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water separation

See:elutriation

water shutoff

The sealing off of salt-water-bearing formations to prevent harmful
underground water pollution. This is ordinarily done by cementing.
Williams

water slot

A groove incised in the face and outside wall of a noncoring bit that
serves as a waterway. Syn:waterway

water smoke

To heat a kiln slowly to dry out the moisture from the bricks, before
firing. Standard, 2

water softening

Removal of excess calcium and magnesium, from water through precipitation
of their carbonates (ion exchange) to remove ionized calcium, magnesium,
etc. Pryor, 3

water-soluble oils

Oils having the property of forming permanent emulsions or almost clear
solutions with water. Fay

water stemming bags

Water-filled plastic bags with a self-sealing valve classified as a
permissible stemming device by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health
Administration. Atlas

waterstone

a. A stone whose cutting crystals break away rapidly from its bond. The
use of water forms a gritty paste which acts in much the same way as oil
when used on an oilstone. The Queer Creek and Hindostan stone are good
examples.
b. Forest of Dean. A shale, so called in consequence of the wet soil that
is found wherever it appears at the surface.
c. The formation name for certain flaggy micaceous sandstone and marls in
the Keuper of the Midlands.
d. Eng. Quarrymen's name for the lowest bed in a Portland stone quarry at
Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire.
e. A whetstone requiring water instead of oil.

water string

Casing used to shut off water-bearing formations encountered in the
drilling of a well. Williams

water swivel

A device connecting the water hose to the drill-rod string and designed to
permit the drill string to be rotated in the borehole while water is
pumped into it to create the circulation needed to cool the bit and remove
the cuttings produced. Also called gooseneck; swivel neck; water coupling.
CF:air swivel

water table

The surface between the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration; that
surface of a body of unconfined ground water at which the pressure is
equal to that of the atmosphere. Syn:ground-water surface;
ground-water table; plane of saturation; saturated surface;
level of saturation; phreatic surface; ground-water level;
free-water elevation; free-water surface. See also:waterlogged
AGI

water-table contour

A line drawn on a map to represent an imaginary line in the water table of
a definite level. These contours are constructed from the data provided by
the water-table levels, corrected for differences in surface level at the
respective boreholes. A site investigation or opencast plan sometimes show
water-table contours. Nelson

water-table level

Level showing the depth of the water table below the surface; the depth at
which water is encountered in trial pits or boreholes. Nelson

water-table map

A contour map of the upper surface of the saturated zone. Stokes

water-table stream

Concentrated ground water flow at the water table in a formation or
structure of high permeability.

watertight

a. A borehole in which the conditions are such that no loss of the
circulated drill fluid occurs. Long
b. A connection, container, or rock strata so tight as to be impermeable
to water. Long

water-to-cement ratio

The ratio between the weight of water and the weight of cement in mortar
or concrete. The lower the water-to-cement ratio, the higher will be the
strength of the concrete. Hammond

water tower

a. A standpipe or its equivalent, often of considerable height, giving a
head to a system of water distribution. Standard, 2
b. A tower in which a falling spray of water is used to wash gas, etc.
Standard, 2
c. A tower containing tanks in which water is stored, built at or near the
summit of an area of high ground in cases where the ordinary water
pressure would be inadequate for distribution to consumers in the area.
CTD

water transport

Water is used for transport in some mines, esp. in placers and in
claypits, and generally in mines in an elevated position and with a loose
mineral. Also filling material is often transported into the mine by
water. The mixture of water and solid material can also be conveyed by
pumps horizontally or raised to a small height. Stoces

water turbine

A prime mover coupled to an alternator, using a purely rotary motion to
generate an alternating current. The main types of water turbines are (1)
the Pelton wheel for high heads, (2) the Francis turbine for low to medium
heads, and (3) the Kaplan turbine for a wide range of heads.
Hammond

water tuyere

A water-jacketed tuyere. Webster 3rd