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By J. L. Eakin

The works and opinions of experts on well stimulation and related problems are summarized in this paper. The material is devoted to stimulative work in petroleum and natural-gas wells exclusive of the generally applied pressure maintenance and secondary-recovery methods. Its purpose is to review a collection of recent and available material on well-stimulation methods and techniques. Each separate discussion is accompanied by a selected bibliography. An author index is included.

Jan 1, 1964

By E. Chin

The countries of Asia and the Pacific, with their large mineral resource base, are significant suppliers of a wide variety of minerals to both regional and world markets. Australia, China, and India dominate the commercial mineral exploitation in the region. Australia has known reserves of major minerals, which are adequate for both domestic demand, and for exports, and is a significant producer of bauxite; copper; diamond; gold; iron ore; lead; manganese; mineral sands (titaniferrous minerals, monazite, and zircon); nickel; salt; silver; tin; uranium; and zinc. China is the world leader in proven reserves of antimony, barite, ilmenite (titanium), magnesite (magnesium), molybdenum, rare earths, and tungsten. China also has large resources of low-grade iron ore and significant resources of other mineral commodities, such as coal, based on its production and export capabilities. India has significant resources of bauxite, barite, graphite, iron ore, and mineral sands.

Jan 1, 1995

By Christopher J. Bise

The objectives for the research project, "Coal Mine Injury Analysis: A Model for Reduction Through Training," were to identify and develop a means to indicate deficiences in human performance, job skills, and/or knowledge at a given mine site that are amenable to alleviation through training or job redesign, and to provide ;I set of analytical tools and training resources that will enable mine training personnel to effectively incorporate the noted deficiencies into a personalized model training program. The findings of this research project are contained in Light separate volumes. Volume I represents the Executive Summary of the study and provides a broad overview of the project's individual areas of emphasis and deliverables. The additional eight volumes provide greater detail on the development of a Model Mine Training Program based upon Professional Database Analysis, Incident Reporting, Loss Control, Job Safety Analysis, Risk Assessment, Cost/Benefit Analysis, and Mine Safety Management.

Jan 1, 1993

By Richard C. Barth

Fourteen field plots were established at active coal mines in the Northern Great Plains. A wedge was cut into spoil and backfilled with soil; soil depth ranged from 0 to 152 cm over a linear distance of 15 m. Perennial grasses were planted in each plot, and production was measured from 1978 to 1981. Based on spoil traits and biomass response patterns, plots were grouped into four types. Spoil for Type I plots was near neutral, slightly saline, nonsodic, and clay loam in texture. Perennial grasses reached maximum production with approximately 50 cm of soil depth. Spoil for Type II plots was characterized as sodic and fine textured; soil-depth requirements averaged 83 cm for maximum production. Spoil for Type III plots was characterized as strongly acid, and production increased throughout the soil depth range tested. Spoil for Type IV plots was similar to soil in chemical and physical traits; there was no production response to soil depth. Soil depth requirements were also dependent upon precipitation and species. In general, soil-depth requirements decreased in dry years and with use of introduced species. An appendix contains data evaluations on an individual plot basis.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. W. Paul

This report is one of a series of papers on coal mining methods and costs which are being prepared through the sponsorship of the U. S. Bureau of Mines for the purpose of bringing to the industry a knowledge of methods as they are used at the present time, and data on certain features which govern costs, safety, and conservation. The methods employed are, influenced by local conditions with respect to the character and dip of the coal, the nature of the, roof and the thickness of the overburden, and the means employed for roof support and its control.

Jan 1, 1929

By H. E. Powell

The magnetic susceptibility, the geographical source, and associated minerals are given for 44 copper-, 26 lead-, and 19 zinc-bearing minerals. Of the 44 copper minerals/ all had a susceptibility of less than 15 X 10-6 cgs, and about 20 percent of them were diamagnetic. Of the 26 lead minerals, all had a susceptibility of less than 11 X 10-5 cgs, and almost half of them were diamagnetic. And, of the 19 zinc minerals, all except four had a susceptibility of less than 9 X 10-6 cgs, and about one-fourth of them were diamagnetic.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. A. Selvig

EQUIREMENTS of montan wax for industrial use in the United States before World War II were met by imports, nearly all of which came from Germany. An important industry for extraction and refinement of this wax from certain brown coals had developed in Germany. At the beginning of the war, montan-wax imports were shut oft, and American industry was forced to rely largely on substitutes. Since the war, relatively small amounts have been imported from Czechoslovakia. Because of the shortage of montan wax at the close of the war and the fact that industry in the United States had to rely on foreign sources in the past, this investigation was started in 1945 to determine probable yields of wax from domestic lignite. Results of the investigation and the properties of extracted waxes are described in this report. Also included in the report are discussions of the occurrence and geology of lignite deposits of the United States from which samples were obtained for wax extraction and the petrographic composition of lignites, particularly in respect to those components that contribute to wax yields.

Jan 1, 1950

By Lloyd A. Morley

Research performed on computer modeling of mine power systems under USBM Grant G0155003 1S described. The work was performed at the Pennsylvania State University from 5 November 1975 through 4 November 1976. Results presented are interim in nature, and future research is planned to integrate the simulations which have been developed. The thrust of this research has been divided into three main areas. 1. Modification of a previously developed model (Mine Power System Simulation or MPSS) to include interactive operation and the use of default (average) load data. 2. Development of a dynamic simulation of interdependent mine power system induction motors. 3. Development of an approach to modeling of motor shaft loading of induction machines for mining operations. During the course of the current year's research, significant results have been achieved in all areas. Construction of an interactive MPSS model has been completed and checked. This simulation was written in APL code and is fully interactive. In addition, default data representing 158 different pieces of mining equipment has been developed for use with the interactive model. Additional work described includes the construction of a dynamic simulation of interdependent continuous miner induction motors and the development of an approach fo: motor shaft load torque computation from experimental data.

Jan 1, 1976

By Eugene T. Sheridan

The 22d annual survey of the packaged-fuel industry by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, revealed that 26 plants in 8 States were in operation and reported production in 1956. The demand for packaged fuel in the United States has declined gradually since the end of World War II, and the number of operating plants has decreased from 70 in 1946 to 26 in 1956. Annual productive capacity of the industry has decreased also during this period, and the decrease in capacity was about proportional to the decrease in operating plants. Packaged-fuel plants are relatively small, and 85 percent of the active plants in 1956 had an annual capacity of less than 10,000 tons. The same situation prevailed in 1946, when 84 percent of the plants had a capacity of less than 10,000 tons. Total capacity for the 26 active plants in 1956 was 174,600 tons, an average of 6,715 tons per plant. Operating rates in 1956 were the highest since 1951, and the rate of production for the industry averaged 37 percent of capacity.

Jan 1, 1958

By James R. Boyle

The value of mineral production increased 6.2% in 1976. With the exception of coal, practically all commodities registered an increase in production and value; most had an increase in unit value. Total value exceeded $1 billion for the first time. The increase in nearly all nonmetallic mineral production was a complete reversal of the 1975 experience. Alabama led the Nation in the production of crushed marble and was second in bauxite and scrap mica, third in oystershell, third in kaolin, and fifth in dimension limes-tone and dimension marble. International Trade.-The international trade passing through the Mobile customs district was valued at $2,524 minion in fiscal year 1976, up 20% from that of the previous year. Of the total value of trade passing through the district, 52% of the value of experts and 89% of the value of imports were handled through the port at Mobile. The major export Commodity was coal through McDuffie Coal Terminal which amounted to nearly 2.9 million tons, up from 2.4 million tons in 1975. Coal exports were to Japan, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Other exports were cement (114,000 tons) and [ ]

Jan 1, 1979

By H. Polat, Q. Hu, M. Polat, S. Chander

"The electrostatic charge on spray droplets of ionic surfactant solutions and coal particles was measured and the results were correlated with the dust collection efficiency. When various surfactant were added, the magnitude of the droplet charge increased significantly and it was observed to be a function of surfactant type and concentration. The concentration of maximum droplet charge coincided with surfactant concentration where maximum collection efficiency was observed for these surfactants. Particles of coal also carried substantial amount of charge magnitude of which seemed to be a function of coal rank.Based on the results presented in this paper, it was concluded that ionic surfactant primarily act as a strong electrostatic charge inducer for droplets. Due to interactions between these highly charged droplets and naturally charged particles, the efficiency of droplet-particle collisions play a primary role when compared to the wetting and engulfment phenomenon which could only follow a successful collision. INTRODUCTIONWater spray are widely used to suppress airborne dust in mine atmospheres (Walton and Woolcock, 1960; Kobrick, 1970; Hamilton, 1974; Jayaraman et al., 1986). Several investigators have considered the use of surfactants to enhance the effectiveness of water sprays especially for difficult to wet particles such as those of coal (Glanville and Wightman, 1979). The capture of dust particles by water droplets involves droplet-particle collisions, adhesion of particles to droplets, and engulfment of particles into droplets. Surfactants affect these sub processes through their influence on droplet charge, surface tension, and wetting. The last two mechanism have been thoroughly studied in recent years (Walker et al., 1952; Cohen and Rosen, 1981; Glenville and Haley, 1982; Chander et al., 1988; 1991). However, little attention has been paid to the role of electrical charge on particles and droplets on the collision and adhesion of spray droplets and dust particles."

Nov 1, 1995

By F. H. Willcox

This publication is the third of a series of reports on hazards and the prevention of accidents at blast-furnace plants that is being published by the Bureau of Mines, Technical Paper 106a being the first and Technical Paper 136b the second of the series. This bulletin, which is arranged in three parts, treats of the causes and prevention of blast-furnace breakouts, explosions, and slips. The first part discusses blast-furnace breakouts, the hazards therefrom, causes, and features of furnace design and methods of operation that tend to prevent breakouts or lessen their number, and points out safety measures to be adopted. The second part takes up the theory and causes of gas explosions at blast-furnace plants and reviews the better methods in use for handling gas. The third part analyzes the causes of hanging and scaffolding in blast furnaces, with the resulting slips that frequently cause injury to the plant and danger to the workmen, describes features of construction and furnace design and methods of operation employed to prevent hanging and slipping, and suggests precautions and safeguards.

Jan 1, 1917

By H. W. Gillett

This bulletin is issued by the Bureau of Mines as a contribution to the increase of safety and efficiency in the preparation and utilization of the mineral resources in the United States. Notable among the drains on these resources are the demands made by the nonferrousmetal industries, and in these the losses occasioned in melting brass and bronze are worthy of particular attention. This statement will be better appreciated by a consideration of the size of the brass industry. MAGNITUDE OF THE BRASS INDUSTRY. According to the Thirteenth Census, in 1909 there were in the United States 1,021 fu-ms that dealt mainly in brass and bronze. This total included jobbing foundries, manufacturing plants that both cast and machine a brass or bronze product, and rolling mills, but did not include iron foundries having nonferrous departments nor the numerous large brass-foundry departments of manufacturing plants that produce the castings used in the manufacture of electrical apparatus, cash registers, pumps, and the thousands of machines that require brass castings for their construction. Penton's Foundry List for 1910 gives about 1,150 exclusively nonferrous foundries and about 2,300 iron or steel foundries that also melt brass. If the rolling mills and. jobbing foundries in manufacturing plants be included, and if due credit be given to the rapid growth of the industry in the last few years, largely through the stimulation of the automobile busi¬ness, it is probable that not less than 3,600 plants are to-day melting brass or bronze.

Jan 1, 1916

By R. L. Levens

The Underground Injection Control program was promulgated in 1981 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Placement of mine waste backfill underground is considered underground injection under the provisions of this program. A major issue is whether mine waste that is regulated as a contaminant source on the surface should be disposed of underground. The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted research to investigate the impacts of mine waste sandfill on the quality of ground water. Analyses of water samples collected before and after contact with sandfill in a 10-year-old stope, as well as samples of the sandfill itself, were used to ascertain the influence of the sandfill after mine closure and subsequent flooding. Computer models supported the hypothesis that oxidation of pyrite by oxygen, accompanied by dissolution of carbonates, was the predominant reaction controlling the quality of the water being discharged from the stope. Concentrations of metals released as a result of acid production remained near or below detection limits. Metals release after mine flooding is expected to remain low as a result of the buffering by the sandfill and the reduced rate of oxidation.

Jan 1, 2010

By James R. Boyle

The value of Alabama's nonfuel mineral production in 1982 was $299.4 million, a decrease of $14.4 million from that of 1981; the decrease continued a downward trend that started in 1980. Output of most nonfuel minerals declined; cement, crushed stone, lime, sand and gravel, and clays were the major commodities produced in the State. Despite the decrease in mineral output, Alabama led the Nation in the production of crushed marble; was second in bauxite; third in ferroalloys and oyster shell; fourth in bentonite and dimension marble; fifth in common clay. fire clay, and kaolin; and sixth in masonry cement and lime.

Jan 1, 1984

By James R. Boyle

The value of Alabama's nonfuel mineral production in 1980 was $328.6 million, a decrease of $7.8 million from 1979. Cement, crushed stone, lime, clays, and sand and gravel continued as the major commodities produced. Alabama led the Nation in the production of crushed marble; was second in bauxite; third in native asphalt, ferroalloys, kaolin, and oyster shell; fourth in dimension marble, masonry cement, and bentonite; and fifth in fire clay and lime. Alabama ranked in the top 20 States in total value of non-metallic minerals produced. Adverse economic conditions in the construction and metals industries impacted on the minerals industry in Alabama. Mineral producers supplying raw or finished materials to these industries experienced periodic reductions in sales during the year. Unit price increases did not keep up with inflation.

Jan 1, 1982

By R. D. Currie

A study of the accident statistics in the coal mining industry convinces one that an organized effort must be put forth to prevent the vast destruction of human life in this industry . The fatality rate in Pennsylvania has not improved in the past several years and during 1928 it was higher than the average for the period 1916 to 1927 , inclusive . Although the accident rate for this State is less than that of the coal mines of the United States as a whole , nevertheless the rate is unduly high ; however , there are many companies which have exceptionally good records as regards both fatal and nonfatal accidents . A study of the methods used by some of these relatively good- record companies to reduce accidents in their mines shows that they exert an organized effort to prevent accidents , and that their safety organizations usually affect every employee in and about the mine from the highest official to the check boy . The chief executive must be actively and personally interested in accident prevention if real safety results are to be obtained ; when he shows this interest it is almost invariably reflected in the officials under him and throughout the organization . Safety organizations vary in form and are readily changed or adapted to the varying conditions found in the bituminous field . The companies whose organizations were studied in preparing this report are all getting good results , and it is their opinion that the safety organizations have been a big factor in obtaining these results . At their request the identity of some of the companies whose organizations were studied has not been divulged in this paper , but this does not affect the value of the information concerning their safety organizations .

Mar 1, 1931

By J. A. Woolf, E. S. Leaver, A. P. Towne

"INTRODUCTION A report giving experiments dealing with factors affecting the floatation of the most commonly occurring silver minerals was published years ago. At that time we could not obtain suitable samples of many of the so-called sulfo-salts of the base metals, which are generally silver--bearing and which comprise an appreciable percentage of the natural silver ores. Since Leaver and Woolf's work was published, samples of impure tennantite and enargite have been obtained, and considerable experimental flotation work has been done with synthetic mixtures prepared from these samples. During the present national emergency, research dealing solely with the recovery of gold and silver must necessarily be curtailed. However, many deposits of strategic minerals and critical base metals contain an appreciable amount of gold and silver, the recovery of which would aid greatly in recovering the strategies by taking care of a considerable part of the cost of treatment. Because of this, the recovery of precious metals should not be overlooked entirely. As the Bureau of Mines is now utilizing all of its facilities for the development of increased domestic productions of strategic and critical minerals, this is the last report not concerned primarily with such minerals that will be published until the war ends."

Sep 1, 1942

By L. A. Stinnett

An investigation of hazardous surface openings of abandoned and inactive underground mines in the Black Hills area of South Dakota has revealed: (1) tracing legal ownership of mineral claims via county courthouses is confusing, complex, and oftentimes misleading, (2) in general, the selected mine openings in this investigation are to be considered relatively high in risks and hazard potential which poses a threat to the general public, (3) mine closure procedures and designs can generally be categorically implemented depending on the overall situation of the particular mine opening with subsequent unit costs estimates, (4) few preventive state or federal legal measures exist to date concerning mine closures, and (5) liability damages relating to mine opening accidents usually involve expensive and complex common law cases.

Jan 1, 1979

By Ronald P. Hollenbeck

The value of mineral production in Alabama increased 1 percent above the record high set in 1965. Alabama ranked second among the States in the production of bauxite, third in the production of masonry cement, native asphalt, and scrap mica, sixth in the production of portland cement, ninth in the production of iron ore, and tenth in the production of lime. The mineral industry of Alabama was dominated by the mining and processing of coal and stone, the manufacturing of cement, and the production of crude petroleum. These industries accounted for 87 percent of the State's total value of mineral production, compared with 85 percent in 1965.

Jan 1, 1967