Search Documents

By Michael R. Norland

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report on U.S. and Canadian 1iterature pertaining to soil characterization and the use of soil amendments as a part of the reclamation process of coal surface-mined lands contains 1,280 references. The references were published during the 1977 to 1988 period. Each reference is evaluated by keywords, providing the reader with a means of rapidly sorting through the references to locate those articles with the coal mining region and subjects of interest. All references are annotated.

Jan 1, 1991

By S. J. Aresco

The Bureau of Mines has been active in promoting the purchase of coal for Government use under specifications that define the requirements in terms of heating value of the coal, expressed in British thermal units, and the composition as shown by proximate analyses. To these, when required, are added the ash-softening temperature, the free-swelling index, and the Hardgrove grindability index. Under most of these specification contracts the bidders guarantee the quality of the coal, and that guaranteed by the successful bidder becomes the standard of his contract. The deliveries are sampled in accordance with instructions4/ issued by the Bureau of Mines, the samples are analyzed in the Bureau laboratory to determine whether the coal is of the quality guaranteed by the contractor and, if it is not, a price adjustment is made. Analyses of the delivered coal and tipple samples (samples collected at mine tipples as coal is being loaded into railroad cars or trucks) provide valuable data for use in evaluating future bids. In addition, the continuous sampling of coal as delivered is a check on the practical results obtained in burning the coal.

Jan 1, 1957

By Verne E. Hooker

In situ stresses, based on isotropic and anisotropic relations, were evaluated using computer techniques from overcoring data obtained in dimension stone quarries along the Appalachian Piedmont, the Ozark Uplift, and the Ouachita Tectonic Belt. Stresses in the horizontal plane near the surface are compressive and range from 100 to 4,500 psi. The direction of maximum compressive stress seems to be alined with the general tectonic structure for most of the determinations. The ratio of the maximum to minimum elastic parameters in the horizontal plane ranges from 1.05 to 2.46 for these competent rocks. Isotropic versus anisotropic stress determinations show differences only as great as 25 percent in stress magnitude and 25° in orientation.

Jan 1, 1969

This volume constitutes the final report for the Rescue Subsystem portion of the Coal Mine Rescue and Survival System program conducted by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation under contract to the United States Bureau of Mines (Contract Number H0101262 dated Jung 17, 1970). The program was directed by the Special Systems Department of the Westinghouse, Baltimore, Maryland facility. The basic objectives of the CMRSS program were to develop and test hardware to determine the efficacy of a variety of coal mine rescue and survival concepts and techniques. These concepts were drawn from two major- sources: the Request for Proposal from the Bureau of Mines and the final report on the Mine Rescue and Survival Study conducted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Jan 1, 1971

By Samuel S. M. Chan

The objective of this project was to collect information applicable to the design of ground support systems in deep mines to include in-situ rock deformations, deformation-modulus, stresses, and geology and laboratory physical properties. All data collected was to be integrated and evaluated using a finite-elements computer code. In addition, considerable professional "cross pollenization" was anticipated from the association of University and SMRC personnel. Scope of Investigation Before a ground supporting system can be evaluated, the loading conditions existing in the region of investigation, strength, deformation characteristics, as well as other engineering properties of the rock structure immediately surrounding the openings, together with the pertinent geological information, must be obtained and analyzed. It was for this reason the following items were included in this research project: (1) The selection of a suitable area for the investigation. (2) The mapping of the important geological features of the area of investigation. (3) The measurement of in-situ deformation of rock masses immediately surrounding an underground opening of the area of investigation. (4) The determination of ground stresses. (5) The obtaining of in-situ modulus of deformation of the rock masses. (6) The testing of useful engineering properties of

Jan 1, 1972

By C. J. Hall

Twenty eight pulse release sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas field tests were run in a multi-level multi-vein hard rock mine to measure leakage ventilation. The mine had numerous underground booster fans and gob filled old stoping areas and consequently numerous leakage paths. The tests proved that the equipment and methods developed by the USBM can be used successfully in complicated ventilation circuits. The leakage quantities varied each time a major change was made in the main ventilation circuit. Usually leakage quantities had to be remeasured after a main ventilation change, but measurements could be duplicated for anyone configuration except under certain defined circumstances. The characteristics of an individual leakage path could be determined from the difference between the measured sum of two paths and the calculated characteristics of one of the paths. Many leakage paths could not be evaluated accurately on one shift. Comments are made on equipment performance and field techniques. Programs for the calculation of gas concentrations and recirculation from measured data and for the mechanical integration necessary for a calculated leakage characteristic have been written for an HP 9810 and are included.

Jan 1, 1975

By Martin J. Gavin

[The theory of fractional "eduction" of oil from oil shale has been used by several inventors as the basis for the design of retorts for the production of oil f roan the oil shales of the United States. The term fractional "eduction" gives expression to the rather common belief that when an oil shale is he-test et produces light, low-boiling oils at to temperatures, and increasingly heavier, higher-boiling oils as the temperature of retorting rites. The theory evidently had its is origin in the fact that crude petroleum may be fractionally distilled, yielding light oils at low distillation temperatures, and heavier oils as the distillation temperature increases. Thus, gasoline is produced from petroleum at relatively log: temperatures, kerosene at a higher temperature, and heavier products such as gas-oil and lubricating distillates at still higher temepratures, The writers have examined several oil-shale retorts designed to take advantage of the belief that crude, and en some cases refined, gasoline can be recovered from the shale at low temperatures; kerosene at higher temperatures, and so on. Such retorts are usually designed to operate continuously, and. have several vapor-pipes lending from them at differing intervals and passing to separate condensers. Designers of such retorts expect that the distillate from the low-temperature parts of the retort will be gasoline, and that as the shale basses to zones of increasingly higher temperatures, the vapor lines leading from these zones will remove increasingly heavier products such as kerosene, gas-oil, etc.]

Jan 1, 1924

By C. M. McKinney

This report contains Bureau of Mines routine analyses of 492 samples of crude petroleum from 470 United States oilfields, each of which produced 2,500 barrels a day or more during at least 1 of the years 1946-56. The fields are listed alphabetically by State and field names in table 1, with information on the geographical and geological sources of the samples. Table 2 summarizes the general characteristics of the crude oils and analytical and computed data determined from the analyses. A previous report 4 contains similar analyses of 283 important United States oilfields; some of them are repeated in this report. Many fields for which analyses previously were published are represented by new analyses, which include data not previously reported. Refractive index nu and specific dispersion, ng minus nD divided by the density, for some of the distillate fractions are included in the analyses of 316 of the crude-oil samples. This is the first Bureau of Mines report on analysis of crude oils to contain such data, and their use in calculating hydrocarbon-type composition of the fractions is explained.

Jan 1, 1957

By Glenn A. Shirey

The objective of this contract as to prepare a detailed, readily usable handbook on dust control techniques for longwall mining operations. Information was gathered from available literature, and through contacts with industry and government personnel. The handbook describes those methods of dust control applicable to today's longwall mining systems, and contains sufficient design elements to assist operators with problems in testing or implementing new control procedures. Complete reference lists are presented at the end of each chapter to direct the reader to additional information.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. C. Furnas

Despite the fact that a great many industrial processes depend on efficient contact between a gas stream and a bed of broken solids for their operation, the data in the literature are very meager. Several investigations3 have been undertaken, but the work has been limited in scope and application. BUREAU OF MINES PROGRAM OF RESEARCH For the past 10 years the United States Bureau of Mines has been engaged in research with the object of formulating a more or less complete quantitative theory of the workings of the iron blast furnace. Obviously, in order to do this one of the essentials is to have considerable definite information on the laws of gas flow through beds of broken solids. This report in a brief summary of the experimental work on the problem which has been done at the North Central Experiment Station. The complete report with more detailed tabulation of the data and explanations of the experimental procedure is in process of publication in the form of a bulletin.

Jan 1, 1928

By Sidney Katell

This report, covering the period January 1965 through December 1965, is a continuation of a series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. It is the seventh in a series of reports prepared in cooperation with the American Association of Cost Engineers. The abstracted articles are concerned with all phases of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects. They are From the following sources:

Jan 1, 1966

By Oliver Bowles

"General.The term mica is probably derived from the Latin ""micare"", meaning to shine or glitter, for the brilliant reflection from mica flakes in rocks has directed more than ordinary attention to this group of minerals. Mica includes a group of several minerals all characterized by a perfect basal cleavage, by virtue of which they may be split into exceedingly thin plates. The minerals are of very common occurrence in all countries, constituting about 4 per cent of the igneous rocks of the world The term ""isinglass"" is sometimes applied to glazing mica, but this is incorrect, for true isinglass is a soluble combustible material made from the air bladders of certain fish. As a constituent of granites and schists, mica is present as flakes too small for commercial use. Mica occurs also as small scales in many sandstones. When granites decompose, the quartz and the white mica are the most resistant to weathering, and so remain when the other constituents have been decomposed and carried away. A secondary white mica known as sericite is formed by the metamorphosis of clay-bearing rocks, and thus, in extremely fine-grained form it constitutes an important constituent of slates and related rocks. Some schists contain a high percentage of mica, but the presence of large amounts of quartz and other minerals has up to the present time rendered them useless as commercial sources of mica for grinding. It is possible, however, that certain mica or seri-cite schists which are composed almost wholly of mica with very little quartz may be utilized for ground mica if found in large enough entity. Considerable micais sometimes found mixed with the residual kaolin that results from decomposition of pegmatites, and in one locality at least it has been recovered as a by-product in a clay purification plant."

May 1, 1922

By Ludwig Schmidt

The attention of operators of oil-producing properties long has been directed toward methods of' disposing of petroleum wastes as well as the disposal of oil-field brines. The problem of disposing of' petroleum wastes is not easy to solve, and although many operators are to be commended for the efforts they have made, much work remains to be done before the problem can be considered solved. Petroleum wastes include emulsions of petroleum and brine or mixtures of petroleum and sand that cannot be "broken down" or treated economically by known methods of separating petroleum from deleterious matter; crude petroleum that escapes from pipe lines, fittings, and tanks because of holes in the lines, leaky connections, or some accident; and oil-saturated materials that accumulate accidentally or otherwise an the normal operation of an oil-producing property.

Jan 1, 1938

By Ludwig Schmidt

[The attention of operators of oil-producing, properties long has been directed toward methods of disposing of petroleum wastes as well as the disposal of oil-field brines. The problem of disposing of petroleum wastes is not easy to solve, and although many operators are to be commended for the effort they have made, much work remains to be done before the Problem can be considered solved. Petroleum wastes include emulsions of petroleum and brine or matures of petroleum and sand that cannot be "broken down" or treated economically by known methods of separating petroleum from deleterious natter; crude petroleum that escapes from pipe lines, fittings, and tanks because of holes in the lines, leaky connections, or some accident; and oil-saturated materials that accumulate accidentally or otherwise in the normal operation of an oil-producing property.]

Jan 1, 1938

As fulfillment of the requirements of Contract H0387019 for the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, a complete field kit, for performing on-site determinations of individual employee Time Weighted Average (TWA) exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO), has been developed by MDA Scientific, Inc. This report provides background information and experimental data validating the use of this kit with confidence to ? 10 percent accuracy.

Jan 1, 1981

By Harold J. Polta

This Bureau of Mines publication considers the feasibility of augmenting the present transportation system by pipelining taconite concentrates from the Mesabi Range to the Chicago area. The cost of pipelining in the hypothetical system using water as the carrier is estimated to be between $3.66 and $3.97 per long ton. This appears competitive with the 1970 rail-vessel transportation rate of $4.08 even after allowing a few cents per ton for barging from the terminal to existing furnaces. Political obstacles requiring solution before such a pipeline could be built and the feasibility of using crude oil as the carrier fluid are also discussed. FORTRAN routines used to calculate unit transportation cost for specific estimated values of cost items and for a range of values are presented. The effect of deviations from estimated values of cost items on the total unit transportation cost are shown graphically.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. L. Marek

"The number of persons fatally injured in the petroleum industry in California in 1930 was 50, a decrease of 20.6 per cent from 1929, when 63 men accidentally lost their lives. The decrease in the number of fatalities for 1930 has caused the first downward trend in the fatality curve of the California petroleum industry since 1927 and is coincident with a period of little active development in new fields, the shutting in of many wells, and reduced activity in the older fields of the State. That a direct relationship exists between the number of accidental deaths and the rapidity of new field development is particularly emphasized by the fact that in 1929, a year of intensive field development in California, 48 men were killed in the drilling and producing division, whereas in 1930, a year of less development work, only 25 men were killed in this division,The figures for the average number of drilling and producing wells in 1930 decreased appreciably from comparable figures for 1929 and a greater percentage of producing wells were shut—in in 1930 than in 1929."

Dec 1, 1931

By H. G. Iverson

The effects of adding boron and boron plus carbon to electrorefined vanadium were evaluated with respect to mechanical properties at low temperatures and response to heat treatment. Grain size was significantly decreased with the addition of 0.05 percent boron, the decreases ranging from 30 percent at 800° C to 75 percent at 1,100° C. Increasing the boron content resulted in only a small increase in strength at room temperature, but at 77° K, boron contents of 0.005 to 0.076 percent increased the yield strength of vanadium over 50 percent, from 70,000 psi to 110,000 psi. When boron and carbon were present together, the individual grain-refining effects obtained with either element were retained. Approximately a twofold increase in strength was obtained by age-hardening the alloys containing both boron and carbon. Alloys with only boron additions did not age-harden.

Jan 1, 1968

By Avis W. Effinger

In conjunction with pilot steamflood tests in the Venango sands of Warren and Venango Counties, Pa., the Marx and Langenheim (4)3 calculations were adapted and programed for digital computer solution to predict test performance. The Monte Carlo technique was incorporated in the calculations to provide values of several variables which could not be adequately defined from available information. The computation methods are explained and the FORTRAN IV program listing is presented. Data and results of the prediction calculations for Venango oil sands are also shown.

Jan 1, 1969

By F. Chen, L. J. Gaydos, L. M. Demers, D. C. Kuhn, S. C. Sun

"In this report, we demonstrate that NF-KB, a ubiquitous transcription factor, plays an essential role in silica-induced inflammatory mediator production in the mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Compared to the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), silica mediated a stronger activation of NF-KB p50/p50 homodimer at early phase of poststimulation. Furthermore, activation of NF-xB by silica and LPS appears to be mediated by different signal transduction pathways. Both silica and LPS increased mRNA expression in these cells for cyclooxygenase II, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin- I a. This expression was attenuated along with the inhibition of NF-KB activation. It is well documented that exposure of alveolar macrophages to silica can initiate excessive production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines from several early response genes (1-3). At the DNA level, a common structural characteristic of these genes is the presence of one to five NF-lCB binding sequences (KB) in the 5'-flanking region (4-6). In resting cells, NF-KB is retained in the cytoplasm in an inactive form by binding to inhibitory protein known as hcBcx, hcB~. p 105 (precursor of p50) and p 100 (precursor of p52) (7-9). Upon cellular stimulation, these inhibitory proteins are proteolytically degraded or processed by certain proteases, which allows the liberated NF-KB to translocate into the nucleus as an activated form to initiate or regulate early response gene transcription by binding to its consensus element (GGGRNNYYCC)(7).In this report, we demonstrate that silica can efficiently induce NF-lCB activation in RAW 264.7 cells, and that silica displays different characteristic from LPS in the activation of NF-KB, both with respect to NF-KB subtype composition and the signal transduction pathway that leads to the activation of NF-KB. In addition, abrogation of NF-KB activation by inhibiting the protease can dramatically reduce the mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase II, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor-ex (TNF-o.) and interleukin-lex (IL-lex). These findings strongly suggest that NF-KB plays an essential role in silica-induced inflammatory mediator production in the monocyte/ macrophage cells."

Dec 1, 1996