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By James F. O?Neil

Brown iron ore deposits in Quitman County, Ga., were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Georgia, Department of Commerce, and the University of Alabama. Ninety-one holes were drilled, having an aggregate footage of 2,188 feet; seventy-one holes penetrated 248 feet of iron mineralization. Average thickness of the ore zone was 3.5 feet under an average thickness of 14.7 feet of overburden. The drilling developed inferred reserves containing nearly 30 million long tons of crude ore with an average analysis of 28 percent iron plus minor quantities of manganese. Test work done by the Bureau on the crude ore samples indicated that they would upgrade by current lug washer practice, with the use of a 1i8-inch screen, and yield 4.4 million dry long tons of concentrate with an average analysis of 52.1 percent iron plus manganese. The weight recovery obtained was 14.7 percent. Research studies made by the Bureau showed that the weight recovery would be increased by changing the screen size without any appreciable sacrifice of grade. The average weight recovery was increased to 18 percent with a 10-mesh screen and 22.8 percent with a 20-mesh screen. Screen tests studies indicated that there was no appreciable interlocking of the iron and manganese minerals and the clay and silica waste particles of the materials retained on a 200-mesh screen. Clay was prominent in micron-size slimes. Silica was deleterious in the minus 20-mesh size.

Jan 1, 1965

By Bernard Porter

The densities of LiF, NaF, and KF, of binary mixtures of these alkali fluorides, and of binary mixtures of UF4, ThF4, YF3, LaF3, and CeF with each of tie alkali fluorides were measured as functions of the melt composition and temperature. Molar volumes at 1,000° C were calculated for all the mixtures. Binary systems containing LiF exhibited molar volume ideality. Binary fluoride systems containing either NaF or KF as the alkali fluoride exhibit positive deviations from molar volume additivity. However, molar volumes in the NaF-KF system are ideal.

Jan 1, 1966

By A. S. Moore

The Bureau of Mines is doing research and development work on removing acid-gas impurities from synthesis gas made directly from coal. Since conventional gas scrubbers, packed towers and bubble-cap columns, are expensive to construct and difficult to operate with viscous solutions, one aspect of the work was developing a compact, agitated, gas-liquid contactor for use with concentrated absorbents. The efficacy of the agitated contactor for absorbing carbon dioxide in diethanolamine increased with increasing solution rate, turbine speed, diethanolamine concentration, and carbon dioxide concentration in feed gas, and with decreasing liquid-gas ratio. It was unaffected by pressure between 200 and 300 p.s.i.g. and little affected by temperature between 115 and 190° F.

Jan 1, 1961

By S. H. Ash

The Pennsylvania anthracite-mining region is the only one in the world of major magnitude. As the deposits of anthracite in the United States are limited virt113.lly to Pennsylvania, the difficulties of this industry have been commonly considered a State rather than a national problem. However, there is also national interest in the conservation and wise utilization of all fuel resources and in the control of interstate waterways. The anthracite industry is confronted with the very se:;-ious :problem of accumu.lation of water in many of the mines. This problem must be solved soon if progressively higr-er mi~ing costs are to be avoided. The water proble~ cannot be solved by the operating compa,nies without State or Federal aid, or both, owing to the magnitude of the work requir~d, diversity of interests of the coal ana surfa.ce ovmerships, hazard to the whole mining community, and interests affec~ed outside the mining region. The cost of abati~ the ever-increasing_surface seepage to mine workings and of handling this seepage once it }3s occurred is beyond the economic resources of most ope~ating ma.'18.gements. The data in this paper giving the high lights of the water problem and indicating what appears to be a step in the right direction are based upon observations made during the past year that the industry desires and believes it is to the npublic interesttr to keep mine workings free of flood end surface waters.

May 1, 1941

By K. E. Tame

The Bureau of Mines is studying possible modifications in conventional ore-processing methods that will confine and permit controlled disposal of radioactive liquid wastes. Stream and ground water pollution from radio-active nuclides, principally radium 226 and thorium 230, in liquid wastes from uranium mills can be minimized by reusing the waste solution within the mill. Such reuse of waste solution in an acid leach-resin-in-pulp flowsheet was investigated in the laboratory. The process consists of acid leaching for dissolution of the uranium, sand-slime separation and countercurrent decantation washing for recovery of a pregnant slime slurry, and the use of ion-exchange resin for recovery of uranium from the slurry. Reuse of clarified barren effluent for washing in the simulated mill circuit was carried through 55 cycles. Dissolution of uranium from the ore averaged 97.5 percent. Washing efficiency of 99.9 percent was attained when using 4.35 volume tons4 of combined barren effluent and makeup water per ton of ore. Absorption of uranium from the pregnant slime slurry by an ion-exchange resin averaged over 99.9 percent.

Jan 1, 1962

By N. A. C. Smith

[The beau of Mines made its first survey of motor gasolines sold throughout the United States in 1915, a second in 1917, and a third in April. 1919. These surveys shored that motor gasoline had become notably less volatile during each two-year interval. In order to ascertain whether this change was continuing, it was planned to institute semi-annual surveys, the first of which teas made in January, 1920. Contrary to expectations based on the previous surveys, the average volatility of the gasoline tested at this time was practically identical with that of the average volatility of the gasoline from the same districts in 1919. The next survey, made in July, 1920, showed a very marked decrease in volatility but as it has long been recognized that the volatility of motor gasoline manufactured for sale during the summer months is loss tan that of gasoline made and sold during the winter, part at least of the change was attributed to this factor. The average boiling point of the samples collected in the present survey is 263 degrees Fahrenheit, as compared with 264 a year ago. This shows that the average gasoline marketed at the present time is fully as volatile as that marketed a year ago. There has been, however, a noticeable change in the character of the product: the initial boiling point and 20 per cant point are lower than a year ago, whereas the 90 per cent and end-points are higher, which indicates a greater proportion of gasolines made by blending casing-head, or natural gas-gasoline, and naphtha.]

Jan 1, 1921

By R. Hogg, T. H. Dumm

"The mathematical treatments used in the evaluation of particle size distribution from pipet-withdrawal centrifuge data are reviewed. An error in the published procedure for multiple-sample withdrawal systems is pointed out and a corrected formulation is presented. An alternative treatment, based on a piece-wise linearization of the size distribution is described. Computer simulations of the analytical and data evaluation procedures indicate that the errors in the original formulation are not generally serious and that the corrected and alternative procedures lead to very similar estimates. Except for some cases involving very narrow size distributions, the alternative approach appears to give slightly closer estimates of the size distribution. Comparisons based on actual experimental data are also described.1 IntroductionSedimentation methods are widely used for the determination of particle size distributions. The procedures are relatively simple to use and the results are essentially absolute, requiring no external calibration. Gravity sedimentation is typically applicable to particles in the size range of about I to 50 pm and generally involves measurement of the relative concentration of particles as a function of depth and time in a dilute suspension. Particle size is calculated using Stokes, law:"

Mar 1, 1989

By Young W. A.

The Eagle Silver mine is in the Rush Valley mining district, Tooele County, Utah, and is now operated by the Hampton Mining Co. The property, originally referred to as the Argent, is reported to have been one of the first discoveries in the district. The early operators mined ore to a depth of 850 feet, at which point the property was abandoned because of excessive water. During 1905 the Honerine tunnel was driven into the area approximately 1,800 feet below the collar of the Argent shaft. This tunnel served to drain the levels above and operations were resumed. Ore deposits in the Eagle Silver mine occur in the Galena King lime-stone, a 20-to 60-foot member of interbedded quartzite and limestone in the Oquirrh formation of Pennsylvanian age. This member has been faulted along the bedding, forming the Galena King gouge. Mineralization commonly occurs in or near this gouge area in a brecciated, highly altered, pipelike zone. The known ore shoots occur in association with the breccia pipe, commonly adjacent to cross faulting and porphyry intrusions. In general, two ore shoots have been mined on the upper levels of the mine, one lying to the east and the other to the west of the breccia zone. The Bureau of Mines diamond-drilling program was begun during the latter part of 1948 and completed early in 1949. Nine holes were drilled, aggregating 852.8 feet. Sludge and core samples from mineralized sections were analyzed in the Salt Lake City laboratories. A total of 87 sludge, 71 core, and 11 chip samples was submitted for analysis.

Jan 1, 1950

By Joseph M. Kurtak

The U.S Bureau of Mines conducted a five-year mineral resource assessment of the 16.6 million acre Colville Mining District in northern Alaska, which includes part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The study was initiated at the request of the Bureau of Land Management, which administers the majority of the region. The study was done in cooperation with the Alaskan Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the U. S. Geological Survey, and the University of Alaska. During fieldwork, 1593 rock, soil, and stream sediment samples were collected and four bulk samples taken for beneficiation studies. A total of 40 mineral occurrences were documented, including 27 which were previously undescribed. No mining has occurred within the district. Mississippian carbonaceous shale and siliceous mudstone contain stratiform exhalative lead-zinc-silver occurrences. Grades average 8.0% combined lead/zinc and 51 gm/mt silver. Upper Devonian to Lower Mississippian sandstones host breccia veins, containing up to 29% combined lead/zinc and 274 gm/mt silver. Mineralized quartzites of similar age have potential for disseminated-type lead-zinc deposits. Samples from Lower Cretaceous mudstone and shale beds up to 6.5 meters thick, contain as much up to 12% manganese. Upper Mississippian carbonaceous shale and limestone beds contain up to 23% phosphate. Stratiform barite deposits hosted by cherts, are up to 27 meters thick with an average specific gravity of 4.16. Vein-type fluorite occurrences are associated with Mississippian limestone. Moderate potential exists for development of zinc -lead-silver, barite, and phosphate deposits.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. E. Volin

To extend or delimit the known ore reserves of the Black Wonder manganese de-posit, the Bureau of Mines undertook an exploration project consisting of trenching, underground excavation, long-hole drilling, and sampling. The mineralization is spread over 6 square miles containing numerous small individual manganese deposits. There has been only small production from some of these deposits; however, simultaneous operations from many such small deposits could contribute considerably to the production from the district. A custom mill to treat oxide ore for battery use was built near Patterson in 1942 by the General Dry Batteries Co., Inc. It operated during World War II and was removed in 1944 when the manganese mines ceased operation. Except for some small experimental shipments, there has been no activity in the district since that time.

Jan 1, 1956

By B. W. Gandrud, G. D. Coe

"INTRODUCTION The Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, with the cooperation of the University of Alabama and coal producers of Alabama, is making a series of washability studies to obtain technically and commercially important data from the productive coal beds of the State. Based on the system followed in these studies, this report consists of screen-sizing and sink-and-float data on the America and Pratt beds at Gorgas, Ala.SAMPLING AT THE MINESAlthough operations were discontinued in 1929, the accessible openings of the old Gorgas mines of the Southeastern Fuel Co. made possible the taking of samples from the America bed at three openings and from the Pratt bed at two openings. A sample was taken from the America bed at the Klondyke opening; a second was taken about 1 rile south of the Klondyke at the Musgrove America opening, and a third sample was taken about 1-1/2 miles south of the Musgrove-America at the Cricket Lodge opening. A sample was taken from the Pratt bed at Musgrove-Pratt No. 1, which is about 3/4 mile east of Musgrove-America, and a second sample was taken at Musgrove-Pratt No. 2, which is about 3/4 mile west of Musgrove-America. The samples ranged in weight from 1/2 ton to 1 ton and were equivalent to approximately a 2-ton sample from each bed. Figure 1 shows sections of the beds at the places sampled.In addition to the samples for washability study, a seam sample for analysis was taken at each of the places sampled. So as to give a representative seam sample for each of the two beds, these samples were combined in the laboratory in proportion to the thickness of the bed at the places sampled."

Jul 1, 1939

By Richard S. Olsen

Prior work by the Bureau of Mines demonstrated a feed preparation method that eliminates the formation of slime during leaching of calcined kaolinitic clay and makes leached residues fast settling and easy to filter. Nitric acid leaching rates determined for calcined kaolinitic clay prepared by this method were found to correspond to a zero-order reaction model for both batch and continuous, stirred-tank leach-ing. A rate constant of 0.136 min-1 was determined. Separation of solid residues from the reacted slurry was examined, and filtration rates were determined. Permeabilities of the flocculated, leached residues were around 51 darcys, or 5.0 x 10-7 cm2 for laminar flow through 4-ft-deep beds.

Jan 1, 1983

By S. W. Parr, T. E. Layng

There is presented below the results of experiments made on six samples of Utah coals furnished through the U. S. Bureau of Mines , under an agreement dated June 16th , 1920. The details of all values for all runs are tabulated and presented herewith . Clear The samples, consisting of approximately 150 pounds each, were received at the University of Illinois , on June 15 , 1920 , and are listed as follows : Creek , Wattis , Castle Gate , King , Standard , and Aberdeen . The proximate and ultimate, analyses of the various ccals from that region , representing all the types included in these samples , have already been made by the Bureau of Mines , and are available . * Similar determinations were also made on the particular samples forwarded for purposes of these experiments . The results obtained on the coal as received did . not very in any material feature from the values reported by the Bureau, they are shown in Table 1. It is of importance to note only that the oxygen content is uniformly high , namely approximately 9.5 to 11.5 per cent of the as- received coal , while the oxygen - hydrogen ratio is also high, being on the average approximately 2 ( oxygen) to 1 ( hydrogen) .

Sep 1, 1921

By W. E. Anable

The Bureau of Mines researched methods for recovering copper from cyclone and electrostatic-precipitator dusts of primary copper smelters as part of its program to maximize minerals and metals recovery from primary and secondary domestic resources. Small-scale studies showed that use of 110 pct stoichiometric sulfur and 123 pct stoichiometric carbon, based on producing a 40-pct copper-iron matte, resulted in the recovery of 95 pct of the copper contained in the dust. Typical mattes contained less than 10 pct of the arsenic, 30 pct of the bismuth, and 45 pct of the antimony and tin contained in the dust. Matte was converted to blister copper by injecting up to 200 pct of the stoichiometric oxygen requirement over a period of 2 to 3 hours. Up to 76 pct of the copper contained in the dust was recovered as a crude blister copper containing about 2 pct arsenic, 0.5 pct antimony, and less than 0.1 pet bismuth and tin. A matte-white metal product resulted from carbothermically reducing dust with coal, lime, and silica. Up to 95 pct of the copper was recovered in the combined product.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. H. Eddy

The Bureau of Mines used several laboratory batch flotation schemes combined with magnetic separation to investigate the feasibility of recovering potash feldspar and glass sands from molybdenite tailings. Four molybdenite tailings or prospective tailings were used as test samples. Feldspar concentrates containing from 10.7 pct to 12.0 pct K2O were recovered from three of the four samples. The alkali content of the fourth sample met the grade for a mixed feldspar. All the feldspar concentrates contained iron in excess of the 0.10-pct-Fe203 specification for most uses. Electron-beam microprobe examination of the feldspar concentrates showed the presence of an iron-bearing potash feldspar in quantities that were excessive with respect to most iron specifications. However, a high-quality glass sand was produced from all of the samples.

Jan 1, 1980

By Bernard S. Covino

The Bureau of Mines is conducting a study of methods to improve the efficiency of the process used to pickle stainless steels. A review of the literature on pickling of stainless steels showed that the chemistry of several process operations involved in the pickling of stainless steels is not fully understood, and that further research could improve the pickling efficiency. The benefits of this research would be a reduction in the annual loss of several thousands of tons of critical minerals such as nickel and chromium, and a reduction in the amount of solids and spent acid solution that are currently discarded. The conclusion from this review is that further research is needed in four operations that either directly or indirectly influence the pickling process: hot working, annealing, conditioning, and the actual operation of pickling, Laboratory studies of the pickling operation are presently in progress.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. A. CoRGAN, J. A. DECARLO

The coal -carbonizing industry is recognized as one of our country's most essential industries , and this position has been achieved through its primary function as a source of supply of special fuels and chemical raw materials . When coal is carbonized at high temperatures in slot - type coke ovens in the absence of air , it decomposes into two main products cokę ... and crude gas . Of these , the more important is coke , a hard, strong, porous solid that remains in the oven after the volatile matter in the coal has been driven out by heat . The hot crude gas carries with it all. of the coke -plant products except coke and has a complex composition in the vapor: state . Its processing , to produce the four principal coproducts of coke (tar , ammonia , light oil, and gas ) , is accomplished by preferential condensation and absorption . Although the principal coproducts of coke tar , ammonia , and crude light oil - - gas, are of secondary importance , their

Jun 1, 1949

By John A. Johnson

Conclusions regarding the use or omission of stemming in blasting have not peen reached, pending completion of all aspects of this investigation. The results from the dust phase of this study on six classes of stemming prove that the kind of stemming affects the amount of dust produced from blasting. In previous work at the Mount Weather testing adit it was demonstrated that blasting produces the highest dust concentrations of any of the mining processes.5/ Under the conditions prevailing at the Mount Weather testing adit, the average of all rounds having a break of at least 95 percent showed that the least amount of dust was produced when no stemming was used.

Jan 1, 1940

By Kenneth H. Johnston

For the past several years, Bureau of Mines petroleum engineers have arranged tours of selected waterflooding projects for the spring meetings of the Kansas-Oklahoma Waterflood Association. These tours are conducted to demonstrate unique operating methods and new field equipment and to provide additional opportunities for exchanging information. Each of these tours has been supplemented by a published report describing in detail the projects visited. This report has been prepared for distribution during the 1960 spring tour of four waterflooding projects in Greenwood County, Kans. (fig. 1). Three of the projects produce oil from the Bartlesville sand, and one produces from the Cattleman sand. The Bartlesville-sand floods have been in operation from 4 to 12 years and have produced about 3,910,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 64,715,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 17 to 1. The Cattleman- sand flood, which has been operating for 3-1/2 years, has produced about 842,000 barrels of waterflood oil from the injection of approximately 9,305,000 barrels of water, a cumulative water-injected to oil-produced ratio of 11 to 1.

Jan 1, 1960

By John A. Johnson

Conclusions regarding the use or omission of stemming in blasting have not peen reached, pending completion of all aspects of this investigation. The results from the dust phase of this study on six classes of stemming prove that the kind of stemming affects the amount of dust produced from blasting. In previous work at the Mount Weather testing adit it was demonstrated that blasting produces the highest dust concentrations of any of the mining processes.5/ Under the conditions prevailing at the Mount Weather testing adit, the average of all rounds having a break of at least 95 percent showed that the least amount of dust was produced when no stemming was used.

Jan 1, 1940