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By Spangler Ricker, F. T. Johnson

"SUMMARYThe Ione-Carbondale clays area is 2 miles northwesterly of Ione, Amador County, Calif. It was explored during the war by the Bureau of Mines to obtain data on the alumina content and to recover representative samples for beneficiation tests for alumina recovery.Seventy holes, aggregating 8,837 feet, were drilled, and about 10.3 acres of land was cleared of underbrush. Maps and cross sections were compiled showing location of holes, analyses, and other pertinent data.The clay beds vary in thickness from 13 to 196 feet, and are covered by a loose overburden, averaging about 11.9 feet in thickness. The ratio of overburden to clay is 1 : 8.2. Analysis of a composite sample showed the recoverable alumina (A12O3) and Fe2O3 content to be in the order of 23.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.Topography of the clay area is ideal for open-pit mining methods and plant site.INTRODUCTIONInvestigation of alumina-rich clays for the possible production of aluminum was made during the recent war period, when the shortage of bauxite was becoming critical.Results of field examinations by the Bureau of Mines and the Federal Geological Survey indicated that one of the most promising areas for the development of alumina-rich clays is in the Ione-Carbondale district."

Mar 1, 1948

By Leon E. Esparza

In 1985, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 16,927-acre Pryor Mountain Wilderness Study Area (MT-067-206), part of the 3,955-acre Burnt Timber Canyon Wilderness Study Area (MT-067-205), and part of the 4,550-acre Big Horn Tack-On Wilderness Study Area (MT-067-207) to evaluate their identified mineral resources. The Burnt Timber and Big Horn Tack-On study areas contain 3,430 and 2,550 acres, respectively. The three areas are in Carbon County, MT, and Big Horn County, WY, about 13 miles north of Lovell, WY. No identified resources exist in any of the study areas. Bureau of Mines personnel reviewed literature, searched county mining records and examined prospects, claims, and mineralized areas to determine whether identified mineral resources existed. The three study areas are within the Pryor Mountain unorganized mining district. U.S. Department of Energy production records indicate there were 223,000 pounds of uranium oxide (U308) and 236,000 pounds of vanadium pentoxide (V205) produced from 19 properties within the mining district. The average ore grade was 0.36 percent [3,600 ppm (parts per million)] U308 and 0.416 percent (4,160 ppm) V20S. Only the Pryor Mountain study area has current claims, the 50 claims of the S0S group.

Jan 1, 1986

By A. F. Baker

The Bureau of Mines conducted pressure-drop studies in a 4-foot-diameter simulated blast furnace shaft to compare anthracite metallurgical briquets with coke and formcoke. The test materials were used alone, layered, and in mixed burdens of commercial fuel-to-ore ratios. Anthracite briquets had a higher pressure drop per foot than furnace coke, but they had a lower pressure drop per foot than formcoke. This appears to be due to packing and shape, as well as to particle size. The superficial air velocities at which beds of briquets and furnace coke disrupted were about the same. However, if briquets of the shapes and sizes tested are substituted for furnace coke in commercial metallurgical furnaces, higher blowing pressures will be required to deliver comparable amounts of air. Test burdens with more than 5 percent material smaller than 1/4-inch diameter showed significant increases in resistance to airflow.

Jan 1, 1967

By Michael S. Miller

In 1986 and 1987, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 550-acre Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Study Area (NV-030-532), in order to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The Wilderness Study Area is located in Alpine County, CA, 11 mi southeast of Markleeville, CA. Tertiary volcanic and granitic rocks, as well as alluvium, underlie the area. Hydrothermal alteration and faulting have affected some rocks; argillic, silicic, and limonitic alteration are found, particularly near faults. No mineral resources were identified in the Wilderness Study Area. The area has one small pit and no mines or claims. Samples from the Wilderness Study Area and vicinity contained uneconomic amounts of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, arsenic, and molybdenum. Mineral occurrences are too small and low grade to be of interest within the foreseeable future.

Jan 1, 1988

By Michael E. Henderson

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (BOM) constructed the Hydraulic Transport Research Facility (HTRF) to investigate the hydraulic parameters relating to the transport of coarse coal. To achieve these goals in a timely and efficient manner, the Bureau contracted to Boeing Services International (BSI) the responsibility of operating the HTRF and providing technical support. This data report is a summary of the testing and data results for the period 22 November to 10 December 1982. The testing covered herein is for coarse 2-in by 0 (minus 50 mm) Pittsburgh Seam coal in a 6-in (150 mm) pipeline, at velocities ranging from 5 to 20 ft/s (1.5 to 6.1 m/s) and at concentrations ranging from 15 to 45 pct by weight.

Jan 1, 1986

By F. G. Schwartz

The Bureau of Mines developed a rapid and precise method for predicting storage stability of motor gasolines. This method resulted from the investigation of many analytical techniques as well as a study of fuel composition and fuel component gum-forming mechanisms. The first section of this bulletin discusses the development of the prediction test through its several phases, including revision of the standard 110° F storage test; attempts to develop a modification of the ASTM D525 induction bomb test; and the ultimate abandonment of this procedure with the adoption of the 16-hour oven test that was both precise and rapid. The second section comprises a discussion of further studies of fuel com- position, including the reactivity of certain sulfur compounds and hydrocarbons to form gum. The compositions of various gums and inorganic deposits are reported in terms of elemental analysis and spectroscopic examinations. The reactions of tetraethyllead with selected hydrocarbons are also reported.

Jan 1, 1972

By Michael S. Miller

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) conducted mineral investigations in the 1,227,000-acre Emigrant Trail study area of Nevada during 1992. During the USBM investigation of 25 areas of development interest, 190 mineral localities were identified and 260 rock and 50 alluvial samples were taken. At least 0.5 million troy ounces of gold, 2.3 million troy ounces of silver, 3.3 million pounds of copper, 10.9 million pounds of lead, 2.4 million pounds of zinc, 500 tons of alunite, 40,000 tons of sulfur, 9,000 pounds of mercury, and 21,000 pounds of tin have been mined from the area and vicinity. Adjacent to the study area, gold is being mined at large, open-pit gold mines, the Hog Ranch and Hycroft Resources, Inc., Sulphur mines, and new production is planned at the Rosebud LAC/Equinox. Hog Ranch mine is nearing depletion, but resources of more than 0.5 million troy ounces of gold and about 5 million ounces of silver are estimated for the Rosebud LAC/Equinox project and more than 0.4 million ounces of gold for the Hycroft Resources, Inc., Sulphur mine. Significant investigations are occurring at SP Ridge and other sites near Scossa and at the Dan claims in the Southern Calico Mountains. Precious opal, placer gold, and geothermal energy resources occur in the study area and vicinity.

Jan 1, 1993

By John W. Frey

This paper presents one of a series of digests of foreign mining legis- lation and court decisions which is being prepared in advance of a general re- port relative to the rights of American citizens to explore for minerals and to own and operate mines in various foreign countries. This interpretation of the laws of Portugal, prepared from the best available information in Washington, has been slightly amplified in accordance with suggestions trans- mitted through the courtesy of the Department of State by Fred Morris Dearing, American Minister at Lisbon.

Nov 1, 1929

By W. R. K. Wu

Studies are reported on the structure of coal and coke with the graphical , statistical densimetric method based on the relation between the molecular volume per carbon atom ( M / C ) and the atomic hydrogen - carbon ratio ( H / C ) . Previous work , mostly from chemical and physical investigations , is critically reviewed . Difficulties in evaluating the ring increment are demonstrated for coal and coke for the statistical densimetric method based on the additivity of atomic volumes of constituent elements . A new diagram is presented for the graphical method . Methods are introduced for correcting M /C and H/C for the presence of minor constituents in coal and coke . With the graphical method , the fractions of aromatic carbon atoms in the total carbon atoms are estimated for a coal , a resin , and 5 petrographic components ; the types of condensed structure in the fundamental units of molecules are discussed for these substances , 28 coals , and 6 " average " cokes at 500 ° to 1,000 ° C. It is also shown that the number of rings in the fundamental units of coal generally increases with increasing rank and that of coke , with increasing carbonization temperature .

Jul 1, 1960

By Michael E. Henderson

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (BOM) constructed the Hydraulic Transport Research Facility (HTRF) to investigate the hydraulic parameters relating to the transport of coarse coal. To achieve these goals in a timely and efficient manner, the Bureau contracted to Boeing Services International, Inc. (BSI) the responsibility of operating the HTRF and providing technical support. This data report is a summary of the testing and data results for the period from 16 September to 1 November 1983. The testing covered herein is for coarse 2-in by a (minus 50 mm) Pittsburgh Seam coal in a 12-in (3 00 mm) pipeline, at velocities ranging from 5 to 18 ft/s (1.5 to 5.5 m/s) and at concentrations ranging from 15 to 55 pct.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. S. Kalman

A table of factors for rapid, accurate calculation of the volume of pure helium in cylindrical steel containers, at base conditions of 14.7 psia and 70° F, is presented. The table covers a pressure range from 10 to 10,000 psin in 10-psi increments and a temperature range of 0° to 120° F in 2° increments. The volume of helium is calculated from the observed pressure and temperature of the helium, expressed as a factor from the table, and the known internal volume of the container. The calculation requires a single multiplication. A discussion and evaluation of the accuracy obtainable and a derivation of the formula used (which takes into account compressibility of helium, thermal expansion of steel containers, and the stretch of steel due to internal pressure) are presented. An example showing how the table can be used is given also.

Jan 1, 1968

By James P. May

Operating mine haulage trucks near the crest of stockpiles and waste dumps is a potentially hazardous practice often resulting in a localized slope failure and a dump point accident. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a computer code (INSLOPE3) based on the kinematic method of limit analysis which determines an admissible truck weight (upper bound value) for varying distances from the slope edge. The program considers the material strength parameters, slope geometry, and inertial forces induced by vehicle braking. The program can be utilized to assist in the determination of safe operating distances for a haulage truck from a slope edge, the development of safe vehicle operating procedures, and the admissible weight for a static concentrated loading near the crest of an otherwise stable slope. This report provides information on the use of INSLOPE3, interpretation of the results for mining applications, and instructions for acquiring a copy of the software.

Jan 1, 1991

By Farrel W. Lytle

An X-ray emission spectrographic method of analysis is presented for determining rare-earth elements in fractions obtained from bastnaesite ore. The method includes determination of yttrium, thorium, lanthanum, and the rare-earth elements in various complex mixtures. The analysis technique is based upon comparing the samples with synthetic standards approximating the composition of the samples. Working curves are plotted on an absolute-intensity basis, with no correction for back-ground. Examples of working curves and the analyses of typical rare-earth concentrates are included. The selection of spectral lines for the various sample matrices is discussed. A special technique is used for samples in which rapid hydration and carbonation occurred. By analyzing synthetic samples of known composition, the accuracy of the method was determined. The average error of analysis was about 3 percent of the amount present in the range from 5 to 100 percent and about 7 percent in the 0.2-to 5-percent range. A maximum of about 40 samples per day may be analyzed for 7 elements each.

Jan 1, 1957

By Martin J. Gavin

During the present study of lubricating oils in the San Francisco laboratory of the Bureau of mines it became desirable to distill oils used in the experimental work at pressures as low as 10 mm., (mercury column) absolute. In the effort to overcome difficulties and eliminate sources of error the apparatus described below was finally developed. The distilling flask is essentially the Hempel flask used by the Bureau of Mines for the analytical distillation of petroleum3. The complete apparatus is shown in Figure 1. As air leakage at connections is an ever present or potential source of difficulty and error in vacuum apparatus, the, mouth of the flask is drawn down to one cm. internal diameter which materially simplifies obtaining an air-tight seal at this point. Before reducing the mouth, the spray screen is inserted and adjusted in position.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. M. Strong, Lauson Stone

Under the terms of the act establishing the Bureau of Mines, this bureau was authorized to carryon the work of testing and analyzing fuels which had been conducted by the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey. That work included in its scope an investigation of the availability and uses ofliquid as well as solid fuels, for the original outline of the fuel-testing investigations contemplated, as soon as the funds would be available, a study of the liquid-fuel resources of the country and the making of related researches to determine how these resources could be utilized with greatest efficiency. Owing to the fact that many difficulties were being encountered in the adaptation of the heavier fuel oils for convenient use in internalcombustion engines, it was deemed best to begin the investigation of liquid fuels with tests of gasoline, a fuel in more or less general use. When this investigation began, the extensive introduction, especially by foreign powers, of liquid fuels for small naval craft had awakened much interest. However, the quality of gasoline was reported to vary materially in different countries and the quantity available was said to be rapidly decreasing, with the probability of a prohibitive increase in price. At the same time the claim was made that denatured alcohol, of fairly uniform quality, could be procured in all parts of the world, that unlimited quantities could be readily produced at a low cost, and that this fuel could be used much more efficiently than gasoline in internal-combustion engines. Such statements naturally led to a widespread belief that the time was near at hand when denatured alcohol would entirely displace gasoline as engine fuel. Therefore, the first investigations of the liquid mineral fuels logically embraced a careful series of comparative tests of gasoline and denatured alcohol in engines. A series of over 2,000 such tests was conducted at the Government fuel-testing plants at St. Louis, Mo., and Norfolk, Va., details of which are given in the following pages. The report is published by the Bureau of Mines because of the transfer of the fuel-testing investigations to this bureau.

Jan 1, 1912

By Paul W. Johnson, Ralph C. Kirby, Frank A. Peters

An evaluation is presented for a process designed , on the basis of published work , to extract alumina as potassium alum from clay using sulfuric acid and potassium sulfate . The silica residue is separated by filtration . Ferric iron is reduced to ferrous iron , and the alum is crystallized from the solution , leaving the ferrous iron in solution . The alum crystals are separated from the solution and redissolved for feed to autoclave decomposition . In an autoclave the alum is partly decomposed to a basic alum , recovering five - ninths of the sulfuric acid and two - thirds of the potassium sulfate without using an acid plant . The basic alum is decomposed by calcining , and the potassium sulfate is then removed by washing with water . Operating costs for a plant producing 1,000 tons of alumina a day are estimated at $ 96.15 per ton of alumina . The fixed capital cost is estimated at $ 155 million . This process is not competitive under current economic conditions with the production of alumina from bauxite by the Bayer process . Improvement in leaching , basic alum decomposition , and washing could reduce the costs and improve the product which contains some potassium .

Jan 1, 1963

By J. I. Paige

The effect of fluoride inclusions on the properties of titanium produced from the Bureau of Mines developed induction slag melting process is of concern to members of the titanium industry. The objective of the research was to determine the effect of CaF2 inclusions on the properties of titanium and its survival rate during melting. The data were obtained from single induction-slag-melted ingots prepared with the normal addition of 4 pct and also with 2- and 1-pct additions of CaF2 slag. The results of this effort showed that the mechanical properties of single-induction-slag-melted Ti-6Al-4V alloy exceed the minimum values specified in Aerospace Materials Specification for Titanium Alloy Bars and Forgings AMS4928H, but these materials are much more notch sensitive in fatigue than normal Ti-6A1-4V alloy titanium. First and second vacuum-arc remelts of single-induction-slag-melted ingots fragmented and increased the number of inclusions, while reductions in the amount of flux resulted in an upward trend in the spatial distance between pores in an x-y plane.

Jan 1, 1988

By M. R. Geer

Samples of coal from six beds in the Roslyn-Cle Elum field of Washington were subjected to float-and-sink tests to determine their amenability to the production of high-ash boiler fuel for on-site power generation. Grindability tests and analyses of ash were made. All of the coals would require some degree of cleaning to insure a product of 25 percent ash. With two of the coals the entire size range would have to be washed. With the other four, it would suffice to clean only the coarse coal and bypass the raw fines.

Jan 1, 1965

By Robert L. Virta

The Bureau of Mines examined a fibrous talc sample from the Gouverneur talc district in New York by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and polarized light microscopy to determine the mineralogical relationship of the fibrous talc to the amphiboles present in the sample. Two am-phiboles, anthophyllite and tremolite, were present in the sample. Tremolite occurred as a separate mineral phase, which was blocky in habit. Only a few composite tremolite-talc grains were observed. An-thophyllite, however, was present only in the fibrous talc grains. Mi-crodiffraction study of the fibrous talc grains containing anthophyllite showed that the anthophyllite was intermixed with the talc on a fine scale and that there was a crystallographic relationship between the talc and anthophyllite lattices in the fibrous talc grains. A mechanism similar to the process that forms biopyriboles could explain the structural defects, the fibrous habit of the talc, and the structural relationship between the talc and anthophyllite in the fibrous talc grains. Because of these characteristics, phase contrast microscopy and a provisional TEM technique for monitoring asbestos exposure would not distinguish between fibrous talc and fibrous amphiboles. TEM techniques employing electron diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis are recommended to positively identify the fibrous phases for regulatory purposes.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. C. Tarpley, H. M. Cooper, R. F. Abernethy

"INTRODUCTION The float-and-sink test 5/6/ is generally the first test used in determining the washing characteristics of coal. The simplest form of the test is that of using one solution of such specific gravity that the test sample is separated into ""float"" and ""sink"" fractions. In practice, however, a series of solutions is used, and the sample is separated into a number of fractions of a definite specific-gravity range. Analyses of a series of fractions of this type are often referred to as the ""specific-gravity analysis,"" and are of great value in the selection, construction, and operation of commercial washing equipment.The test is rather simple to use, provided a number of conditions are recognized and as many as possible held constant, such as:1. In laboratory testing, two types of solution are available -Aqueous solutions of calcium and zinc chlorides.Mixtures of organic liquids such as carbon tetrachloride, benzene, gasoline, bromoform, etc.2. Absorption of the solution by the coal,3. Solvent action of the solution toward the coal.4. Constancy of specific gravity during the test is affected by temperature changes, dilution, and evaporation.5. Personal technique of the test, such as the time the coal is in the liquid, rate of adding the sample to the liquid, stirring, time of draining, etc.6. Moisture content of the coal as tested."

Dec 1, 1947