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By C. C. Popoff

The development of glass-making industries in the Pacific Northwest as well as other industries that use pure silica has been retarded by lack of local supplies of low-cost raw material. Several quartz deposits along the Skagit River constitute the only known source of relatively pure silica within the range of cheap transportation to the Seattle industrial area. Although some silica has been mined from these deposits, very little information regarding their size, grade, and other physical characteristics has been available to the general public. As a part of its program of investigation of the mineral resources of the Pacific Northwest, the Bureau of Mines assigned the writer to examine the Skagit River silica deposits in October 1946. This report presents the factual data obtained from an examination of the so-called Stoner, Bacon Creek, and Pressentin deposits. These deposits are the largest and most easily accessible known to exist in the area. The deposits are near Marblemount, which is on State Highway 17A. They are within 1 mile to 1-1/2 miles of the Skagit. River Railway, which provides transportation to Seattle, a distance of 130 miles. None of the deposits has been developed thoroughly. The Stoner deposit, however, has been developed by a quarry about, 5,0 feet square and has been exposed by hydraulic removal of the overburden throughout a distance of 180 feet along the hanging wall of the vein

Jan 1, 1949

By Lloyd Carpenter

Eighteen elements were determined spectrochemically in vanadium metal and its compounds in the general range of 1 to 1,000 ppm by means of spark-ignited unidirectional arc excitation. The samples were converted to vanadium pentoxide and combined with a mixture of graphite, lithium carbonate, and gallium oxide. For the molybdenum determination, the oxidized samples were mixed with sodium chloride and packed in copper electrodes. Average precision of the method was 15.6 percent relative standard deviation and relative error was 4.4 percent.

Jan 1, 1963

By Jr. Joyce

This report describes sulfatization of nickeliferous laterites from Puerto Rico and the Philippines for recovery of water-soluble nickel and cobalt sulfates. Temperatures ranging from 665 C to 710 C and a 10-percent sulfur dioxide-air reaction gas were employed during batch-roasting tests and during continuous countercurrent treatment in a 2-inch-diameter shaft furnace. A maximum of 69 percent of the nickel and 76 percent of the cobalt were recovered from one sample of Puerto Rican laterite, and a maximum of 96 percent of the nickel and 91 percent of the cobalt were recovered from the Philippine laterite.

Jan 1, 1965

By Wallace W. Roepke

Research on coal cutting at the Bureau of Mines Twin Cities Research Center (TCRC) has evolved from a purely mechanical approach, specifically to reduce dust or frictional methane ignitions, into an understanding of the complexity of the cutting system relationships. Achieving an understanding of these relationships requires a wide variety of testing techniques and equipment. Laboratory facilities and the associated equipment exist for shallow to deep cutting in both coal and coal-inclusive rock with any desired bit type. Research efforts with this equipment are providing insight for significant advances to help solve the problems of pneumoconiosis and frictional ignition. This effort will ultimately affect both respirable dust and methane ignitions at the face through better bit design and will increase the salable percent of run-of-mine (ROM) coal processed. It will also affect the design of rotary-drum cutting continuous mining machines (CMM) and longwall machines. This report describes the main features of the coal cutting research facilities at TCRC.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. W. METCALF, A. G. Charles, F. M. SHORE

To furnish the information frequently requested by producers and suppliers as to the fuel requirements of the Federal Government , the Bureau of Mines , with the cooperation of the consuming departments and establishments , has collected the data herein , showing the Government's fuel consumption during the fiscal year ended June 30 , 1930. The following tables show the quantities and kinds of fuels consumed by the Federal Government in each of its departments and their principal branches , in each State , and in Alaska , Hawaii , Panama Canal Zone , Porto Rico , and the Virgin Islands . The separate departments and establishments were asked to supply information for each Federal building or other plant and , as to vessel fuel , the amount loaded at each port of supply . Fuels consumed in internal combustion engines are not included . The report does not include fuels used by Post Offices of the fourth class , since their fuels are not purchased by the Federal Government but are covered by an allowance in each case for light and heat . In some cases the data supplied represent receipts , which are approximately equivalent to consumption . The present study is believed to be the first effort to bring together the data representing the Government's requirements for the various fuels which it consumes . Figures showing the coal consumed by the Federal Government were gathered for the year 1922. These data are shown in an article by O. P. Hood and R. H. Kudlich of the Bureau of Mines , contributed as a chapter to " Industrial Coal ; Purchase , Delivery and Storage , " published by the American Engineering Council . The figures of coal consumption presented herewith are approximately comparable with those published for 1922 , a relatively small difference being due to the fact that the 1922 figures include the Philippine Islands and all other territory in which any coal was consumed by the Government . At the present time , the only data on Government fuel consumption that are published regularly are those compiled by E. B. Swanson , chief economist of the petroleum economics division of the Bureau of Mines . These are published annually by the Bureau of Mines in " Sources and Distribution of Major Petroleum Products , Atlantic Coast States , " and by the bureau in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute in the annual " National Survey of Fuel Oil Distribution . " It is believed that the data herewith will prove of interest and value to the fuel industries as well as to Government consumers and that it will also afford a basis for measuring future trends in the use of the various fuels by the Federal Government . Figures showing the quantities of the various kinds of fuels consumed by each of the executive departments and independent establishments , are given in Table 1. It should be noted that when one organization procures and delivers fuel to be consumed by other branches

Apr 1, 1932

By John B. Gayle

The suitability of fluid petroleum coke as a blending agent for producing metallurgical coke has been investigated using the Tuscaloosa and sole-heated experimental ovens. From the results of tests with three representative blends, it has been fond that additions of fluid petroleum coke effect the following changes: (1) Increase in size, resistance to shatter, and apparent specific gravity of cokes produced; (2) little or no change in coke hardness and stability or in the amount of breeze formed; (3) increased charge density; (4) modification of expansion characteristics of blends charged; and (5) decreased ash and increased sulfur contents of blends charged and cokes produced. Substitution of a calcined sample of fluid coke of greatly reduced sulfur content resulted in a coke of inferior physical properties. This effect indicates that additions of the calcined product should probably be limited and that other methods for producing a low sulfur fluid coke should be considered.

Jan 1, 1956

By N. S. Dalal, A. H. Hoffman, X. Shi, D. E. Banks, J. K. H. Ma, Y. Rojanasakul

Excessive production of reactive oxygen radicals by alveolar macrophages is proposed to play an important role in oxidative lung injury. A major product of oxygen radical formation is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical (•OH) generated via a biologic Fenton reaction. In addition to its known ability to induce lipid peroxidation, recent studies have suggested that the •OH may exert its cytotoxic effect through the alteration of [Ca2+], homeostasis. To test this potential mechanism as well as to investigate the relationship between •OH and Ca" overloading in cytotoxic injury, isolated rat alveolar macrophages were exposed to externally generated radical system, H2O2 (0.01 to 1 mM) and Fe (1 mM) and their [Ca2+] levels and cell injury were monitored using quantitative fluorescence microscopy with the aid of the specific Ca" indicator, Fura-2, and membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide. Electron spin resonance measurements using the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) confirmed the production of the .OH radical by this system. Upon the addition of the radicals, the macrophages displayed a rapid initial rise in [Ca2+] which was followed by a slower but more pronounced [Ca2+], elevation that reached a level 3 to 5 times higher than the basal level. This process preceded cell death as evident by nuclear propidium iodide fluorescence. Depletion of extracellular Ca" inhibited both the [Ca2+], response and cell injury. Preincubation of the cells with the Ca" channel blocker verapamil or .0H radical scavenger mannitol similarly inhibited the [Ca2+], rise and loss of viability. Firefly luciferase assay of cellular ATP content demonstrated that the alterations in [Ca2+], following .0H treatment preceded the depletion of ATP. Changes in membrane potential caused by Na* substitution with K* had no significant effect on either the unstimulated or stimulated [Ca"], levels. Taken together, these measurements indicate that .OH-induced injury in alveolar macrophages is associated with the alteration in [Ca2+], homeostasis. The mechanism of •OH-induced [Ca2+] loading is not due to nonspecific membrane damage or energy depletion, but mainly due to an increase in Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ selective channels. This Ca2+ over-load state as well as energy depletion caused by the oxidant may activate certain cellular degradative processes leading to cell injury and death.

Nov 1, 1995

By J. E. Zeilinger, John Nagy, Irving Hartman

"INTRODUCTION Experience and research have shown that an effective way to reduce structural damage from explosions is to provide adequate pressure-relief vents in the walls of equipment and buildings within which explosions might occur. In general, free or unrestricted openings represent the most efficient type of vent. However, in many manufacturing operations it is impractical to use free vents, and it becomes necessary to cover the openings with diaphragms or blow-out disks, hinged panels, or other devices, in order to give protection against weather changes, to prevent the efflux of dusts or vapors from equipment during normal operations, or for other reasons.A few data on the pressure-relieving capacities of hinged panels and a paper diaphragm were published in Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 3924,4/ which covered the first phase of the dust-explosion venting study made by the Bureau. The present report describes recent experiments that were made to determine the relative effectiveness of an unrestricted vent and 22 types of closures, including various paper, cloth, and metal-foil diaphragms, hinged doors or panels, and several kinds of scored and unscored glass panes.The tests showed that many of the vent closures were effective in releasing the explosions rapidly during their incipient stage, so that the development of destructive pressures was prevented. Vents of this type should prove useful in safeguarding industrial equipment from severe explosion damage. The experiments disclosed that the venting capacities of the diaphragms are approximately inversely proportional to their static bursting strengths."

Jan 1, 1950

By Rolf S. Paine

The Bureau of Mines studied the presplitting technique used for control-ling overbreakage in the walls of a vertical shaft at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Littleville Dam project near Huntington, Mass. The periphery of the shaft, the dimensions of which were 16-1/2 feet wide by 21 feet long and 52 feet deep, was presplit (cracked) in the solid to a depth of 48 feet prior to full-depth sinking. Presplitting prevented overbreak in a fairly soft schist and provided sound self-supporting walls which required very little scaling.

Jan 1, 1965

By Rolf S. Paine

The Bureau of Mines studied the presplitting technique used for control-ling overbreakage in the walls of a vertical shaft at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Littleville Dam project near Huntington, Mass. The periphery of the shaft, the dimensions of which were 16-1/2 feet wide by 21 feet long and 52 feet deep, was presplit (cracked) in the solid to a depth of 48 feet prior to full-depth sinking. Presplitting prevented overbreak in a fairly soft schist and provided sound self-supporting walls which required very little scaling.

Jan 1, 1965

By H. R. Batchelder

Much information on oxygen production and the manufacture of synthetic liquid fuels has been published during the past several years. From time to tine the investment and operating cost of oxygen plants of various sizes has been estimated. Surveys have been made so that the various processes by which oxygen is produced commercially might be compared. The gas-making processes in which oxygen is employed, which wore used in Germany during the war, have been described in T.O.M. reels, and this information has been published. Descriptions of pilot-scale or proposed commercial plants for the production of synthesis gas or hydrogen and their conversion to synthetic liquid fuels also have been published. In general, each of these publications has dealt with a particular phase of the over-all problem. The present paper will discuss the relationship between these phases: The factors that affect oxygen manufacture and costs, the methods for the use of oxygen and for the production of synthetic liquid fuels, and, to some extent, the economic factors that must be considered.

Jan 1, 1951

By C. E. Hennig

On January 1, 1959, the United States had 313 petroleum refineries with a total installed crude-oil throughput capacity of 9,819,846 barrels per day, according to the Bureau of Mines annual survey. Compared with a year ago, this represents a net decreased of five in the number of slants mild a net increase in capacity of 412,139 barrels per day. The continued increase in total capacity and decrease in number of plants raised the average capacity of a refinery to a new high of 31,373 barrels per day. During 1958 total capacity increased in every refining district except the Louisiana Gulf district, which showed a 2-percent decrease due mainly to the retirement of the American Oil Company's plant at Destrehan, La. The largest increase, 14 percent, occurred in the Texas Inland district followed by a 12-percent increase in the Arkansas-Louisiana Inland district. At the beginning of 1959 the industry was building facilities that would add 108,400 barrels per day to crude-oil capacity. It also had under construction a capacity of 226,100 barrels per day as replacement. On January 1, 1959, no new refineries were under construction.

Jan 1, 1959

By Robert Roby

The Mouat copper-nickel deposit in Stillwater County, south-central Montana, was examined by Paul T. Allsman, an engineer of the Bureau of Mines, in 1939. Because of the strategic importance of nickel, a project was executed by John East, Jr., J. J. Naughton, and E. W. Newman, engineers of the Bureau, to further delimit some of the copper-nickel sulfide-bearing bodies that had been discovered by the Anaconda Copper Mining. Co. in 1937 and to investigate the central part of the deposit, which had not been drilled previously. This report is based largely upon the results of the. Bureau of Mines investigation and the results of exploration by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. In addition, a brief description is given of some other copper-nickel sulfide-bearing deposits along tho Stillwater Complex.

Jan 1, 1949

By Elizabeth A. Johnson

Minor-element behavior and interaction in the copper matte-iron silicate slag system have been studied by the Bureau of Mines. In the present work, the possibility of interactions among the minor elements As, Sb, Bi, Se, and Te was investigated. Equilibrations of matte, slag, and one of each of the five minor elements were performed at 1,250° C under typical matte smelting atmospheres of CO, CO2, and S02 for mattes containing 40, 50, and 60 pct Cu. Results are compared with those of a previous Bureau of Mines study in which all five minor elements were present simultaneously.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. J. Schneider

In view of the current interest in the constituents of low-temperature tar, the Synthesis of three known xylenols and their hydroxyacetic acid derivatives has been undertaken by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. One of these xylenols, the 1,3,2 derivative first reported by Steinkopf and Höpner,4 has been described by Brown and Branting.5 The other two derivatives, the 1,3,5 first reported by Schütz6 and the 1,2,3 reported by Steinkopf and Höpner, have now been studied in greater detail. In the present work the synthesis of 1,2,3-xylenol and 1,3,5-xylenol was repeated, with some improvements in the former. The hydroxyacetic acid derivatives were also prepared, and it was found that while the melting point of the 1,2,3 derivative agreed with that of Steinkopf and Höpner. that of the 1,3,5 derivative was found to be 111° instead of 85 to 86° as reported by Schütz, by Steinkopf, and later by Bruckner. The discrepancy between the melting-point figures is doubtless due to differences in the purity of the xylenols used in the synthesis of the acids. Schütz obtained his 1,3,5 acid by recrystallizing an impure sample obtained from a mixture of xylenols. The difficulty of obtaining a pure acid by starting with a mixture is demonstrated by Bruckner, who despite painstaking efforts was unable to obtain the pure 162.5° melting 1,2,4 isomer from a mixture that persistently melted at 138° C. Steinkopf did not repeat Schütz's work but merely used the latter's figures in compiling a table. Bruckner, on the other hand. apparently also made the acid (by an improved method), and it is difficult to explain his checking Schütz's figure, unless it is that he, too used a symmetrical xylenol obtained from a tar and not prepared synthetically, as was the one reported in this paper.

Jan 1, 1929

By E. G. King

THIRD-LAW entropy data for zirconium-containing compounds are sparse. Kelley a lists entropies at 298° K. for the oxide, tetrachloride, nitride, and silicate, as well as for the metal. The present paper presents heat capacities between 51° and 298° K. and entropies at 298.15° K. for the zirconates of the alkaline-earth metals-calcium, strontium, and barium. The authors believe magnesium zirconate does not exist as a stable compound at room temperature. Entropies of formation from the constituent oxides also are given. MATERIALS The materials used in this investigation were synthesized and analyzed in the Berkeley Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines. Calcium zirconate was prepared by heating an intimate mixture of reagent-grade calcium carbonate and pure zirconia for 30 hours between 1,200° and 1,300° C. and for 32 hours between 1,400° and 1,500° C. As part of the heating schedule, the sample was ground and mixed seven times. Periodic analyses and minor adjustments of composition were made. Analysis of the final product gave 31.19 percent calcium oxide (theoretically 31.28 percent) and 68.67 percent zirconia (theoretically 68.72 percent). The X-ray diffraction pattern agreed with that in the ASTM catalog.

Jan 1, 1960

By C. Ortuglio

The effect of cracking by increasing the free space above the charge on the composition and yields of the volatile products from carbonization of Pittsburgh-bed coal and one industrially used blend from Eastern United States and one from Western United States was investigated with the BM-AGA carbonization apparatus. Increasing the free space above the charge from 1 inch to 3 inches, to 6 inches, and to 9 inches resulted in lower tar yields and increased gas and light oil yields. Anthracene and naphthalene yields were increased; quinoline and benzene insoluble fractions of both the tar and pitch increased considerably with increased free space, although the carbon content of the tars and pitches increased only slightly. Increased cracking, occasioned by the increase in free space, resulted in a decrease in the yields of tar acids, tar bases, neutral oils, olefins, aromatics, and paraffins and naphthenes. Gas composition was relatively constant; hydrogen and methane tended to increase and ethane decrease. Results of the investigation are being used to design a unit to upgrade the volatile products of carbonization by cracking the hot products as they leave the carbonization chamber.

Jan 1, 1970

By W. C. Wahl, M. M. Fine

Leonardite , a naturally occurring , partially oxidized form of lignite with a high content of humic acids , was investigated as a binder for iron ore pellets . Although insoluble in original condition , leonardite forms watersoluble salts with good binding properties when treated with certain alkalis such as sodium hydroxide . Soluble leonardite imparts excellent dry strength to pellets , but green strength is somewhat lower than that obtainable with bentonite . However , green strength can be improved by adding a small amount of calcium hydroxide to the leonardite - concentrate mixture . Leonardite binders were used successfully on three of the four different concentrates tested .

Jan 1, 1964

By R. Van A. Mills

Crude oils are capable of dissolving quantities of gas under pressure. This fact has been known for some time, but questions have arisen as to the effects of gas in solution upon the characteristics of the oil. Previous investigations4 show that gas in solution in an oil affects the viscosity and surface tension of the oil, but the effect's on the volume and A. P. I. gravity of the oil have not been known. The results given in this report show that there is a decided change both in volume and in the A. P. I. gravity of the oil due to the solution of the gas in the oil under pressure. As gas is dissolved, the volume of the oil and the A. P. I. gravity increase. The converse of this phenomenon is also true: if the gas is released from a saturated oil, there is a shrinkage in volume and a decrease in A.P.I. gravity due to the release of gas from solution. However, various oils show marked tendencies to retain a portion of the dissolved gas upon releasing the pressure to that of the atmosphere. This retained gas has an appreciable effect on the volume and A. P. I. gravity of the oil because the oil does not resume its initial volume or gravity while it retains dissolved gas. In a sense the oil has been "Freshened" and will not return to its original or weathered volume until it loses some of the lighter fractions. Wiggins5 has shown that a fresh oil decreases both in volume and in gravity because of the weathering of the lighter fractions while the oil is standing in storage tanks.

Jan 1, 1928

By A. E. J. Gallagher

This report summarizes the results of flotation studies conducted by the Federal Bureau of Mines on samples of extremely fine-grained lead-zinc sulfide ores. Samples from five ore deposits in the Pine Creek area, Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho, and one deposit in the Metaline district, Washington, were studied at the Albany Metallurgy Research Center to determine the recovery of sulfide lead and zinc by flotation. During the investigation it was found that flotation could be effectively applied to the selective recovery of exceedingly fine-grained lead and zinc sulfide minerals. Separation of galena and sphalerite was obtained on pulps ground through 1,600-mesh, in which most of the particles were smaller than 5 microns. Selectivity and recovery of minerals in this fine size range were enhanced by use of a chemical dye, diphenylthiocarbazone, as a galena promoter. Although unsuccessful on one ore, application of the dye in treatment of two other very fine-grained ores yielded lead concentrates containing over 62 percent Pb at recoveries in excess of 85 percent. More than 55 percent of the lead in these concentrates occurred as particles smaller than 2 microns.

Jan 1, 1961