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By Oren C. Baptist

Umiat field contains the largest accumulation of oil discovered so far in Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in Arctic Alaska. The Umiat anticline was tested with 11 wells; 6 produced oil in varying quantities. Behavior of the wells during testing was unpredictable. For example, one well was abandoned as a dry hole after all tests failed to recover any oil, yet an offset well, only 200 feet from the dry hole, produced 400 barrels of oil a day. The main oil reservoirs are less than 1,000 feet deep and are in the permanently frozen zone (permafrost). Reservoir pressures are low, and most primary production will be by expansion of gas-in-solution in the oil. Because of the unusual reservoir conditions and the difficulties encountered in drilling and completing the wells, the Department of the Navy asked the Federal Bureau of Mines to make laboratory studies of the reservoir sand to determine the cause of well plugging and to provide laboratory information, to be used as an aid in estimating oil recovery from frozen reservoir rocks under solution-gas expansion from low-saturation pressure conditions.

Jan 1, 1960

As part of the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines Health and Safety Research Program, Walter C. McCrone Associates, Incorporated has examined 71 samples of airborne mine dusts using the techniques of x-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis and light microscopy. This report details the procedures which were used in this work and documents the results which were obtained.

Jan 1, 2011

By Margaret R. Egan

A study of the combustion emission products of rigid ventilation ducting was completed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The ducting was composed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin. Four properties of the ducting were evaluated: (1) propensity to ignite, (2) smoke characteristics, (3) gas emissions, and (4) heat release. Particle sizes, obscuration, optical densities, and production constants for gas and smoke were also calculated. These results provide comprehensive data about the emission products, detectability, and relative hazards of fiberglass-reinforced plastic ducting and other mine combustibles under realistic fire conditions.

Jan 1, 1990

By R. S. Nutter

The results of designing, constructing, and laboratory testing of a modular, distributed, microprocessor-based mine monitoring and control system are presented. A standard computer communications protocol (DDCMP) was utilized throughout the system. Tests were performed on the utilization of a high-level language for programming mine monitoring and control systems. Laboratory tests were run on a combined air velocity/methane sensor.

Jan 1, 1980

By G. W. Center

This manual is intended to assist federal, state, and local regulatory and planning agencies, the mining industry and consulting engineers in determining the regulatory, environmental, technical and economic constraints influencing the site selection, planning, construction/operation and reclamation phases of a waste disposal facility. The information presented illustrates that factors affecting an individual site may be simple or very complex. This manual discusses methods for making future land use decisions, determining regulatory requirements, evaluating physical, chemical and structural properties of the disposed waste and selecting appropriate waste disposal methods and control techniques. Procedures and guides in the manual will assist personnel in assessing the complexities of waste disposal on a site specific basis. The major types of waste disposal systems are discussed and evaluated in terms of their advantages and disadvantages and applicability to varying site conditions and waste characteristics. Appropriate references following each chapter provide more detailed data on material presented in the text.

Jan 1, 1982

By Manuel Gomez

Low-temperature carbonization product yields for 129 coals representative of 12 Utah coalfields were estimated, using regression equations developed from heating value and proximate and ultimate analysis data. It was shown that yields of char, tar plus light oil, water of decomposition, and gas, as well as the gas volume and the heating value of the gas, could be predicted with reasonable accuracy. Published and experimental results from eight Utah coals carbonized at selected temperatures in the 4500 to 1,000° C range were used to determine the effect of temperature on product yields. Carbonization temperature, heating value) oxygen, and volatile matter of coal appear to be the principal variables influencing carbonization product yields. Data presented show that the heating value and the residual volatile matter in low-temperature char may be predicted using relationships developed from proximate analysis data for 220 coals.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. D. Zetterstrom

This report supplements an earlier publication on lightweight aggregates of North and South Dakota.3/ The purpose of the investigation was (1) to study the expansion characteristics of large samples of Dakota clays and shales in a 12-inch by 15-foot rotary kiln; and (2) to improve the laboratory bloating test as a tool for predicting the suitability of samples for the rotary-kiln process. This was done by comparing results of the laboratory and kiln tests.

Jan 1, 1956

This Information Circular describes the Bureau of Mines Minerals Availability System (MAS), presents the Resource Classification Manual used for information input to a computer file, and discusses the methods of collecting and assembling background material' basic to coding the data.

Jan 1, 1974

By C. G. Maier

The present trend of chemicometallurgical research toward widespread and inclusive use of thermodynamic methods requires the inclusion of available data of this sort in any comprehensive metallurgical report . Such data for manganese are far from adequate for the full utilization of these methods . Even if our knowledge of these properties is weak , the collection of available figures is nevertheless well worth while , especially if their utilization in an approximate way may show inherent possibilities of application . No less important is the necessity for discovering the vital gaps in the existing information , to serve as a basis for further pertinent study . The utility of the thermodynamic methods of Lewis and Randall ( 234 ) 3 has become increasingly evident to metallurgists . It is true that at present no better approach to the general , fundamental problems of chemical metallurgy is available than close adherence to these methods . The effort is here made to collect and correlate , as far as possible , significant quantitative thermodynamic data on manganese and its metallurgically important compounds . There are considered here only the intrinsic properties of pure materials . The order maintained as far as possible will be as follows :

May 1, 1934

By W. T. Wertman

A research program to aid development of better petroleum-recovery technology is in progress at the Appalachian Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Morgantown, W. Va. The work is part of the overall effort of the Federal Bureau of Mines to effect true conservation of the Nation's natural resources. Knowledge of the magnitude of the interstitial water content of oil-bearing formations is important to petroleum-reservoir engineers because of the influence of water on fluid flow during oil production and because of the significance of water volume in oil-reserve evaluation. Such information on Appalachian oil-bearing formations is needed to aid in planning secondary oil-recovery projects. Generally, the interstitial water content of oil sands can be estimated by one or more of the following methods: Analysis of cores obtained with oil-base drilling fluid, electric logging, restored-state or capillary-pressure tests, centrifuge tests, evaporation tests, or mercury-injection tests.

Jan 1, 1959

By Joseph J. Wallace

1. The investigation shows that nine coal beds have been mined in Harlan County, of which the Harlan and Upper Elkhorn No, 3 are the most important from the standpoint of present production. Of less importance are the Hindman, Flag, Haddix, Wax, Fire Clay, Armburgy, and Upper Elkhorn No. 2. The Harlan, Upper Elkhorn No. 3, and Upper Elkhorn No. 2 beds contain the largest remaining known reserves. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves in all beds, based on a minimum thickness of 14 inches and 1,800 tons per acre-foot of coal in place, are estimated at 2,138 million short tons as of January I, 1932. Of this total, 1,956 million short tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics are too meager for making an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study, Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, such reserves should be added to the total estimated reserves.

Jan 1, 1954

By Valois R. Shea-Albin

An accurate assessment of the vertical stress on a coal seam at depth is important for mine design. Vertical stress calculation techniques presently available either are not sufficiently accurate or cannot handle complex surface topography. Therefore, the U.S. Bureau of Mines developed a computerized method to calculate vertical stress exerted on surfaces at depth that includes the effect of topography. Two input data sets are required: a digital elevation model containing topographic elevations and a coal seam file defining coal seam elevations at depth. Boussinesq's equation then quantifies the vertical stress resulting from topography. The computerized method was tested on a coal seam overlain by a complex topography where a vertical stress map encompassing several square miles was produced. Results show that depth mitigates the affects of surface topography, while the coal seam topography has a direct effect on the vertical stress. In comparison to the computerized method, the direct stress method overestimates stress under hills and underestimates stress under valleys. The largest difference between the two methods occurs under the steepest topographic relief. A limitation of the computerized method is that stresses cannot be accurately determined near an outcrop.

Jan 1, 2010

By Heber E. Peterson, Sill. Claude W.

"INTRODUCTION In the usual volumetric determination of uranium, the solution containing uranium is reduced in a Jones reductor, yielding a mixture of trivalent and tetravalent uranium; the trivalent uranium is oxidized to the tetravalent state by bubbling a stream of air through the solution. The resulting solution of tetravalent uranium is titrated with a standard oxidant, generally sulfatoceric acid, dichromate, or permanganate. It seemed likely that the same general procedure could be used in determining semimicro quantities pf uranium if the conditions affecting the variables involved were understood more clearly than at present. In the method described below, the use of ferric sulfate to oxidize tetravalent uranium allows the titration to be made at room temperature in an essentially colorless solution with sulfatoceric acid. The latter oxidant in turn permits the use of the very stable indicator, ferroin; with its sharp color change and exactly reproducible blanks.Solutions of uranyl sulfate were prepared by diluting a stock solution that had been standardized gravimetrically according to the method of Lundell and Knowles (8).3/ Solutions of sulfatoceric acid were prepared according to the directions of G. F. Smith (12) and were standardized against arsenic trioxide in the presence of osmic acid according to the directions of Glen (5). The cerium solutions were stored in 18-liter carboys fitted with siphon arrangements so that the bottles did not need to be opened and protected from light in a dark cupboard. Under these conditions, even the 0.01 N solution changed by less than 1 part per thousand over a period of about 6 months."

Jun 1, 1952

By Robert A. Speirer, Richard G. Burdick

Methods of detecting geologic faults and other linear features by means of processed LANDSAT satellite images have gained prominence during the past several years . There have been numerous programs written to pick these " lineaments , " but they have been almost universally tailored to large computers . This Bureau of Mines report describes a detection method developed for use with a minicomputer . The method comprises a suite of programs that scans an image for all " potential " lineaments . From this partially analyzed data , the final lineaments are picked by another routine . The method was field tested in an area of south- central Wyoming , and results indicated good agreement between computer- picked lineaments and ground features . Most of the known geologic faults in the area were picked by the method . Such features as roads and trails were also picked but were easily distinguished from faults during field inspection . The method is relatively new but promises to be a viable reconnaissance technique for the mining industry in geologic structural analysis .

Jan 1, 1965

By Albert L. Toenges

The fuel requirements for industrial and domestic consumers in New England, in normal times, are supplied almost entirely by fuel oil, anthracite, and bituminous coal. A shortage of these fuels occurred during the war. This shortage was caused by: (1) The diversion of oil to military uses; (2) the use of railroad and boat facilities that ordinarily would transport coal for the transportation of war material; (3) the inability of coal mines to apply the increased demand for coal which resulted from the conversion from oil to coal by domestic and industrial consumers; and (4) the increased demand of war industries for coal. Because of this Critical fuel situation, an investigation was made of possible sources of fuel nearer to points of consumption in New England.

Jan 1, 1948

By G. L. Oldright

The Metallurgical Branch of the Bureau of Mines, as a part of its duties under the Organic Act, works to prevent wastes in industry and to disuse inmate information on the fundamentals of metallurgical processes. During the war, the necessity of large production was increasingly emphasized. Such duties necessitate from time to time the study of units of full commercial size, the operation of which is beyond the facilities of the Branch. When developments have reached this stage; work has been continued in cooperative agreements with operating companies that have been willing to contribute the use of their plants and staffs and to allow the publication of the results obtained for the common good of the industry.

Jan 1, 1948

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

"INTRODUCTION With the advent of war in 1941, military operations in Alaska were enlarged on such a scale that the demand for coal in the Territory more than doubled. Coal was needed urgently for heating forts and other military establishments, for use on large construction projects, and for handling the greatly increased volume of traffic on the Alaska Railroad. -The additional tonnage required, estimated at perhaps 250,000 tons per year, probably could have been supplied by the United States, but shipping space between Pacific Coast ports and Alaska was already overburdened with military supplies and construction materials. Moreover, although of only secondary importance in wartime, the cost of coal shipped into the Territory is reported to have been as high as $40 per ton. The alternative to importing coal was, of course, to increase the Production of the Alaska mines.Production of coal in Alaska reached, 350,000 tons in 1944, or more than double the prewar' output. The responsibility for increasing coal production was assumed largely by the Army, A Coal Commission attached to the Alaska Department arranged financial assistance for some mining operations, aided the operators in producing equipment for mechanization, and provided most of the labor necessary to operate the mines. The Bureau of Mines contributed to the program in several ways. First, exploration by the Bureau in the Moose Creek district revealed a substantial tonnage of coal of better grade than any currently mined in the Territory, 4/ and drilling in the Broad Pass district, where a mine to supply coal for the army had been started, revealed that the reserves were far less than had been supposed; this operation was abandoned. Second, coal-preparation practices were studied, and recommendations for improvements made, at two of the operating mines at which the quality of the coal makes preparation a factor of vital importance. Some of the information obtained in these studies forms the basis for the present report."

Jan 1, 1946

By Ernest L. Corp

First in a projected series on the use of flexible liners for support of underground mine openings, this report presents information obtained from an extensive review of the literature on this subject. It also includes results of some preliminary test work by the Bureau of Mines. Investigations thus far indicate that flexible liners offer numerous advantages over rigid-type sup-ports, By deforming in the direction of the applied stress, the stresses are redistributed from the liner to the surrounding material. The corresponding buildup of passive resistance in the direction of diametric extension causes an equalization of stresses around the liner, thereby enabling the liner to carry loads in a more efficient manner. However, additional experimental data are needed to establish design criteria that will permit maximum utilization of the flexible liner concept in mining. Testing of small-scale models, accompanied by measurement of free-field stresses in material surrounding the model, is recommended as the most suit-able approach to the problem. The experimental procedures necessary to such an approach are outlined in detail and a statistical design for the experiments is proposed. The report also describes a device developed by the Bureau for measuring free-field soil pressures to 1,000 psi and a technique for evaluating the response of the device.

Jan 1, 1967

By Frederick C. Trutt

A guide to the utilization and development of extensions and modifications to the APL Mine-electrical-system Load-flow Program is presented. These modifications include the development of algorithms to minimize computational operations within the iterative-solution techniques, as well as minimization of the number of required iterations. Extensions to the load-flow program include the development of algorithms for the calculation of balanced faults, simplified specification of fault parameters, optional inclusion of pre-fault currents, and an alternate-solution technique.

Jan 1, 1978

By Henry Kreisinger, WALTER T. RAY

This bulletin contains a statement of certain results that will be embodied in a report describing investigations of the combustion of fuel made by the United States Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines in a specially constructed long furnace. The furnace forms part of the fuel-testing plant at Pittsburg, Pa., which was established and equipped by t.he Geological Survey, but passed under the control of the Bureau of Mines on July 1, 1910, when a t.ransfer of fuel-test.ing investjgations, authorized by act of Congress, became effective. The work discussed in this bulletin was done under the direction of the Geological Survey. The furnace was designed and built for an experimental study of the processes of combustiop, this study being part of a comprehensive plan for testing fuels to determine their heat value and the manner in which they can be used to best advantage. Although the main object of the researches made with the furnace by the Geological Survey was to examine critically the production of sensible heat by combustion along the path of the gases rising from the fuel, an interesting as well as important side problem developed in the study of the simultaneous dissipation of the heat through the walls and roof . of the furnace. Thus incidental data were collected on the temperature gradient through the walls at several places. These temperature data. (together with the heat conductivity of the material of the walls) formed the basis for calculating the heat dissipated through the walls. The object of this report is to present and discuss these temperature data. The discussion particularly concerns the air-space type of wall construction as compared with the solid brick wall or walls type, in which the air space is filled with some solid material of low heat conductivity. The conclusion of the authors, which perhaps will surprise some readers, is that, so far as loss of heat is concerned, a solid wall of brick or any ordinary material is preferable to a hollow wall of the same total thickness, especially if the air space in the hollow wall is near the furnace side. There is a general belief that l?ince air is a poor conductor of heat, air spaces built into the walls of a furnace will prevent or reduce heat dissipation through the wa.lls. Although there may be instances of furnace walls in which such construction reduces the rate of heat flow through them, yet as a rule the effect of the air space is just the opposite. While the heat does travel very slowly through the air by conduction, it leaps over the air space readily by radiation. Although this latter mode of heat propagation is common in nature, the laws governing it are not generall;y known and are seldom taken into consideration when furnace walls are being designed. It may be stated here that the quantity of heat passing through a. portion of a solid wall by conduction depends on the difference between the temperatures of the two planes limiting the portion of the wall. The quantity of heat that passes across the air space in the waH depends on the difference of the fourth powers of the absolute temperatUI: es of the surfaces inclosing Hie air space. It follows that, in case the heat. passes by conduction through the solid'portion of the wall, the loss remains approximately the same so long as the temperature of the two limiting planes remains constant, no matter what may be the temperature of the two planes. On the other hand, the heat passing across the air space by radiation increases rapidly with the temperatures of the inclosing surfaces, although the difference between these temperatures may remain constant. This feature will be shown by curves in the latter part of this paper and thoroughly discussed. The important point is that the air space, which is advantageous in the walls of a refrigerator because the temperatures are low, is objectionable in a furnace wall because the temperatures are high. It is customary to put air spaces in furnace walls between the firebrick linings and the common brick. Usually the fire-brick lining is only half a brick thick, which construction brings the air space too close to the furnace. The result is that the temperatures of the surfaces inclosing the air spaces are too high, and in consequence too much heat is radiated across the spaces. The heat passing through such walls would be much reduced if the air spaces were filled with brick, or, better, with some cheap nonconducting materials, such as ash, sand, mineral wool, etc. Even where the fire-brick lining is one brick thick (9 inches), the temperature in the furnace may be high enough to raise the temperatures of the air-space surfaces so much that the heat radiated across the space will amount to more than would the heat conducted through a filling, were the filling only common brick. This last statement is amply justified by the data here presented.

Jan 1, 1911