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By S. Kodama

Starting on a small scale, the equipment for processing synthesis gas to form liquid hydrocarbons was expanded to handle 100 m) 3/hr. This reactor was successfully designed and constructed, and a basis for future design methods was established. Because, however, this work was carried out on an empirical basis, it is felt that a more thorough theoretical study should be made in an effort to increase the efficiency of the process, particularly in the development of a simpler converter.

Jan 1, 1951

By R. S. Dean

[Methods s of preparing the manganese metal that has been used in chemical and metallurgical investigations have passed through a cycle. Most of the investigations made e before the turn of the century, used Moissan's pyrophoric man manganese.3/ This material was made b; electrolysis into a mercury cathode and distillation in vacuo. The material was essentially pure, and investigations in which it was employed (with proper precautions against oxidation) led to accurate results on tie intrinsic behavior of metallic manganese.]

Jan 1, 1941

By Cecil Q. Cupps

Results are presented of a comprehensive study of the characteristics of the original oil in the Weber sandstone reservoir, Rangely oil field, Colorado. Through the medium of subsurface sampling, adequately representative samples of the original reservoir oil were obtained from many parts of the reservoir over a period of 5 years concurrent with active development of the reservoir. Data of differential gas liberation, pressure-viscosity, and. pressure-volume-temperature relationships are shown for 12 subsurface oil samples. Data also are given of reservoir pressure and. temperature, composition of liberated or solution Gas, composition of 22 produced-gas samples, and Hempel analyses of crude-oil samples from 18 wells. The characteristics or physical properties of the 12 subsurface oil samples, as determined by laboratory analyses, were correlated with elevation of the top of the Weber sandstone. These relationships of oil characteristics to elevation in the reservoir show that only the oil in contact with the initial gas cap was gas-saturated at the existing pressure and temperature. The characteristics of the original reservoir oil were marked by an appreciable decrease of saturation pressure and solution gas-oil ratio and increase of viscosity and density with depth below the gas-oil contact. The composition of solution gas and of' produced was also was found to vary with elevation of the oil in the reservoir.

Jan 1, 1951

By N. A. C. Smith, D. D. Stark

"Sulphur is apparently a normal Constituent of crude petroleum, but in most crudes is present in percentages of less than one-half of one per cent. Some crudes, however, contain more, and occurrences have been reported of heavy asphaltic oils with as much as five per cent of sulphur.Occurrences of Sulpher-bearing CrudesIn North America, the fields rest of the Mississippi River are almost entirely free from sulphur oils, the time oil from Northern Ohio and Indiana, and the Potrolia crude in Ontario, being practically the only ones which contain sulohur in amounts over 0.5. per cent. In the Mid-Continent district the production of high sulphur crude in general is small and unim¬portant. The two main excentions are the Healdton field in Oklahoma and the El Dorado field in Arkansas, both of which produce oils with considerable sulphur content. In the Wyoming field, one sand, the Ember Sandstone, pro¬duces a crude of high sulphur content, and it is probable that this crude rill be of considerable importance as production increases. At present, however, very little crude is produced from this formation. In the Gulf Coast conditions are irregular, some crudes being low in sulphur and others comparatively high. The same is largely true of California. The crudes of Mexico contain notable amounts of sulphur, and as they have been of great commercial importance in this country, a typical sample of light Mexican crude was selected for the present study. It is probable that the results obtained poly also (but to a lesser degree) to other sulphur-bearing oils. An analysis of this crude will be found in Table 3, also analyses of other typical sulphur-bearing crudes from different sections of the United States."

Mar 1, 1924

By F. E. Armstrong

An instrument using a gamma-ray backscatter technique for determining the weight-percent incombustibles content of coal dust and rock dust mixtures in coal mines has been built and tested. The unit gives a direct readout in per-cent incombustibles for coal mine dust mixtures containing between 50 and 100 percent incombustibles; calibration of the device requires using a sample of the rock dust employed; this is usually limestone but occasionally dolomite or gypsum. A small americium-24l source is used with a scintillation detector whose output feeds a rate meter. The source-detector geometry used was chosen to reduce the effects of variation in bulk density. Accuracy of the system is within ±3 percent for most mixtures. The instrument is portable and completely self-contained; the rechargeable batteries supply power for 300 to 400 determinations.

Jan 1, 1974

By G. F. Livingston, F. K. Shelton, J. C. Stahl, R. E. Churchward

"INTRODUCTION An investigation of the metallurgy of cobalt from domestic ores has been in progress since February 1940 and has resulted in the formation of a hydrometallurgleal process for the production of electrolytic cobalt metal. Previous reports of these investigations have been given by F. K. Shelton; 7/ and Ruth E. Churchwrd, F. K. Shelton, and G. Knickerbocker. 8/ Briefly, the process, as applied to ores containing cobalt oxide, consists of leaching with H2SO3 or, preferably, with H2SO3 and H2SO4, to dissolve the cobalt. The cobalt solution passes through one or more purification stages to remove iron and elements of the copper group, and cobalt carbonate is precipitated under carefully controlled pH conditions. The cobalt carbonate is dissolved in on acid electrolyte containing sulfuric acid, boric acid, and sodium fluoride. The electrolyte then proceeds to electrolytic cells where cobalt is plated as a metal and sulfuric acid is regenerated.The present paper contains the results of several investigations signed to give a more complete chemical and engineering understanding of different unit processes involved in the electrowinning of colbat. Some work has been done to broaden the process to include arseniferrous cobalt ores as well as the oxide ores upon which the investigation was initiated. Most of the data presented herein have been obtained since the release of the previous reports; any changes suggested heroin that conflict with recommendations in earlier reports are based on more complete data and usually are preferable."

Nov 1, 1945

By William O. Vanderburg

This report3/ gives the results of a reconnaissance of mining districts in Eureka County, Nevada, made from September 25 to October 20 and from October 27 to November 5, 1577. During this time, virtually all the districts were visited and many data obtained on active and inactive properties. This report covers the locations of the various districts, geological background, ownership and brief descriptions of mines and prospects, information on past and current operations, and, other data likely to be useful to those interested in the development of our mineral resources. From the viewpoint of past production in the county, the silver-lead-gold deposits at Eureka have been tie most important, followed by the silver deposits at Cortez and Mineral Hill. The period of greatest activity in the foregoing districts was from 1870 to 1990, when Eureka was one of the principal mining areas in Nevada; the production of lead was sufficient to affect its price in all the commercial centers of the world. Eureka also merits the distinction of being the birthplace of the silver-lead smelting industry in the United States.

Jan 1, 1938

This document is Volume II of a two-volume report on underground and surface metal and nonmetal mine fires occurring between 1950 and 1979. Two surface fires from 1980 are included. Volume I discusses the methods of data acquisition, data analysis procedures, and results and conclusions. This volume contains (1) a master list of all fire incidents obtained from MSHA reports, (2) an annotated bibliography of all MSHA reports, journal articles on selected incidents, and non-reportable fires (appendix), and (3) indexes to be used in accessing incidents in the master list and annotated bibliography. These three types of information provide the reader with a complete summary of metal and nonmetal mine fires during the period from 1950 through 1979 and a convenient means to locate incidents of specific interest. The body of this volume is organized around two tables and a series of indexes. The two tables are master lists of underground and surface fire incidents. They are followed by 15 indexes keyed to the master list and annotated bibliography. The Appendix contains three different parts: ? The annotated bibliography of MSHA fire reports (one section each for underground and surface mine fires). ? The annotated bibliography of journal and other periodical articles about selected fires from the MSHA bibliography. ? A listing of non-reportable fires (one section each for underground and surface mine fires). Descriptions of the contents and use of each of the three major components of this volume (i.e., master list, indexes, and appendix) are presented in Section 2.0.

Jan 1, 1980

By W. W. Adams

With greater production of coal per man-hour of work than ever before achieved, the coal-mining industry of the United States established a better safety record in 1941 than in any year since 1930, the earliest for which complete reports of nonfatal as well as fatal injuries were collected by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior. In only one year (1933) of the 12-year period 1930-41 was the fatal-accident rate better than in 1941, whereas the rate for nonfatal accidents was better in 1941 than in any previous year. Accident and employment reports received from mine operators, together with fatal-accident reports received monthly from State mining departments and inspectors, showed that 546,692 men were employed in and about the coal mines of the United States during the calendar year 1941. This number does not include office employees or coke-oven workers. The increase of 1.3,426 over the number of employees in 1940 was accompanied by a gain in man-hours of work performed at the mines and an increase in average number of hours worked per man during the year.

Jan 1, 1944

By E. R. Cole

Laboratory heats of an 80 percent copper high-leaded tin-bronze alloy, similar to Brass and Bronze Ingot Institute (BBII) alloy 3A, were made with reduced tin content to determine whether an alloy comparable to BBII alloy 3A could be produced using less tin to aid in conserving this strategic metal. The tin content was lowered from 10 percent to 8 percent and 5 percent (nominal values), respectively, and the reduction in tin was offset by either increasing the lead content or adding zinc. Mechanical properties, machinability, and corrosion characteristics of the resultant alloys were investigated, and the mechanical properties were compared with BBII typical values and American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) minimums for high-leaded tin-bronze alloy. Results indicate that the tin content of this alloy could be reduced approximately 1 percent (difference between the 8.4 percent actual tin composition obtained and the 9.3 percent BBII minimum) without seriously affecting the desired properties. Results also show the tin content could be reduced without significantly increasing the chances of rejects for mechanical property failures, which might result from normal variations in the casting process.

Jan 1, 1972

By Soule&apos, John H.

Although known since 1902, the Capitan iron deposits have not been tined, mainly because of the low grade of the ore. Only a small amount of exploratory work has been done since the discovery. C. H. Johnson, district engineer of the Bureau of Mines in New Mexico in 1942-4, visited the property; as a result, preliminary sampling of the property was done in 1943.2/ Owing to the results of this preliminary work, an extensive development program by wagon drilling was planned and executed early in 1944. Equipment available at that time was limited in the depths that could be reached; and as geologic studies indicated the possibility that other limestone beds below the surface might have been replaced by iron minerals, a supplementary development program by churn drilling to reach greater depths was prosecuted in late 1947 and early 1948, with the author as project engineer.

Jan 1, 1949

By Lloyd Williams

1. The investigation shows that the Coal Creek has been the most productive, bed in Campbell County and contains the largest recoverable reserves of coal. The Pewee, Red Ash, and Jullico have been relatively productive beds and contain appreciable recoverable reserves of coal. The Blue Gem also has been productive in the past, but available information indicates that most of the remaining coal is Less than 28 inches thick. The Big Mary has relatively large reserves over 28 inches thick, but the coal is high in ash and sulfur. Thick partings in the Windrock bed have discouraged mining in that bed. The Poplar Creek and Rex beds generally are below drainage, and large areas have been excluded from the reserve estimate, Reserves in the Walnut Mountain bed will be difficult to mine due to the irregu¬lar thickness and lack of continuity of the bed. Estimated coal reserves are- small in the remaining five beds. 2. Known measured and indicated reserves of coal, based on a minimum bed thickness of 14 inches and on 1,800 short tons per acre-Foot of coal in place, are estimated to be 398 million tons as of January 1, 1953, o? this total, 267 million tons is in beds 28 inches and more thick. Areas in each bed were omitted from the estimate because available data relative to the bed characteristics are too meager to make an estimate that conforms with the definitions of measured and indicated coal adopted for this study. Should future drilling or development prove reserves in these areas, these should be added to the total estimated reserves.

Jan 1, 1956

This study was conducted to determine the effects of a machine-mounted scrubber and water sprays on face methane levels. Testing was conducted in the NIOSH ventilation test gallery which was designed to simulate a full-scale mine entry. In the test entry, a model mining machine, equipped with water sprays and a simulated dust scrubber, was located at the face of a 20-ft box cut. Blowing ventilation was provided using a curtain with a 40-ft setback distance. Methane released from a pipe manifold located inby the mining machine was monitored at six locations that were 1 ft outby the pipe manifold. Tests were first conducted to evaluate the effects of using sprays and scrubber separately on face methane levels. Additional tests were conducted to determine how a scrubber used with various water spray systems would affect face methane levels. The use of either sprays or scrubber reduced face methane levels significantly. The combined use of sprays with the scrubber further reduced face methane levels a small amount. Primarily the sprays affected methane levels by changing airflow distribution close to the face.

By C. O. Karacan

Underground longwall mining of coal causes large scale disturbance of the surrounding rock mass. The disturbance can increase the rock mass permeability through a reduction on the stress as well as formation of new fractures in the rock. Methane gas contained in the disturbed rock mass can migrate towards the low pressure mine workings and present an explosion hazard. This paper describes the application of a finite difference program to develop a geomechanical model that predicts permeability changes within the rock mass. The calculated permeabilities are used as input to a reservoir simulator that models methane desorption from the coal matrix, methane release from the rock layers and flow towards the mine excavations. The model also considers the basic characteristics of the mine ventilation network. The geomechanical model uses empirical relationships between fracture permeability and stress to calculate permeability changes around a longwall face. The extent of rock failure is determined using a strain softening model that considers both rock matrix and bedding plane failure. The cave rock (gob) is modeled as a compressible, granulated material. The calculated horizontal and vertical permeabilities around the longwall face are averaged and used as one of the inputs to the reservoir model. The reservoir model was developed and calibrated against records of methane flow at a study mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. Good correlation between actual gas production and model outputs has been achieved. The modeling approach provides a basis for estimating methane inflow and optimizing control measures.

By W. A. Calhoun

"INTRODUCTION A letter from S. D. Strauss, vice president of Metals Reserve Company, Washington, D.C., dated May 22, 1945, to the chief of the Metallurgical Branch, Bureau of Mines, in Washington; includes the following: Because of the present critical shortage that exists in the supply of corundum required by certain industries in war production, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Mr. W. C. Keeley, Vice Chairman for Metals and Minerals, War Production Board, has recommended that the Reconstruction Finance Corporation though Metals Reserve Company, proceed with preliminary mill testing of the corundum ore in Gallatin County, Montana, and that the results of that testing be transmitted to the War Production Board. If the results of the testing work are considered satisfactory, Metals Reserve Company will then provide for the actual mining and milling of the ore for the production of corundum concentrates.Pursuant to the above stated recommendation by the War Production Board, Metals Reserve Company desires to make -use of the facilities of the Bureau of Mines testing plant at Rolla, Missouri, for conducting sink and float and other concentration tests on representative samples of the Montana corundum ore. Two, and possibly three samples of ore are to be tested which will have an aggregate weight of approximately 50 tons."

Dec 1, 1947

By J. R. Thoenen

Up to 1914 almost all of the world's supply of potash came from Germany and Alsace. With the cessation of shipments from Germany during the World War the importance of a domestic suppler was evident. During the past 15 years the United States has been working toward the establishment of a domestic potash industry which would end foreign dominance in this commodity. The Federal government has taken an active part in this program. As its share in the work, the Bureau of Lines has ascertained the potash resources in certain district's through core drilling and has engaged in a comprehensive program of research on the extraction of potash from its various minerals. Until the passage of the Winter bill (H. R. 496) by Congress in 1928 the Bureau of Mines had not been able to give any consideration to the western ores, wyomingite (leucite) and alunite. With the massage of this bill, however, the ray was opened for the extension of the potash studies to cover these materials.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. R. Thoenen

This paper outlines briefly results of seismic measurements recorded in the vicinity of quarry blasting under practical operating conditions. The data cover field work done from January to the middle of August 1930, during which time records were made of 61 blasts in 19 quarries. Of the tests made, one was in biotite-gneiss, two in dolomite, two in a flintlike volcanic complex, three in gabbrodiorite, five in trap rock, and six in limestone. One quarry was in Alabama, two were in South Carolina, two in New York, four in Kentucky, five in Connecticut, and five in Massachusetts. Explosive charges ranged from 0.30 pound to 41,900 pounds, and the method of shooting varied from mud caps through hammer and wagon drill holes to churn drill holes and coyote tunnel shots.

Jan 1, 1937

By Susan B. Robertson, Gregory E. Hinshaw

Many injuries are caused each year by rock falls in coal mines. Most of these injuries are not caused by major roof collapses, but from falls of smaller rocks from the immediate top or roof skin. Various surface controls are used in mines to control this surface rock. One that has been found to be very effective is roof screening. Depending on the size of the screen, roof coverage approaching 100%can be achieved. Many mines are reluctant to use screen for primary skin control because of additional costs of time and materials, but others are having great success at both controlling costs and surface rock. Data is presented from two mines that show a dramatic reduction in roof skin injuries when screening is used. Much of this success is due to innovations in roof bolting machines. Four case studies of roof screen experience are presented along with associated costs of materials, impact on bolting advance rates, and potential ergonomic risks. The effects of roof screening on skin control and safety are also included. Finally, this paper will provide information about features of different roof bolting machines that affect production and safety.

By S. K. Ash

In arriving at economic losses in coal mining due to accidents, a statistician is confronted with many difficulties on account of the lack of information relative to nonfatal accidents. For comparative purposes the ex¬ perience of those countries, States, or companies that keep complete records can be drawn upon and an extimate can be arrived at whereby one State can be compared with another, or one mine compared with another in the same district. Such a comparison for the United States has been compiled by the United States Bureau of Mines. It will be observed in Table 1 that the cost per ton for accidents in the State of Washington for the year 1927 is higher than for any other State, with the exception of Georgia and North Carolina, with a small combined tonnage of 130,089 tons. (The figures for coal production in Table 1 are taken from Bulletin 319, 1930, of the United States Bureau of Mines.) The reasons why the cost of accidents in Washington might be higher than the average are on account of physical conditions such as steep pitches, faults, igneous intrusions, highly explosive coal-dust, extremely friable coals, presence of gravel and water, very gassy coal beds, rugged topographic conditions, inherently bad roof and floor, thick beds, and heavy cover. The nature of the coal beds requires the use of preparation machinery. The mines are often deep, and topographic conditions are such that long and fast haul¬ age becomes necessary. All of these factors not only tend to cause high cost of production, which is manifested largely in a. lower than average daily pro¬ duction, per man, but..they.also affect to some degree a tendency toward a higher than average cost for accidents.

Nov 1, 1931

By Rita D. Sylvester

THE BUREAU OF MINES was established in the public interest to conduct inquiries and scientific and technologic investigations concerning mining and the preparation, treatment, and utilization of mineral substances; to promote health and safety in the mineral industries; to conserve mineral resources and prevent their waste; to further economic development; to increase efficiency in the mining, metallurgical, quarrying, and other mineral industries; and to inquire into the economic conditions affecting these industries. The organic act of the Bureau, as amended by Congress and approved February 25, 1913, made it the province and duty of the Bureau to "disseminate information concerning these subjects 'in such manner as will best carry out the purposes of this Act.'" In accordance with that directive, the Bureau 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-Bureau sources. The number of these reports, the wide range of subjects they cover, and the variety of mediums in which they appear make the kind of list and index presented in this special publication both necessary and valuable. This issue describes Bureau reports and articles published during the period January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1964. It, supplements the 50-year list of Bureau publications issued from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960,2 and the 50-year list of articles by Bureau authors published outside the Bureau from July 1, 1910, to January 1, 1960.3 It supersedes the annual lists of Bureau publications and articles from January 1 to December 31, 1960,4 from January 1 to December 31, 1961,5 from January 1 to December 31, 1962,6 and from January 1 to December 31, 1963.7 The leading general and technical libraries of the United States maintain files of the Bureau's publications. A list of these libraries appears immediately following this introduction.

Jan 1, 2007