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By Gregory J. Chekan

This Bureau of Mines report presents three methods for designing bulkheads to impound water underground: (1) thin and thick plate design; (2) South African plug design; and (3) single and double bulkhead seal design. Related areas critical to the long-term effectiveness of underground water impoundments are also addressed. These include bulk-head anchorage, concrete specifications and placement, the grouting of permeable strata, and the sizing of barrier pillars. A case study involving hydrostatic tests conducted on a single bulkhead seal constructed in the Safety Research Coal Mine of the Bureau's Pittsburgh Research Center is presented in an appendix.

Jan 1, 1985

By Donald Koch

The project investigated regional impacts of mining on the ground water system of the Powder River Basin by: 1) establishment of a regional ground water monitoring network, and 2)development of , set of digital computer models to simulate ground water flow and quality, ground water contributions to surface water flow and quality (i.e., baseflow), and watershed run-off and recharge. Over 100 wells were monitored for physical and chemical parameters. Data were used as input to the model; and for the development of a comprehensive data base. The basin was modeled on a regional and subregional scale using a finite -difference model employing an alternating difference technique. Two water-shed models were evaluated for their ability to provide runoff and recharge inputs to the basic ground water model. Application of the regional and subregional models using conservative mining scenarios showed that drawdowns may extend west from the mines as far as ten miles but that impacts would be insignificant on a regional scale. The watershed model could be effectively applied to small watersheds only.

Jan 1, 1982

Confidence in the strength of the U.S. economic recovery was considerably enhanced by third quarter 1983 profits, which showed a 12.8-percent increase over those in the second quarter (table I). Although the increases were not as great as between the first and second quarter of 1983, profits have grown each quarter since fourth quarter 1982. Both total profits and profits per unit of output increased, which the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) attributes to decreases in labor and nonlabor costs (per unit of output), as well as to moderate price increases. [ ] A number of durable goods sectors, however, continue to show profit declines, especially electrical and non-electrical machinery. Profits in the primary metal industry are still negative, but the economic picture of this industry is improving. Between the second and third quarters of 1983, capacity utilization increased somewhat in primary metal manufacturing and stone and earth mineral mining but did not change at all in metal mining. Capacity utilization in metal materials increased from 47.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 1982 to 64.2 percent in the third quarter of 1983 (table 2).

Jan 1, 1983

By G. W. Josephson

WHILE methods of utilizing blast-furnace slag have been developing, a great deal of literature on the subject has accumulated, but no comprehensive summary of information that would be helpful to engineers, contractors, architects, chemists, and others in under-standing and more successfully using this byproduct of the iron and steel industry has been published in the English language. The National Slag Association recognized the need for such a publication, and the Problems Committee of the Association under-took in 1943 to accumulate the necessary material. Over a period of several years this committee compiled pertinent information in manuscript form, and in 1948 the Bureau of Mines and the National Slag Association made an agreement whereby the Bureau was to prepare the data for publication as a cooperative bulletin of the Bureau of Mines and the National Slag Association.

Jan 1, 1949

By Ana Chiquini, Clayton V. Deutsch

The most common approach used in the mining industry for mineral resources modeling is to estimate the grades using ordinary kriging and report the recoverable resources based on this deterministic estimated model. Mineral resources calculated with kriging are a smooth representation of the actual distribution of grades and do not provide an assessment of uncertainty. Unlike kriging, simulation reproduces the variability of the grades in the mineral deposit and provides an assessment of uncertainty. Reporting mineral resources directly on high-resolution simulation results would assume perfect knowledge of the grade at the time of mining and selectivity at the scale of the data. There will always be uncertainty left at the time of mining, so assuming perfect knowledge of the grade in the future is incorrect. There are two concerns when geostatistical simulation is used for resources modeling: the information and the mining selectivity effects. A new framework for resource estimation is proposed with two separate modules to address those concerns. The information effect is accounted for by anticipating the additional production data that will be available at the time mining to guide the destination for the mined material. The mining selectivity effect is addressed by mimicking the grade control procedure to get mineable dig limits at a chosen selectivity, represented by a minimum mineable unit size. In addition to a prediction of recoverable resources that will be closer to the material mined in the future, the framework proposed provides an assessment of local and global uncertainty for risk management.

May 26, 2020

By Milton Fies

Introduction The first experiment in underground gasification of coal in the United States was conducted at Gorgas, Walker county, Alabama, under a co-operative arrangement between the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Alabama Power Company, at the suggestion of the Power Company. The test was conducted on property of the Alabama Power Company, that owns some 19,000 acres of coal-bearing lands on which there is developed a highly mechanized mine producing some 2,500 cons of good quality steam coal per day. At the same locality ?there is a 200,000 kilowatt steam plant one of the largest in the southern portion of the United States. The Alabama Power Company owes much of its beginning in 1912 to British vision and courage. The original plans for building hydroelectric plants in Alabama, and for the construction of necessary transmission lines, were submitted to Sperling & Company, bankers of London, who agreed to underwrite certain bond issues, the proceeds of which would be used in launching the new Company on its programme. The set-up by which these funds from England were received was through an intermediary Canadian company, which the English investors desired. The Canadian company - Alabama Traction, Light and Power Company, Ltd. became owner of the securities of the Alabama Power Company and marketed its own securities through the banking house of Sperling & Company. Without assistance at this time the Alabama Power Company could not have gone ahead with its programme of expansion and the bringing together of the properties necessary for laying the foundation for a strong Company, fortified with ample power resources essential for future requirements and for dependable service to the public.

Jan 1, 1948

1. Domestic Production and Use: In 1979, 12 companies operated 32 primary aluminum reduction plants, with 3 firms accounting for 64% of production. Washington, Oregon and Montana accounted for 32% of the total production; Gulf Coast States 20%; other Northern States 32%; and other Southern States 16%. Based on published producer prices output of primary metal in 1979 was valued at over $6 billion. Aluminum consumption by 25,000 firms was centered in the East Central United States. Of aluminum consuming industries in 1979, building accounted for about 24%; packaging 23%; transportation 22%; electrical 11%; consumer durables 8%; and other uses, 12%.

Jan 1, 1980

By Harold M. Smith

This publication summarizes the literature on the composition of petroleum, with special emphasis on naphtha and gas oil, and provides a source book for the known qualitative and quantitative facts on crude oil composition. The discussion points out the known facts from supposition, and suggests new researches needed in various areas.

Jan 1, 1968

By Bobby B. Gillenwater

This report presents recommended guidelines and regulatory changes applicable to electrical installations in underground oil shale mines. These recommendations are based on information gathered from oil shale operators, government agencies, and other knowledgeable sources familiar with existing plans for mining systems and electrical installations, and on present understanding of the problems and hazards associated with oil shale mining. Additional discussions of specific electrical problems related to oil shale mining are also presented. These specific problems include: ? Ground fault current levels ? Permissible electric wheel motors ? Permissible batteries and electric starting systems ? Intrinsically safe instrumentation and applicability of existing test standards.

Jan 1, 1983

Endless lines at service station gasoline pumps, limited travel at reduced speeds, thermostats set at an uncozy sixty-eight degrees in the dead of winter-these are but a few of the inconveniences and discomforts that awakened Americans to a realization that our domestic minerals resources, traditionally taken for granted, are not boundless. We begin to accept and practice principles of conservation, yet we are aware that this alone cannot appreciably forestall the inevitable depletion of our minerals, metals, and fossil fuels-resources critical to our Nation's economy. The key to warding off shortages is the development of technology that will insure a continuing, adequate supply of minerals and energy from reliable sources at the lowest possible costs to society and the environment. The mission of the Bureau of Mines is to develop this improved technology. Established in 1910, the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior is the Federal Government's primary research arm in the minerals and fossil fuels fields. In addition to its research role, the Bureau keeps the Government informed of the Nation's mineral posture. The Bureau also seeks to stimulate private industry, through the awarding of grants and contracts, to produce minerals and fuels at a rate compatible with the country's increasing demands.

Jan 1, 1974

By Compiled by Staff

"INTRODUCTIONThe U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was established in the public interest to conclude inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations on mining and the preparation, treatment, and utilization of mineral substances; to promote health and safety in the mineral industries; to conserve material resources and prevent their waste; to further economic development; to increaseee efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting those industries. The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the U.S. Bureau of Mines to ""disseminate information concerning these subjects in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act.""In accordance with this directive, USBM reports the findings of its research and investigations in its own series of publications and also in articles that: appear in scientific, technical, and trade journals; in "" proceedings of conventions and seminars; in' reference books; and in other non-USBM publications. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make this kind of list both necessary and valuable.This edition describes reports and articles published during calendar years 1992 and 1993. It supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 196O 2; and these 5- year lists of publications and articles: from January 1, 1965, to December 31, 1969 4, from January 1, 1970,to December 31, 19745 , from January 1, 1975, to December 31, 1979 6 , from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1984 7 , and from January 1, 1985, to December 31, 1989 8."

Jan 1, 1994

By S. Akhtar

Interstitial compounds of iron, cobalt, and nickel, and their binary and ternary mixtures with silver, gold, palladium, and platinum were prepared and tested as fuel cell catalysts. The first step in the preparation of the interstitial compounds consisted of preparing finely divided metals. This was done either by the Raney method or by reduction of precipitated hydroxides of the metals. The finely divided reduced metals were then treated with carbon-and/or nitrogen-containing gases to prepare their carbides, nitrides, and nitrocarbides. The materials were tested for cathodic activity towards O2 and for anodic activity towards H2, C3H8, NH3, CO, and N2H4 in acid and alkaline electrolytes at 25° to 90° C in half-cell assemblies. Samples of carbided and nitrocarbided INi-lAg-1Au were about one fifth as active as Pt-black in the reduction of O2 in 35 percent KOH solution, whereas the activities of several interstitial preparations exceeded the activity of Pt-black in the reduction of O2 in 12M KOH containing N2H4. Nitrocarbides of x-Fe2C, 3Ni-1Au, and 1Ni-3Au were effective catalysts for oxidizing N2H4 in liquid NH3 containing NH4SCN. Corrosion of the catalysts by electrolytes was severe in many cases.

Jan 1, 1970

By Daniel S. Witkowsky

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 provides few specifics to assist the non-fuel mining and mineral processing industries of the United States in achieving pollution prevention (P2) compliance. The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) recognizes the absence of specific information to reduce pollution impacts from mining and mineral processing of hardrock and industrial minerals. Therefore, the USBM has prepared this publication to help reduce or eliminate environmental pollution and to assure the viability of these segments of the domestic mining industry. This report includes worksheets designed to help operators of mining and milling facilities to establish a P2 program. The report can also be used by citizen and environmental groups, State and local governments, and academia to gain an understanding of P2 as it relates to mining and mineral processing.

Jan 1, 1995

By Ernest W. Hilton

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the environmental impact of the surface mining methods currently used in the steep-sloped areas of Central Appalachia: southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. Comparisons are made between mountaintop/cross ridge mining, contour strip, augering and an innovative method surface shortwall mining which was attempted at Julian, West Virginia. Included in this final report are a discussion and analysis of current Appalachian production, reserves, and the extent of land affected on a county- by-county basis. Additionally, the seams within the steep sloped region have been assessed according to minimal standards of thickness, surrounding lithology, and areal extent to determine their amenability to surface shortwall mining. These seams have been tabulated with their ash, sulfur, and BTU content on a county-by county basis. Only minimal statements are made concerning quantity because of the narrow set of conditions required by the shortwall method. Other sections deal with the possible technical failings of an operational surface shortwall system based on field studies at shortwall operations, discussions with people experienced with shortwalls and research into ground control problems at sites where short- and longwall operations have been monitored. A final section details proposed additional research directions which the Bureau might take in the future.

Jan 1, 1979

By G J. A Dewar

The Australian Corporations Law generally requires Independent Expert Reports to be presented in support of capital raising or in defence of mergers and takeovers. The introduction of the VALMIN Code in 1995 (and its recent revision issued as the VALMIN Code, 1998) made Assessment and Valuation Reports in these circumstances much more comprehensible than before because of its key requirements for transparency and materiality. By forcing the Independent Valuer to provide an explanation of the reasoning behind the estimation of a particular resource asset, VALMIN allows the reader to clearly see any error or illogicality in the valuation methodology used and to seriously question or even reject the resulting value. Even though many elements of resource asset valuation practice are undeniably subjective, there must be some basis of objective rationality to it. Independent resource asset Valuers are the essential link between mineral explorers/miners on the one hand and brokers/analysts/fund managers/investors on the other. The minerals and financial industries both expect them to not use inappropriate or invalid valuation methods and illogical steps within these methods. This paper examines some of the less sensible ways in which some of the main techniques that Valuers commonly use to assess the fair market value of mineral properties have been applied in recent instances. The authors hope to discourage the adoption or perpetration of the æWhat-number-did-you-have-in-mind?' approach. It is MINVALÆs view that as many methods as possible should be used in any resource asset valuation. If any of the resulting estimates are in approximate agreement (particularly if they were derived using the less subjective of the available methods), ie if they cluster, they are probably more persuasive as being the Preferred Value of the asset than outlier values within the Valuation Range.

Jan 1, 1999

By Andrew Stewart

The author desires to express appreciation to R. A. Cattell, C. T. Seibel, and H. S. Kennedy, of this Bureau, and to Dr. Richard Wiebe of the fixed nitrogen research laboratory, Department of Agriculture, for helpful criticism and comments in the preparation of this paper. More especially thanks are due to A A. Cattell for his many valuable constructive suggestions. INTRODUCTION From time to time, the Bureau of Mines receives inquiries from the non-technical public on the subject of helium. People ask for information concerning its properties; they want to learn Whence it is derived, how it is produced, and to what uses it may be put. In consequence, the following paper has been written to give in simple terms an account of this most remarkable of gases. It has been thought desirable for purposes of analogy to include reference to All the members of the group of elements to which helium belongs, and, incidentally, to embody in the narrative certain other information pertinent to the subject.

Jan 1, 1933

This briefing was sponsored by the Bureau of Mines to summarize ongoing and recently completed chromium-chromite research and resource assessment activities by the Bureau. Through the series of 18 presentations compiled herein, Bureau personnel covered a wide range of topics including U.S. chromite and chromium trends and usage patterns; foreign and domestic resources; and research activities on mineral characterization and beneficiation, chemical and pryometallurgical processing of chromite and chromium-bearing wastes, new low-chromium alloy and coating substitutes, corrosion- and oxidation-resistant stainless steels, and chromium-containing refractories.

Jan 1, 1986

By Joseph Gersic

In 1989-90, the Bureau of Mines appraised selected high resource potential areas containing gold, rare-earth-element, or pegmatite deposits in or near the Black Hills National Forest. Available mineral resource data were used to construct mine and mill models and to compute discounted cash-flow rate-of-return analyses. Using this information, the economic feasibility of possible operations and probability (in the nonmathematical sense) of exploration and development within the next decade were assessed. High exploration and development probabilities are forecast for gold deposits around existing and permitted mine areas near Lead-Deadwood and west of Galena. The area east of Galena has low to moderate exploration and development probability; the Rochford area has low to high exploration probability and low to moderate development probability; the Keystone area has low to moderate exploration probability and low development probability; the Medicine Mountain area has moderate to high exploration and low to moderate development probabilities. Exploration probability in the Bear Lodge Mountains area is high for rare-earth elements and gold; development probability is low. Exploration probability for gold in the Mineral Hill area is low to moderate; development probability is low. The current level of activity associated with pegmatite mining in the Black Hills would probably not change significantly in the next decade; both exploration and development probabilities are low to moderate.

Jan 1, 1990

By BRETTMANN TRACY

Jan 1, 2000

Mine waste and mine reclamation are topics of major interest to the mining industry, the government and the general public. This publication and its companion volume are the proceedings of a conference held in Pittsburgh, April 19-21, 1988. There were nine sessions (50 papers) that dealt with the geochemistry, hydrology and problems of mine waste and mine water, especially acid mine drainage. These comprise Volume 1. The nine sessions (43 papers) that dealt with reclamation and restoration of disturbed lands, as well as related policy issues, are included in volume 2. Volume 2 also contains the ten papers that pertained to control of subsidence and mine fires at abandoned mines. Poster session presentations are, in general, represented by abstracts; these have been placed in the back of both volumes.

Jan 1, 1988