 
 ]•' and L. The mercury in the gauge rose quickly and the licpiid air 
 surrounding L boiled vigorously, indicating a rapid evolution of heat 
 when the gases are absorbed by charcoal. This is especially noticeable 
 the first time the charcoal is used after being heated out." When the 
 gauges were nearly at the same level, K was closed and tlie remainder of 
 the uncoudeiised gas in V transferred to L by means of the large mercury 
 pump M. This pump is simply a long wide tube with a two-way tap at 
 the top and a flexible tube and mercury reservoir at the bottom. It was 
 very efficient and after about 5 strokes practically all the gas liad been 
 transferred to L, the pressure in F falling to about 3 or 4 cms. The 
 transfer of the gas was especially complete since at each expansion of the 
 matter in F some of the liquid methane would evaporate and sweep out 
 the gas; an excess of pumping is detrimental as it only transfers methane 
 to L, thus tending to clog the charcoal. On standing the pressure in L 
 slowly decreased as absorption reached its maximum amount. Usually 
 very little except the helium was left unabsorbed in this tube. 
 
 When the reading of the gauge H was steady the taps N and O were 
 opened and the unabsorbed gas was allowed to diffuse over to a second 
 charcoal tube S of about 200 c.c. capacity, which was also cooled in liquid 
 air. The tap () was then closed and complete transference of the gas 
 was effected by a mercury pump P of special design. In the early days of 
 the experiment the pimip in this position was of the same type as M l)ut 
 the working and cleaning of the two-way tap proved inconvenient an 1 it 
 was replaced by the pump shown. 
 
 While these operations had been going on any gas left in the apparatus 
 between taps above S and the delivery tube was completely pumped out 
 by the pump 11, "xhaustion being carried to such an extent that the clectri' 
 charge had great difficulty in passing through the tube Q. 
 
 The gas having stood in the second charcoal tube S for some time and 
 the gauge X attached to this tube having become steady, the taps above 
 S wei opened and the gas pumped t.i.ough the discharge tube and 
 delivered to the collector Z, which was improvised from a graduated 
 eudiometer by the placing of a tap at the closed end. The phosphorus 
 pentoxide tube placed to the right of S was only required in the early 
 stages of the experiment, when the charcoal gave off water on heating. 
 A bye-pass was placed in between S and the pump II to facilitate the 
 action of the pump. 
 
 Before the gas was pumped off its spectrum was carefully examined by 
 a small direct vision spectroscope and if any but the lines of helium 
 (and mercury) were found the gas was sent back into the charcoal tube 
 or in the case of great impurity exhausted to the uir and a fr. sli start made 
 on a smaller quantity of the original gas. For example, if the natural gas 
 
 HHI 
 
27 
 
 ("outaini'd larjc' <|iiantitic8 of iiitiOKcn uiul liy»lroK«'ii tht-so imiy esoapo 
 ahsorptioii and tlicir pnsciicp wmiKI ho drttitcd at this staKc 
 
 The Has ohtainod in the collector Z was iiivariahly pure helium and 
 from the readinK8 of its volume and pressure the volume at atmospheric 
 pres!.«tire was ealeulatetl. 
 
 Tulies similar to V were used for storaRc and the pump T was designed 
 to traiit*fer the helium collected in Z over to V until the latter wad filled at 
 atmospheric pressure. The tul.e and pump had previously been exhausted 
 hy a mercury pump and a charcoal tube in liquid air (not shown in the 
 fili^uret and then sealed off just to tin* riijht of V. 
 
 As a rule, for each sample (tf natural tjas determinations of helium were 
 made on three successive volumes of (),()()() c.e. each. It was always found 
 that the value of the helium content for the first 0,0(10 c.c. is lower than that 
 for the second anil third. This is due to a slight absorption of the helium 
 by the charcoal. The I'liarcial, however, very soon gets saturated with 
 helitun and tlu' second and thinl determinations were usually in good 
 agreement. The greates di^cr. pancies arose when the helium content 
 was very low. 
 
 The following is a typical set of readings: — 
 
 Gas from Bow Island, Well 4, Alberi^. 
 
 (CoUeckd, April 1 ; tested, May 5th). 
 
 
 1 
 
 ri'i<.-iurM Keattings. 
 
 ^'nlul'le of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 tlrlii'in 
 collei'te I in 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \'olurn*' of 
 
 ConilenTr 
 
 lirst f 'Imreoal 
 
 SiM'onil 
 
 Hurefto 
 
 I'ercentage 
 
 Niitural 
 
 Gauge. 
 
 GauKO. 
 
 Charcoal 
 
 reduced to 
 
 of 
 
 Gas. 
 
 (i. 
 
 11. 
 
 GiiUKc. 
 X. 
 
 .\tiuo»plioric 
 Pressure. 
 
 Helium. 
 
 c.r. 
 
 cms. 
 
 cms. 
 
 4-ni.*. 
 
 c.e. 
 
 
 6,000 
 
 20 2 
 2-9 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Iti 
 
 1.5-4 
 
 ■26 
 
 6,oon 
 
 21S 
 • 4 
 
 IS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■0 
 
 1-7 
 
 16-4 
 
 -27 
 
 6,000 
 
 "4-2 
 
 :ill 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■ u 
 
 1-S 
 
 17-5 
 
 •20 
 
 Explanation. — The pressure in the condenser after the first 0,000 c.c. 
 of gas had been passid in uj. 1 allowed to stand for two or three minutes 
 was 20 -2 cms. After trans'i'rence of the non-condensable gases to the 
 second charcoal (this takes about 10 minutes) tiie pressure in the con- 
 denser had dropped to 2-9 cms., and that in the first charcoal tube had 
 risen to 20 cms. After transft'rence to the second charcoal tube the 
 pressure in the first tube had fallen to zero and that in the second had 
 risen to 1 -0 cm. This pressure is due to the helium alone. The gas when 
 pumped off had a volume, at atmospheric pressure, of 15-4 c.c. This 
 coming from 0,000 c.e. of natural gas gives a helium content of -20 per cent. 
 The other figures in the tabk- give the pressure for the corresponding 
 pressure for the second and third 0,000 c.c. of gas. It will be noticed that 
 the percentage gradually increases as we go down the table. To show the 
 variation obtained in these figures, when a gas of low heiium content in 
 analysed the following table is given : — 
 
 72333-3J 
 
28 
 
 Natural Gas from Vikinft, Alberta. 
 
 {Collected, April 6th; teiilrd April lOtk.) 
 
 \ xluill 
 
 nf (Wi 
 
 Kir»t «,(««. 
 foii.ml II.IKW 
 Tliiril li.lKltl 
 
 Vnluiiii' irf 
 
 llrliuill lit 
 \lriiiiM[iliiTic 
 
 IVrn-ntJW nf 
 ilfliUIII 
 
 rri'i.»uri>. 
 
 
 to 
 
 2-7 
 .'M 
 
 ■CI7 
 044 
 ■M2 
 
 "tivrs" the hcMt value nf 
 till- value ciitcri'd in the 
 
 I'ntm tile lisults (ilitailicd with ^^U('(•^'^^.tivl• 
 th<' lii'liuiii tdhtiiit lia!< been dcduct'd. Tiiis in 
 table (p. ;{()). 
 
 Remarks and Observations. 
 
 (a) Thv V(n>oitr I'nasure of Methane. 
 
 rill- vapour prcssuif of lutthaiic is aliout (» to 7 cms. of incrcury at 
 liquid-air tcinpcraturt'. and it is surprising tliat the pressure in the (■on- 
 denser ean he redueetl hy the pump to pressures mueh helow this value. 
 It is veiy likely that the ait of pumping eauses rapid evaporiUion of the 
 condensed methane and a eonse<iuent drop of temperature and vapour 
 pressure. 
 
 It was observed oviT and over again that if the coruk'iiser were 
 allowed to remain uuilisturbed after pumping had ceased that the i)ressure 
 in it would rise to about U or 7 ems. and then remain steady. 
 
 'b) The Ahsorplion of (!(!•< by Charcoal. 
 
 The rate of absorption of th«> nas by the charcoal depends to a marked 
 tlegree on the state of j * 'ration of the latter. For example, the smallest 
 (piantity of gas admi^tci ' the charcoal tube after freshly heating out w s 
 (juickly foljowed by a vion-nt boiling of the liquid air, indicating the rapid 
 t'volution of heat a<companying the rapid absorption of the gas. With 
 further admission of gas the boiling became less vigorous and soon became 
 scarcely noticeable. Again^ when a large (luar.tity of gas had been 
 admitted the rate of pressure-fall was slow though absorption still con- 
 tinued as shown by pressure readings extending nvi r several hours. 
 
 (c) The Condensate in F. 
 
 At the conclusion of an experiment the liquid-air jackets were removed 
 from the condenser and charcoal tubes and the appearance of these tubes 
 noted. The deposit in the condenser was liquid in the case of nearly all 
 the Ontario ga.«ies and solid in the case of those from Alberta. Tht; melting 
 point of methane lies between the boiling points of oxygen and nitrogen, 
 and it was thought at first that the appearance of the condensate might 
 depend on the newncs or staleness of the liquid air, but repeated observa- 
 tions showed that this was not the case. Of course the condensate has not 
 a simple chemical nature; in some cases the percentages of ethane anil 
 other hydrocarbons may be quite considerable, and these may have a 
 considerable effect on the physical properties of the condensate, including 
 that of lowering the vapour pressure. The liquid condensates were usually 
 quite clear in appearance. When the liquid air was removed from the 
 condenser the pressure within it gradually rose, and when it reached 
 atmospheric the tap W was opened and the escaping gas burned. When 
 
29 
 
 th« (■on(l<>n!'atr wiis suliil thi- olmiTviitionH wt-n- nmn- iiitJ-n'stiiiK. Tin- 
 W)li(l, which n|)p<'ari'(l like white irr, wiih oftrii on the mdi-t* i)f thf roiuifiixcr 
 iiM wi'll u« on the Ixiltoiii. The firnt cffi-ct of riH> tcinpcnitiirf wiih to 
 ini'lt thf sohtl off thi' i*i(h'« ami to iticri'usc the vti|M)iir prrMHiin- of the 
 (•«»n(l(iiwut»'. Ah iiM'ltirin pnifccdcd thf kiuiki" would kiMj) fuirly stciidy, 
 but in irmtiy rancH, liowt-vcr, the mercury rose a ci-ntiinctn- or ho for a 
 brief time, indicatiiiK either MUperheatinn or a lower vafiour prennure for 
 the newly formed ii<|uid than l'<.r the nolid; the prennure at which thin 
 upper movement oecurred, an read with different Hamplen of nan, varietl 
 between It and 18 cms.* As the liquid warmed up the naune fell a^ain, 
 Hometimes halting at intervals, indic-ttinR the boilinn away ot some con- 
 stituent, tinally when the pressure nachcd atmospheric the tap was opened 
 as l)efore. '"'he ap|>carance of the boiling methane varied but little. In 
 one or two cascH, however, there was a lot of froth, also pctssibly produced 
 by other constituents. 
 
 (d) r/ic appciiranrr of tin- Vhiurinil Tiihrs. 
 
 The charcoal tubcn often indicated a solid deposit, bluish white in 
 colour and waxy in appearance, in the intiTstices of the charcoal. We 
 could not fathom what this de|)oHit was until one day one of the charcoal 
 tubes broke immediately after the completion of an experiment. It was 
 then .seen that the so-called deposit was notliinR mor»> than a number of 
 thin films on the wall of the charcoal tube occupying positions where the 
 chan'oal was not in contact with the jjlasH. They "appeared to be mercury, 
 condensed from the vapour in the pumps. 
 
 (o) Percentage of VneoiideumUi' Gas. 
 
 Attempts were made at various times to get the volumes of the Rases 
 conden.sed in the condenser, or absorbed in the charcoal tubes. The xases 
 W'tre pumped out by a little oil pump and delivered to a t?raduatod jar 
 inverted over wattT. The volume from the conden.ser gives us the total 
 amount of condensable gas less what has been sent over to the charcoal 
 tube. The vi.iume from the charcoals gives us the quantity of uncondens- 
 able gas plus the methane sent over to them. 
 
 A better value of the uncondensable gas is found from the pressure 
 readings in thi- condenser. For example, in the case (pioted above, the 
 total pressure in the condenser was 20-2 cms. Deducting about 4 cms. 
 f ' ' vapour pressure of methan(> under existing conditions, this leaves 
 b -*. for the pressure of the non-condi-nsable gas. Tin- volume of the 
 condenser being about 400 c.c, th(> volume of the non-condensable gas at 
 20° C. and .standard pressure would be — 
 
 29;}8 1() 
 
 400 X X —or 310 c.c, 
 
 83 75 
 which is about o per cent of the total volume, Icavi-.g 9.') per cent for the 
 condensable portion. The figures in Table on pp. 30-31, headed percent- 
 age of uncondensable gas, were obtaine<l in this way. 
 
 The process used for extracting the helium was varied a trifle from 
 time to time. In all cases, however, before beginning on a new sample 
 
 * In some subsidiary exporimpnts the condonsate was repeatedly melted and froren by rep-nted 
 rempvala and applications of li<iui<l air. The first nielting seems to liberate some uncondensable 
 (ras, nitrogen presuinably, which evidently was alisorbed by the methane when it was first frnien. 
 Wheii thin ntt» aiso was puiiipe<i off and the liciuiii air withdrawn, the pressure gradually increased 
 until the solid began to melt, when in some cases a decrease of pressure of as much as 6 cms. could 
 be obtained. 
 
30 
 
 the rharc.ml tiilx'^ w.ir wi«ll Iu'hUmI tiad the nascH nivi ii nil" witlidiawn 
 throtiKli lln- tup iM'twcrn X iiikI U hy mi'iui!i of n vacuum puuip. A j^inall 
 motui-clriviii <iil-puinp provid wry convfiiicnt for thid purpnsr, uh th- 
 opcmtii.n of rxtrmtiiin oil the Kas from the ihiircoiil tulu-s in l.v no mi'iiii-. 
 » **lnirt oiif. If pl.'iity of luituiiil kuk was aviiilalilc, as, for ixaiuplc. wlicti 
 the tsas wart l>rou({lit l>a<k under pri'SHun- in xtM tanks, tiu; proii-ss was 
 not rtstrictnl to tUrw volumes of l»,(MM) c.c. .-afh, hut was continufil in 
 many casts till the siMttnun tuht- intiicatc.i si^ns of impurity in tin- li.lium 
 It was rare tiiat more than IO,(M)0 c.e. of uas could be safi-lv attended to 
 with the (|uantity of .harcoal used. Hy so doinn, howev.-r, nuich knowledne 
 was obtained of the beha' i<nir of tlie chan,)al under dilYen'nt conditions of 
 saturation. 
 
 The following extended run was made to net further knowledue of the 
 pressure variations in the condenser and in the ciiarcoal lubes. Tlu' first 
 colunm nives the times of admission of the tubes of nas The pressures 
 in the third column were re.ad after each admission, when the pressure 
 had beconu' practically steady. Of cou.se there is latitude for error here 
 After each five, a louRer wait was made and the pressure reading r.pi ated. 
 Ihe "((lualization" pressures which are read for the condenser and first 
 charcoal when they are in communication thnuiRh the tap K, and for the 
 two charcoals when they are in ctmmiunication between the taps X :'ad O 
 are noted in the table and linked up by the sIru ~. 
 
 Natural Gas from Bow Island (Well No. 4). 
 
 ColU'deil, April 1 ; Tested, June 10. 
 
 Nu. ..fTub.. 
 leurh Tuho 
 -1,200 r.o). 
 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 
 I 
 2 
 3 
 
 4 
 5 
 
 14.') 
 44 
 
 •4.'5 
 ■4.1) 
 4" 
 
 •4M 
 Mi 
 MJ 
 
 •.W 
 
 ■i:i 
 
 •li 
 ■16 
 •17 
 
 ■IS 
 ■19 
 ■21 
 
 Cim- 
 
 I'lllK. 
 
 Oi 
 
 7-2 
 
 10 7 
 
 14'() 
 
 1» 4 
 4.'i 
 
 1-irst 
 
 Si'ciiml 
 Clmri'oiil. i ('Imniiiil. 
 
 Volunii' 
 
 llt'liutii. 
 
 IVroPiilaif 
 
 of 
 
 lleliurii. 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 4 5 
 
 0^0 
 
 after puiiipinn. 
 
 ■:i • -J- 
 
 M 
 
 11 
 
 8.2 
 120 
 15 2 
 17.6 
 20 2 
 !»■« 
 
 .'i'd 
 
 utrcr piiinpinK 
 
 UO 
 
 •li 
 
 u u 
 
 I--) 7 
 
 • 2ii2 
 
 aftpr pumpins. 
 2'5 
 
 2^9 
 9 
 12 2 
 1.5-2 
 17-B 
 20 
 
 24 
 1-7 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 after pumpiiiK. 
 00 1.9 
 
 172 
 
 ■2sr 
 
 m 
 
:h 
 
 • 2')2 
 
 ■it: 
 
 No, •<( 'ruiMi 
 
 Vni'li TuIm- 
 
 Tim 
 
 1 
 4 
 
 I" 
 
 i: 
 
 n> 
 •.II 
 
 i-47 
 i 4S 
 I 4!t 
 
 •.Vi 
 -V} 
 
 tit 
 
 4-.'r, 
 
 4-. '7 
 
 29 
 31 
 3:i 
 ;i4i 
 
 ■I 
 
 5-5 
 
 I'iv»«um Hi'wUiiKi. 
 
 I .111- 
 • l.MiM-r 
 
 < 'liitn-iinl. 
 
 (llWi'lHll. 
 
 iM- pllln 
 
 iinir, 
 :'il 
 
 I !l 
 I) 'I 
 iifii-r puiiipinu. 
 
 0(1 
 
 Ml 
 II I) 
 
 4t 
 
 :) ' 
 
 
 
 ■>- 
 
 V> ■ 
 
 uiti r |i;iiii|)iriK. 
 
 :.' II 
 ()■!• 
 iiftvr puiiipinK- 
 
 II 
 
 M ! 
 
 I'i II 
 
 JO 
 Jll 
 
 ^ifiiT puiupimc. 
 I II 
 
 :t ii 
 
 L'l 
 
 I I).'. 
 
 Ml 
 
 
 '.) 
 
 Hftor puiiipiiw 
 
 Oil 
 
 4S 
 11-7 
 14 ■< 
 17:. 
 
 .•0 
 .'-'I 
 
 lU't 
 li 
 
 M) 
 
 
 CO 
 
 afiti pumping. 
 
 .IS 
 
 •)1 
 III 
 14 1 
 17 
 \<}-2 
 ■2t-2 
 .'0 .; 
 10 
 
 4'» 
 
 -••5 
 
 lO") 
 
 aftor puinpinK. 
 
 10 
 
 00 
 
 102 
 alter puinpinK- 
 
 I'd 
 
 II 
 
 5 
 71 
 SO 
 
 lOS 
 5-6 
 4.3 
 1-6 
 
 IS 
 
 all IT i.uinping. 
 0-2* I 2-2 
 
 00 
 
 I 
 
 Voluiiic 
 
 of 
 
 Ili'Imin. 
 
 ri>ri;oniii«i> 
 
 of 
 
 HWiuin. 
 
 17 .1 
 
 2S9 
 
 Ills 
 
 .:'S(1 
 
 ■2.S7 
 
 17-9 
 
 •297 
 
32 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 2. The condcn>:iti' was solid. The eauee fell to a orpssiire nf is th»n 
 rose to 17 for a whil., ami afterwards f?ll Ltl»uou9i3' ' '" 
 
 T« tJ^t .K '''■*'^''""'" "'"'•"''I * ^?"''^ ""* be reduced to less than this 
 Is th 8 the vapour pressure of methane in the charcoal? 
 
 4. Ihe charcoals were heated and the gases cooled sent thmiurh „ 
 
 hvdrocfh''^'^^'^^ •" "^"'^ i''- '^hi^ throw's out t^ metLne aWher 
 hydrocarbons. The gas was then pumped off. Its volume was 2 170 cc 
 
 ZT"S also tor °^ ' "^ ''"^ '■'• - '"'"^ -•' "P--^^^^^ 
 
 The steady pressures after successive ''fi^es" '(i.;' pressure 'of uncon-- 
 
 'rr'lfl S'19 t*20TT rT' ^^ eonWnsa?e)"rriS'4"rr8, 
 1.1 /, iM d, JUd, 19-9, 20-3. Estimatmg as well as we can the pressure 
 
 oMliLT-° '^' "* '^' ^""°"^ ^*"8^^ ^•^^ f°""^'»g nlbers aJc 
 
 cms. 
 19-4 - 2 o = 16-9 
 19-8 - 2-9 = lG-9 
 19-7 -3-3 = 1G.4 
 19-3 -3-9 = I0.4 
 20-3 -4-8 = 15-5 
 19-9 -51 = 14-8 
 20-3 - 51 = 15-2 
 
 Average IGO nearly. 
 
 These numbers gradually decreased. One would have expected them 
 condelX. °" ''"■"""' °^ '^' 'P'^'' "'^''' "P '" '^' condeSserby th™ 
 
 It appears that on the average the pressure of the uncondensed gas in 
 the condenser after passmg 6.000 cc. of natural gas, is 16 cm HenJe 
 this gas would have at atmospheric pressure and 20° C. a volume of 
 
 ^^^^ixf^^^OOc.c, 
 
 which represents on the 6,000 cc. a percentage of 5, agreeing fairlv well 
 with the value obtained by pumping out the charcoal. ^ 
 
 Manufacture of Hclmm. 
 
 UUnIl!'\T^nl'^\ ^-^r ^}^^ ^'«b b*''""" content, such as those of the 
 Blackheath (Ontario) and Row Islan<l (Alberta) ;egi„ns provide a verv 
 convenient source for a supply of this gas. provme a very 
 
 fK„ }^ ^'^'l'"" '^ '•''Huired in moderate quantities for laboratory purposes 
 The hv i'rn.Il'r. '"^''' '' conveiuVntly done in part at the source VsJ^p^ 
 Ihe hydrocarbons may be taken out of the gas bv liquid air and the 
 
 an^li'dS:' ""'"' *'^''^" *" *'^ '''^«^'^*°^> and'puST; ?harco'a1 
 
 ■■■■■I 
 
33 
 
 For this purpose the gas may be passed straight from the main 
 through a condenser B, Fig. 11, the inlet tube of which reaches nearly to 
 the bottom of the mterior. The outlet tube CD should be of greater 
 height than the barometer, and its lower end should dip under a little 
 mercurj- ui a tray E, immersed in a larger dish of water H, over which a 
 collector bottle G may be inverted. At the beginning gas is passed through 
 the apparatus to sweep out all traces of air; then liquid air is applied to B 
 and the collector bottle placed in position with, if necessary, a funnel F to 
 guide the gas mto the bottle. Condensation occurs in B; if the gas pressure 
 IS low It IS hkely that mercury will be sucked back into the tube DC, but 
 no danger can result from this. The current of gas should be continued at a 
 gentle rate until the condenser is practically full of condensed hydro- 
 carbons. Using gas from the above wells, the uncondensed gases which 
 
 .1 
 
 li 
 
 Fio. II. Apparatus 7or collating laboraton- samples of helium, freed from hydro- 
 carbons, at source of supply. 
 
 pass oyer into B will have a helium content of from 15 to 20 times that of 
 the original gas. Using other sources the concentration will depend, of 
 course, on the composition of the gas. We have found that a condenser 
 of about 400 c.c. capacity, v<ith about 2 litres of liquid air, is sufficient to 
 treat 300 litres of gas at a time, giving 20 litres of uncondensable gases, 
 of which about 1 litre is helium. If the process is carried on until the 
 
 ■J 
 
34 
 
 coiidi'iiser is full, little hi'iium will be lost by being left in the condensei 
 at the completion of the run. The liquid air can be removed and the 
 condensate evaporated and returned through the taps J and A to the 
 mains (ir burned. The residue obtained in this way can be taken to tht 
 laboratory anil a separation effected l)y the charcoal method ^ described. 
 An alternate method might, however, bo used to increase materially 
 the (diicentration of the heliimi with the advantage of diminishing the 
 tedious process of baking out the charcoal. This method is an extension 
 of the condensation process as described above. In it the liquid air is 
 made to boil in a partial vacuum instead of at atmospheric pressure, so 
 that its temperature is sufficiently reduced to condense a large proportion 
 of the nitrogen constituent of the above "non-condensable" gas. The 
 charcoal process will then be applied to the re-concentrated helium. 
 
 Commercial Manufacture of Iltliuin. 
 
 A very interesting problem is presented by the possibility of the 
 separation of helium from natural gases on a large scale. It is obvious 
 that any process for accomplishing this separation must take advantage 
 of the fact that helium remains a gas long after all the other constitu(>nts 
 of natural gas have been li(iuefied. Two methods of concentrating the 
 helium suggist themselves. First, the combustion method in which all 
 inflammable constituents are removed by burning and the products of 
 combustion are absorbed. This method involves the problem of disposing 
 of the large ((uantity of heat liberated. This difficulty might be met by 
 l)urning the gas in an internal combustion engine, supplying at each 
 explosion the oxygen necessary for the combustion of the gas. The energy 
 thereby generated would be available for driving liquid air machines, 
 dynamos for the production of oxygen by electrolysis, and other machinery 
 required in the further processes. The products of combustion would 
 be removed, the water by condensation and freezing and the carbon 
 dioxide by chemical means or possibly also by freezing. The helium then 
 remains mixed with small amounts of oxygen, hydrocarbons, and the 
 original non-combustible gases. The further processes are suggested below. 
 
 The other method of concentrating the hehum consists in applying a 
 <lirect process of condensation. The gas is compressed and cooled as in 
 the ordinary processes of liquefying air until all constituents whose boiling 
 l)oints are higher than that of helium are condensed. In order to do this 
 economically it would probably be advisable to condense the gas by several 
 stages — first to condense the hydrocarbons at as high a temperature as 
 possible and then the nitrogen. Suitable temperature interchanges should 
 be arranged so thai, the oncoming gas will be cooled on its way to the 
 condenser by the evaporating condensate. The economy of the method 
 depends largely on such an arrangement. In order to carry out the 
 pr(K;ess advantageously the gas should be available at rock pressure, 
 since thereby a large part of the cost of compression would be saved. 
 The evaporating hydrocarbons could of course be returned to the mains 
 so that waste of gas would be reduced to a minimum. 
 
 A rough estimate of the operating cost of separating helium in this 
 manner may be made from the figures given by Claude* on the cost of 
 liquefying air. According to Claude the energy required to produce 
 
 •Claude iCottroii) Liquid -lir, Oiygcn and Xitrogen (CUurcIiill, London). D. 173. 
 
 aam 
 

 35 
 
 1 litre of liquid air in 1- 41 li. p. -hours and the cost is tlicrffore ;il)out one 
 penny. 
 
 Aliout 1)00 litres of natural p;as are reciuircd to produiM! I litn; of 
 liquefied gas, and the helium coiitcut of this (juantity in the best sample 
 exammed is about 2 litres. Assuming that the cost of producing 1 litre 
 of liquefied natural gas is the same as that of producing 1 litre of liquid 
 air, then the helium can be manufactured at the cost of one halfpeunj- 
 per litre or a shilling per cubic foot. 
 
 As a matter of fact it would likely be only a small fraction of this 
 amount on account of the economy effected by the temperature inter- 
 changers mentioned above. This estimat(> is for the energy change alone, 
 but that will probably be thr important item in applying th- process-, on 
 a large scale. 
 
 May 1, Htl(>. 
 
 5' 
 11 
 
1 
 
 SE{;TI()\ II. 
 
 THE RADIOACTIVITY OF THE NATURAL GASES OF 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 Report by Professor J. C. McLknvax. F.H.S., and Professor 
 JoHx Satterlv. F.H.S.C 
 
 The Radioactivity of Xatiral Gas. 
 
 When a gas escapes from the soil it usually contains the emanations 
 of radmm an.l thorium. Thorium emanation has a very short^ffe c^! 
 half of It changing per minute into the next product; it therefore quickly 
 
 mucTsh?wer"'T;^ r"""- 7^': ^"*^; "^ '•h^"»'''' °f ^'^J'"™ emanation i^s 
 ?^ h1 .^ -^^ !'f^? "''^""'y ^""'" '^''y^ t« ^•'■"P to half value and aft.-r 
 thp n.^Hi rf '*J" ^ f"'" '?"* "-emaining. When therefore we speak of 
 I«Hi„l""/-^ ""^ ^ ■"'V*"'"^' «**' ^'^ "^"'^"y ™ean that the gas contains 
 radium-emanation, and the amount of this emanation in any given volume 
 IS taken as the measure of the radioactivity of the gas. 
 
 Principle of the Method used for Measuring the Radioactivity. 
 
 The amount of radium emanation in a gas is usually deduced from the 
 increase of electrical conductivity which its presence imparts to the gas 
 I^J'°"^"**"?u^' °^ ^^/ «?^'' measured in an ionisation vessel and then 
 compared to the conductivity imparted to the same quantity of non- 
 rad.on >tiye gas or air in the same vessel by the presence of a known amount 
 of rad .im enaanation. This radium emanation is usually obtained from a 
 radiu'ii solution of known strength. 
 
 Description of the Apparatus. 
 The natural gas was collected as described in the earlier part of the 
 
 rffil kV' "/ '""'■'*'' ''""V'^'^y ^""^ th'" P'''^ "f the work that these vessels 
 should be free from any radioactive contamination. 
 
 The Ionisation Vessel and Electroscope. 
 
 A diagram of the electrical apparatus is shown in Fig. 12. The ionisa- 
 tion vessel \ IS made of stout brass. Its dimensions are: height ;>;} cms 
 
 tonTf fh.. vlfl- ''"'' Y*'"^^ "■'"'"* ^•^•^ '■'■ *''"i«g air-tight into the 
 top of the vessel is an ebonite plug carri.-d by a brass scr.'w. Sealed into 
 the ebonite i.s a quartz tube which carries a stout brass wire W. This wire 
 reaches to within an inch of the bottom of the vessel. The upward pro- 
 longation of the wire IS about 3 inches long and is enclosed by a little brass 
 
 bvTwTre F "t^* ' V"'"/ f?^" "'^""^ '^ '^'"''''''^ *" ^'' ^^^ *« tie Jarth 
 tJ> a wire h This part of the wire carries a gold leaf so that the little 
 chamber with its contents constitutes an electroscope 
 
 Opening into V are three tubes, one of which goes to a mercury 
 manometer M, another P communicates, as required, to an exhaust pump 
 
 ■iMlllli 
 
37 
 
 the third one I is connci-tcd to a dryitiK tube II containing calcium chloride. 
 The gaws were introduced through this tube to the testing vessel. 
 
 The gold leaf system was charged l)y means of a charged rod (the little 
 apparatus made by Cossor, of London, is verv convenient for this purpose) 
 and Its position observed by a •■Py." telemicroscope. Sufficient potential 
 was employed to saturate the vessel for all the leaks taken, and once the 
 telemicroscope was fixed, all conductivities were take: uy observing the 
 movement of the gold leaf over the same position of the scale. The leaf 
 was usually charged to a higli.r iM.tential than that desired, and brought 
 down to the correct position by tMiichiiig it lightlv with a match stick. 
 'Ihe method uf taking electrical coiuiiictivities is well known, and there is 
 
 Flii. 12. Idiiisution vcissci and electroscope. 
 
 no necessity for going into detail hen\ The air-leak is usuallv taken first. 
 It is well not to attempt to read small leaks until about a quarter of an 
 hour after charging the leaf system, or too high a result is obtained. After 
 this interval, however, the leak is fairly constant. In the present ease 
 the leaf takes about a day to move from one end of the telemicroscope 
 scale to the other. With one gold leai used the air leak was -047 division 
 per minute, with another about -07. 
 
 Thk A.sriRATOB System. 
 
 The natural gas was brought back from the field in two ways, either 
 as high-pressure gas in largt steel tanks or at atmospheric pressure in what 
 are called 5-gallon "demijohns." 
 
 1; 
 
38 
 
 111 the former case tlu- nozzle of the tank waa cunnected to the tap L, 
 and V and H having been previously exhausted the taps wer; turned and 
 the vessel filled with gas. 
 
 In the latter ease a measured v»)lume of gas is withdrawn from a demi- 
 john by means of aspirators A and D. The volume of A is 2,830 c.c. 
 After V was exhausted the aspirators were eonneeted up to the apparatus 
 as shown in the figure, and the gas passed into V. A was then disconneeted 
 from H and air was allowed to flow into V to l)ring the pressure up to 
 atmospherie or rath(>r to a pressure of 7") ems., this being the eonstant 
 pressure at whieh all the readings were taken. 
 
 Changes which occir with H.\dium Emanation". 
 
 The eonduetivity of a gas eontaining radioactive products is due to 
 the ionisation of the gas by charged particles expelled from the atoms of 
 radioactive matter when these change from one element to another. When 
 air containing radium emanation is passed into a testing vessel the initial 
 conductivity (normal air leak being deducted) is due to ionisation produced 
 solely by the disintegration of radium emanation. As time goes on the 
 successive products Kadium A. P.adium B, Radium C, etc., are generated 
 and decay in turn, and the ionisation increases, reaching the maximum in 
 about three hours, after which the activity slowly decreases. In order to 
 get comparable results the leaks should therefore alwavs be taken at the 
 same interval after passing th(! gas into the vessel." Some observers 
 always prefer to read the three-hour leak. It is a maximum value and 
 fairly steady for some time. The objection to it is that bv that time the 
 excited .*.tivity which is due to radium A, B, C, etc., has" been deposited 
 on the walls of the vessel and the vessel cannot be used again on another 
 sample of gas until these products have decayed into insignificance. It 
 was found long ago* that a slight maximum occurs about 10-20 minutes 
 after passing the radium emanation into the vessel. In order to save 
 time this leak was usually taken, although in many cases when there was 
 time to spare the gas was allowed to remain in the vessel, and the three- 
 hour leak taken for the ratio of the two leaks (which is about 1-4) serves 
 as a useful check on the accuracy of the work. 
 
 Also in cases where the radioactivity is very weak a better result 
 can be obtained from reading the larger leak. Of course, it is the difference 
 between the normal air leak and the leak observed with the ra<li<)active 
 g!is that is a measure of the emanation in the gas. 
 
 The Hadum Soi.ltions. 
 
 Standard radium solutions were obtained in 1!)14 from Professor 
 Boltwood of Yale and th(> Bureau of Standards at Washington. Comparison 
 between these solutions showed that Boltwood's solution was about 2 or 3 
 per cent weak.f After this a working standard solution was ncade from 
 the Bureau of Standard's solution by dilution and thT addition of redistilled 
 water and hydrochloric acitl. It contained 1-22 X 10-' grm. radium. 
 
 This solution was placed in a glass flask R (Fig. 13) communicating 
 by a wide tube O, through the inner tube of a long wat!>r-jacketed con- 
 denser C to the aspirator bottle A. To got the solution ready for use, it 
 is boiled for an hour and then a stream of air is rapidly drawn through 
 
 • Sattorly. Phil. Mag.. Oct., 190S. 
 
 t Of Mnran, Trana,, Roy. Soc. Can., 1913. 
 
39 
 
 it by nuuns of tlu' liibo I iiiul the nspirators. This rcmovt-f* uU thf rmanii 
 tion. The gtcani from the Holution is comlcnsoil in the inner tul)i' of (', 
 and trickh's ha<'k to the flask so that the coiuuMitration of the solution 
 is unaltered. The solution is then sealed up and allowed to stand, saj', 
 for a week. I-i this time a definite (luantity of emanation will have 
 accumulated. The amount expros.sud as a fraction of the equilibrium 
 
 I'iii. Hi. .Vppiinitus for preparing working radium solutions. 
 
 (lUantity ran be obtained from Tai)les* drawn up for this purpose. Again 
 the solution is boiled. The emanation is swept out as described above, 
 and c()ll(>eted in aspirators similar to that shown at A in Fijj. 13. Usually 
 just sufficient air is drawn through the solution to fill the testing vessel. 
 The air with the emanation is then transferred to the testing vessel and the 
 leak read. Deducting the normal air leak we get the leak due to the 
 emanation when the testing vessel contains air. From this we can calculate 
 the amount of emanation which, when mixed with air, will give a leak of 
 one division per minute. This amount is usually expressed as a fraction 
 of a curie, tho curie being that amount of emanation which is in e(;uilibrium 
 with one grain of radium. 
 
 In the case under consideration, this number is equal to — • 
 Fraction of growth of equilibrium amount of emanation X 1-22 X 10-' 
 
 magnitude of leak. 
 
 AlU FROM THE SOIL. 
 
 Some years ago experiments were made by one of ust on the radio- 
 activity of air drawn from the soil at Cambridge, England. The experi- 
 
 • See Kolowral. Le R:t<liuni, !!>!". 
 
 t Satterly, Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc, Vol. XVI, Part 4, 1911 and Part 6, 1912. 
 
40 
 
 ments wore r.-iM-oted here, and a short description of the method and results 
 18 uiven below, showinR h..w the radioactivity of a gas is nu-asured 
 
 Hy means of a narrow iron pipe, air was drawn from the soil about 
 .. f.. et a way fn„n the south wall of the Physics Building and from a In h 
 o ulmut 4 feet b in.-hes. A volume of 2.830 .-.c. was drawn up this p pe 
 and .mm,.d,ately passed into the testing vessel. The vessel wis fiUeclui 
 with normal air and the leak taken. ^ 
 
 leak 'und 'the' l."!['l' '/! *^" ""■l""''' ""' ^;'";''''"« '■'"''•""»'*' "^ *»»« ""••'"»' air 
 in I ;. . ,c ^""•' '*'"' •*"■' "'"' <'»•' ••'*'l'i"n solutions are <,uoted 
 
 and tl... method of workniK out the emanation content of a Kas Kiven 
 
 Sam/ilr of Headings. 
 
 (1) Volume of testing vessel = ;},S()() e c 
 
 (2) Normal air l..ik = .05 division p,.r minute. 
 
 !l!! 'V.u'''.,'?""""."*'' '"t'Tval = 17:1 divisions per minute, 
 (ftj at the .1-hour interval =24-7 " « 
 
 3-hour leak 24 • 7 
 
 Hatio ■ = _ 1.43 
 
 lO-miniite leak 17-3 
 U% ^'■•'P'"K ^" *'"' lO-'ninute leak and the leak per litre of soil air 
 
 = = 6-10 divisions per minute. 
 
 2-83 
 
 (")) Readings with Radium .^lo/i/^/o/i.— Strength = 1-22 X KM irrm 
 radium emanaticm swept out with air. ^ 
 
 Datp of 
 
 I'erifxl of 
 Accumulution. 
 
 Krartional 
 
 Cirow-th 
 
 of 
 
 Km aim 'ion 
 
 in .Solution. 
 
 Leaks. 
 
 Value of 1 Division 
 
 per Minute 
 
 pjpressod in 
 
 Curies. 
 
 HoilinK. 
 
 Interviil. 
 
 Total 
 Leak. 
 
 I.pak due 
 
 to 
 
 Kmanation. 
 
 April 26 
 May 2 
 
 4 days 23 hours 
 
 5 days 23 hours 
 
 •591 
 '659 
 
 /lO min. 
 1 3 hr. 
 110 min. 
 I 3 hr. 
 
 3-60 
 5-25 
 4tt< 
 5-85 
 
 3'GI 
 5-20 
 
 5-80 
 
 1-97 X I0->". 
 
 1 99 X ia-i». 
 
 The ratio 
 
 The ratio 
 
 3-hour leak 
 
 10-minute leak 
 3-hour leak 
 
 Average 
 
 5-20 ] 
 
 = = 1 441 
 
 3-61 
 .j-80 
 
 4 03 
 
 1-98 X 10-" 
 
 = i-44.r 
 
 The agreement is a check on 
 the accuracy of the work. 
 
 10-minute leak 
 (6) From the above the 
 Radium emanation content of Soil Air — 
 
 = 610 X l-98X10-'» curie per litre 
 = 121 X 10-'» curie per litre. 
 Small corrections should be made for the decay of the emanation both 
 of the gas and the solution during the interval between their removal from 
 their sources and their entrance into the testing vessel. The corrections 
 are practically the same for both and as they are onlv of the order of A 
 of 1 per cent they have been neglected. " " "' i^ 
 
41 
 Proof that thk Incrbahed ("onductivity observed with the Gas 
 
 I» DUE TO the presence OF RaDIUM EMANATION. 
 
 The definite ratio between the 10-minute leak and the 3-hour leak is 
 a proof that increased condiietivity is due to radium emanation. Another 
 proof is a'*orde<l by the dicay of the conductivity with time after the 
 three-houi interval has elapsed. 
 
 With passage of time radium emanation decays according to an 
 exponential law. After 3-8() days only one-half the original amount is 
 left, the rest being changed into Radium A, B, C, I), «fec. After another 
 3-86 days only a quarter of the original remains, and so on. 
 
 One method of identification is to keep the gas in an ionisation chamber, 
 seal it up and measure the conductivity every day for a number of days. 
 By subtracting the normal air leak from the total leak that due to the 
 emanation alone may be found. A curve may then be plotted and its 
 agreement with the known curve for the decay of radium emanation tested. 
 In our experiments this was done very carefully with the gas from St. 
 Augustine's, Toronto Field, and the agreement was practically perfect. 
 
 Another method which must be used when the ionisation vessel is 
 wanted for continual testing of gases is to pass into the vessel a definite 
 volume of the sample and take the reading and after some days pass in 
 the same volume and repeat the readings under the same conditions. 
 From the ratio of the two leaks the identification can be thoroughly checked. 
 
 This method was used in several cases with the Alberta gases and good 
 agreement found. Thus in the case of the gas from the Bow Island pipe 
 line at Calgary the first test was made on May 8 at 4 p.m. and a leak of 
 •47 obtained. The gas was again tested on May 24 at 11.30 a.m. and the 
 leak was now 027. Assuming the activity of the gas to be due to radium 
 emanation then the quantity which on the first occasion gave a leak of 
 •47 should, by Kolowrat's tables for radium emanation, give 15 days 
 19i hours afterwards a leak of 47 X 0576. This is 027, hence strict 
 confirmation is obtained. 
 
 Effect of the Nature of the Gas on the Amount of Leak produced 
 BY A GIVEN Quantity of Radium Emanation. 
 
 During the experiments on the natural gases it was seen that in order 
 to effect a strict comparison the nature of the gas used in the ionisation 
 vessel must be considered. For example the normal air leak is taken 
 of course in air, the leak in soil air is produced by radium emanation mixed 
 with air. When testing the radium solutions air is used to sweep out the 
 enianations. But when "natural" gases are under test the emanation is 
 mixed with many gases the chief constituent being methane but nitrogen 
 is always present in appreciable quantities. The question is "Will a given 
 quantity of emanation produce the same leak in 3,800 c.c. of methane 
 as it does in 3,800 c.c. of air?" 
 
 723S8-4 
 
42 
 
 l,v r^v?*"!'!''* "P^nmcntinK on the rolative ioniBnti.ms per unit volume 
 by rays obtoincd the followinR results:— 
 
 Gaf. 
 
 Hytlrogea 
 
 Helium 
 
 Air 
 
 Carbon Monoikle. 
 
 Methane 
 
 Kthane 
 
 Propane 
 
 Hutane 
 
 lonination. 
 
 23 
 
 I no 
 I 00 
 MO to 1 IU3 
 
 I'OH 
 
 :i'(U 
 4 oj 
 
 BO that in methane the ionisati.in is 10 or 11 pt-r cent greater than in nil 
 and in ethane over 100 per cent. »* »" ^ i"«" "• an 
 
 oK ,7" •*''** ll''" P"l"* **i® f*"*'"™ solutions %vere used. The reconl Riven 
 above gives the value of the microscope divimt.ns when air wvh uHcd t" 
 sw.^ep out the emanation. Natural gas from the Bow Island Fine Line 
 
 L ?n^a'l7Ju' """^ ""5^ '"' **''" ^y'^T- 'i'^^ «'^"'Pl'- had been storeil 
 so long that Its own radium emanation hud practically vanished, the loak 
 obtained when it was us.d to fill the testing vessel leing just a little above 
 the normal air leak. The results an- shown in th.> next table. 
 
 Readings when the Kmanation was swept out of the Kadium 
 
 SOUTION WITH NaTI Il\L CiAfi. 
 
 Date or 
 boiling 
 
 Poriml of 
 accumulation. 
 
 Fractional 
 Itrnwtli of 
 emanation 
 in solution. 
 
 
 Leaks. 
 
 
 N'alue of one division 
 
 the 
 solution. 
 
 IntiTVal. 
 
 Total 
 l.-ttk. 
 
 I.oak due 
 
 to 
 
 emanation. 
 
 per minute 
 
 exprc.ised in 
 
 t'uries. 
 
 May 11 
 
 May 17 
 
 9 days hour 
 6 days .5 hours 
 
 •SO-.' 
 •073 
 
 1 10 min. 
 1 ;* hr. 
 10 min. 
 
 5'.W 
 N1.5 
 4Bti 
 
 SIO 
 4-81 
 
 1-77 X 10^'". 
 178 X lO^n. 
 
 The ratio- 
 
 ,. , , „ ^Ican 1 • 77 X 10-'» 
 3hr. leak 8 10 
 
 T~r = J •'is very nearly the same r 
 •''■•'53 obtained before. 
 
 18 
 
 10 min. leak ., ._ v^.y^uuiuu i 
 
 5n TlJJ?'TT''^"r °V '^1'''''"° P'^"" ™"'"*'' ^'h'" the emanation is ct ,u.ed 
 m Bow Island natural gas is 1-77 X 10-'» curie. When the ema .:.on i« 
 
 1-98 
 
 in air it is I • 98 X lO-" curio. The ratio —- is just a little less than 1-12. 
 
 The composition of the Bow Island Pipe Line gas is 
 
 Methane (including any ctli.ine, &c.) 91. •{ 
 
 Nitrogen u ' 
 
 Carbon Dioxide , 
 
 Oxygen ■.■.■■...'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.['. .1 
 
 1000 
 
 * Metcalfe, I'hil. Mag., 1909. 
 
43 
 
 BO that if ethane were present to the extent of 2 per cent ond we adopt 
 Metculfe'u reuults the relative ioni»ati»»n would be 1-12 times that of air 
 ond that aurees very well with the results of the rudium solution. 
 
 A siniitnr series «)f j-xj. riinentH wus earried out with the rus from the 
 Cousins and Sissoni* well at Medieine Hut and practically the same result 
 was obtained. 
 
 Corrections to bk Applird to Natural Gases on Account of the 
 
 Compositions. 
 
 The correction to be applied is complicated in two ways. 
 
 (1) It iH usually tt mixture of nas and air that fills the testinR vessel. 
 
 (2) The composition of the f^na is not always known, and in cases 
 when! the jjas has been analysed the methane percentane often intrudes 
 the higher hydrocarbons. 
 
 The leak of 1 division |M-r minute is equivalent to 1-98 X 10-" curie 
 when the emanation is in air und to 1-77 \ 10-" curie when the emanatioii 
 is in natural Ras of the How Island or Medicine Hat type. 
 
 If we adopt 1-77 X lO-'" curie as our standard and reduce all reatl- 
 inns to. what they would have been had the emanation been in air then 
 all leaks in natural gas similar to those mentioned above must be reduced 
 in the ratio o' 108 to 1-77, i.e., Ml to 1 or a deduction of 10 per cent 
 must be made. 
 
 If the testing venael were filled with a mixture of 2,830 c.c. natural 
 gas and 970 c.c. air the leak should be reduced in the ratio 
 2,830 X Ml + 970 X 1 108 
 
 3,800 1 
 
 I.e., a deduction of 8 per cent, and so on. 
 
 Individual gases should be treated separately nccordiiij!, to their 
 composition. On account (.f our lack of definite analysis of the samples 
 actually tested the percentage deductions given above will be applied 
 to all the natural gases tested except those from British Columbia. In 
 this case two of the gasis, i.e., those from Pender Island and Pitt Meadows, 
 were practically nitrt)gen, while that from Port Ilaney was only 23 per cent 
 methane, and the percentage deduction in this case is very small. 
 
 Calculation of the Emanation Content of the Gas. 
 
 The identity having been shown ami the efTeet of the methane on the 
 leak tested, the emanation content of the gas at the time of collection at 
 the well may be calculated from the value of the conductivity of the gas, 
 at the timt! of testing. 
 
 Take for example the case of the gas from the Bow Island Pipe Line 
 at Calgary. This gas was collected in Calgary at 4.30 p.m. April 4, 
 Mountain Time, and tested in the Laboratory in Toronto at 4.5 p.m. 
 April 8, Eastern Time. Thus its age was 3 daj's 22 hours, and in that 
 time the emanation had ilecayed to -49 of its original amount.* The 
 observed leak for 3,800 c.c. of gas was -47 division per minute. Hence 
 the leak per litre if taken immediately at collection would have been 
 
 •47 
 
 = -26. 
 
 3.800 = -49 
 
 * See Kolowrat'i tablet, I« Riuliuin, l'rl3. 
 72333— « J 
 
44, 
 
 Correcting for the compoMtion of the gan to get tho leak tl..- emamitioi 
 would have given it had u 1mm m air inBtead of in natural ^tu„ the Irak i 
 reduced to -23 per htre, .-■' hence the radium contv nt of the gua i 
 
 •26 X . -98 X !()-•• curie per litre. 
 
 ™ .. , . " •''^i X 10-» curie per litre. 
 
 V _^i'\^.<'">"«'^ctu)n for dw-a 'v,b very impi.rtant for the gas from th( 
 >orth-\\egt aa in Borne .a8e^ ral days elapsed between eollecti..ii an. 
 
 tcBting. The int..rvul wag a, ,,.,ith aa seven daya for the British < oluinhi, 
 gaHcs. In the case of the Oni iri.. ^ases they were usually tost.d the <! n 
 after collection and in some ca^e^^ on the game day so that the corree io 
 for decay was much neurer n '•*• 
 
 I" . 11, ■ 'on testing is shown here. The figiini 
 * I 1.1 tl. • Table on pp. 4«>-51 frr coinparisor 
 
 1 It (.!• iling with the radioactivity of a tin- 
 " ' on.- .iered that the ap of this gas at tii< 
 uu'i.' ih -ilso the noxnibility of contain! nitioii 
 
 li b • : ! en broujtht into contact. 
 
 The complete table ^f th 
 in the final column are n "' 
 with the helium content. ^ 
 taken from pipe lines it mi. i 
 time of collection is unknow 
 from bodies with which the • 
 
46 
 
 Si to . 
 
 
 XS 
 
 3S2f:te2S3g2S 
 
 ii o j, e'. - i a'- 
 
 £■^§5 •-£ = = ? 
 
 0.2-^ 3 ^i^ 3-' 
 
 SS3SSSS3?S?i!;3?? :?^i,'!SSS$2RSSS 
 
 iillilMjlll 
 
 SSSSSSJ^SSSSiaiS a':SS.?S8 = R£8S 
 
 u. 
 
 -M OS If: » ** f*" 2 ^ *^ ^ 
 
 ^ ^ oc ^ c-i o « OT -2 -^ fi 
 
 l^n 
 
 ^ CI w -M c^j CI fj r* s-j Fi ro ?J e 
 
 
 i^^ 5.2 = -- i 
 
 
 
 ■< 
 
 
 13 Meow ^ ^o «o»o tO«3« « M 
 
 xcicoxAOQOOeoe^ 
 
 II 
 
 «1 
 
 fli *r. 
 
 
 HHHHH 
 
 C^h- to 30 00 
 
 :5:rf 
 
 ~^ -^-^ "-^ '-^ ^^ --^ "--, "^ '^-^ \ ^N. 
 
 r» o :-o 30 CO ^^ ^ CI o* © —» 
 «• -^ ai* « -^ ~~-. ■"-- "^ -^ ">- "^^ 
 
 ^ M e^ e o -* <-* "N 
 
 
 HHHHH 
 
 cocoeoco««5>ouj»fl ^^^^ 
 
 CO w eo CO CO "-N.'^ " ' 
 ^-^'^^^"^'^ci eo 
 
 nco — — 
 
 «^ CO c*4eo ^ 
 
 C0";O tTtO CO ^ tCt— "b- o^o 
 
 ^-s. -^ *--, ^--, "^ "--."-- "-^ "-^ ^^ ^^ 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 
 ^i 
 
 ■<;cadQ"B"&."d!B>J<ia'dO 
 
 •S.2 
 
 22 Saa si i^^ mm 
 g»|-"j||||.| 
 
 ■gjacjQaih'ffl-jcQdQ 
 
 
 ■8 
 
 s 
 
 1 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 ill 
 
 ».« a 
 to 'J 00 
 
 .^i 
 
 III 
 
47 
 
 
 S5S 
 
 !39 
 
 5 xac 
 
 mi 
 
 
 £££ 
 
 ^^1 
 
 ■ . i^^ ^ ~ 1^ 
 
 I 4 — « !0 ^i 
 
 o *r ?^ o t* X 
 
 XC 
 
 I^5id. 
 
 x 5c 3C oc 
 
 ^1 ^1 iM |~I 
 
 Hi 
 
 S =:.> 
 
 r- CI "M ^^ 
 
 ■M --i ?t ?I ? I 
 
 o fi^ ^ *i^ r I 
 
 .|.&.8.,§ 
 p** *" *" ^■^ 
 
 a: ■/:' v: I^ 
 
 gas? 
 •1: 7( ? fe 
 
48 
 Results of other Observers on the Radioactivity or Na-cral Gas. 
 
 • li^^*"^ ^^ radioactivity was tested by Professor J. C. McLennan 
 m 1904. He compared the radioactivity of the gas from several wells 
 and found that the gas at Bow Park, Ontario, was very active. This is 
 confirmed oy the figures quoted in this paper. There was not the means 
 at the time to estimate the activity in standard measure. Boyle and Tory 
 found that the gas from the well at Viking was not radioactive. A distinct 
 radioactivity has been found in both our samples and the gas from the 
 well, which was stored in a steel tank, was tested twice, on April 10 and 
 April 20, respectively, and the law of decay found to be that of radium 
 emanation so that the activity could not be ascribed to contamination 
 from the tank. 
 
 Satterly and Elworthy working in 1914 on the radioactivity of mineral 
 springs of Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec tetsted in many cases the 
 radioactivity of the gas which bubbles up through the water. They found 
 values of emanation content ranging from 120 to 750 X 10-" curie per 
 htre. ' 
 
 The following table gives a few of the results obtained by the above 
 and other workers. 
 
 Table of the Radium Emanatiov Content of some Airs and Gasei^. 
 
 •Atmospheric Air: 
 
 At Carabridgc. KiiKUnd, Satterly* 
 
 At Montreal, Canaila, Kvcf 
 
 At Manila, Philippines, Wright ami .Sinitht 
 
 Air from the Soil : 
 
 At ( ambridge, Knglaml, SatterlyS 
 
 At Dublin, Irdand, July and .Smith ]j 
 
 At Newhaven, Conn., U.S.A., Samlcr«)n«I . . 
 .\t Manila, I'hilippineH. Wright and Siiiitlij. 
 .\t Toronto, Camula, Satterly 
 
 X IIM' curie per litre. 
 
 Marsh Cas: 
 
 At C'ambriilge, Kngland, Satterly*' 
 
 At Caledonia Springs, Ontario, Satterly 
 
 Natural Gas in .-(ome Saline Waters of Canada: 
 
 .\t Carlsbad Springs, < >ntario, .Satterly 
 
 At iJourgi't tliu.sscl l.ithia), Ontario, .Satterly 
 
 .\t Viclnria .Springs, Ontario, Sailorly 
 
 .\t ('aledonia Springs, ( Intario, Satterly 
 
 At V^rennt's, tjuebee, Satterly 
 
 At St. l.eon U-aiiii), Quelx-r. ".Satterly 
 
 At St. Leon i I.upienj, (iuelK-c, .Satterly. 
 
 At St. Hyarinthc li.eituitairiet, tiuebi'''. Satterly 
 
 .\t Herfhier (.River Uayonnel, (iui^bi-i;, Satterly 
 
 At Maskinonge (I-crnvrei. (^ucIkm', .Satti-rly 
 
 At HanIT, .Vlberta. Klworthy 
 
 Natural Gas in .Saline Water.'* in llngland: 
 
 -Vt Jiath, liain.saytt . 
 
 ■\t Huxton, Makinve rtt 
 
 * I'hil. Mag., 1810. 
 
 t I'hil. Mag., 19(W. 
 
 t I'hys. Rev., 1«15. 
 
 ( I'roe. Caiiib. I'hil. Boo., Vol. XVI, I'arts 1\ and \ I 
 
 L Sci. I'roc. Koy. Soc, Dublin, Vol. XIII, I'.ill. 
 
 % .\mer. .lour. Sci., 1911. 
 
 *• I'roc. Caiiib. I'hil. .Soc, Vol. X\ I, I'art IV. 
 
 tt Chem. News. pp. 105 1;M, Ii)I2. 
 
 it Chem. News, pp. 10,'>~l:i.'i, lUI:.' 
 
 C3i — aw 
 
 060 
 •071 
 
 70—230 
 
 200 
 
 340 
 
 306 
 
 780—1,210 
 
 150— .ItJO 
 1130 
 
 350 
 5U0 
 870 
 200- .iOO 
 880 
 140 
 500 
 500 
 480 . 
 250 
 2.500^,000 
 
 3.1, 700 
 8, UN) 
 
49 
 
 Summary of Results. 
 
 Ontario Gas Fields. 
 
 Date of 
 Collec- 
 tion. 
 
 - Jan 
 
 i 
 
 " 
 
 7 
 
 May 
 
 .7 
 
 Jan. 
 
 21 
 
 •• 22 4 
 
 '* 
 
 2» 
 
 May 
 
 A 
 
 " 
 
 3 
 
 Jan. 
 
 2S 
 
 Keb. 
 
 h 
 
 " 
 
 H 
 
 " 
 
 II 
 
 Mar. 
 
 IS 
 
 " 
 
 IK 
 
 May 
 
 11 
 
 
 11 
 
 April 
 
 24 
 
 
 24 
 
 •* 
 
 24 
 
 " 
 
 24 
 
 I'l'b, 3 
 
 " 15 
 April 21 
 " 21 
 " 21 
 " 21 
 
 .Ian. 25 20 
 31 
 
 helj 
 .■Vpril 
 
 May 
 
 Name of Well. 
 
 I. — Oil Upringi—Fetrulia Fit Id. 
 
 A. No. 6 Oil Springs, Fairhankit, 
 
 tion method. 
 H. Oil Springs Co. (combuation) . 
 H. Oil Springs Co. (conden-fation). 
 
 < '. Bredger's Well 
 
 IJ. Parks Well 
 
 iibu»- 
 
 Poroentage 
 of Helium. 
 
 •16 
 
 2— Tilbury FieU. 
 
 A. Glenwood Station 
 
 n. Askew Well 
 
 C. Glenwood Gas (at Hamilton 'rom Til- 
 
 bury I^ine). 
 
 D. Tilbury (at Glenwood from Northern 
 
 Pipe Line). 
 
 E. Tilbury, Urown's Farm 
 
 3.—Sclkirk-Httinham-Dunniill( FulJ. 
 
 A. Dunnville 
 
 H. Selkirk Mains (at Hamilton) 
 
 C. Rainhum Centre (Svcnt Well ) 
 
 IJ. Kainham Centre Mains iSclkirk Field) 
 K. Dunnville (C'. Koss's Weil) 
 
 F. Dunnville (a new well) 
 
 G. Dunnville (Mum by Well) 
 
 H. Dunnville (Robbina' Weil) 
 
 4. — Briint-Onondaga Fiiid. 
 
 A. Onondaga Main (taken at Brantford) . 
 M. Van Sickle Farm Well 
 
 C. Bow I'ark Well 
 
 D. O jiiilaga-Middlcport Main (between O. 
 
 and U.). 
 
 S.—Blackhmth-Sencca Fi-ld. 
 
 A. Blackheath Gas (Dom. Gas Co. ,. 'Selkirk j 
 (cutolT). I 
 
 U. Blackheath (main line from S. Nat. (.!i- 
 Co.). , 
 
 ( '. Blackheath ( National Gas Co. Main) i 
 D. Hamilton (National Ga.i Co. M:iini , 
 
 K. Blackheath Main (National (ia.s ( '.).) i 
 F. A Wcllj 
 
 (J. .\ Well .Out of the 40 supplying the muini 
 H.AWellJ K. j 
 
 t.—WelUnd FuU. 
 
 A. Stevensville (Weli No. 3S2) 
 
 B. Wainlleet and Bertie iNiagui;i I'lillf 
 
 Mains). 
 
 (.'. Niagara Falls (National CiwCx.) 
 
 D. Stevensville 'Well .\'i>.;is.") 
 
 K. SherksloB tVVell N... 3|K! 
 
 F. Wiilougfabv (.VVell No. (il i . 
 
 G. Pt. Abin.. 
 
 H. Stevensville (Bertie Tp. Well No. 431)1 
 1. Sieveimviue uiuiiiiifi.ttoai' Tp. Weil No. 
 437). 
 
 1.5 
 •1,5 
 ■14 
 
 14 
 
 II 
 •18 
 •13 
 
 •14 
 
 13 
 
 •19 
 ■3U 
 
 30 
 
 •27 
 •24 
 
 •2!) 
 •33 
 •32 
 
 29 
 
 •34 
 
 •2.S 
 •29 
 •.32 
 
 •21 
 •30 
 
 ■24 
 •2S 
 •28 
 •It 
 •2tt 
 
 Amount of 
 
 Radium 
 
 Emanation in 
 
 Units of 10"" 
 
 Curie per 
 Litre of Gas. 
 
 22 
 4 
 
 18 
 14 
 
 50 
 34 
 
 220 
 ,5.50 
 80U 
 131 
 
 220 
 212 
 247 
 34(i 
 
 1.5(1 
 172 
 28 
 51 
 34 
 «7 
 
 Percentage of 
 Encondena- 
 able Gaa at 
 
 Temperature 
 
 of 
 Liquid Air. 
 
 3 .5 
 
 3^8 
 
 2-9 
 31 
 
 8-5 
 67 
 
 ,5 ,5 
 4^5 
 57 
 5-7 
 
 3 8 
 3 
 « 
 40 
 
 31 
 3-5 
 17 
 50 
 f>:i 
 41 
 
so 
 
 Ontario Gas Finhos— Continued. 
 
 Date of 
 Collec- 
 tion. 
 
 Xame of Well. 
 
 Porcentatre 
 of Helium. 
 
 Amount of 
 
 Radium 
 
 Kmanation in 
 
 Unite of 10"" 
 
 (^urie pnr 
 Litre of Gas. 
 
 PercentiiKP oi 
 I'ncondon*- 
 able Gas at 
 Temperature 
 
 Liquid Air. 
 
 Jan. .3 
 May 29 
 
 7— Toronto Field. 
 A. St. AuKustinn (combustion method) 
 
 A. St. .\uKU8tine (condensation method).... 
 
 •013 
 
 (first 
 
 result 
 
 obtained). 
 
 OOt) 
 
 174 
 
 100 
 
 The Albekta Gas P'ields. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 31 
 
 " 
 
 31 
 
 " 
 
 31 
 
 " 
 
 31 
 
 it 
 
 31 
 
 May 
 
 2 
 
 April 6 
 
 April 7 
 
 7 
 
 April 6 
 
 July 
 July 
 
 April 
 
 1 
 
 '* 
 
 1 
 
 « 
 
 1 
 
 11 
 
 4 
 
 April 
 
 3 
 
 May 
 
 6 
 
 Airil 
 
 3 
 
 U 
 
 3 
 
 (1 
 
 3 
 
 1( 
 
 4 
 
 1.— Medicine Hat Field. 
 
 A. Cousins and Sissona Well 
 
 U. Main behind Methodist Church 
 
 C. Old Well (Park Well) 
 
 D.C.P.R 
 
 K. Smith's Well 
 
 F. Electric Park 
 
 0. Central Park 
 
 H. Low Pressure. Top of Hill 
 
 1. C.P.R. l«w Pressure. Same as D. 
 
 2.— Bow Island Field. 
 
 A. Well No. 4. Old and largest. . . . 
 H. Wells 3, 11. 14, pipe 
 
 C. Well 16, Burdette (Latest Well). 
 
 D. Bow Island Pipe at Calgary 
 
 3. — Sweet Gnus Country. 
 
 No resultec 
 
 4. — Suffield-Brooks-Bassano-Calgary Field. 
 
 A. Suffield (Town Well) 
 
 U. Suflield (C. P. R. pumping station) 
 
 C. Bassano (S. of C.P.R. track) 
 
 D. Brooks (West Well) 
 
 K. Brooks (East Well) 
 
 F. Calgary (Walker WeU) 
 
 S.—Okotoka Field. 
 
 A. Dingman Well, head casing gas from 400 
 
 feet to »iOO feet down. 
 
 B. Dingman Well, 3900 feet down 
 
 6.—Wetaslciwin-Viking-Vegremlle Field. 
 
 A. W/eUukimn Well, 20 lb. per square inch. 
 
 B. netaskiwin Well, 90 lb. per square inch. 
 
 Vikino WeU. 
 
 C. At well 
 
 D. Pipe Line — mile away 
 
 7.—Atkabaska Field. 
 Pelican WeU 
 
 8.— Peace River Field. 
 Tar Island Spring 
 
 13 
 
 •12 
 11 
 •11 
 •11 
 
 •29 
 •29 
 •.'!4 
 •33 
 
 •10 
 •12 
 ■06 
 •09 
 •08 
 15 
 
 ■03 
 •01 
 
 05 
 ■06 
 
 •05 
 •05 
 
 •002 
 •010 
 
 57 
 01 
 89 
 60 
 48 
 69 
 67 
 
 16 
 93 
 10 
 40 
 
 S4 
 
 63 
 113 
 71 
 67 
 16 
 
 26 
 
 145 
 206 
 
 16 
 40 
 
 21 
 
 35 
 31 
 37 
 3-5 
 
 52 
 73 
 73 
 63 
 
 < 90 
 
 4-2 
 <120 
 
 3^8 
 
 2^7 
 
 20 
 20 
 
 40 
 800 
 
51 
 
 HUITISH (,"OLU.MniA. 
 
 Date of 
 Collec- 
 tion. 
 
 Name of Welt. 
 
 Percentage 
 of Helium. 
 
 Amount of 
 
 Radium 
 
 Kmanation in 
 
 Units of 10'" 
 
 Curie per 
 Litre of Gas. 
 
 PcrcentafEe of 
 
 Uncondens- 
 
 ablc Ga» at 
 
 'i'emperature 
 
 of Liquid Air. 
 
 April 10 
 •• 11 
 
 A. Ponder iHlund 
 
 H. Port Hancy 
 
 •028 
 •01.3 
 •O0.'t 
 
 390 
 400 
 540 
 
 09 
 
 " 11 
 
 C. PittS.eadows 
 
 000 
 
 
 
 Umveusity ok Touonto. 
 
 Soil Air Sriim A\ fnt doun nnir Pht/sici Building. 
 
 May 18 
 
 " 24 
 
 June 2 
 
 5 
 
 A. Pipe at S. end of building. . 
 
 A. 
 
 A. 
 
 U. Pipe at N. end of buildin>; 
 
 1,210 
 
 l.OiSO 
 
 760 
 
 805 
 
 May 1, 191G. 
 
52 
 
 SKCTION III. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE HELIUM CONTENT OF \ N\TURAL 
 GAS FROM NEW BRUNSWICK, CANAdA. ^^^^^^^ 
 
 A Determination by Mh. 11. T. Elwobthy, B.Sc, A.l.C. 
 
 A detailed examination, ei.mprlsinR chemical analv«is, density. 
 
 E.j;T?/'.''K'''^'f"' ^'*' "'■''•"'"• =*"•' «P'-t-tn,8copic examination of the 
 
 NerSruijck ' "" "" *"""''''' "^ "'"*"'"''' "'"" ^'■""' '^'""'^to". 
 
 foiloJs^— '^^'''' *'" ^^"^ *'^° ''-ga""» bottles, containing the sample, r.-ad as 
 
 ''Sample of natural xas from Stony Creek field near Moncton. 
 i\ew Brun.^wi,k. ( oUocted from a tap .)n the pmui.es of the Mcmcton 
 
 LZZ^rfi l\^'''\^y'ril ^''^^ ^^"- "* ^I""'-t<'". I'.v S. Lister Jaraen, 
 nstru.ted by the Anglo-Persian Oil Co., Ltd.. an.l l.y courtesy of 
 the Moneton Tramways Co., Ltd. 
 
 Jloth Lotties were in >c..nd eunditK.ii and had not l<-aked. The gas in 
 each was under slight pressure. 
 
 Density. 
 
 The density of the mis was dc termined nsinir a quartz density balance 
 described m the npp..n.hx t., this report. The value was found to be' 
 ^■820 gram per lit^e i.-ur M'-JX grms. per litre, methane -710 ^rms. per 
 
 ClIEMItWb .\.\.\LV.SIS. 
 
 A chemical analysis of tlu- samph> was carried out with the Kas 
 analysis apparatu.s,leserib,.d in Secti<,i. VI of this report, "The InvestigatL 
 of iNatural (.a.ses fr.mi New Zealand, Heathli.kl, Bnth, and Pisi " 
 
 1 he fullowmj,' results wen- obtained:— 
 
 ,, .. ,,,, Per cent. 
 
 Methane ( H^ ^, , . 
 
 '.thane ( ^H« -..> 
 
 ( 'arboii dioxide ("()„.. v ' .' " 
 
 , . , . - -None 
 
 ()xy>5en (), v .. 
 
 X--; , None 
 
 Aitroxen and rare gases N, j.j..s 
 
 Heuum Co.vte.vt. 
 
 The Helium content of the X.-w Brunswick g.is was found usiiiK the 
 analysis appara us des.T.bed in S-.tiun VI of this n.,,,.rt. Th > oni v de, Sure 
 
 hydirrtnU:.' '" ^'""^ "" ^■■"""'"* '^'''^'^ -"' *» --«'•»- the 
 As the temperature of the li(,uid oxyne,, {-isr V.) is a (.-w degrees 
 above the reezniK point of methane, an,l especially of the freeJng poiit 
 of th.- metham-e her nuxtur.- that is obtained in this ease, the hvdJo- 
 carhon. do not solulify as ih. y do wh.,. condensed at liquid air erapemture 
 
53 
 
 but remain liquid. The liquid mixture obtained was found to have a 
 vapour pressure of 100 mm. 
 
 Duplicate analyses were made on th«' jjas in eaeh sample bottle with 
 the following results: — 
 
 nottio \- 1 
 
 2 
 
 Bottle B— t 
 
 2 
 
 Initiul Volume. 
 
 c.r. 
 4,000 
 II. (KK) 
 II. WM) 
 fi^OfJO 
 
 Final Volun.p. 
 
 2S0 
 
 4-7.') 
 3'SO 
 
 Mean. 
 
 Helium. 
 
 IVr cent. 
 058 
 •060 
 •079 
 '0S8 
 
 •064 
 
 Spectroscopic Ex.\mination. 
 
 The Helium obtained from the analyses of the gas sample in bottle A 
 and in bottle B was passed through a second charcoal absorption apparatus 
 and led into a discharge tube. 
 
 By means of a small Hilger spectroscope the spectrogram shown in 
 Plate I was obtained. 
 
 For purposes of comparison spectrograms of pure Helium, mercury, 
 neon and argon arc added. 
 
 February 7, 1919. 
 
vt 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 ON THE HELIUM FIELD IN ALBERTA. 
 
 IIeport by John Patterson, M.A. 
 Introduction. 
 
 for iP.r J"I'"'''"'?p'"1T"'"t*, '•" the Helium Field in Ali.erta is submitted 
 
 hat the m nhrin ^'''^'^' " " 'P*^'"'""^' •"^"'•'"i"S- *>•"» it it will bo seen 
 tnnt the minimum averaKc consumption of ^as at Calirarv. where our 
 experimental plant is located, is about .1,(M)0,000 cubic feJtpJr day The 
 nmximi;m consumption is about 1-,,00(),000 cubic feet per day. As the 
 ivS .hl'''f "".* " f" h"i^ * P''"" ".'V'' ^'"•'' ^""'J '»'-'"» that at Calgarv the 
 cubic feet pi? moii'th '"''"*^" ^'""^ '*''°"' ^"^'°^ *" 1,500,000 
 
 Report. 
 
 Wcfitll'n Vnf.?rnf'r-'"™/'':''^T?", ^"''T*^ '« "P^^"*'''^ ^^^ ^^e Canadian 
 \\efltern Natural C. as, Heat, Li^ht and Power Company, and it is in the 
 
 Saskatchewan. The latter flows about fivv miles per hour between high 
 nmi'r .° ™t?^ ^ ■''^' ''"* K""^"' '^'"'''^ t''*' Surrounding country is undulatin.^ 
 fheir In Jf •"'■'' ^'■'' •"'" ^*'""\2.1 wells in the Bow Island field proper and 
 
 Nos -, 2 1 r -r ff 7» J>» t»'- a^-«>'"P""y'"K «''''' m'lP Fig. 14 Wells 
 .\os. o, 2, 1, 6 3, 13, 4, /, 23, 12 and 8 are situated on C.P.K. lands, and 
 
 hfs rsTm^ «r ?" fl^^' ^..'■"^''''*>' "" **»^' «"« "^.tained from thes. wS; 
 this gas IS measured at the Coste measuring station and after being metred 
 
 ne^ wS '?o '2- Try}'''?}' f' *" ^^"l?''''^'- '^''>^' ^^^P'^''^ have'dSle J a 
 r„T«? i ' ?*u^^;j' ^""'"'' "•''^'' B'lrnwell; its position is marked in 
 
 5 000 0(S*V ""?" ""^ *^' ^'"^ i^r"""^ 'in-- This well hai a capacity of aboS 
 4 000 000 feet per day, and it is evident that tir iv is an important gas 
 fiehl there which the companv intends to d.>vlop. The company turns a 
 
 thf iield end'"f M "^ -^^'''".^ '"^^ '}' P'"" '"- ^ ' '"'""tain t7 ^iLsu "'at 
 the held end of lu- pipe line at about ItiO lbs. and at the redudng station 
 
 then f^f^n'''* ^'•*'"* ^"? lbs This r,.du,-i„g station is near Ogden, and 
 there the pressure is reduced from 1(K) lbs. to 35 lbs. The intermediate 
 pressun; lines are tlu-n .listributed to various parts of the city,^^™ ?re 
 are stations to recluce from 35 lbs. to 4 ozs. 
 tJ,„r„ shown in the accompanying trunk line in:ir) (^^ap 523.) 
 
 of which L"r h7 -l "*"^','\"J' ''r'T ^"PP''^"'' ^'""« the way. the cht 
 ot which are Lethbridge and Maeleod. Table I gives the total monthlv 
 
 nionthh and daily average amounts for each montli drawn from the field 
 the^a^^.ra.e daily amount for Calgary and its p. rcentage of the total 
 
 thoscJ^^t Rmv'Vd"'" P ''f^V■ ^•\^^' ^ '■'''*"^ ^^' ^•'■" «t Barnwell and 
 
 samp e at the Coste measuring station containing gas from wells Nos. 
 o, i, 1, o, J 13, 4, 7, 23, 12 and 8, one sample from wells Nos. 9, 10 md 
 
 Sv'c'X' iS^nk?- '"" ' ■" "■"" '"■■ '' ■'" '"*'" "' *>"•"■ '->'°' 
 
Holium. 
 
 CH. ... 
 CtH,... 
 Ni 
 
 Uarnwi'll, WrII X... 2.V 
 
 IVr ivnt. Tir nut. IVr ci-n 
 ■M 
 (.I lc«l-i) 
 (I) 12) 
 
 8«2 !»|.ti 
 
 4:t lit 
 
 U 14 tMI 
 
 11. 2."i. 
 
 (•.r.u.(;ii». 
 
 No. 22. 
 IVrfinl. 
 
 90 1 
 2tl 
 till" 
 
 Niw. 9 and 10 
 
 iind Southern 
 
 Allwrta. 
 
 IVr ci-nt. 
 
 i:t) 
 s; (» 
 .'i 1) 
 7 W 
 
 IVr conf. 
 •:«J 
 
 ■It 
 
 11-2 
 
 IVr font. 
 • ;io 
 
 S9-2 
 
 ■« 
 
 11 2 
 
 The nnalysi.s sliow.s that t\\v wtU at IJarinvcll is tlic richfst in Helium 
 and that it i-oiitains mori' cthaiic; tliis may not he a (Ittrimciit to thi- 
 production of Ildiuni, hut Mr. Costc lias aKrctd to wliut off tht> Harnwrll 
 
 well if neccssarv when the test 
 
 s are hciiiij mafic, 
 
 On analysing tlie pis for hydnicailiciis, the tests ail showed a ncnative 
 value for the ethane in the samples from the Bow Island Field. This 
 suRRested hydninen in the oxygen used in the analysis, and on t< slinn for 
 
 hydrogen it was found that there was 
 
 )5 per cent hyilioneii in the? 
 
 oxyncn. The results were then corrected and positive values were ohtained 
 
 ro)jen content, 
 
 po; 
 
 for the ethane as niven in th(! TaMe. As regards the nit 
 
 sample No. 2 from well NO. 2."> was taken from a fresh i),,ttle that had no 
 water in it, and the sample was drawn off iminediatclv after the hottk 
 
 was oi)ened under water. It ttave the nitrogen and Helium at 
 
 5 per cent, 
 
 and the sample that was drawn off al>out half an hour later, durintj which 
 time the pis was c.f.osed to some water in the bottle, pive the content as 
 8 per cent, while the first sample was taken from pis th.it had Ueeii stand- 
 iiiR over water for some days, ait«l the nitropn and Helium content was 
 9-') per cent. This sample was analy.setl for o.xypn and found to contain 
 
 •93 
 
 per cent oxyp'n. This shows that the air dissolved in the Toronto 
 
 water had contaminated the jjxs, and as all the samples tested had been 
 standing over water they are probably :i or 4 per cent too high in their 
 nitrop-n content. 
 
 T.MILE I. 
 
 TiiK <'.\\.\niA\ Wkstkkv X.\niui- ( 
 
 i.v;^ 
 
 I.Kinr, Hkat, .vnd Powkr 
 
 CoMl'.WV, I.lMlTKi). 
 
 CiiiisKmiiliiiii of Xntiiidl (ins in Tliousmiil Ciihic Fiil. 
 
 
 ( 'alKary 
 
 How- 
 
 ( larps- 
 
 " 
 
 M.i. 
 
 ncsa. 
 
 Ihlm. 
 
 1B17. 
 
 
 
 
 Ootolwr 
 
 26(i,.iu'r) 
 
 l.lSfl 
 
 .•1,1.7:1 
 
 Novcinix'r 
 
 .-i I. •!.«■>' 
 
 7!"' 
 
 :i,2.sii 
 
 IVitkiImt 
 
 ■!ii4,2t)L' 
 
 1 , »(>^ 
 
 !),4:!s 
 
 IDIn. 
 
 
 
 
 .Iiiimary 
 
 4i!V.ir.:! 
 
 1 , 22:: 
 
 ft, 19.1 
 
 li'liniiirv. 
 
 •■!.S2,ii:.' 
 
 i.oaj 
 
 s.r,:'s 
 
 Maicli 
 
 .'!:'>', rw 
 
 ,Siti 
 
 <;,S74 
 
 April 
 
 2fi.:),.'i»W 
 
 .S77 
 
 .'t, litis 
 
 Miiy 
 
 24;,0():i 
 
 9:11 
 
 2,910 
 
 Juno 
 
 IiiS.»i>7 
 
 .S2H 
 
 l,:;ii2 
 
 July... 
 
 HLO-IS 
 
 9.'i() 
 
 ».")! 
 
 ■AuitUMt 
 
 i:t5.7();i 
 
 «78 
 
 1,029 
 
 Seplftiibrr . 
 
 !.">i.S»i 
 
 1,021 
 
 l,71.i 
 
 Total... 
 
 ;t,270,!i29 
 
 12,074 
 
 .52.629 
 
 Field. 
 
 .■.,741 
 4,(102 
 1,917 
 
 l,7tiO 
 
 1,04 
 
 2,t)14 
 
 ■y.\r,-, 
 
 1..>S9 
 1.4.1(1 
 1. («».•. 
 1,40.'. 
 (.72 
 
 28,9.W 
 
 Gra- 
 nuni. 
 
 I,clh- 
 l.ridi!«' 
 
 i.(KM i:i,:ni 
 
 I.. '.27 I7,sii;- 
 4.4U7i :i7,.VIJ 
 
 .1,717 
 :{,4(i4 
 2,7.50 
 1,901 
 1,4.5s 
 HOli 
 7.SI 
 
 -:)2 
 
 U74 
 
 24,211 
 
 .•t.»i,l.52 
 
 :iti.(;!s 
 .ii,ns:- 
 
 17, KM 
 1 ^O-iil 
 
 9, 7:io 
 
 7.(H4 
 (i,.19(i 
 
 Mar- 
 
 lood. 
 
 9.(140 
 !'.7:U 
 i:i, 7(1.5 
 
 12,(1.51 
 12,74(1 
 10,(12(1 
 
 8,417 
 8,(1(1.5 
 9.940 
 8.238 
 8.. 57:! 
 9,219 
 
 2,(7, 0.5.5 122.21.3 
 
 Main 
 Line. 
 
 .•!1- 
 .51!! 
 9(1.5 
 
 91(1 
 
 ii2(; 
 479 
 
 41(1 
 4(H1 
 .5(l:' 
 m: 
 
 398 
 
 Xan- 
 tun. 
 
 1,9(1.8 
 
 2.41 
 
 .5,49: 
 
 .5,0,88 
 .5.584 
 :i,")(l(l 
 2,440 
 1,(180 
 1,025 
 
 82. 
 
 90-. 
 1,149 
 
 6,8C9 32,16.3 
 
 Oko- 
 
 toks. 
 
 1,01(1 
 
 l,(K>i 
 
 :j,:i.57 
 
 3.197 
 
 2.():j7 
 
 l,.8(ifi 
 
 1,423 
 
 1,018 
 
 ,58ti 
 
 47(1 
 
 481 
 
 70.5 
 
 18,388 
 
 Sand- 
 atone. 
 
 17 
 24 
 55 
 
 48 
 61 
 3(1 
 31 
 
 •I 
 
 5 
 5 
 
 7 
 1 
 
 292 
 
56 
 
 TABLE II. 
 
 Th« Canadian Wmterw NATtiut Gab, Liuiit, Hbat, and Powkr 
 
 Company, Limited. 
 
 Yield of Natural Gas in Thmmnd Cubic Feet. 
 
 lair, 
 
 October 
 
 November 
 
 December 
 
 1918. 
 
 JMMiary 
 
 Febnmry 
 
 March 
 
 April 
 
 Jaae 
 
 My 
 
 AatMt. . 
 
 September 
 
 Toul Yield of Field. 
 
 Moathly Total. 
 
 30t.8l3 
 3U.7SH 
 M2,7U 
 
 482.701 
 45S.S88 
 389.009 
 307.840 
 373. 7A8 
 195,112 
 162.472 
 1M.46B 
 179,915 
 
 I>«ily Average. 
 
 9,8X1 
 11,858 
 17,507 
 
 15,574 
 15,271 
 12,551 
 10, 2*1 
 8,831 
 0,504 
 5,241 
 5,047 
 5,997 
 
 Daily Average 
 ('cMMamptioa 
 at Calsary. 
 
 8,590 
 10,405 
 14,972 
 
 13,130 
 13,078 
 10,588 
 8,853 
 7,807 
 5,032 
 4,850 
 4,377 
 4,995 
 
 IVrrantaMol 
 
 Total yield 
 
 UMd in Calcary. 
 
 874 
 88't 
 88C 
 
 84-3 
 841 
 84 4 
 8tS 
 88-4 
 80'« 
 86-8 
 86-7 
 83-3 
 
 March 10, 1919. 
 
Power 
 
 « tarn of 
 J Ywld 
 
 Hr4 
 
 S8.J 
 
 8SS 
 
 M'3 
 
 Ml 
 
 fH'4 
 
 W.l 
 
 N8-4 
 
 Me 
 
 MS 
 
 M.7 
 
 83-3 
 
 5: 
 
 lie 
 
 re 
 
 nt 
 
 es 
 
 I 
 
 le 
 
 »y 
 
 ii 
 
57 
 
 
 1 
 
 ' 
 
 
 ! 1- 
 
 
 • 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 — > 
 
 I— 
 
 j 
 
 i 
 j 
 
 
 s 
 
 72333— p. SO 
 
 Fic. 14. GaH field of tlie Caiia<liiiii W.slcrii ( la-. Light, Heat, and I'owt r Co., Ltd. 
 
 ^■HAMIiliiM 
 
50 
 
 TABLE II. 
 
 Oc- 
 No 
 Da 
 
 Jan 
 Fel 
 Ma 
 A pi 
 Ma 
 Jun 
 Jul; 
 Aii| 
 Sep 
 
57 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 THE HELIUM CONTENT OF NEW ZEALAND NATURAL 
 
 GASES. 
 
 I.— Report by Professok J. ('. .McLennan, F.R.S., and Captain H. A. 
 
 McTagqart. 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 The foliuwiiiK report c-oi\taiiis an acpoimt of an investiRatiun on the 
 Helium content of a numl)or of samples of the Natural Gases of New 
 Zealand. These samples of gases, wliich were handed over by the Admiralty 
 to the Board of Invention and Ucseareh for examination, were collected, 
 treated, and sent forward hy Mr. J. S. McLaurin, Dominion Analvst 
 (Department of Internjil Affairs), Wellington, New Zealand. 
 
 The gases were transported in hermetically sealed glass flasks. Re- 
 garding the tiasks, Mr. McLaurin stated that "they contain residual gas 
 after removal of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, hydrocarbons, and the greater 
 part of the nitrogen." The original volumes of the gases from which 
 these residual samples were obtained were marked on the flasks. The 
 gases were obtained from seven different sources in N»w Zealand, and as 
 the residues from four of the .sources were in duplicate, there were therefore 
 eleven samples in all to be tested. 
 
 Information nhont the (iax Samples. 
 
 The following information regarding the different samples was sent 
 forward by Mr. McLaurin along with them: — 
 
 No. 1 is from Hanmer, 24 miles from Culverden, which is connected 
 by railway to C-hristchurch. 
 
 No. 2 is from Kotuku, on the Grey-Iirunncr Railway, three miles 
 from the station. 
 
 No. 3 is from Welx-r, 20 miles east of Dannevirke (Wellington- 
 Napier Railway). 
 
 No. 4 is from Hlairlogie. 2() miles cast of Masterton (Wellington- 
 Naiuer Railway). 
 
 No. ") is from (Irooby's. seven miles from New Plymouth. 
 
 No. G is from Rotonia. from a spring in I..akc Rotorua. one mile 
 from the railway station. 
 
 No. 7 is from No. 3 Bore. New Plymouth, near wharf and railwav 
 station. 
 
 No. 1 Hanmer contains approximately — 
 
 Methane ' 9G- 1 per cent. 
 
 Inert ga.s 3-5 " 
 
 The rate of flow is about 330 cubic feet per hour. 
 
 No. 2 Koiiiku contains approximately — 
 
 Carbon dioxide .57 i)er cent. 
 
 Methane U " 
 
 Oxygen G-a " 
 
 Inert gas 25-5 " 
 
 1000 
 
 7233:-a 
 
58 
 
 Apparently a considerable amount of air had ieukod into this 
 cyHnder. 
 
 Rate of flow 400 to 500 cubic feet per hour. 
 iVo. 3 Weber contains approximately — 
 
 Methane " (»-,.o ,)er cent. 
 
 Carbon dioxide 2-8 " 
 
 Inert Ras 2-2 " 
 
 1000 
 
 Rate of flow 1,000 to 1,200 cubic fwt per hour. 
 
 A'o. 4 Blairlogie contains approximately — 
 
 Methane '.»«• 1 per cent. 
 
 Inert gas 3.5 
 
 Rate of flow 12 to 14 cubic feet per hour. 
 
 •Vo. 6 Grooby's contains approximately — 
 
 Methane, &c " {»,5.8 per cent. 
 
 Inert gas 3.4 " 
 
 Rate of flow 6 to 7 cubic feet per hour. 
 
 \o. (1 Hotorua contains npproximsitely— 
 
 Hydrogen and methane 17.4 p«.r cent. 
 
 Carbon dioxide 79.0 " 
 
 Inert gas 2-7 " 
 
 Rate of flow, approximately 200 cubic feet i)er hour. 
 
 So. 7, So. 3 Bore, Seic Plymouth, contains approximately — 
 Methane, etc i;,. 1 p,.r cent. 
 
 ("arbon dioxide 81-7 " 
 
 Oxygen ()..5 " 
 
 Inert gas 2-7 " 
 
 Rate of flow, 100 cubic feet per hour. 
 
 Method of determinimj Helium Content. 
 
 The method of determining the Htiiutii content can be seen from the 
 iliagranimutic sketch of the apparatus used, shown in Fig. 15. 
 
 The flask A containing the residual gas was connected by rubber 
 tubing to the apparatus, which was then thorouglily evacuated first of 
 nil by nutans of a mechanical air pump connected at V, and afterwunls by 
 m«'ans .,f the pumps 1), Q, K, and S. The residual gases were then intro- 
 duced into the apparatus by breaking off the jxiint of the side tul)e of tin 
 flask which was connected to the rubber tiiliing. 
 
 Liquid air surrounding U con.icnscd out any residual ('(),. methant 
 or water vapour present and coccmnut i-harcoal in (' and I), cooled to tin 
 temperature ()f liquitl air, a!>sorbed all the oxygen and nitrogen present. 
 
 The residual inert gas in the apparatus was tinally pumped over to X 
 where it was measured, and then from .\ it was pas.se(l over in the mann( 1 
 indicated in the diagram into the flask T for storage. 
 
59 
 
 I- ► 
 
 I 
 } 
 
 a 
 
 9 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 7aj3-J4 
 
 I 
 
60 
 
 ResuU:!. 
 
 The results of the inveMtigatiun art- ^«hown in TuMe I. In the first 
 cohimn th«' source wf the sample is given, in f 'olumn II the originul vohime, 
 as furnished by Mr. McLaurin, in Column III the volume of the final 
 residual gas. as measured by us, and in Column IV the deduced percentage 
 of rare gases present in the sample. The table contains as well the Helium 
 content of the gases from three other sources which have been recently 
 investigated. 
 
 TABLE I. 
 
 
 Column I. 
 Sourro nf < lai*. 
 
 fi.luiiin 
 
 11. i 
 
 Column III 
 
 Volume of 
 
 Final 
 R^Hidual. 
 
 Column IV 
 
 
 < >riKinal \' 
 
 I.iirr 
 
 IJ 
 .■i(i 
 
 ilunip ' 
 
 1 
 
 P<<rc«>nrn(»> r>f 
 Hare flakes 
 in Maiiiplt^. 
 
 u 
 lb 
 
 ■» 
 
 CO. 
 
 it 
 
 
 :!a.. 
 
 
 
 Sb 
 
 
 4a 
 
 
 4b 
 
 
 5a 
 
 
 Sb 
 
 
 fi 
 
 
 
 ]-,.lt \\..!tl 
 
 unil IVirolcii. Ti'ias. . . 
 
 
 Klai'khoutl 
 
 Distiiit. Unliirio 
 
 How NIanil 
 
 . AHhtIh, 1 anaila 
 
 Ill 
 
 
 
 ■M 
 
 ■B 
 
 ■.".•> 
 
 3* 
 
 .'0 
 
 2» 
 
 It 
 
 •4 
 
 70 
 
 :t'7 
 
 4-> 
 
 II 
 
 l-roni tlic results given in Table I it will be sci-ii that the "rare gas" 
 content of the New Zealand sainp!e> iias turned out to be insignificant. 
 From the infoiinatioii given by Mr. MiLaurin. muiiuMr. it will be seen 
 that the gas How at the sourco e(iiif.s])i)ii(ling tn tlir ■-ain[)les investigated 
 is extrelliely meagre. 
 
 Speclruscopic Kxaitiinalion of liesidufn. 
 
 By means of the apparatus shown in diagram in Figure 16 known 
 amounts of the rare gas resiilues eolleeted from each of' the samples and 
 storeil in the tubes T, Fig. lo, were in turn introduced into the spectrum 
 tiilie K. The discliarge from a small transformer, run by a small rotar\' 
 converted set, was then passed throiiuh the gas introduced into F.. and the 
 spectrum of the light emitted by the )i,is of each sample was ])liotographc(l 
 with a small Ililgcr ttpectrograpli. .•spectrograms obtained in this way of 
 the different samples are illustrated by the one in Plate I. l\>r the pur- 
 pose of ciinipari.soii, spectrograms of the discharges in Ileliuin. Neon, 
 Argon and Mercury Vapour are also include<l in the table. 
 
 In every ease it will be .seen that the spectrum of the residues include 
 the more prominent lines of helium, and also those of mercury as well 
 No spectroscopic evidence of thi' presence of neon ttr of argon in any ol 
 the residues was obtained. 
 
 Ih'usiln iHeiminations. 
 
 An Aston balance had been constructed for the purpose of makini; 
 density determinations, but on ai count of the extremely small anjount t>; 
 
61 
 
 filial lositlual gas ohtaiiiid with each of the samples, it was not thought that 
 any uwful purpose would he scrvtil hy attempting to make density 
 measurements on them. 
 
 lui. Iti. Apparafiis fur the spci'lniMniH' \amiii;iti(>ii of rare jt.is n-'ilui's. 
 
 We desire to iickiiuwlcdnc our iiidihtfihiess to Sir Charles Parsons 
 !cir the loan of a meiliariicai air pnmp and motor, and to the University 
 Iff Toronto for the loan of a (latdf imrcury pump and a (iindf rotary 
 mechanical pump and motor. 
 
 .January 2S, 10 IS. 
 
 Report by Professor John Satterly, F.R.S.C. 
 
 Samples of natural (jas from New Zealand were sent forward to 
 Tiirontd and their helium content was carefully determined with the 
 following re.sultt*; — 
 
Helium content. 
 
 nample No. 1, Hanmer .077 percent. 
 
 No. 2, Kotuku -002 " 
 
 No. 3, Weber .004 " 
 
 N<j. 4, HIairlogi*' -016 " 
 
 No. 5, Rotorua -0072 " 
 
 Thew results, together with the determinationm maiU- bv Pnifessi.r 
 J. ( . McLennan and Captain H. A. McTaggart, for the samples of the 
 same gaws. are given in Table I. The agreement in the analyses it will 
 be seen is satisfactory. 
 
 
 T.\ni.E I. 
 
 
 
 New Zealand (immm. 
 
 
 
 Helium Content. 
 
 
 Oricin of .Sample. 
 
 A. 
 
 Satterly. 
 
 H. 
 
 McLennan and 
 McTaiotart. 
 
 Katio. 
 .\.H. 
 
 No. 1. Hanmer 
 
 No. 2, Kofuku 
 No. .1. Weher 
 No. 4, RlairloRie 
 No. S, Kottirun 
 No. 6, Rol<irua 
 
 
 
 Per rent. 
 •077 
 ■002 
 
 (m 
 
 OIH 
 07.' 
 
 I'er .-eni. 
 •WW 
 •IH)1 , 
 
 tm 
 
 •DIM 
 •0.'.5 
 
 MS 
 2 00 
 1 00 
 \ Z\ 
 1 44 
 
 January 28, 1918. 
 
 
 
 
fi'ssnr 
 »f the 
 
 t will 
 
I'l Ml I 
 
 
 MmciNnr 
 
 Staphs ot HdMna li«a: 
 
 lialh 
 
 \i ir Xiolainl 
 
 A... Ilr.nisnu-I. 
 
 2.tX\ I :iii- |i li:! 
 
63 
 
 SKCTIOX VI. 
 
 REPORT ON THE HELTl M CONTENT OF NATURAL CAS FROM 
 
 HEATHFIELD (SUSSEX). BATH (KING SPRING) 
 
 (SOMERSET). AND PISA (ITALY). 
 
 IIbpokt bv {!ai'Tain !I. A. M(TA<itiAiiT and 
 li. T. Klwuuthv, M.Sc., A.I.('. 
 
 The gast'S were collcctcil over wiiti-r in hIhss bottles of 2') litn-s capn- 
 city upproximatfly, cloxfil by rulilu-r stoppers. Wlu-ii these reached the 
 hilwtnitory they were iiivi-rted over water and the Ka« taken out by 
 allowing water from the tap to run into the bottle throURh a tube in the eork, 
 whil(> the gas was driven out thrmii:!) another as in the (iiagrani, Fig. 17. 
 
 The apparatus used for the examination is also shown. On the left 
 is the bottle holding the gas. .\s the water ran into it the gas was foreed 
 into the graduated tube \ filleil with water and by upward displacement 
 forced the wati-r downward, the Huw of gas being stopped when the water 
 level wa.s the same inside and out. The readinji thus gave the ■ olume ut 
 atnaispheric pressure of the gas taken. 
 
 The gas then passed through Cat I in \ and over FjOj in I' and 
 entered the comlensation tube H ipiite dry. Licjuid air surrounding H 
 comh-nsed any constituent." 'li the gas that would licpiefy at that tempera- 
 tun-. Wheti this was complete, as shown l)y the manometer .M. the tap V 
 wa« openeil and the gas entered the tube (' filled with cocoamit charcoal, 
 where all absorbable gases were taken up by the charcoal. Whi-n no mon 
 was absorbed, as shown by the manometer N, the taps (i ;ind !l were 
 op«'ned an<l the residue entered a second charcoal tube K, where any 
 remaining absorbable gas not taken \\p by (' wns absorbed. 
 
 H was a pump for completing the exhaustion of ('. 
 
 The gas could be examined vistially in Z with a spectroscope to see 
 that the absorption was complete. The lines of Hg were always present, 
 the remaining lines being those of helium and traces possibly of some 
 other rare gases. 
 
 The pump S was u.sed to transfer the residue from 1) to the gas 
 burette X, where its volume was measure<l at atmospheric pressure, after 
 which it was collected over mercurv in thi- usual wav in small bulbs as 
 at T. 
 
 The pump P could be used to exhaust V and V of the .sample admitted 
 there, and Q to exhau.st H, but when a run was made in which \ was filled 
 .several times in succession it was found easier to make no use of P and ii 
 until the run was finished, when they were used to make a final exhaustion 
 only. 
 
 When the gas examined contained volatile constituents like methane 
 these condensed in R, and on attempting to exhaust the residual gas it 
 was fuunil impossible to make it complete at one trial because of the 
 existence of a vapour pressure of ti cms. or more, depending on the fresh- 
 ness of the li(iuid air u.sed. The usual practice was to close F, remove the 
 liquid air for a moment or two and allow the liquid to boil out any rare gas 
 dissolved in it; then replace the licpiid air again aiul exhaust once more 
 to the vapour jjressure of the condensate. This repeated two or three 
 times washed all the rfir- gas over itito ('. 
 
04 
 
 ^'> 
 
 
 I 
 
 .s 
 
 I 
 
 ! 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 § 
 
 •J'4'M <^«U 
 
65 
 
 W hfij the charcoal in V, aiiU D became saturatiHi duriitK «i run, F wa« 
 kept cloMd and all the resi^'ue to the right of u wa« pump«d into X. The 
 liquid air around C and D -vaa removed and the tub«>s allowed to warm up. 
 The abaorbcd gas came out fairly rapidly and was pumiM-d off at Y by a 
 HeuHH pump. When this waa completeif Y was clowil, th.- liquid air wan 
 replaced and the run continw-d. 
 
 The following tables give the results in the cases of the three gaaef 
 mentioned: — 
 
 Hbatiii'-iklo Natural Gab. 
 
 Viilunip admitted Ui ApparatiM. 
 
 l.itren 
 4 
 2 
 
 2 
 2 
 2 
 
 Tout 14 
 
 Temmmtura 
 at Rooni. 
 
 f. 
 
 U* 
 U" 
 14° 
 IS" 
 
 15* 
 
 Volume of 
 RMidue. 
 
 PC. 
 
 7h 
 4 3 
 S-6 
 4 4 
 4 .1 
 4 U 
 
 2« 3 
 
 Par MBt erf 
 RmOM. 
 
 21 
 
 Bath (Ias (Ki.no Spkino). 
 
 Litre*. 
 
 •I 
 
 3 
 
 I'otal « 
 
 
 c. 
 
 (■ I-. 
 
 
 ss 
 
 
 \y 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 
 IT- 
 
 3-3 
 
 
 
 
 HI" 
 
 3-2 
 
 y 
 
 ■H 
 
 
 Pisa N"ATi;a\i. (J as. 
 
 Litres. 
 4 
 
 14" 
 14' 
 
 None . 
 None. 
 
 M per cent argon, -23 per cent 
 Notes on Theriipeutics nf Radium 
 
 Tin- Bath gas wa.s examined in 1895 by Uayl-'igh, who fouiul 12 per 
 cent helium, in 1897 by Dewar. who fomul 1-4 |ier cent argon and some 
 helium, m 1912 by Kamsi.y, wh(» found " " 
 neon, and 03 per cent helium. (Sec 
 in Bath Water, by John Hatton.) 
 
 It .s not known whether the gas.-s from Hcatlificld or Pisa have been 
 examined for rare ga.s lu'fore. 
 
 The residue from the gases at Hctithfield and Batli were examined 
 spectrographically in the api)aratu.s illustrated in Fig. l(i. 
 
 The rare gas was introduced at L into the pipette J an«l then passed 
 into G, where it was allowed to stand fur 20 minutes or half-an-hour over 
 cold charcoal, as in the previous apjiaratus. \n ilectric current was then 
 passed through the discharge tube K and the spectrogram taken with a 
 Hilger glass prism spectrograph, u.sing panchromatic plates. 
 
 Prints of these are .shown on Plate I, accompanied bv comparison 
 spectra of Hg. A. Ne. and H., taken with the same spcctograph. 
 
 A chemical analysis of these gases was alw made as descril)ed below: — 
 
MKROCOrr MKXUTION THT CHART 
 
 (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 \s& 
 
 JUm 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■ 2.2 
 
 16 
 
 H^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ii Eait Mom Stravt 
 
 (716) 2aa - jg«s - Fa. 
 
66 
 
 Analyses of Samples of Gases from Pisa (Italy), Bath in Somerset, 
 
 Heathfleld in Sussex. 
 
 R. T. ELwoRTHy, B. Sc, A.I.C. 
 
 For the analyses of the eommon constituents a modified Burrell gas 
 analysis apparatus was constructed. This apparatus consisted essentially 
 of a burette, a compensation tube, and four pipettes connected toeetheV 
 as shown in Fig. 18. 
 
 The compensation tube and capillary had the same volume as the 
 burette and capillary "Leader" and taps, and was connected with it 
 through the potash pipette. Before every burette reading the potash 
 pipette was opened to the burette and the solution in it adjusted to the 
 index marks on the capillary of the pipette, and on the capillary side tube 
 by raising or lowering the potash reservoir and the mercury reservoir of 
 the burette. This adjustment automatically compensated for all changes 
 of temperature and pressure occurring during the analyses. 
 
 Carbon dioxide was determined by measuring the absorption in the 
 potassium hydroxide solution, oxygen bv absorption in the alkaline 
 pyrogallol solution, and un.«iaturated hydrocarl)ons, such as acetylene 
 ethylene and l)enzene, by absorption in fuming sulphuric acid. Paraffin 
 hydrocarbons were estimated from the data obtained by measuring the 
 contraction caused by combustion and the volume of" carbon dioxide 
 formed. 
 
 I'isa Gan. 
 
 Methane was the chief constituent, occurring to the extent of 80 per 
 cent. 
 
 Analysis gave — 
 
 ,, , ,. Percent. 
 
 ( arbon dioxide. COj 3.5 
 
 Mcthant! CH4 80-0 
 
 Ethane. CjHe 4.0 
 
 Oxygen. O2 .« 
 
 Nitrogen. N, II.9 
 
 An analysis by Gigli in 1912 gave (Chem. Zeit. 1912-36-51i)— 
 
 r' 1 1- • . ^^^ "^^"t- 
 
 tarbon dioxide 3.3 
 
 Methane 80-7 
 
 Ethane q.q 
 
 Carbon monoxide! Traces 
 
 Oxygen / 
 
 Heavier hydrocarbons. 
 
 Bath Gas. 
 
 The gas consisted almost entirely of nitrogen. Its origin is probably 
 dissolved air in the waters, which percolating through the ground finally 
 issue as the hot springs. The oxygen of the air would be used up during 
 the underground passage, leaving the nitrogen and argon to bubble out 
 with the water. 
 
 An analysis by Sir William Ramsay in 1912 is given for comparison 
 (Chem. News, Vol. 105, p. 134, 1912). The carbon dioride in the present 
 
67 
 
 Fio. 18. Burrell gaji analysis apparatus. 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 analysis is low on account of tht- sample havinR l.eon kept over water 
 \vhjch was several times chanRed and in which the carbon dioxide wouM 
 dissolve. 
 
 Present analysis. Kani.say. 
 
 ,, , ,. Per cent. Per cent. 
 
 Carbon dioxide. C<)2 2-4 3*6 
 
 Oxygen. ()j ..-, 
 
 Methane CH* — 
 
 Nitrogen. X, 97. i 00.4 
 
 Hralhfield, Suxsex. 
 
 The sample vas taken from a boring situated dose to the L.B. & S.C. 
 Railway Station. The boring was drilled in 1896 and is 300 feet deep. 
 It IS said at that time the gas issued at a pressure of 140-200 lbs. per square 
 inch, though when the sample was collected on March 14, 1918, the 
 l)re8sure was only equal to about 3 inches of water. 
 
 At present the gas is piped into a small gasometer and used to light 
 the railway station. 
 
 Analysis gave the following results: — 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 Carbon dioxide. CC)" None 
 
 Oxygen. O. '.[','. ' .5 
 
 Methane. CH^ go-t) 
 
 Ethane. C'jHe M 
 
 Nitrogen. Xj 18-4 
 
 All analy.sis of a natural gas at Hcathfield was macU- bv H. B. Dixon 
 and W. A. Bone in 1902 (Proc. J. ('. 8. 1903, p. 03) witli the following 
 
 res': I >-: — 
 
 Per cent. 
 
 Carbon dioxide. i\\ Xone 
 
 Oxygen. ()„ Xone 
 
 Methane. ('H4 93-16 
 
 Ethane. ( ..He 2-94 
 
 C;arbon monoxide. CO i.Q 
 
 Xitrogen X; 2-9 
 
 March 18, 1918. 
 
69 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 GAS DENSITY BAL.\NCE. 
 
 PRINXIPLF, OF METHOD. 
 
 The gas density Imliince consists essei'.tia"y of a iiuili, l)eain and 
 counterpoise, adjusted to l)alance when the l)Uoya.i'y of the gas displaced 
 by the bulb compensates for the difference iii weight of the bulb and 
 counterpoise. If equilibrium is ol)taine(l in each of two ga.ses by adjusting 
 the pressure of the gas surrounding the balance the ratio df these pressures 
 is of the inverse ratio of the densities of the gases. 
 
 Let a = density of air at po mm. pressure. 
 
 Let g = density of gas at po mm. pressure. 
 
 Let pi = pressure at which beam balances in air. 
 
 Let Pj = pressure at which beam balances in the gas for the same scale 
 
 reading. 
 The buoyant effect of the air displaced 
 , Pi 
 = K a — where K is equal to a constant depending on the 
 
 difference in the volume of bulb and counterjioise. 
 The buoyant effect of tlie gas displaced 
 
 P2 
 
 = Kg- 
 
 Po 
 
 Pi I>! 
 
 then a — = g — ■ 
 Po Po 
 
 K Pi Pi 
 
 .'. — = — or g = a — 
 
 a Pj P2 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF APP.*n.ATlS. 
 
 The Balance. 
 
 The balance consists of a Silica l)ulb about J inch diameter fused to 
 
 a beam of the same material about 1 32 inch dia.neter. The beam carries 
 
 a screw thread and aluminium adjusting nut and a fixed iron counterweight 
 
 at the opposite end, together with a small mirror (.see Fig. 10). The beam 
 
 e-Steel 
 Alummhm "—<"<> points^ 
 usting Screw 
 
 Mirror - 
 ^mm.dia.. 
 
 
 Fix9d Iron 
 Counterweight 
 
 . lum'mium Screw 
 Sensitivity Adjustment 
 
 Netfd/e points. 
 
 
 Glass 
 
 SECTION A- A 
 
 Fig. 19. Silica balance. 
 
 IS mounted on an aluminium bridge carrying two needle points which 
 have for their bearing surface a shallow glass trough. A small aluminium 
 nut, screwed on an upright from the upper side of the bridge, serves to 
 
:o 
 
 adjust the sensitivity of the balance. Tlu section AA, Fig. 19. shows the 
 arranRement of the bridge and .support. 
 
 The support is fixed on u base which slides into a glass tul)o 12 inch 
 diameter which constitutes the balance case. This ca.se is closed at one 
 end by a glass plate and is connected at the other end to a gas burette 
 mercury pump and manometer. 
 
 Magnetic release. 
 
 To avoid displacement of the balance on its points of support durinn 
 the transference of gases into or out of the apparatus the beam is held 
 in position by the attraction of the iron counterweight to a bar magnet 
 hung just below it, underneath the case. 
 
 The counterweight and magnet serve another pun se. Durine 
 nieasureimmts the balance can be given a slight oscillation bv bringing 
 the magnet above or below the iron rider. " 
 
 Index scale and pressure readings. 
 A beam of light reflected on to a scale one metre distance from the 
 small mirror fastened to the counterpoise end of the beam serves as an 
 index to determine the position of equilibrium on the balance. The 
 mirror is 2 mm. in diameter and weight 12 ing. Corresponding readings 
 agreeing to less than 1 mn are obtained. The pressure, corresponding 
 to the .scale reading is read with an accuracy of half a millimetre on the 
 nnianometer scale, hniall changes of pressure, sometimes required to bring 
 the spot on the scale to a desired reading, can readily be obtained bv 
 unscrewing the clip on the rubber-tubing of the mercury reservoir attached 
 to the manometer and thereby altering the level of the mercurv in the 
 pressure gauge and by that means the pressure of the gas in the' balance- 
 
 Apparatus for transferring gases. 
 Fig. 20 shows the arrangement of burette mercurv reservoir and gas 
 sample tube from which gas is passed into the balance ca.se. The volume 
 used can be nneasured in the burette and the gas let into the case, after 
 drying in the PjOj tube, as required. After a series of readings have been 
 made the gas is pumped out back into the gas sample tu'>. with the Tooler 
 mercury pump. ^ 
 
 Manipulation. 
 
 ci. The balance case and drying tube are exhausted aid the gas burette 
 tilled with mercury. A gas sample is pas.sed into the burette from the gas 
 tube in the mercury reservoir and after drying some gas is allowed to pass 
 into the balance case until the beam is balancing in a horizontal position 
 the magnetic control having been removed. Several readings of the s-cale 
 division corresponding to that particular pressure are taken after oscil- 
 lations of the balance. The pressure of the gas is altered by a few mms 
 and the corresponding scale readings are determined. After having 
 obtained a series of such readings the magnetic control is replaced and 
 the^gas pumped out. Dry air is passed in and the pressures corresponding 
 to the same scale readings previously obtained for the gas are obtained 
 
 1 he ratio of the pressures for corresponding readings with the balance 
 m equilibrium in air and in the gas give the density of the gas relative to 
 that of air or by a simple calculation the absolute density of the gas taking 
 the density of air to be 1-293 gms. per litre at normal temperature and 
 
71 
 
 Sensitimty. 
 
 When the balance is in eciuiljhrium in air a change of 1 nin». pressure 
 causes a change in scale readinR of li mms. One mm. cluinR.' in pressure 
 alters the density of air by (MJl? mg. per c.c, therefore a chanee in 
 density of 0006 mg. per c.c. can be detected. The manom.'ter used 
 however cannot be read to less than -5 mm., therefore • 00085 mir' 
 per c.c. change of den.sity is 'he limit of nccuracy. One per cent of air 
 ornitrogenaltersthedensityot pureCgasbv 01 mg. per c.c, therefore 
 the presence of at least 1 10 per cent of I'ither of these impurities is readily 
 determmed. •' 
 
 Lmmft 
 
 .B»lane» Csa» 
 
 -^^D- 
 
 Scml» 
 
 Silica 
 B»l*nc» 
 
 Mmgnat 
 
 Manometer tnd 
 Pressure Heguletor 
 
 Clify*' 
 
 Pump I 
 
 9 
 
 5^ 
 
 Drying Tube 
 
 f 
 
 Gaa Semple 
 
 ■Gredueted 
 Burette 
 
 -r. -Mercury 
 
 ^ Hm»mrtMiL 
 
 Heaerimir 
 
 V^ 
 
 Fi<i. 20. (ias (loii.sity balutico. iDiaKraiiimutic tikctch.) 
 
 Erample of method of calculation. 
 
 Density of sample of (J gas, purified by passage through cocounut 
 charcoal cooled in liquid air. 
 
 Sc-ulc reniling. 
 
 Correspond ins 
 pressure of 
 
 t- KBS. 
 
 f'orresponditiK 
 
 pressure of 
 
 air. 
 
 Ratio. 
 
 Density of sample 
 
 Krm. per litro 
 
 V.T.P. 
 
 250 
 
 22-6 
 
 mm. 
 .346 
 386 
 428 
 
 mm. 
 48 
 5.3-5 
 59 5 
 
 ■1385 
 ■ 1383 
 • 1.387 
 
 Mean . 
 
 •1791 
 
 200 
 
 ■1791 
 
 
 •1795 
 
 
 ■1794 
 
 The den,sity of pure C gas, according to the latest determination* is 
 • 178.) prm. per litre. One per cent of nitrogen or of air ii C gas increases 
 ^*f'7n!"''"*-^' ''•^' 01 grm. per litre, therefore the purified nple of density 
 •1794 gnn. per litre contains less than 1/10 per cent im. uri v, assuming 
 the im purity to be nitrogen or air. 
 
 PhyB. Rev., Vol. 10. pp. 653-60. 1917. 
 
 • The Density of Helium. T. S. Taylor. 
 
of C KM and another coStCm the natL*%"- V^' f"'"*"^" '=««•'«». 
 centage compoMition can be caStil fr .^ /k °J "''"f'' '? ''"««'"' <h« Per- 
 of the mixture and thrreTp^ctl" cKJ^^^^^ r«'"«" "^ the den^tv 
 
 For a mixture of three gane. he Stv *{ .k""'^'^"""'''- . 
 centage of one of them must he k Lwn to ,!pt«i. "'l"'''" ""'^ ^^e per- 
 each-a8«uminK the quahtutivo e™7it on uZ?' '^"f P^'-'-^ntage „f 
 can readily Im- carried out with rnSs ,7^' 1 °-? "^ '""'"'*•• This 
 methane or hv.lrogen for oxamprl" cither ,J the"' T"' "'"' "^>-«^'"' 
 determmed l.y analysis in the usual uhv-p. • . '""'*'■ «""<'" ''«» l>f 
 Hrgon. could he analysed hv derrminin-^the In"*';"'"'^^ P'"^' '"»'•<•«'«». 
 oHutrogen by almorbinK it-hrh™^ mcfal* '' "'"' *'"' ""••'"taKo 
 
 ^•it angew Ch^i,.. IJie, pp. 2ar-«B. Soddy. P,oc. U„,, 
 
 •"^or. 
 
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 Map showing location of NtUw 
 Scale: 35 m 
 
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 RTMCNT OP MINES 
 
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o ^ d. C^ o 
 
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 ^ ^N r P « R T H \ 
 
 \/ 
 
 MTEIIIMGIOJI 
 
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 'Ms and Pipe Lines in Southwestern Ontario 
 
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