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By Terry L. Muldoon

This report describes development and demonstration of an upgraded stench fire warning system for underground wines. Current systems, which have been used since before 1920, release an ethyl mercaptan mixture into the mines' compressed and/or ventilation air during emergencies. Miners, when smelling ethyl mercaptan, evacuate the mine according to predetermined plans. These systems, while simple, have problems with safety and reliability. The upgraded system overcomes these problems. The system uses a different stench agent, is less toxic, less nauseating, and less corrosive than ethyl mercaptan. These combined with the feature of thiophane not reacting with iron oxides, makes the upgraded system safer and more reliable. The system also uses a combination of two simple principles: a standpipe with pressure balancing to provide a constant head, and a sized orifice to control the rate of release of the stench agent. This system enables the mine to release the agent for a longer period which provides better coverage and to ensure that miners will not be exposed to potentially toxic concentrations of the stench agent. The system is easy to operate, requiring only the turning of two 1/4-turn ball valves. The upgraded system has been successfully tested during two evacuation drills at an underground uranium mine. Using three injectors (one on the compressed air line and one on each of two intake air shafts), the system exhibited significant improvements in warning times over the mine's existing system. This report provides a detailed description of the system design and its demonstrated performance in two mine demonstrations.

Jan 1, 1981

By Paul M. Godlewski, Joseph P. Gildner, David S. McAllister

With construction underway on the 22.5 km (14 mile) Initial Segment of the Link Light Rail transit system in Seattle (including the one-mile EPB-driven running tunnels and mined station at Beacon Hill), the Sound Transit Board on May 20, 2004 voted on selection of a preferred route for an approximately eight-mile extension northwards from the central business district to Northgate, and authorized immediate start of advanced conceptual/preliminary engineering and geotechnical exploration programs scheduled to be completed in Spring 2005. The extension includes approximately914 m (30,000) route-feet of bored running tunnels, a mined station with platform level approximately 60 m (200 ft) below grade, three (possibly four) cut-and-cover stations and a cut-and-cover cross-over structure, as well as an aerial terminal station at Northgate and other line-section below-grade and aerial structures. All tunneling will be in glacial soils.

Jan 1, 2005

By Daniel I. Carey

Current and potential dragline reclamation usage was evaluated for the U.S. coalfields based on data gathered and analyzed during field surveys, literature reviews and contacts with manufacturers. It was concluded that current wining plans have been adapted to federal and state strip mine and reclamation laws in ways which limit the potential for drag line reclamation systems at active mine sites. At abandoned conventional contour mine sites in steep-sloping areas such as central Appalachia, however, it was found that dragline reclamation systems have great potential application and may be the only practical solution to many reclamation problems. Alternative dragline systems were examined for restoring abandoned sites, and it was concluded that a tower excavator system offered superior characteristics and should be evaluated and developed under field conditions. A testing program was developed to provide a framework for the monitoring and analysis of cost, production and environmental data during a field demonstration of a tower excavator system.

Jan 1, 1981

By Robert Stefanko

The concept of disposing of liquid industrial wastes by deep-well injection is not a new one. Brines associated with crude oil long have been disposed of in this manner, with the additional benefit of aiding secondary oil recovery. More recently, with the expansion of nuclear energy, the lethal, highly radioactive wastes which are by-products of the fission process have created severe disposal problems. During the past ten years, a variety of industries have resorted to subsurface disposal, some of the details of which are given elsewhere (1,2). The list reveals wide variations in injection rate, pumping pressure, cost, and waste disposition. Included are successful installations in Western Pennsylvania.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. A. Holmes, EDWARD C. FRANKLIN, RALPH A. GOULD

The commission may be permitted to express its earnest hope that the litigation which comes to an end with the findings and recom- mendations herein set forth will be considered by both parties to the action as definitely and equitably decided. The commission trusts that its work will show the value of the commission form of settlement and that its work will serve as a prece- dent to be followed in disputes relative to technical subjects. If the work of the commission is productive of a tendency on the part of technical litigants to avoid the use of the courts for the settlement of disputes it will not have been done in vain. Such tendency will surely grow and ultimately such differences will be arbitrated by technically trained men without recourse to the courts of law. Appended to the report of the findings of the commission are to be found the detailed reports covering the several lines of inquiry and investigation carried on by the commission and upon which its findings are based, and also a detailed statement of the fiscal affairs of the commission. A word of explanation is necessary in regard to the fiscal statement. While each party to the litigation has agreed to bear one-half of the expense of the investigations of the commission, it will be noted that the Selby Smelting & Lead Co. is credited with $21,000, while Solano County is credited with but $6,000. In order that the investigations of the commission might go forward without interruption the Selby Smelting & Lead Co. has generously supplied funds at the times they were needed. This assistance has been

Jan 1, 1915

By J M. Totterdell

The Permian-Triassic Bowen Basin and the Jurassic-Cretaceous Surat Basin evolved in a backarc tectonic setting behind an active convergent plate margin in eastern Gondwana. Several extensional (Early Permian; Eocene) and contractional (mid-Permian; Early Triassic; Middle-Late Triassic; early Late Cretaceous) intraplate deformational events are recognised in the basins. These can be correlated with similar events in the New England Orogen that was being deformed in the Late Permian-Late Triassic as a foreland thrust belt. The intraplate deformations were probably the consequence of plate interactions, including the accretion of terranes, at the ancient active plate margin, remnants of which now occur in New Zealand.

Jan 1, 1995

By S. D. Hill, G. E. McClelland

To maximize productivity and improve minerals processing technology, the U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, is investigating a particle agglomeration technique as a means of increasing the percolation rate of leaching solutions through heaps of clayey or finely crushed, low- grade, gold-silver ores. Bench-scale and pilot-scale experiments conducted on different ores indicated that the percolation rate of cyanide leaching solution was enhanced markedly by mixing the ore with a binder, such as lime or portland cement, moistening the mixture, then mechanically agglomerating and aging the feed prior to heap building and leaching. In addition, the rate of silver and gold extraction markedly increased without sacrificing total recovery of values. The use of concentrated cyanide solution instead of water during the agglomeration procedure substantially decreased the leaching time required to obtain maximum recovery. Results from bench-scale and pilot-scale experiments using the particle agglomeration technique are discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. Heiser, J. Vendetti, B. P. Connor, E. J. Haas

"DISCLAIMER The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Reference to specific brand names does not imply endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. ABSTRACT Health and safety indicators help mine sites predict the likelihood of an event, advance initiatives to control risks, and track progress. Although useful to encourage organizations to work together, executing such risk assessments comes with challenges. This paper focuses on one trona mine’s experience in the development and implementation of a field level risk assessment program to help its entire organization understand and manage risk to an acceptable level. Through a transformational process of ongoing support and communication, Solvay Green River fostered a culture of trust and safety grounded in risk assessment, safety interactions, and hazard correction. The application of consistent risk assessment (RA) tools was critical to create a participatory workforce that not only talks about safety, but actively identifies energies that contribute to hazards and potential incidents. In this paper, reflecting on the mine’s process of RA implementation provides examples of likely barriers that sites may encounter when trying to document and manage risks. As discussed, consistent efforts to establish a participatory risk management program are worth the initial struggle to ultimately reduce incidents. INTRODUCTION Work-related health and safety (H&S) incidents often account for lost days on the job, contributing to organizational/financial and personal/social burdens [1-2]. Accompanying research demonstrates that risk and ambiguity around risk contribute to almost every decision that individuals make throughout the day [3-4]. In response, understanding individual attitudes toward risk has been unquestionably linked to predicting H&S behavior [5]. Although an obvious need exists to identify more comprehensive methods to assess and mitigate potential hazards, some argue that risk management is not given adequate attention in occupational H&S [6]. Additionally, research suggests that a current lack of knowledge, skills, and motivation are primary barriers to mitigating workplace risks [3-6]. Therefore, enhancing knowledge and awareness around risk-based decisions, including individuals’ abilities to understand, measure, and assign levels of risk to determine an appropriate response, is increasingly important in hazardous environments to predict and prevent incidents. This paper focuses on tailored approaches to field level risk assessment (FLRA), measurement, and common barriers to participating in such activities. The authors use a trona mine in Green River, Wyoming, as a case study to illustrate how the organization overcame widespread and site-specific challenges to implement a proactive risk management program. By discussing the mine’s tailored FLRA program, this case study contributes to the literature by first, providing examples of critical components that need to be in place to ensure successful risk management and second, context for continuous quality improvement that can foster a higher level of trust and empowerment on site."

Jan 1, 2017

By W. T. Abel

The difficulties associated with wet-processing fine size coal led the Bureau of Mines to investigate a dry process for removing pyrite from coal pulverized to powerplant fineness. The dry process that was investigated consists of two cleaning steps: First, centrifugal separation is used to remove a fine, pyrite-depleted portion as a product; second, the remaining coarser, pyrite-enriched portion is taken to electrostatic separation in which pyrite is concentrated and rejected. Ball milling and Hardgrove milling were used to pulverize the coal. Three coals from the Pittsburgh seam were treated by the dry-removal process. Over 55 pct of the pyrite, which amounted to 70 pct of the available pyrite, was removed in a reject of 10 to 20 pct from one of the coals. Similar treatment of the other two coals removed about 35 to 50 pct of the pyritic sulfur, which amounted to about 70 pct of the available pyritie, sulfur from these coals. Both centrifugal and electrostatic separations were more efficient when pyrite particles were as large as possible. Separation efficiency was improved by confining the particle size of the feed to a relatively narrow range and by avoiding excessive amounts (more than 10 pct) of dust in the electrostatic range. The removal efficiency was increased with the use of stage grinding.

Jan 1, 1973

[AARONSON, E.: Discussion on Recent Developments in Fractionation as Applied to Tube Still Distillation, G26, 418 Abbe. See Microscope. Abbe apertometer, 95, 16 ABBOTT, W. L.: A.S.M.E. president, M26,113 biography, M26,113 ABORN, R. H.: Discussions: on Effects of Columbium in Chromium-nickel Steels 113, 159 on Pure Iron and Allotropic Transformations 84, 342 on Prevention of Intergranular Corrosion, 100,329 ABORN, R. H. AND BAIN, E. C.: Discussion on Widmanstätten Structure in Ironcarbon Alloys 105, 252]

Jan 1, 1936

By B. P. Watson

The first crush pillars on the Bushveld platinum mines were introduced at Union Section in 1978. Before the introduction of crush pillars, serious problems were experienced when stoping advanced to a point 30 m to 40 m on both sides of the centre gully. At least three to four stopes were collapsing per month. The introduction of the pillars stopped the stope collapses in the mining area where they were introduced. The residual stresses of these pillars were never measured; however, the successful elimination of the ?back-break? problem suggests that the original pillars had a residual strength of at least 8 MPa. Apart from back analyses, very little work has been done to determine the residual strength of crush pillars and only very recently have any measurements been made. The lack of knowledge in this field has resulted in pillars being designed based on experience. Concerns about stope collapses, similar to the Coalbrook disaster, have led to larger pillars being cut in more recent times. If such pillars were cut in brittle quartzites they would always fail violently but the ductile nature of the Merensky Reef generally allows large pillars to fail without bursting. Occasionally, however, one would burst in a working area. Increased incidence of bursting has been reported on some mines at deeper levels but most of these bursts occur in the back areas. Nevertheless, the incidence of bursting increases the risk of falls of ground in already dangerous areas, and the larger pillars decrease the extraction ratio. This paper describes the evaluation of stress measurements conducted in two boreholes over a crush pillar with dimensions 2.5 m x4.0 m, and a height of 1.2 m. Boussinesq equations for vertical and shear stress were used to analyse the original measurements and provide a stress profile across the pillar as well as the residual strength of the pillar. The results showed an unexpectedly high peak stress of 280 MPa at the centre of the pillar and a residual strength of 48 MPa. The reason for the high residual strength is suspected to be the result of the stiff environment under which the pillar failed and the small height of the siding on the up-dip edge of the pillar. More measurements should be conducted on several mines to establish a range of residual strengths for narrow crush pillars.

Jan 1, 2008

TowerMill - Advantages in Wet Grinding Applications The TowerMill, which has now been in existence for no less than 50 years, is one alternative to the horizontal ball mill and offers several advantages. The TowerMill is widely used in (coal-fired) electric power plants for the grinding of raw material for the FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurisation) process involving very high throughputs, very fine product sizes and high availability. Some companies in the mining industry also looked at the use of such optimised grinding machines several years ago and found that many of the advantages offered in other industries are transferable to new applications. Much development work has been undertaken to improve the TowerMill for new applications and, as part of that work, tests have also been conducted to make direct comparisons of their performance with that of ball mills. Grinding tests were performed using the same raw materials and comparable machine sizes. Some of the results are discussed in this paper, along with a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages. The conclusion provides an outlook for some worthwhile future applications. The test results, which are described and analysed, show that the TowerMill offers significant advantages in relation to operating costs and operational safety. An example based on the wet grinding of limestone is presented.

Sep 13, 2010

By Oliver Bowles

Accidental explosions in coal mines are due to various causes, but many of them can be directly attributed to coal dust; others that probably in no way depend on dust as a primary cause are propagated, greatly intensified, and made more disastrous by the presence of coal dust. The fact that coal dust in a bituminous mine will explode as a result of a fire-damp explosion has been generally accepted for many years, but the belief has also been held by many that coal dust is not in itself dangerous when unmixed with an explosive gas. Therefore, in past years little attention was given to dust in mines free from fire damp, and many disastrous explosions have resulted from lack of knowledge of the danger from coal dust. In the explosives gallery and experimental mine of the Bureau of Mines experiment station, Pittsburgh, Pa., it has been proved repeatedly and conclusively that coal dust will explode violently when no inflammable gas is present. PROPAGATION OF DUST EXPLOSIONS A coal-dust explosion is an extremely rapid burning or combustion of the coal particles. Their burning consists essentially of the combination of the hydrocarbons in the coal with the oxygen of the air, a process that generates heat and flame and produces hot gases and water vapor. These gases and vapors have a volume many times that of the original coal particles; thus they exert an outward motion and pressure which constitute the explosive wave. When fine particles of coal are suspended in the air, each particle is surrounded by the oxygen of the air, and thus is well placed to oxidize or burn rapidly whenever the temperature is high enough. If some particles are ignited from any cause they will fire others, and the combustion will extend from particle to particle with extreme rapidity wherever enough coal dust of sufficient purity is present.

Jan 1, 1925

By Sean Masse

New Gold?s New Afton Mine, located 8 km (5 miles) west of Kamloops, British Columbia, is a 4.5-Mt/a (5-million stpy) block cave mine, making it the highest tonnage underground hard rock mine in Canada. The reserve is estimated at 52.5 Mt (55.9 million st) with grades of 0.65 g/t (0.02 oz/st) gold and 0.93 percent copper (2012). Commercial production was achieved in July 2012 and nameplate production was achieved ahead of schedule in September 2012, with the cave breaching to surface in 2013. The mill has a SAG and a ball mill with a froth flotation circuit.

Jan 1, 2014

By Thomas Fraser, E. A. Holbrook

The data in this bulletin were obtained during an investigation of screening practice by the University of Illinois engineering experiment station and the United States Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement between them and the State of Illinois Geological Survey Division. Earlier work on this subject includes a study of the general practice of coal preparation in Illinois, made in 1914 and published in 1916/ and an investigation of Illinois coal-w.ashing methods, results of which were published in 1912 in a bulletin 2 that contained complete information on the methods then in use for sizing washed coa 1.

Jan 1, 1925

The goal of the Bureau of Mines diesel engine research program is to reduce exhaust emissions and minimize the risk of fires and explosions caused by the use of diesel- powered equipment in underground mines. This program has led to a fundamental understanding of the problems and to solutions that allow diesel equipment to be used safely and effectively. This volume contains reports of the presentations made at the Bureau Technology Transfer Seminar on Diesels in Underground &fines given in Louisville, KY, and Denver, CO, on April 21 and April 23, 1987. It also contains three reports of related research, not presented at the seminar, which highlight the significant achievements of a joint US.-Canadian research program on diesel emission control technology for underground mines. Topics covered in this volume include discussions of industrial hygiene problems associated with the use of diesels, accident statistics, fire and explosion control systems, measurement of diesel pollutants, emission control techniques including engine maintenance, fuel additives, diesel particulate filters, and ventilation of diesel sections. An alternative to diesel power, the hydrogen-powered mine vehicle, is also described.

Jan 1, 1987

By E. S. Moore

Although nickel was in use in alloys long before the Christian era, the metal was not discovered until 1751, when Cronstedt recognized it in niccolite from Sweden. The Chinese apparently used a nickel alloy, known as "pahfong" thousands of years ago and Persian coins dating farther back than 200 B.C. consist of a copper-nickel alloy similar to some of those now in use in coins. The pure metal was first prepared about 1775 and the metal was refined for commercial purposes some years later. The nickel industry did not attain much prominence until the ores in New Caledonia were discovered. Exports of ore from that country began in 1875 and since that date there has been an ever-increasing world output of nickel and a great expansion in the uses of the metal except during short periods of commercial and industrial depression. Previous to 1875, for a number of years, Norway was the chief producer, although the metal was mined also in Sweden, Finland, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, China, the United States and other countries. With the discovery of nickel deposits in the Sudbury district, Ontario, a new factor was introduced into the nickel industry and Sudbury has since become the overwhelmingly dominant feature in the world's nickel markets. Although nickel was first discovered in Canada as early as 1848 near the north shore of Lake Huron and nickel-copper sulfides were found in 1856 by surveyors working close to the present location of the important rnine at Creighton, in the Sudbury field, it was not until 1883 that any importance was attached to this field. In that year copper sulfide attracted attention where the main line of the Canadian Pacific railroad was being projected across Canada to the Pacific coast. Mining began near this discovery in 1889 but in the meantime operations had begun in 1886 in other parts of the field and by 1890 about 100,000 tons of ore had been raised. In the Sudbury field, as in Norway and at the old Lancaster Gap mine in Pennsylvania, the ore was first mined for its copper content and difficully in the refining of the copper led to the discovery of the important proportions of nickel in the ore. No. 3 property of the International Nickel Co., now known as the Frood, the greatest deposit in the

Jan 1, 1932

By E. S. Moore

ALTHOUGH nickel was in use in alloys long before the Christian era, the metal was not discovered until 1751, when Cronstedt recognized it in niccolite from Sweden. The Chinese apparently used a nickel alloy, known as "pahfong" thousands of years ago and Persian coins dating farther back than 200 B.C. consist of a copper-nickel alloy similar to some of those now in use in coins. The pure metal was first prepared about 1775 and the metal was refined for commercial purposes some years later. The nickel industry did not attain much prominence until the ores in New Caledonia were discovered. Exports of ore from that country began in 1875 and since that date there has been an ever-increasing world output of nickel and a great expansion in the uses of the metal except during short periods of commercial and industrial depression. Previous to 1875, for a number of years, Norway was the chief producer, although the metal was mined also in Sweden, Finland, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, China, the United States and other countries. With the dis-covery of nickel deposits in the Sudbury district, Ontario, a new factor was introduced into the nickel industry and Sudbury has since become the overwhelmingly dominant feature in the world's nickel markets. Although nickel was first discovered in Canada as early as 1848 near the north shore of Lake Huron and nickel-copper sulfides were found in 1856 by surveyors working close to the present location of the important mine at Creighton, in the Sudbury field, it was not until 188.3 that any importance was attached to this field. In that year copper sulfide attracted attention where the main line of the Canadian Pacific railroad was being projected across Canada to the Pacific coast. Mining began near this discovery in 1889 but in the meantime operations had begun in 1886 in other parts of the field and by 1890 about 100,000 tons of ore had been raised. In the Sudbury field, as in Norway and at the old Lancaster Gap mine in Pennsylvania, the ore was first mined for its copper content and difficulty in the refining of the copper led to the discovery of the important proportions of nickel in the ore. No. 3 property of the Inter-national Nickel Co., now known as the Frood, the greatest deposit in the

Jan 1, 1932

Q: It is May 1961 at Bill Wrather's Washington house. Bill, think back to your first job after college. Wrather: Perhaps I ought to go back a little bit further than my first job. I entered the University of Chicago with the idea of studying law. My intention was to take a 4-yr liberal arts course and superimpose a law degree on that. But during my undergraduate work I fell under the influence of R. D. Salsbury. He decided I had some talent as a geologist and influenced me to take a geological course. Nevertheless, I did not give up the idea of law. While in school I took a spell of typhoid fever and almost died. The doctor recommended outdoor exercise, so a geological job seemed logical. W. H. Emmons was a graduate student in the University and he interceded with Dr. Hayes of the USGS. I went on the payroll as assistant packer at $60 a month. I had one of the most glorious summers I ever spent in my life. That fall and the following year I took law courses and became thoroughly convinced that I was cut out for a geologist rather than a lawyer. I finished up my law work in 1908 while waiting for a job with Bill Emmons, who was doing a careful study of Goldfield and Tonopah.

Jan 4, 1964

By Louis Schaffer

The purposes of the research were to assess the applicability of new accident investigation methods to mining accidents, and to adapt those found to be applicable in the development of a new methodology for use in mining. The development included field testing, evaluation and modification of the new methodology. The report is in two volumes. This, volume one, discusses primarily the Phase I work: background research, design of a methodology for field evaluation, and preliminary field tests in Utah mines. Phase I was completed in June, 1980. Also discussed are some activities to prepare for a field evaluation during the period May 1980 -October 1981. Volume 2 discusses the subsequent field tests, modifications of the initial methodology and the results of use of the methodology in two mining companies for a period of approximately eighteen months, and in other companies for selected loss incidents during that period.

Jan 1, 1986