Search Documents

By F. P. Haver

The Bureau of Mines is developing a leach-electrolysis procedure to produce Special High Grade (SHG) zinc from sulfide concentrate without the generation of sulfur oxide gases. Chlorine-oxygen leaching of the concentrate yields zinc chloride (ZnCI2) which, after purification, is electrolyzed in a fused-salt cell to obtain molten zinc metal and chlorine gas for recycle. This paper describes a laboratory-scale investigation made to develop a procedure for electrowinning zinc metal from ZnC12. Zinc chloride by itself is not a suitable electrolyte because it fumes badly above its melting point and is a poor conductor of electricity. Other salts therefore must be added to prevent fuming and improve the conductivity. Optimum results were obtained with a KC1-LiCl-ZnCl2 bath at 500° C, using a current density of 5 amp/in2 and an electrode spacing of 0.5 inch. Under these conditions, SHG zinc was produced at a current efficiency of 94.3 pct and an energy requirement of 1.16 kwhr/lb. Fused-salt electrowinning eliminates the need to handle and melt cathodes and increases the production of metal per unit cell volume through the use of higher current densities than are possible with aqueous electrolysis.

Jan 1, 1976

By Roger L. King

The Bureau of Mines has developed probes to be used in emergency mine rescue operations by being lowered through a borehole drilled into an underground mine. Various probes can provide two-way voice communication with trapped miners, continuous mine atmosphere monitoring, temperature indication, and television searching capability. At present, an infrared imaging probe is being developed for "seeing" through coal smoke.

Jan 1, 1976

By Robert L. Rough

The 1954 field tests consisted of six experimental shots in relatively deep holes in a sandstone similar to many oil-bearing sandstones. Water-injection measurements were made before and after each shot to establish the change in conductivity of the fluid caused by the shot. The pressure pulse produced by the shot was recorded in nearby holes to monitor the shot and to determine if any relation existed between the change in conductivity and the nature of the pressure pulse. The results of water-injection tests showed the range of conductivity of fluid before and after shooting with two different types of explosives. Because of the large spread in data for similar shots, not enough information was available to evaluate the differences in increased conductivity produced by the two explosives or any relation between the increased conductivity and the nature of the pressure pulse. However, these results, with the results of other tests involving explosive shots in rock, provide guidance for future research on the oil-well-shooting problem.

Jan 1, 1957

By K. E. Stanfield

The oil yields of sections of Green River oil shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming are presented as part of a continuing project to determine oil-shale reserves in the United States. Oil-yield logs, based upon analyses obtained from 1945 through 1952, are presented to show the thickness and richness of 202 sections of Green River oil shale. The logs are based on analyses of approximately 20,500 samples, representing 179,000 feet of shale, which were made by the Bureau of Mines, and upon analyses, representing approximately 26,000 feet of shale, which were made by other agencies. The samples consisted of cores from a Bureau of Mines coring program in U. S. Naval Oil-Shale Reserve 1, Garfield County, Colo., and cores, drill cuttings, and channel samples provided by other agencies, chiefly oil companies. Most of the samples of oil shale from Utah and Wyoming were derived from oil-well drilling operations. As a result, the oil-shale sections were widely scattered and were not extensive or reliable enough to be representative of the significant deposits of Green River oil shale in these States. The oil-shale sections for Colorado, however, were more comprehensive, and a number of the sections were used in a previous report as a basis for estimating oil-shale reserves in Colorado. The present report does not give estimates of oil-shale reserves but is limited to presentation of oil-shale analyses that may be used for future reserve estimates. Other sections of Green River oil shale are being analyzed, and the results will be published in subsequent reports.

Jan 1, 1954

By Jerry E. Olson

In 1985 the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted a mineral survey of 68,458 acres of the Clan Alpine Mountains Wilderness Study Area (NV-030-102) which covers 196,128 acres in Churchill County, NV. Most of the area studied is underlain by Tertiary volcanic rocks. In the northeast corner of the study area, an upthrown block of Triassic sedimentary rocks partially extends into the area. The study area is probably part of a large eroded caldera. No major mines or active claims are within the study area. Field investigations included examination of workings in Starr Canyon, historical and recent mining activity near the mouth of Florence Canyon, other mining claims, and anomalous zones delineated by data from Great Basin GEM Joint Venture studies. No mineral resources were identified, but sample results indicate one significant mineralized zone situated along a northwest trend between the head of Starr Canyon and the head of Cherry Creek may contain precious metal resources. Further investigation of this zone is warranted.

Jan 1, 1987

1.0 SCOPE AND REGULATIONS 1.1 This specification covers the minimum requirements for material handling and associated equipment including design and materials. 1.2 This specification requires compliance with all federal, state, local laws and regulations which may be applicable including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Construction Safety Act as well as rules, regulations and standards of the Secretary of Labor.

Jan 1, 1979

By John Dasher

The impetus given to mineral dressing arid chemical engineering by the war has placed many persons without previous experience in positions where they are concerned with the size of solid materials they are testing. Many good textbooks cover this field in considerable detail but are more concerned with the "why" than with the "how" For beginners and those to whom size is not of primary concern, this brief circular has been prepared. Refer-

Jan 1, 1942

By Stephen P. Holt, John A. Bowsher

A preliminary examination of the mica deposits in Culberson and Hudspeth Counties , Texas , was made in September 1942 by A. B. Needham, district engineer of the Bureau of Mines . The deposits were reexamined by R. C. Redfield , associate mining engineer of the Bureau in November 1942, at which time he was accompanied by Philip S. Hoyt , geologist , and J. C. Moore , foreman of the Texas Mica and Feldspar Company . Exploratory work was started on February 16 , 1944 , and terminated on April 30 , 1944. A crew of 4 to 10 men was employed under the supervision of the authors .

Feb 1, 1947

By G. M. Potter

During the investigation of the occurrence of manganese deposits in the western United States, examining engineers of the Bureau of Mines collected samples from four properties in Siskiyou and Mendocino Counties northern California. As the ores were too low-grade to be acceptable to manufacturers of ferromanganese, beneficiation studies were made between 1941 and 1945 to determine the amenability of the ores to concentration. The Johnson and Reynolds properties are near Fort Jones Siskiyou County. The ore occurs in a number of small lenses in that area. Samples were taken for testing for amenability to treatment in a small custom-gravity plant, tentatively planned. by the Waiter Johnson interests of San Francisco. A 2-ton representative sample was obtained from numerous exposed portions of an outcrop on the property of the Mayland Mining Co. The Mayland mine is about 8 miles from Sawyers Bar in Siskiyou County. The ore body consists of stringers and irregular masses of oxide, and. silicate ore scattered through quartz, which these minerals have replaced.

Jan 1, 1952

By V. F. Parry, J. B. Goodman, W. S. Landers

"This investigation was conducted: under the direction of A.C. Fieldner, chief, Fuel and Explosives Branch, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C. The following members of a Technical .advisory Committee were helpful in advancing the investigation: L. C. Harrington, dean, College of Engineering, University of North Dakota; D. F. Pane, president, Sheridan-Wyoming Coal Co.; Carson W. Smith, president, Consolidated goal & Coke Co.; Durbin van Law, consulting, engineer, Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad; and C. B. Carpenter, professor of metallurgy, Colorado School of Mines. Coal samples from the Northern Colorado field used in the stoker during 3 years of service were supplied through the cooperation of N. C. Brooks, secretary, Northern Colorado Coals, Inc.This report describes the development and practical tests made on a small stoker-fired system for heating service water automatically. The system was designed to take advantage of the favorable reactivity of low-rank fuels, and the objective was to devise a combination of stoker, heat-receiving, and hot-water storage system Which would be automatic for at least 30 days without attention, while heating service water at minimum cost. The system was developed to a point where coal consumption was less than 10 pounds (or less than 100,000 B.t.u.) per day. The total operating cost of hot water for an average-family-was about $1.00 per month, with coal retailing at $6.00 per ton and electric power at 4 cents a kilowatt-hour. The heating system was designed for the utilization of low-rank fuels, but the general features of the double-tank system can be 'employed fuels, either gas or liquid fuels.The Subbituminous Coal and Lignite Section of the Bureau of Mines began investigations on the utilization of low-rank fuels in domestic appliances during 1939. Tests were made on various devices to find out if they were suitable for the low-rank fuels. Most of the available appliances for burning coal have been designed for the higher-rank fuels, and they are not well-suited for burning the lower-rank coals at maximum efficiency, because subbituminous coals and lignite have high bed moisture ranging between 20 and 40 percent by weight, which lowers heating value to the range of 10,000 to 6,500 B.t.u. per pound. They are noncoking, and the ash content ranges between 4 and 6 percent, with a fusion temperature of about 2,0000 F."

Jun 1, 1946

By T. M. Ruff

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a portable, inexpensive teleoperation system for mobile hard-rock mining equipment. The system was tested on a compact loader-trammer in a simulated stope. The teleoperation system includes radio remote control and computer-assisted navigation. A recent enhancement includes video cameras mounted on the machine to provide visual information to the operator. This system allows the operator to remain in a safe location while operating the machine from a distance, thus increasing both operator safety and mining productivity.

Jan 1, 2010

By C. P. Haller, S. J. Aresco, R. F. Abernethy

The Bureau of Mines has been active in promoting the purchase of coal for Government use under specifications that define the requirements in terms of heating value of the coal, expressed in British thermal units, and the composition as shown by proximate analyses. To these, when required, are added the ash- softening temperature of ash, the free-swelling index, and the hardgrove grind- ability index. Under most of these specification contracts the bidders guarantee the quality of the coal, and that guaranteed by the successful bidder becomes the standard of his contract. The deliveries are sampled in accordance with instruc- tions issued by the Bureau of Mines; the samples are analyzed in the Bureau laboratory to determine whether the coal is of the quality guaranteed by the con- tractor and, if it is not, a price adjustment is made. Analyses of the delivered coal and tipple samples (samples collected at mine tipples as coal is being loaded into railroad cars or trucks) provide valuable data for use in evaluating future bids. In addition, the continuous sampling of coal as delivered is a check on the practical results obtained in burning the coal. The Government purchased approximately 5-1/4 million tons of coal in fiscal year 1953. In connection with these purchases, the Bureau analyzed 11,435 samples. These are published for the use of Government officials and the public. A series of publications has been completed on coal analyses by States, or, where production is small in any one State, by groups of adjacent States. In addition to analytical data showing composition and quality of coals of the States, the publications con- tain brief descriptions of the geological structure of the coal basins, typical mining conditions in the various districts, the principal economic data of the industry, and the relationship of mine or channel samples to delivered and tipple samples. The present publication covers many States but deals only with the analytical data of the coals. Previous publications in this series are: Bulletin 516, Analyses of Tipple and Delivered Samples of Coal (Collected During the Fiscal Years 1948 to 1950 Inclusive); Report of Investigations 4934, Analyses of Tipple and Delivered Samples of Coal (Collected During the Fiscal Year 1951); Report of In- vestigations 4972, Analyses of Tipple and Delivered Samples of Coal (Collected During the Fiscal Year 1952). Following are the Bureau of Mines technical papers published by States, with their numbers: Alabama, 347; Alaska, 682; Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, 696; Arkansas, 416; Colorado, 574; Illinois, 641; Indiana, 417; Iowa, 269 and 706; Kansas, 455; Kentucky, 308 and 652; Maryland, 465; Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas, 700; Missouri, 366; Montana, 529; New Mexico, 569; Ohio 344 (and Bulletin 499); Oklahoma, 411; Pennsylvania Bituminous, 590 (Supplement 645); Pennsylvania Anthracite, 659; Tennessee, 356 and 671; Utah, 345; Virginia, 365 and 656; Washington, 491 (Supplement 618); West Virginia, 405 and 626; and Wyoming, 484.

Jan 1, 1955

By Charles K. Rose

This paper presents some research studies of the rotary drilling of oil shale at the Bureau of Mines Oil-Shale Mine, Rifle, Colo. The experimental procedures and the rotary drill test equipment are described. Theories of rock drillability, rotary bit cutting action, and bit design are presented and discussed. The actions of various bit designs are analyzed and compared with the observed results of actual drilling tests. A cost estimate is made for drilling Colorado oil shale.

Jan 1, 1955

By John D. Bardill

This report covers the magnetic survey in the Redford-Clayburg area , which was part of a general survey of magnetite deposits in New York started in 1943 . Other areas being surveyed include the Star Lake district , St. Lawrence County; Russia Station district , Clinton County; Brewster district , Putnam County; and the Sterling district , Orange County. Only a relatively small portion of the area was covered by reconnaissance and detailed surveys . Results were promising enough to warrant additional work. Magnetic surveys of this type serve as a basis for selecting areas for diamond drilling by the Bureau of lines .

Jan 1, 1947

By J. H. Wiggins

The evaporation of crude oil without doubt causes one of the largest single losses to which the oil is subjected after it is taken from the ground. The few days during which crude oil is stored on the lease before being taken by the pipe line, causes an aggregate loss per year from evaporation estimated at 122,100,000 gallons of gasoline in the Mid-Continent field alone. This has a value, at 22 cents per gallon, of $26,880,000 and represents about 3 per cent of the total gasoline produced in the United States from all fields and all sources. The following table shows this in more detail:

May 1, 1920

By Arthur L. Murray

"During recent months much criticism as to the efficiency of mine labor has been heard from various, sections of the country. No doubt much of this criticism has been well founded. The present lack of efficiency and of stability is due primarily to a spirit of restlessness and partial irresponsibility engendered during the transition from war conditions to peace time conditions. This spirit or unrest not only among the laboring classes but in every branch of the human family following a period of intense nervous tension in a nation appears to be a natural sequence of war and beyond the control of man. This condition will gradually disappear, and the majority of our people will again assume their natural order of living, but labor will for a considerable period be sensitive to these influences, whether they be exerted for good or for evil. Employers of labor should take cognizance of this fact and bend every effort towards the development of measures that promote efficiency and permanence of the working force.Labor efficiency depends upon many and varied factors. Some of these factors as applied to mine labor are briefly enumerated in the following paragraph:Selection and Placement of Manpower:In the selection of men the two main considerations are physical ability and adaptability. The laws of mechanics should be applied in the selection of men as in the selection of machinery. If a machine is required for a certain class of work, the type of machine known to be mechanically fit for such work is selected. Likewise, men should be selected with regard to their physical and temperamental fitness for the kind of work expected of them."

Apr 1, 1920

By Donald A. Voigt

This publication is intended as a guide for persons responsible for obtaining classifications and approvals Tor explosive compounds, mixtures, or devices from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). It deals with the procedures for obtaining a recommendation for classification of an explosive compound, mixture, or device through the Bureau of Mines. Completion of the procedures detailed in this guide is necessary to obtain a final classification of an explosive compound, mixture, or device and assignment of an "EX" number by DOT, which will allow the producer to offer the explosive for shipment within the United States. This guide also gives procedures for obtaining United Nations (U.N.) classification for shipping outside the United States.

Jan 1, 1990

By George H. Holmes

This paper is one of a series on mining methods and practices being prepared by the Mining Division of the Bureau of Mines . It describes briefly operations and mining methods at the Basic Refractories , Inc. , brucite deposit , the only commercial deposit of brucite in production in the United States . The mine and crushing plant are in secs . 26 and 35 , T. 12 N. , R. 36 E. , M. D. B. & M. , northwestern Nye County , Nev . , 1 mile east of Gabbs and about 33 miles northeast of Luning , a town on the Mina branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad and U. S. Highway 95. ( Figs . 1 and 2 ) .

Dec 1, 1949

By Wilton Johnson

Native asphalt was produced in 1981 by five companies in three States, Alabama, Texas, and Utah. Texas was the leading State in production of native asphalt. Total production increased in 1981 to 1.26 million tons, while value increased 10.5% to $27.7 million. Bituminous limestone, used primarily for street and road repair, was produced by Whites Uvalde Mines and Uvalde Rock Asphalt Co., both in Uvalde County, Tex., and Southern Stone Co., Colbert County, Ala. Gilsonite was produced by American Gilsonite Co., Uinta County, Utah, and Ziegler Chemical and Mineral Corp., Weber County, Utah. This material was used for purposes other than road repair.

Jan 1, 1982

By Robert Hall

The Lynch Creek beryllium-tungsten prospect was investigated as part of the domestic beryllium resource studies by the Bureau of Mines. This prospect is in the Birch Creek mining district, Lander County, Nev., 9 airline miles south of Austin. A tungsten mine was operated intermittently from 1952 to 1957. Beryl was identified in the pegmatite dikes in 1960, and the lode claims were relocated. No beryl has been produced. Rocks in the area are Paleozoic sediments2 cut by pegmatite and aplite dikes and quartz stringers. Beryl occurs in random pockets, as disseminations throughout the dikes, and in occasional pockets in the quartz stringers.

Jan 1, 1962