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By Jerry Olson

The Bureau of Mines (Bureau) conducted a mineral resource investigation of the French Creek-Patrick Butte study area, in west central Idaho during 1989. No mineral resources or significant occurrences were identified. Other than small scale placer gold, no mineral production is known or recorded. At least 100 lode and 150 placer claims have been located in the study area. Most of the area was examined by ground or areal surveys, and 110 lode and 60 placer samples were taken. Four lode prospects were examined in detail, and all placer claim locations were sampled.

Jan 1, 1991

By F. N. Kissell, C. H. Elder, C. M. McCulloch

The applicability of the "direct method" for determining the methane content of virgin coalbeds was tested. Preliminary results indicate that the direct method, when applied to exploration cores, can be successfully used to estimate coalbed gas content and also approximately predict the total gas emission from a prospective mine located in the coalbed at the exploration site.

Jan 1, 1973

By H. E. Peterson

A study was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines to develop a simple, reliable test for field detection of selenium in rocks and soils. Two methods are described for qualitative detection of selenium, dependent upon its form of occurrence and the presence of interfering constituents in the sample. Both methods involve fusion of the sample in a test tube to form elemental selenium that will volatilize and condense as a red deposit on the cooler upper portion of the test tube. The methods are sensitive to 10 parts per million, (p.p.m.) equivalent to 0.001 percent, and can be made semiquantitative by using suitable standard samples. INTRODUCTION Although selenium is widely distributed in the United States, the known deposits are either so small or so low grade that they cannot be processed economically for selenium alone-4/ At present, commercial production is a byproduct of the smelting and refining of base-metal ores, particularly copper.5/ About 0.75 pound of selenium is recovered per ton of electrolytic copper, and small amounts are recovered by special treatment of assorted smelter dusts and fume products. Since selenium is a strategic metal in short supply, new sources are being sought by both Government and private interests.

Jan 1, 1957

By Robert L. Mentch

CADMIUM is one of the metals apparently destined to remain relatively scarce. The en tire supply of primary cadmium is recovered as a byproduct, concurrently with the treatment of ores of other metals. Development of the cadmium industry is attributed to metallurgical improvements in the zinc industry; output depends almost wholly upon zinc production. Cadmium is a metal of specialized uses where its superior performance has developed a strong, expanding demand. The supply, however, has been relatively unresponsive to price because of its byproduct nature. Cadmium's outstanding properties would assure it a manyfold greater market if more were available at lower prices.

Jan 1, 1958

By T. J. Ballard

The Union Copper mine is in the Gold Hill district; Rowan and Cabarrus Counties, N. C. The mine was discovered in 1799 and first worked as a gold mine; but copper was encountered at depth, and the property became an important producer of copper. It is estimated that the mine produced 5,000,000 pounds of copper before operations were discontinued in 1907. As part of the strategic minerals program, the Bureau of Mines conducted a development project on the property from July 1943 to November 1943. Eight diamond-drill holes totaling 2,500 linear feet were drilled to delineate the ore body. Analyses 205 core samples were made. Tabulations of sample analyses and drill-hole logs are presented in this report.

Jan 1, 1948

By Jr. Sillers

This is the third report of investigations dealing with the application of electrolytic manganese to steel-foundry practice and the seventh in a series of reports dealing with tests to establish the technological acceptability of electrolytic manganese in the iron and steel industries. The work was carried out by Metallurgical Division of the Bureau of Mines as part of an extensive program for the development and utilization of domestic ores. The electrolytic manganese used in the tests was produced by the Bureau at its Boulder, City, Nev., pilot plant by the process developed by the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1949

"Research on the control of exposure to respirable contaminants in mine atmospheres is conducted in five areas; 1) control of dust generation, 2) dilution, dispersion and collection of dust in mine airways, 3) characterization of dust particles, 4) interaction of dust and lungs, 5) relationship of mine environment, geology, and seam characteristics to dust generation and mobility. The distribution of research findings to the mining industry, to government agencies, and to scientists at other universities is accomplished in several ways.A data bank of respirable dust samples displaying a wide range of characteristics (low volatile, medium volatile, high volatile, silica fireclay, rockdust) has been established by the Center. This data bank is being utilized by Center researchers in a suite of medical, scientific, and engineering tests (FIGURE 26).The Center has honored requests for educational and informational materials from several sources, including MSHA and CANMET who received information on Center generated software and used the Center's expertise in developing a computer program for particle distribution model (DISFIT).The Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust has organized two dust conferences on respirable dust, the Coal Mine Dust Conference, held at West VirginiaUniversity, Morgantown, West Virginia from October 8-10, 1984 and Respirable Dust in the Mineral Industries: Health Effects, Characterization and Control, an international symposium on Respirable Dust in the Mineral Industries held at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania from October 14-16. 1986. These conferences were co-sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Mine Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). On August 23-26, 1988, the VIIth International Pnuemoconioses Conference was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While not a sponsor of this conference, researchers in the Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust had significant participation with sixteen (16) papers presented (see Volume 8 of this series for abstracts and papers). These conferences provided a significant forum for the exchange of ideas on dust research and the interchange of research findings. The proceedings from these conferences are available from NTIS and ACGIH.In sum, significant benefits to mine worker health have resulted and should continue to result from the synergistic scientific, engineering, and medical research in respirable dust (FIGURE 27). As always, an important objective is the rapid dissemination of the results of this research to industry. Video tapes and the Bureau's Technology News series have been a very effective means of USBM technology transfer. Individual no-cost subscriptions to the Technology News series are available from the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Branch of Technology Transfer, 2401 E Street, N.W., Washington, DC, 20241."

Aug 31, 1989

By Leonard F. Heising

At the Groveland-mine iron ore is mined by open-pit methods and concentrated by means of spirals and flotation. A brief history of the mine and its early development is given. The ore deposit is described, with emphasis on those physical characteristics that affect the choice of mining and milling methods. Development and mining, which include breaking ground, loading, transportation, engineering, and operating control; are explained, and the milling method is described Mining and milling costs are given in percent of total cost.

Jan 1, 1963

By M. A. Elliott

Diesel-powered haulage equipment has recently been tested and approved for permissibility by the Bureau of Mines for use in mining in the United States. Achievement of this advance in safety involved extensive studies, both in the testing station (2, 3, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)3/ and in the field 1, 4, 13, 30), of the operating characteristics of diesel engines in relation to the toe of such engines underground. The results of these studies formed the basis for establishing the requirements that should be met by diesel-powered haulage equipment approved for permissibility. Considerable interest has been manifested in the development of diesel-powered haulage equipment fur mines. The purpose of this paper is to retrace briefly the course of this development and to answer such questions as: What is the history of the use of diesel engines underground? Why has the Bureau of Mines been interested in the development of diesel-powered haulage equipment for use in mines?

Jan 1, 1953

By Oren C. Baptist

[Several new oilfields have been developed in northwestern Wyoming during the past 10 years, production is obtained from discontinuous, permeable sands enclosed within impermeable shales. The energy to drive the oil to producing wells in supplied by gas in solution in the oil. Most of the wells had high-initial potentials, but rates of oil production have steadily declined, indicating a dissipation of the driving energy and the possibility that large volumes of oil will remain unrecovered in the reservoirs. The studies reported in this paper were undertaken to develop laboratory data of the type most likely to be needed by persons studying the susceptibility of the Newcastle sand reservoir to secondary-recovery methods.]

Jan 1, 1957

By Kenneth G. Skinner, Hewitt Wilson, Thomas L. Hurst

Although chromite deposits occur in California , Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming , Pennsylvania, Maryland , New Mexico , North Carolina, Alaska, and the Phillippine Islands , less than 1 percent of the ore used in the United States is obtained from these deposits . Most of the ore in peacetime has been supplied by imports from South Africa, New Caledonia, Turkey, and Cuba . The mineral chromite , the most important chromium ore , is an isometric spinel with an ideal composition of FeO Cr2O3 , but commercial chromite has the variable composition (Fe , Mg) Oʻ (Cr , Al , Fe) 203. Chromite has a black color , a specific gravity of 4.4 , and a hardness of 5.5 . In thin section the color is reddish -brown to black . Chromite occurs in dunite and pyroxenitic ultrabasic rocks , which are composed of iron- magnesium silicate minerals such as olivine , saxonite , serpentine , and enstatite . These are also the gangue minerals . Com mercial ore occurs at random in the country rock in kidney- or lens - shaped deposits , which have no apparent relationship to each other . Stringers , veins , and bands often cut the country rock without regard either to fracture or to other deposits . Some beach sands , such as those in southern Oregon, contain chromite .

Mar 1, 1943

By R. L. Grant

An investigation was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines to determine the relationship between freespace and ignition probability for borehole shots. A series of experiments was concluded which covered six freespace conditions for a pemissible explosive in a 3/4-inch borehole and encompassed some 700 shots. The results were analyzed statistically. From the analysis of variance, it was concluded that the freespace means were different and that this conclusion is not impaired by possible differences in the explosives used. Within the limitation of this experiment, a definite relationship was found between the freespace and the ignition probability. Specifically, the incendivity increases with increased freespace up to a maximum; beyond this maximum there is some indication of decreasing incendivity. Further investigations are in progress to establish whether the effects of freespace on ignition probability reported here are applicable to the large test gallery, INTRODUCTION A borehole loaded with an explosive charge is a common feature of the routine gallery tests for determining the permissibility of coal-mine explosives, of Experimental Coal-Mine shots, and of the small steel cannon shots used in connection with certain research programs on the ignition of firedamp (6, 10).6/ The question of the interrelationship of freespace, weight of charge, and ignition probability of the methane-air atmosphere has been raised

Jan 1, 1959

By R. A. Cattell

Progress of Bureau of Mines research related to oil and gas during the past fiscal year has been marked by the publication of more than 40 reports on the various phases of the work . These include papers dealing with the production of oil and gas , transportation of gas , chemistry and refining of petroleum , thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons , and the processing and utiliza- tion of helium . As an additional service to Pennsylvania oil operators , a new suboffice was opened in Bradford , Pa . , during the year . With this addition , the work of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch of the Bureau of Mines is now conducted in two large stations , the Petroleum Experiment Station , Bartlesville , Okla . , and the Petroleum and Oil Shale Experiment Station , Laramie , Wyo . , and three field offices and laboratories at San Francisco , Calif . , Dallas , Tex . , and Franklin, Pa., and two suboffices, Wichita Falls, Tex., and the newly opened suboffice at Bradford, Pa. In addition, this Branch operates large-scale helium-production plants in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico, and maintains ex- tensive helium-bearing gas reserves in Texas and New Mexico. All helium opera- tions are supervised from headquarters at Amarillo, Tex. A small headquarters staff is in Washington, D. C. A backward glance at the road traveled during the past several years by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Eranch of the Bureau of Mines brings out a general background for the events of the fiscal year 1949. Throughout the fiscal year 1945, the activities of the Branch were still mainly concerned with such war activities as making special field studies for the Petroleum Adminis- tration for War, finding ways of increasing rates of production, and supplying data pertaining to the manufacture of aviation and jet-propulsion fuels. A period of adjustment came in 1946, characterized by a turning from war to peace procedures and efforts to give wide distribution to technical facts ob tained in wartime research; also, there came a realization that the demands of war had broadened the horizons of research. This was emphasized in 1947, when a peacetime program was restored, based upon the long view of the Bureau's place as a research agency in oil and gas. Close attention was given to tech- nical detail in 1948, and emphasis was placed on maintaining a balance between the industrial need for technical knowledge and Governmental-research possi- bilities in the fields of (1) withdrawal of petroleum from natural deposits, (2) utilization of petroleum and its products, and (3) commercial utilization of helium. Studies of petroleum production and utilization and helium production and utilization are the normal functions of the Branch. These functions (sometimes expressed in different words) have been the mainstay of this organization since initiation of the work. The details of approach vary with changing conditions, but, fundamentally, the functions have been the same in both peace and war. The work of the past fiscal year has emphasized the advantages that accrue when Government and industry join in a wise use of technical and scientific knowledge gained through research. Outstanding evidence of the beneficial results of cooperative effort by the Bureau of Mines and various organizations is found in the following typical examples, the details of which are discussed in the body of this report. Working in close cooperation with operators along the Gulf Coast, the Natural Gasoline Association of America, and the National Association of Cor- rosion Engineers, the Bureau found, through field testing, that corrosion protection by means of chromates in high-pressure gas-condensate wells costs less than $1 per million cubic feet of gas produced. Laboratory experiments to measure the corrosion effects of carbonic and propionic acids on various steels and alloy steels gave data that will serve as guides in the selection of new. materials for the construction of well equipment to be tested by industry under actual service conditions.

Feb 1, 1950

By George F. Dana

Oil yields, lithology, and stratigraphy have been evaluated for 15 cored wells and two sampled wells representing 10 square miles of the Tipton Member of the Green River Formation near Green River, Wyo. The area evaluated is being used by the Bureau of Mines for experimental production of oil from the oil shales in place. Lithology and oil yields were correlated to produce a stratigraphy diagram for the in situ study area, permitting precise designation of comparable sections. Because of lateral uniformity of oil shale, oil yields from eight cores and two sets of drill-cutting samples within a quarter section show the range of variation in average oil yield arising from experimental error. Variation in average oil yields from the seven cores representing the 10-square-mile study area lies within the expected experimental error. No difference in oil-shale richness across the study area is indicated. Average oil yields for three Tipton sections in the study area were deter-mined as follows: (1) The entire Tipton Member oil shale (about 145 feet thick), 13.3 gallons per ton; (2) the 40-foot upper rich zone, 21.0 gallons per ton; and (3) the 21-foot zone in which the Laramie Energy Research Center is conducting in situ experiments, 22.4 gallons per ton. One acre of the 21-foot experimental section represents 34,300 barrels of oil in place, and 1 acre of the Tipton's 40-foot rich upper layer represents 62,000 barrels.

Jan 1, 1972

By J. G. Walters

Analyses of light oils produced from the fluidized carbonization of coal at 485°, 550°, 600°, and 660° C are presented. Tar vapors from 485 C fluidized carbonization were thermally treated at 600°, 700°, and .800° C, and the analyses of light oils produced by this treatment are also presented. Procedures were developed for analysis of coal carbonization light oil by gas chromatography to permit a more definitive analysis than can be obtained by the conventional distillation procedure. An increase in low-boiling olefins, benzene, and toluene, a decrease in low-boiling paraffins, and little change in the remainder of the aromatics was observed with increased temperature of carbonization.

Jan 1, 1965

Robert C. Horton was sworn in as the new Director of the Bureau of Mines on October 13 in Washington. Horton, 54, was director of the Geology Division of the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation's operations in Grand Junction, Colorado, before being nominated by - it Reagan for this position. A geological engineer, he has been associated with the mining industry in the West for over 35 years. Legislation to expand the Defense Production Act for 1 year until September 30, 1982, was signed by the President on September 30. The Administration had requested, steel a 5-year extension, but the Congress chose to spend another year considering proposed revisions. The Act, among other things, authorizes the allocation of strategic materials for defense purposes and allows incentives including floor prices and Government financing to encourage domestic mineral projects.

Jan 1, 1981

By F. Fraas, H. H. Storch

"In the second paper 4 of this series, data were presented concerning the decomposi¬tion of polyhalite by saturated salt solutions. It was found that uncalcined polyhalite upon leaching with boiling saturated sodium chloride solutions yielded a brine in which the (K2 Mg) /304 ratio was considerably higher than that obtained from the calcined material, and for this reason appeared more suitable for the production of potassium chloride. It was found, in fact, that the leach liquors from uncalcined polyhalite deposited a mixture of KC1 and NaC1 upon evaporation and subsequent cooling, whereas those from calcined polyhalite yielded mixtures which contained not only potassium and sodium chlorides but also large quantities of glaserite, K3Na (S04)2. Hence it was decided to study the evaporation of the uncalcined poly—halite leach liquor and postpone experiments on the calcined polyhalite liquors until such time as a process for further removal of sulphate was developed.A considerable body of equilibrium data is available in the literature on thesystem K+ Mg++ — Na+ Cl—S04 =,— H20 for temperatures up to 83º C. Owing, however, tothe lack of data other than that corresponding to the invariant points and the complete absence of data for temperatures of 100 to 115°C., and owing to the fact that supersaturation phenomena render unsafe the prediction of the behavior of such a system upon evaporation, it was considered essential to obtain the necessary data by actual evaporation and analysis of the brines thus obtained."

Feb 1, 1931

By Leonard F. Heising

At the Groveland mine iron ore is mined by open-pit methods and concentrated by means of spirals and flotation. A brief history of the mine and its early development is given. The ore deposit is described, with emphasis on those physical characteristics that affect the choice of mining and milling methods. Development and mining, which include breaking ground, loading, transportation, engineering, and operating control, are explained, and the milling method is described Mining and milling costs are given in percent of total cost.

Jan 1, 1963

By Barry L. Warner

This program involves the evaluation of means for suppressing fires on underground coal mine conveyor belts. Full scale conveyor belt fire tests were conducted to determine the requirements of automatically actuated water sprinkler, high expansion foam, and multi-purpose dry powder extinguishing systems, and of various fire detection devices, necessary to adequately protect underground belt heads. The program included the development of a suitable MI scale conveyor belt test fire, conducting of fire tests in which extinguishing and detection systems and equipment were evaluated, and testing to evaluate the effects of the coal mine environment on detection equipment. Preliminary testing conducted to develop a suitable test fire revealed that fire can propagate on some conveyor belting classified as fire-resistant. New fire-resistant PVC and new non-fire resistant rubber belts were used in the full scale fire tests. These tests indicated that a single branch line sprinkler system with relatively low water pressure provides adequate belt head protection. High expansion foam and multi-"purpose dry powder extinguishing systems as presently specified by regulation were found to be suitable for belt head protection, although care is required with powder systems to assure adequate distribution. Thermal type detection devices were found to be most practical for conveyor belt protection, with combustion products and optical detection methods having serious disadvantages.

Jan 1, 1974

By Sidney Katell

This report covers the period January 1962 through December 1962; it is a continuation of the series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. Also, it is the fourth in a series of reports prepared under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the American Association of Cost Engineers. The agreement provides for the publication of an annual cost bibliography with the work load evolved in the preparation shared equally. Tile abstracted articles, concerned with all facets of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects, are from tile following sources:

Jan 1, 1963