Search Documents

By D. A. Reynolds, J. D. Davis

"This work was begun in l928, with the cooperation of the American, Gas Association, and the Association contributed financial aid for that year and for the 4 years following. In 1933 financial aid was discontinued, but the Advisory Committee, under the able, Chairmanship of J. S. Haug, has continued to function through the years to the present date. Mr. Haug's annual reports have been published in the Proceedings of the American Gas Association. The purpose of this paper is to bring the index of coals tested by the Bureau of Mines-American Gas Association (EM-AGA) method up to date, to discuss development of auxiliary tests, and to outiline the uses to which the methods have been put in promoting the war effort.COALS TESTEDThe test methods developed with the advice of the Advisory Committee had been applied to 66 coals up to 1942, and an index giving the serial number, origin, and analyses of these coals was published as Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 637. Since this paper was published, 20 additional coals have been tested; the source and analyses of these coals are given in table 1. The table also refers to publications that have been issued. Complete series of tests at high, medium, and low temperatures,have been made on most of these coals, and blending tests with 20 and 30 30 percent of low-volatile coals have also been made at 900°C.; however a few low- and medium-volatile coals (60, 70, 74, 79, and 80) were bested,at high temperatures only. Those coals were mined in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The test work included low- and high-temperature assay tests, petrorraphic analyses, and plasticity tests since its inception; and for the last 20 coals of the series, expansion and oxidation tests have been made where applicable."

Jun 1, 1944

By H. H. Schrenk

One phase of Bureau of Mines work in health and safety is promotion of the use of safe, satisfactory, and reliable respiratory protective devices. To insure that such devices will be. available, the Bureau has established schedules of minimum requirements for oxygen breathing apparatus,3/ gas masks,/ supplied-air respirators (hose masks, air-line, respirators, and abrasive blasting helmets, hoods, or masks),5/ and dispersoid (dust, fume, and mist)

Jan 1, 1943

By R. S. Warfield

The Kasna Creek copper deposit near Lake Kontrashibuna in the Lake Clark region, Alaska, was the object of an investigative project by the Bureau of Mines during the fall of 1948. Recessed because of inclement weather, it was completed in 1949. This project was a part of the Bureau of Mines program in Alaska for the development of critical and strategic minerals. The ore bodies are contact-replacement deposits in limestone. Mineralization is mainly specular and micaceous hematite associated with chalcopyrite, calcite, chlorite, quartz, and amphibole. The deposit, on the right limit of Kasna Creek approximately 2 miles from the shore of Lake Kontrashibuna, is composed of two mineralized zones that range in altitude from 2,350 to 2,650 feet. This report contains a brief history of the prospect, description of the physical setting of the property, its geology, and the factual results of the Work performed by the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1951

By Charles L. Kimbell

The year 1980 on the whole was not a good year for the world's mineral industry. The general upturn of activities in 1979 after a rather poor 1978 showing was not maintained with a number of key measurement standards showing downturns. Most notably, the world's steel and petroleum industries recorded significant reductions in output, the former in response to markedly lower demand levels and the latter partly in response to lower industrial consumption owing to general economic conditions and partly owing to successes in campaigns for the reduction of energy use in general and petroleum product use in particular among major importing nations that were feeling the trade balance pinch of ever-higher oil prices. During 1980, a number of political events-some international in scope, some confined to single nations-had significant influence upon world mineral industry activities and mineral commodity supplies, and other political happenings had the potential to significantly affect the industry in future times.

Jan 1, 1982

By Winthrop F. Watts

The U.S. Bureau of Mines evaluated the performance of a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CDPF) and a CDPF combined with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) at two metal mines. This report describes the results from the two field evaluations. The CDPF-DOC was installed on a load-haul-dump (LHD) powered by a 175-kW, prechambered, turbocharged engine. This system reduced diesel particulate matter (DPM) concentrations by 71±28 pet, as determined by size-selective sampling with gravimetric analysis, and by 71±29 pet, as determined by respirable combustible dust (RCD) analysis at the vehicle operator's location. The CDPF was installed on a diesel-hydraulic, roof-bolting jumbo, powered by a 172-kW engine. The CDPF reduced DPM concentrations by 72±21 pet, as determined by size-selective sampling with gravimetric analysis, and by 62±25 pet, as determined by RCD analysis at the vehicle operator's location. Underground evaluation was more difficult because of frequent movement by the roof-bolting jumbo, variation in daily workload, tremendous fluctuation in ventilation airflow rates, and use of a high sulfur diesel fuel, which promotes the formation of sulfate particles, decreases filtration efficiency, and hastens the deterioration of the catalyst.

Jan 1, 2010

The Bureau of Mines is responsible for a broad spectrum of programs for meeting the diverse and changing mineral resource needs of the Nation. These programs are managed by the Director and two Deputy Directors, who formulate general policy and program direction from the Washington, D.C., headquarters. A senior advisory staff, consisting of the Chief Staff Officer, Chief Scientist, and Chief Mining Engineer, provides advice and consultation to the Director on a wide range of scientific and technical matters and acts on behalf of the Director to maintain liaisons with other government agencies, mineral industries, and professional societies. Bureau program activities are classified into two major functions: (1) Developing new and improved technology that will make the production and processing of minerals more efficient, safer and more healthful for mineral workers and the public, and more compatible with a quality environment.

Jan 1, 1979

By Robert F. Chaiken

More than 500 fires are now burning in abandoned coal waste banks and coal deposits in the United States. Once established, such fires can burn for decades, and extinguishing them by conventional methods such as surface sealing to exclude air, excavation to remove fuel, or flushing to cool the fire zone is usually difficult and always expensive. Burnout Control, a technique developed by the Bureau of Mines for the control of abandoned fires, involves the accelerated combustion of coal in place with total management of the heat and fumes produced. A burning waste bank or mine is placed under negative pressure relative to the atmosphere, and heat and combustion products are drawn from the combustion zone through an exhaust ventilation system. Heat produced appears as sensible heat in the exhaust, at temperatures as high as 1,000° C (1,832° F), and can be recovered for the production of steam, hot water, process heat, or electricity. The Bureau's first field demonstration of Burnout Control was at Calamity Hollow in Allegheny County, PA (near Pittsburgh). Calamity Hollow was the site of an underground mine in the 1900's and was surface mined in the 1940's. In the winter of 1961-62, a fire of undetermined origin was discovered in the exposed coal. In 1963, the Bureau constructed a trench barrier around the fire and a surface seal over the affected area. The fire was isolated, but not completely extinguished. In 1979, when the Bureau began work on the Calamity Hollow Mine Fire Project, to demonstrate controlled burnout, the fire was still smoldering on the hot side of the trench barrier. The project, which was begun in December 1979 and ended in July 1982, consisted of the design, construction, operation, and subsequent dismantling of a Burnout Control ventilation system. This report is the fourth in a five-part series that describes the Calamity Hollow Mine Fire Project. The first report, part 1, describes the design and construction of the field installation. Part 2 will present the results of a continuous 4-month burnout operation. (Because part 2 involves the analysis of a substantial body of data, it will not be published until after publication of parts 3, 4, and 5). Part 3 describes the instrumentation used to control and monitor the progress of the burnout operation. This part (part 4) and part 5 both deal with the closeout phase of the field demonstration. The quenching of the fire is described in this report, and part 5 will describe the final excavation and backfilling of the heated zones. The reports in this series document the Calamity Hollow controlled burnout demonstration, which showed that (1) controlled in situ combustion is a feasible method for controlling underground fires in abandoned mines, (2) the resultant thermal exhaust output is sufficient for energy utilization, and (3) water injection with fume exhaustion is a potentially effective method for cooling large underground fire zones. Further trials of both Burnout Control and water injection with fume exhaustion are planned.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. S. Coffman

Wyoming is estimated to have more than 700 million tons and Utah more than 2.5 billion tons of +10 percent P2O6 phosphate rock considered to have some future economic potential. In Wyoming, the +24 and +18 percent P205 rock potential resources total nearly 250 and 450 million tons, respectively. In Utah, the +31, +24, and +18 percent rock total approximately 33 million, 222 million, and 2.2 billion tons, respectively. These resources are all located above the local drainage levels and do not include latent resources. All of the mining and beneficiation of phosphate rock in the two States is done by San Francisco Chemical Co. The facilities include open pit mines at Vernal, Utah, and Leefe, Wyo.; an underground mine in the Crawford Mountains, Utah, and beneficiation plants at Leefe and Vernal. One of the principal markets for the phosphate rock is Western Phosphates, Inc., fertilizer plant at Garfield, Utah. Recent exploration and development has been under-taken by different companies in the Southeastern Wind River Range, Sublette Range, and Crawford Mountains. The facilities at Leefe and Vernal are in the process of expansion. Some of the areas of western Wyoming contain vast quantities of phosphate rock in minable units, but, because of their remote location, are classed as latent areas. In these areas, there are estimated to be about 700 million, 2 billion, and 3 billion tons of phosphate rock in the +24, +18, and +10 percent P205 grade classes, respectively. The Snake River Range of Idaho and Wyoming is also estimated to contain roughly 21, 106, 177, and 214 million tons of potential resources in the +31, +24, +18, and +10 grade categories, respectively. This area also contains a large amount of latent rock in the more remote areas.

Jan 1, 1967

By N. F. Le] [Jaune

[ ]

Jan 1, 1923

By Frank D. Lamb, Lloyg H. Baning

"The crushed-stone industry has long been troubled with the problem of producing a more or less cubical product for use as concrete aggregate. Its seriousness varies widely for each producer, depending upon the character of the rock employed for raw material and the ultimate use of the crushed stone. For many construction uses, such as the macadam or bituminous-concrete- type road, flat pieces are not objectionable and may even be preferable to more cubical rock. However, most specifications for concrete require that the stone must be reasonably free from flat and elongated pieces.The rigid specifications set by many contractors have resulted in the rejection of coarse aggregate that, except for the presence of an excessive amount of flat and elongated pieces, would be entirely acceptable. In many instances, if an efficient, economical method of removing flat and elongated pieces were available, local producers could meet the requirements of the contractor and thus eliminate the necessity for importing more cubical material.A brief investigation of the problem of removal of flat and elongated pieces from crushed aggregate, carried out at the Eastern Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines, indicated that it is mechanically possible to remove flat pieces from crushed rock.TEST EQUIPMENTA number of mechanical devices are used by the coal industry for separating slate from coal; these depend upon the difference in shape of the crushed slate as compared with the coal. Such devices as shutter screens, spiral separators, and the Norman picker would be suitable for removing flat pieces from crushed rock in the same manner as they are used by the coal industry. None of these devices was immediately available for testing purposes, so an attempt was made to construct a simple device that could be used in commercial operations."

Sep 1, 1944

By K. T. Menzies

Over 1500 literature citations related to diesel exhaust sampling and analysis were obtained as a result of both computer and manual searches of nine data bases. Abstracts and hard copies of relevant citations were reviewed and those considered appropriate for evaluation were included in a bibliography. Based on the literature collected, available sampling and analysis methods for the following diesel exhaust contaminants were evaluated: CO, CO2, NO, NO2, Hydrocarbons, Particulates, PNA, S04, Oxygenates Emphasis was given to both laboratory and field methods for these species. Methods were evaluated on the basis of sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy and reliability and a selected list of preferred methods was developed for each compound/ class. The selected methods were additionally evaluated through communication with current investigators. Sampling and analysis methods for all compounds except CO and CO2 were observed to have some unreliability. Recommendations were made for future research to develop, improve, and validate methods.

Jan 1, 1979

By G. W. Jones, R. E. Kennedy

"INTRODUCTION In the manufacture, storage, transportation, and use of combustible gases and vapors, explosion hazards, which at times may be present when air becomes mixed with the gases and vapors, become of primary importance. Such conditions are especially dangerous where large volumes of gaseous atmosphere are involved, because an explosion under such circumstances is capable of doing tremendous damage to both property and personnel.Because of its interest in safety in the mining and allied industries, the Federal Bureau of Mines has investigated, and published results dealing with, the explosibility of various types of combutible atmospheres. The explosion hazards of natural gases have received attention, and results giving the limits of inflammability and ignition temperatures in air have been determined and published. 4/ Other investigations have shown how explosions of natural gas-air mixtures may be prevented by the addition of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. 5/Because of the increased demand for crude oil for war purposes, the application of secondary-recovery methods of stimulating oil production have received considerable attention during the last few years. The process consists in the injection of natural gas into partly depleted oil wells to cause the oil in the sands to flow into producing wells and so increase the amount of recoverable oil. 6/"

Feb 1, 1945

By D. Harrington

United States newspapers of 25 or 30 Years ago ran headlines every few weeks telling of some mine disaster. Each disaster was a first-page attraction for a day or so then was forgotten until the next sensational event, frequently another mine disaster, a few weeks later. Interspersed with the large mine disasters were the so-called ?snipping? mine accidents that caused the death of one or two mine workers. The summation of mine fatalities of all types usually exceeded 3,000 a year, and nonfatal accidents to workers in mines of the country approximated 250,000 annually. From 1906 to 1910, inclusive, there were 84 major explosion disasters (about 17 per year) in. United States coal mines. The resulting fatalities totaled 2,388 for the 5-Year period. These frightful catastrophes helped the number of fatalities in coal mines of the country to reach the enormous total of 13,288 for the 5 years, or an average of 2,658 per year.

Jan 1, 1940

By Roy S. Nutter

An expert system advisor consultant to assist a coal mine section foreman is described in this report. The system is designed for an underground continuous miner section that is being specifically used for longwall development. The system provides three methods of operation that include normal operational mode for use underground, a training mode for use in training section foremen under controlled classroom conditions, and a demonstration mode that is free running. The Face Decision Support System or FDSS, is designed to interface with section environmental monitoring equipment and section production monitoring equipment that may appear in the future. This provides automated reprioritzation of the section foreman's job list from the system. The system 1S written in LASER which is written in C and is operated under the UNIX operating system. The objective of the entire FOSS system is to ensure that no job or piece of information important to safety or to production is forgotten because of the immediate problems confronting the section foreman.

Jan 1, 1988

By F. H. Gibson

In recent years physico-chemical techniques have been applied for rapid analysis of coal and coke ash as replacements for classical wet-chemical methods. Although the classical methods are accurate, they are time consuming because many chemical separations are necessary to complete an analysis, and they require skilled analysts for accurate work (12).4 For the past several years the Bureau of Mines has applied some of the newer physico-chemical techniques in its continued search for new and improved methods at analysis. The methods of analyzing coal and coke ash evolved from this work include spectrophotometric methods far SiO2, A120, , Fe203 , TiO2, and P2O5; chelatometric titration for CaO and MgO; and flame photometry for Na20 and K2O. The methods are rapid and direct, are suitable for analyzing a group of samples at the same time in production work, and dire results with almost the same accuracy as classical procedures. With the new methods, complete analyses in duplicate can be obtained at a rate of 2 to 3 times that of conventional methods.

Jan 1, 1962

By Grant R. Brown

This report presents the results of a study examining the relationship between supervisor characteristics and performance in underground coal mines, The specific objectives of the research include; document tasks performed by first-line supervisors during a normal shift; explain why supervisors carry out their duties as they do: identify salient characteristics of effective first-line supervisors; and formulate criteria for selecting and developing candidate supervisors. To accomplish the study objectives, on-site observation and data collection was carried out at 13 underground mines in Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. One hundred thirty-eight first-line supervisors were observed during a full work-shift and discussions with the supervisors and the mine superintendent were held during the course of the visit. The observational data from the study provide a detailed description of what supervisors to during their shift. The report begins with an introduction discussing the problem being studied and objectives of the research. The literature related to supervisor selection is then reviewed. The following section describes the research design including data collection procedures and statistical methodology used in the study. The next sections present the analysis of mine, section, crew, and supervisor characteristics. The report concludes with a discussion of the results of the study and recommendations concerning supervisor selection and development.

Jan 1, 1987

By Lincoln A. Stewart, P. S. Haury

"INTRODUCTION AND RESUME Arizona asbestos mines are the only sources on the American continents of iron-free chrysotile spinning fiber that meets the Navy specifications for asbestos fiber for use in covering electrical cables. Rhodesia normally supplies the bulk of this grade of asbestos at about half the Price of Ari zona spinning fiber. The acute submarine menace in 1942 focused attention on the danger that imports might be cut off and that a sudden demand for greatly expanded production might fall on the Arizona mines to supply the tonnage of this essential material needed for war production.A joint preliminary investigation of Arizona asbestos deposits was made in August 1941 by J. R. Thoenen, senior mining engineer of the Bureau of Mines and A. E. Granger, a geologist of the United States Geological Survey. A more extended investigation of the numerous asbestos mines and prospects, which are scattered over 25 townships of difficult terrain in Gila County, was begun by the senior author in August 1942.The Geological Survey assigned two geologists (Newton Chute and A. F. Shride) a few weeks later to study the geology as an aid in selecting the mines for the Bureau's exploration projects. Six mines were selected for exploratory work because it was desired to prove reserves of ore where production could be started quickly if urgent demand should arise. Acceleration of production is normally slow because of adverse operating conditions. First, the mines are at distances of 35 to 100 miles from Globe, the shipping and supply point, and the roads are few and poor. The mine openings start in steep canyon walls, so that mining supplies usually have to be packed in and the product packed out over 0.5 to 5 miles of burro trail. Second, most of the ore deposits are small, and the ratio of rock broken to spinning fiber recovered is very high, usually exceeding 200."

Aug 1, 1947

By Maria I. De Rosa

Table 10 and figure 4 show the number of fires and fire injuries occurring at the surface of underground coal mines by state during 199&1999. Table 10 also shows by state the risk rate, employees' working hours, and lost workdays. A total of 65 fires occurred in 10 states. Thirteen of those fires caused 12 injuries and 1 fatality (the yearly average was 6.5 fires and 1.2 injuries). Four fues and one fire injury involved con- tractors. The Ewhr value was 97 x l O6 hr (Irr = 0.025); the LWD value was 6,206. Pennsylvania had the most fues (20 fues and 5 injuries), followed by West Virginia (1 6 fires and 1 fatality) and Kentucky (1 5 fires and 3 injuries). Among these states, Pennsylvania had the highest injury risk rate value (Irr - 0.095). Table 1 1, partly illustrated in figure 5, shows by time period the number of fires, fire injuries, and fire fatalities; risk rates; employees' working hours; and lost workdays. The number of fires and fire injuries show a decrease followed by an increase during the five time periods, accompanied by a decline in employees' working hours throughout the periods (see table 11 and figure 5). The Irr values follow patterns similar to those shown by the injury values. Tables 12- 17 show the number of fires by ignition source, method of detection and suppression, equipment involved, location, and burning material by time period. Figure 6 shows the major variables during 199&1999. Table 18 shows the number of fire injuries per number of fires causing injuries and total fires by year, ignition source, equipment involved, and location.

Jan 1, 2004

By Anthony M. Opyrchal

This Bureau of Mines study assesses the economic significance of the Florida phosphate industry to selected counties in Florida, the State of Florida, and the Nation: it also includes a brief survey of the industry's international impact. Based on forecasts of Florida phosphate production in 1981, and using constant 1977 dollars. estimates are given for 1981 for regional and national output the value of this output, income, and employment created by the phosphate industry in Florida, Federal, Stale, and county tax revenues generated by the State's phosphate industry are also estimated for 1981. The concentrated impact of the phosphate industry on certain areas of Florida and on the State?s regional industries is examined using economic base analysis complimented by an industrial complex approach. The industry's impact at the Stare and national levels is examined through input- output analysis. In addition, an attempt to forecast for 1990 the effects of constraints on phosphate rock mining as a result of economic conditions and other factors is included as an appendix to the report. Also discussed is the phosphate industry's importance to the U.S. balance of trade: U.S. agricultural production. Including forward linkages; the U.S. sulfur industry; and the phosphate industry's importance to the production of fluorine and uranium by- products from fertilizer manufacturing.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. L. Bibbs, H. D. Snedden

"INTRODUCTION The use of beryllium and its alloys has increased rapidly during the last decade. Further expansion of its use is limited; in part, by lack of adequately developed ore reserves. The principal commercial beryllium mineral is beryl, which is found chiefly in pegmatites and produced for market as a byproduct of the mica and feldspar industries. The coarse beryl is mined selectively, sobbed and sorted by hand, and then sold without further beneficiation. The known reserves of coarse beryl are small. No method has been available for concentrating small disseminated beryl crystals, so ores of this type have not been mined or have been left on waste dumps. Disseminated ore in low-grade unmined areas and waste dumps on developed properties is a potential source of beryl, provided a method is developed for its beneficiation.Published literature on the concentration of beryl is lacking in detail or deals chiefly with tests on artificial mixtures of pure minerals, and procedures as given were not applicable to the beryl ores tested at the Salt Lake Station. The testing procedures described in this report are independent developments. By employing these procedures, beryl was satisfactorily con¬centrated from several run-of-mine and dump ores, although these ores wore low in grade and part of the contained beryl was finely crystalline and disseminated.Beryl, quartz, and feldspar, when ground to flotation sizes, are so alike in color and general appearance that they cannot he distinguished by visual observation. The progress of the work depended on rapid determination of the grade of test products by means of the petrographic microscope. Small samples of concentrates and tailings were often cut after each addition of reagents, dried, and examined under the microscope."

May 1, 1947