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By A. N. Fried

With the growing importance of fluid injection in recent years, the petroleum industry has been investigating and field- testing a variety of new methods designed to modify the physical properties of reservoir oil to improve the efficiency of gas and water injection. These procedures include condensing-gas drive, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) injection, alcohol-slug process, high-pressure-gas displacement, detergent-solution flooding, and in situ combustion (30, 37).3 A new and different method to increase the effectiveness of gas and water injection has been tested by the Bureau of Mines, Consideration of both fundamental and practical factors that operate to limit the oil recovery attain- able by conventional oil-displacement mechanisms led to the concept of a displacement mechanism called the foam-drive method. This report describes the experimental study that tested this concept in the laboratory.

Jan 1, 1961

By C. Richard Groves

As the level of technology applied in the electrical measurement, control, and display portions of mine hoist systems continues to advance, the issues and concerns associated with the ramifications of the application of microprocessor technology on the safety-related aspects of these systems become paramount. This report, in part tutorial, addresses several aspects of these concerns. Beginning with discussions of microprocessor-based system architectures, the report addresses some existing and anticipated uses of this technology in mine hoist systems and discusses safety related considerations associated with the areas of data derivation; control and display panels; and system reliability issues. The report concludes with electrical maintenance and inspection considerations associated with the safety assurance of microprocessor based mine hoist systems.

Jan 1, 1986

By Gilbert M. Farrior

Tests of resistance to molten metals , to oxidation at elevated temperatures , and to various chemical reagents were made for a series of compositions in the TiB₂ - CrB₂ subsystem . In reaction with molten metals , there was no noticeable difference in reaction of the various compositions in the ( Ti , Cr ) B₂ series . The oxidation tests were ( 1 ) a rising - temperature test in which the specimen temperature was increased 4° per minute to 1,200 ° C and ( 2 ) a constanttemperature test in which the specimen temperature was held constant at 1,000 ° C. Compositions near Tio.6 Cro.4 B2 had the best oxidation resistance . Ti。.6 The chromium- rich alloys showed marked superiority to the titanium- rich alloys in resistance to corrosion by the chemical agents investigated . The chemical reagents used were sulfuric , nitric , and hydrochloric acids and sodium hydroxide of different concentrations .

Jan 1, 1964

By C. P. Mishra

The Bureau of Mines performed a study of the availability of cobalt from market economy countries. The study entailed the detailed analysis of 97 deposits which contain 3.9 billion lb of cobalt at the demonstrated level; in 94 of the deposits cobalt is recovered as a byproduct, and in 3 it is considered the primary product. Since 97 pet of all recoverable cobalt is derived as a byproduct from copper and nickel deposits, the report focused on these two sources. At an assumed market price of $0.89flb for copper, $3.45/lb for nickel, $475/tr 021 for platinum, and $7/lb for cobalt, 1,330 million lb of cobalt at the demonstrated level are potentially available. This total includes 1,105 million lb of cobalt from copper properties, 190 million lb from nickel, 29 million lb from platinum, and 6 million lb from primary cobalt. This analysis indicates that the production cost for 589 million lb of cobalt can be totally covered by the revenues obtained from the other metals produced. The impacts of increases in capital investment and energy costs are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By Lloyd H. Banning

With the ever-increasing demand for energy in all forms, electrical energy generated from geothermal resources could become an important energy source in the next few decades. Geothermal fluids, which contain appreciable quantities of dissolved salts and gases, are generally corrosive to materials of construction. Since data on corrosion of materials in geothermal brines is limited, the literature was surveyed through February 1972 to obtain a compilation of information on corrosion resistance of aluminum and its alloys, copper and copper-base alloys, carbon steel and cast iron, stainless steels, chromium-iron alloys, nickel-and cobalt-base alloys, and titanium in heated brines including sea water.

Jan 1, 1973

By Charles J. Haas

The objective of this research was to investigate the interaction phenomena of rock and types of rock bolts to develop design principals for using grouted roof bolts. The investigation was to determine the effectiveness of grouted bolts in resisting lateral displacement and axial separation along fracture planes, and also to determine if grouted bolts eliminate the axial tensile stress near the anchor and the resulting rock fracture. The first year's effort involved defining the post-tensioning response of grouted bars and determining the amount of shear resistance generated by conventional and resin-grouted bolts. A finite-element analysis showed that if the rock and resin grout behave in an elastic manner, the post tensioning of a grouted bar will affect mine roof stability only if movement occurs near the collar. An experimental shear test program revealed that both conventional bolts and resin-grouted reinforcing bars significantly increase shear resistance along fracture or bedding plane when the average normal compressive stress on that plane is low (in the order of 25 psi) and when the bolt is oriented so that the shear displacement tends to lengthen the bolt. An increase in shear resistance is also noted at the higher normal pressure of 250 psi; however, the increase is small compared to the corresponding shear resistance without a bolt. Conventional bolts oriented so that they tended to loosen with shear displacement added no significant shear resistance.

Jan 1, 1974

By A. D. McMahon

Changes in world mine and smelter supply sources of zinc have led to changes in zinc supply patterns in the United States during the past 3 years, 1970-72. The result has been a growing reliance on foreign sources of zinc metal to furnish an ever-increasing portion of expending domestic requirements. This review of fundamentals and historical developments is intended to provide background in order to place the future of the U.S. zinc industry fn perspective. The properties and uses of zinc are described. A new study on U.S. reserves is presented with description by geographical region and comparisons with older reserve data. The technology of the zinc industry from prospecting through refining is described with emphasis on the metallurgy involved in the various methods of smelting. Production, consumption, and imports are discussed and illustrated with graphs and tables to review the past and present patterns. Government actions affecting the industry are shown.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. Barany

The heats of formation at 298.15° K of calcium tungstate, calcium molybdate, and magnesium molybdate were determined by solution calorimetry. For the heats of formation from the elements, the values obtained were calcium tungstate, -402.4 ± 0.5 kcal/mole, calcium molybdate, -369.5 ± 0.3 kcal/mole, -334.8 ± 0.2 kcal/mole. For the heats of formation from the oxides J the values obtained were calcium tungstate, -49.2 ± 0.4 kcal/mole, calcium molybdate, -39.6 ± 0.1 kcal/mole, and magnesium molybdate, -12.9 [ ] 0.1 kcal/mole.

Jan 1, 1962

By R. J. Hundhausen

The Shamrock copper-nickel mine in Jackson County, Oreg., was formerly a part of the Chisholm mercury property. In 1948 new owners advanced the old workings 40 feet to reveal encouraging widths of copper-nickel sulfide, ore on the Shamrock claim. When the owner's funds became exhausted, the Bureau of Mines carried on the development in 1949-50, completing 1,650 feet of bulldozing trenching, 396 feet of drifting, and 3,419 feet of diamond drilling. The Bureau's trenching disclosed a separate surface deposit 600 feet south of the mine deposit. This and the previously known deposit subsequently were diamond-drilled. The underground deposit has a known length of 100 feet, a dip length of. 100 feet and a width varying from 1 to 25 feet. The surface deposit is 200 feet long, 200 feet deep, and 5 to 38 feet wide. Neither deposit has been entirely delimited by development to date.

Jan 1, 1952

By W. A. Stickney

This report summarizes the results of laboratory tests of five samples of low-grade phosphate ores from Idaho. The laboratory test work has demonstrated that by grinding, desliming, and flotation a portion of the siliceous gangue can be removed. The highly carbonaceous ores responded successfully to treatment after preroasting, to produce a plus-30-percent-P205 product. It has been found that highly siliceous ores, as represented by the samples treated, are more readily amenable to concentration than ores high in calcium carbonate. Of the five samples tested, four were amenable to concentration to a product containing over 30 percent P205. One sample, from the Conda, second bed, was not amenable to mineral-dressing treatment to produce a plus-25-percent-P205 product.

Jan 1, 1955

By Sumner M. Anderson

THE ENORMOUS contrast between the mineral economy of Cuba in 1963 and in 1958 was the result of the overall Political changed to which the total economy of the country was intimately lined. Creation of the Cuban Mining Institute (Instituto Cubano de la Minería) to direct all mining activities in the country was an early act of the new Government after the revolution on January 1, 1959. During the next 2 years, the Government confiscated foreign holdings,2 including Unite States investments exceeding $1 billion in value. Foreign mining and metallurgical technicians-predominately from Communist areas-were brought in to reorganize the mineral industries. On January 3, 1961, diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States were severe and then on May 2, Cuba announced its full-fledged membership in the so-called Communist Bloc. Fifty-four international treaties assured Cuba of Communist economic support, technical and financial assistance, machinery, raw materials, and manufactures. The Soviet Union agreed to buy some Cuban mineral products, and Czechoslovakia stated that it would buy all mineral production offered for the next 20 years, but in both cases at prices said to be much lower than the world market. The mineral productivity segment of the mineral economy during and since the period of political metamorphosis, has withstood the political disruption better than has the economy as a whole, but with no direct measure of the magnitude of its cost. The overall economic record is marked with steady deterioration; the annual average per capita income has dropped from $374 in 1957 to $185 in 1963, when Cuba's deficit with the Soviet Union alone reached an admitted $1 billion.

Jan 1, 1964

By K. B. Lindsey

Geologically, the Williston Basin is a large structural depression of sedimentary rock in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota and Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada. The approximate It-mite of the basin are shown on figure 1; it is roughly circular with a diameter of about 400 miles and contains approximately 120,000 square miles. Although the petroleum potentialities in this area had long been recognized, it had not been vigorously prospected by the petroleum industry because of its geographic location, rigorous winters, depths to possibly productive zones, difficult geological problems, and the fact that more seemingly favorable areas were available for prospecting. With the discovery of oil near Edmonton, Alberta, in the prolific Devonian reefs, an incentive was given to explore for oil in the southeast extension of the same sedimentary trough, the Williston Basin. The Virden field discovery in southwestern Manitoba in January 1951 was a direct result of this southeastward movement. Discovery of this shallow field was followed soon after by discovery of' deep production on the Nesson anticline in North Dakota at Clarence Iverson No. 1 well. North Dakota then became the twenty-seventh petroleum-producing State.

Jan 1, 1954

By Jerry J. Gray

The utilization of secondary titanium was determined in a study by the Bureau of Mines, and a 10-year statistical table showing supply and distribution patterns is presented in this report. Over the total 10-year period, estimated scrap consumption is larger than estimated scrap supply. Trends from the estimated data indicate that titanium is in short supply and probably will continue to be in the future. Because of higher processing costs for recycle scrap, scrap will tend to migrate to the steel and aluminum industries and to ferrotitanium production and exports. Nonrecoverable losses of titanium metal during processing was determined to be a potential area for research.

Jan 1, 1971

By James R. Kerr

Although metallurgical benefits of processing metals in a vacuum or reduced atmosphere have been realized for a hundred years, the problem of creating a vacuum in the range from 10-0 to 10-4 mm. of mercury in a moderately sized furnace chamber has been difficult to solve. The demand for these and lower pressures, with the advent of World War II, for separating the fission-able uranium isotope from its stable twin by the electromagnetic process, gave impetus to developing pumps capable of delivering extremely low pressures. With the release of data by the Atomic Energy Commission on methods of securing high vacuum in large equipment, steel companies took the initiative, and the growth of the vacuum-melting industry was assured. Vacuum-induction melting of steel in the United States began on a small scale in early 1945 and in 10 years grew to 60,000 pounds per month or 720,000 pounds per year. The years following 1954 showed tremendous expansion, culminating in 1958 in a capacity of more than 36 million pounds.

Jan 1, 1962

By Floyd R. Hertweck

The helium resources of the United States were estimated by the Bureau of Mines to be 1,037 Bcf as of January 1, 1981. These resources are divided into four categories, in decreasing degree of assurance of their existence: (1) helium in storage and in measured natural gas reserves, which totals 211 Bcf, (2) helium in indicated natural gas resources, which is estimated at 207 Bcf, (3) helium in hypothetical natural gas resources, which is estimated to be 318 Bcf, and (4) helium in speculative natural gas resources, which makes up the remaining 301 Bcf. These helium resources are further divided into depleting, nondepleting, and stored classifications, The depleting resources are those associated with natural gasfields that are, or will be, produced for the natural gas they contain. All of the helium in undiscovered (hypothetical and speculative) natural gas resources is included in this classification. These depleting resources are estimated to contain 897 Bcf of the total helium resource base. Nondepleting resources are those in shut-in, abandoned, or otherwise nonproducing natural gasfields. Helium resources contained in nondepleting natural gas resources are estimated to total 100 Bcf. There is 40 Bcf of helium in storage in the Federal Government-owned Cliffside Gas Field near Amarillo, Tex.

Jan 1, 1983

By Fred D. Wright

The objectives of this research were: 1. to determine the stability relationships of coal mine roof rocks which are cut by fractures or intersecting joints with and without roof bolts, under various sets of conditions including horizontal formation pressures, inclination and coefficient of friction of joints, bolt loads, roof spans and rock properties; and 2. to develop criteria for the design of roof bolt sys terns for such roofs. The problem was studied by mathematical finite element models and by laboratory models. From the results of the mathematical and laboratory models, equations were derived to express the relationships listed above for cracked, single-layered roof beams and design tables for such beams are included. The analysis was then extended to include multi-layered cracked beams reinforced by roof bolts and a method for analyzing and designing bolting patterns for such roof rocks is presented.

Jan 1, 1974

By Barry W. Klein

The U.S. economy was considerably stronger in 1976 than in 1974 or 1975. Real gross national product (GNP) rose sharply in the first quarter of 1976 and then increased at a more moderate rate for the remainder of the year. The unemployment rate fell until June and then increased for moat of the remainder of the year, finishing at the same rate as it had started the year. The inflation rate continued to decline in 1976. Reasons for the relatively low rate (compared with those of 1974 and 1975) included small increases in food prices and only moderate increases in energy prices. Total U.S. output measured in terms of GNP increased 11.6% in 1976. Real GNP in 1972 constant dollars rose 6.2%. Inflation as measured by the implicit price deflator increased 5.1%. In real terms, gross private domestic investment for residential structures rose 22.7% in 1976 after declining 14.7%a in 1975; State and local Government expenditures increased 1.4% in 1976; and personal consumption expenditures for services rose 4.5%. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) index of industrial production increased 10.2%.

Jan 1, 1978

By C. H. Riggs

This petroleum-engineering report of the Atlanta oil field in BO them Arkansas reviews reservoir conditions and pressure-production history of one of the important Smackover limestone fields in southern Arkansas. The study of the field was made and the report prepared to aid operators in this and similar fields to increase the efficiency of recovery through the application of better engineering practices. A similar study of the Magnolia field in Arkansas by Carpenter and Schroeder was the first of these reports prepared under a joint agreement between the Arkansas Oil and Can Commission and the Bureau of Mines. The increasing demands for petroleum and its products and the steadily increasing cost of discovering and developing oil field; emphasize the importance of conserving known reserves of oil and gas. In recent years vast improvements have been made in the technique of oil recovery, both by better utilization of the natural energy stored in the reservoir and by improved methods of applying external energy to the reservoir system. This report may aid in oil conservation by careful evaluation of the several factors that did or did not contribute the greater recovery in the Atlanta field and by suggesting improvements in production methods and applications.

Jan 1, 1949

By P. C. Good

The Bureau of Mines conducted a laboratory investigation of a sinter-leach method to recover aluminum and fluorine from waste carbon potlining residues from secondary cryolite recovery operations in aluminum reduction plants. After removal of carbon by burning, the residue was sintered at 900° to 1,100° C with silica and N2CO3, then crushed and leached with dilute NaOH solution, dilute Na2C03 solution, water, or water containing residual Na2O which remained in the sinter after reaction and decomposition of Na2CO3. Over 90 percent of the contained aluminum and up to 87 percent of the contained fluorine were extracted from this waste product in the form of a mixed alkaline solution. Treatment of the alkaline solution with CO2 yielded a white precipitate containing 89 percent of the original aluminum and 61 percent of the original fluorine as a mixture of synthetic cryolite and alumina, together with a variable excess of soda.

Jan 1, 1969

By R. V. Ramani, P. M. T. White, D. Sutton

Appendix I. Part 1: Description Of Geology & Reserves System Introduction The Ore Evaluation and Reserve programs have been developed to aid in the evaluation of coal deposits, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The "Weighted Moving Average" technique used provides considerable flexibility in dealing with diverse parameters with differing distribution characteristics. Determination of Model Constants "a" and "k" - Unit 1 The flexibility of the method in dealing with diverse value parameter distributions lies in its ability to cater to the individual characteristics of each. These characteristics are embodied in the values determined for constants "a" and "k", namely, local and regional variations in value distributions, respectively. The empirical method used attempts to optimize the "a" - "k" combination. Realistic values for "a" and "k" are entered into the program together with sample values for the required parameters and their respective coordinate location values. All the values within a specified radius from the point being evaluated are used to interpolate a value at that point. (Note, the interpolated point is the location of one of the boreholes, values of which are not used in the calcula¬tion.) 3n a similar manner, interpolated values are calculated for each borehole location and for each parameter. This is done for each possible combination of "a" and "k".

Jan 1, 1974