Search Documents

By R. V. Higgins

The results of two separate but related studies are given. In the first study, four equations were tested; the object was to determine which would produce a curve that would best fit data points that represent a trend of declining oil production in 90 California fields. Two conventional equations (the Arps and semilog) and two novel equations (extreme-c and double semilog) were tested. The curves were first fitted to the initial 9 years of the 15-year production data and then extrapolated for 6 years to determine how well the extrapolated curve would fit the data points. The generated curves were also extrapolated beyond the last data point to predict rates of future production. The results of the first study showed that no equation was clearly superior to the others in all respects. The semilog equation resulted in the best fit to production data for the first 9 years, but the Arps and extreme-c equations produced a better fit for the extrapolated data for the period of 9 to 15 years. The Arps and extreme-c also gave more realistic production rates when extended to the point where cumulative production equaled reserves. A second study was made to determine if the least-squares technique applied to the Arps equation would result in more accurate extrapolations. The merits of the logarithmic and the nonlogarithmic forms of the Arps hyperbolic equation were also tested. For the logarithmic expression, it was found that one of the constants of the Arps equation reached a value so small or so large that the equation was not applicable to the data of 40 of the 90 California fields. The nonlogarithmic form of the Arps equation was applicable to neither the same 40 fields nor to a few additional ones. When the data and the Arps equation were compatible, the use of the least-squares technique as compared with other methods improved the extrapolation accuracy somewhat.

Jan 1, 1971

By E. E. Creitz

Application of the usual chemical methods to the determination of beryllium in the mineral-dressing products of a spodumene pegmatite was found to be unsatisfactory as to speed, accuracy, sensitivity, and range of analysis. A spectrographic method is described for the determination of beryllium. Samples are ground, mixed with borax, high-purity, flake graphite, and an internal standard; then they are fused, reground, pelletized, and excited with a high-voltage-spark discharge. Investigation of several spectrographic techniques to overcome matrix effects are described. The method developed gives results for beryllium in the concentration range from 0.002 to 5.0 percent; the average probable error of duplicate determinations was below 3.0 percent of the quantity present. INTRODUCTION The main source of beryllium in pegmatite is the mineral, beryl. Many of the conventional methods for the determination of beryllium in beryl are not suitable for control purposes because of lack of speed and accuracy, especially in the range below a few tenths percent. Beryl resists the usual chemical attack and can be lost in a hurried chemical analysis.

Jan 1, 1958

By W. A. Selvig

"The purpose of the investigation described herein was to determine how closely different laboratories can check one another in making determinations of fusibility of coal ash with the De Graaf electric coal-ash fusion furnace: how well duplicate determinations by the same laboratory will check, and how the results with the De Graaf furnace compare with those of the standard gas-furnace method of the American Society for Testing Materials.4Thanks are due the following laboratories who cooperated in this study by making fusibility tests with the Do Graaf electric coal-ash fusion apparatus: J. J. Brennan, testing engineer, Northern States Power Co.; R. E. Gilmore, superintendent, Fuel Research Laboratories, Canadian Department of Mines A. T. Leavitt, president, and W. Mueller, chief chemist, Hamilton By-product Coke Ovens. Ltd.; Edgar Stansfield, chief chemical engineer, Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta. Canada; and H. S. Vassar, laboratory engineer, Public Service Electric and Gas Co.The ash-fusibility determinations by the standard gas-furnace method were made in the Coal Analysis Laboratory of the Bureau of Mines at Pittsburgh under the direction of H. M. Cooper, associate chemist. The investigation was made at the suggestion of A. C. Fieldner, chief engineer, Experiment Stations Division of the Bureau of Mines.Routine determinations of the fusibility of coal ash are made in the laboratories of the United States Bureau of Mines by the gas-furnace method. This method was standardized after considerable experimentation5 on the nature of the fusion of coal ash and the various factors which affect its determination. The method was subsequently adopted by the American Society for Testing Materials as one of its standard tests."

Jun 1, 1930

By Oliver Bowles

Limestone, including dolomite, is the most widely used of all rocks - nearly 300 million tons annually in the United States alone. It occurs in some form in every State and is produced in thousands of localities. Because of its attractiveness, substantiality, and durability it is employed extensively as a building stone. In crushed and broken form it is used for concrete aggregate and railroad ballast and in highway construction, metallurgy, agriculture, and a host of chemical and industrial processes. This paper proposes to furnish general information on the origin and occurrence of limestone and dolomite, chief production centers, major uses, and methods of quarrying and preparing stone for market. Footnote references will guide the reader to sources of more complete information.

Jan 1, 1956

By L. F. Willmott

The Bureau of Nines at Morgantown, W. Va., has been investigating, on a pilot plant scale, various methods of gasifying bituminous coal with oxygen and superheated steam to produce synthesis gas, as part of the broader program of finding new uses for coal. Differences in the pressure gasification methods used have depended on differences in the manner in which the pulverized coal is fed to the gasifier. One of the methods of feeding the coal that was investigated was the continuous, integrated coal-water slurry system. Goal and water were first mixed to produce a slurry; then the slurry was pumped through a heated coil. to evaporate the water fraction; the resulting steam was superheated, and some of it was separated so as to adjust the ratio of the residual steam to the coal fraction and make the resulting mixture suitable for partial combustion with oxygen in a pressure gasifier. Both before and during this reported3 developmental work it was necessary to make an extensive literature search into the technology of aqueous slurries in order to establish design criteria for the pilot plant and to correlate results of various phases of the work with that of other investigators, The pilot work coincided with the commercial development of a long-distance pipe- line for the transportation of coal as a coal-water slurry, and this fact tended to broaden the scope of the pilot plant work and the extent of the literature search. This bibliography is the compilation of the material that was collected.

Jan 1, 1963

By L. F. Willmott

The Bureau of Mines at Morgantown, W. Va., has been investigating, on a pilot plant scale, various methods of gasifying bituminous coal with oxygen and superheated steam to produce synthesis gas, as part of the broader program of finding new uses for coal. Differences in the pressure gasification methods used have depended on differences in the manner in which the pulverized coal is fed to the gasifier. One of the methods of feeding the coal that was investigated was the continuous, integrated coal-water slurry system. Goal and water were first mixed to produce a slurry; then the slurry was pumped through a heated coil. to evaporate the water fraction; the resulting steam was superheated, and some of it was separated so as to adjust the ratio of the residual steam to the coal fraction and make the resulting mixture suitable for partial combustion with oxygen in a pressure gasifier. Both before and during this reported3 developmental work it was necessary to make an extensive literature search into the technology of aqueous slurries in order to establish design criteria for the pilot plant and to correlate results of various phases of the work with that of other investigators, The pilot work coincided with the commercial development of a long-distance pipeline for the transportation of coal as a coal-water slurry, and this fact tended to broaden the scope of the pilot plant work and the extent of the literature search. This bibliography is the compilation of the material that was collected.

Jan 1, 1963

By Joseph T. Singewald

The possible value of the red hematite iron ore of the southern Appalachian States, if some practicable method of concentrating it could be devised, has long been recognized. The ore is very low grade, and although in enormous quantities, particularly in the States of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, is only at a few points rich enough to work, and even the best of it ranks among the lowest grade iron ores being mined in the United States. A cheap method of beneficiating this ore would make enormous quantities available and vastly increase the iron-ore resources of the country. However, this low-grade ore in effect constitutes a potential iron reserve, and as long as ample quantities of ore can be obtained elsewhere the question of its utilization does not demand immediate notice. Where these ores are in part of workable grade, however, a problem of more immediate importance arises which, from considerations of economy and prevention of waste in their mining, ought to be solved or, at least, attacked as quickly as possible. Where these ores are being worked they are usually intimately associated with lowergrade material that in mining is left behind. The difficulty and expense of going into ground broken by old workings makes the recovery of this lower-grade ore practically impossible and it is lost forever. Success in concentrating the red ores, therefore, would save material that is now being irretrievably lost. The successful largescale concentration of low-grade ore in the last few years on the Lake Superior iron ranges should encourage the attack of similar problems in the Birmingham district. While studying iron-mining methods in the United States for the Bureau of Mines, Dwight E. Woodbridge, consulting mining engineer of the bureau, was impressed with the importance of this problem, and believed it merited the attention of the bureau. Accordingly, Mr. Woodbridge had Mr. W. J. Penhallegon, general superintendent of ore mines and quarries of the Republic Iron & Steel Co., of Birmingham, send the author of this report five samples of the unworkable siliceous ores of the district. The results of concentration experiments with these ores made a more thorough 'and systematic investigation desirable. In consequence, the author subsequently collected samples in the district, and these became the basis of the experimental work described in this report. The results are published by the Bureau of Mines as a part of its efforts to increase efficiency in the utilization of mineral resources. The experiments were conducted in the geological laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., with the aid of Raymond Leibensperger, mining assistant. The chemical analyses were made by A. C. Fieldner, chemist, of the Bureau of Mines. The author wishes to express his appreciation of the courtesies extended to him by the mining companies of the district, and particularly to Mr. W. J. Penhallegon, of the Republic Iron & Steel Co. Thanks are also due Prof. W. B. Clark, director of the geological laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University, the unrestricted use of the facilities of the laboratory.

Jan 1, 1917

By Albert L. Toenges, Louis A. Turnbull, Alonzo W. Quinn, J. M. Schopf, Arthur Neale, R. F. Abernethy

"INTRODUCTION The fuel requirements for industrial and domestic consumers in New England, in normal times, are supplied almost entirely by fuel oil, anthracite, and bituminous coal. A shortage of these fuels occurred during the war. This shortage was caused by (1) The diversion of oil to military uses; (2) the use of railroad and boat facilities that ordinarily would transport coal for the transportation of war materiel; (3) the inability of coal mines to apply the increased demand for coal which resulted from the conversion from oil to coal by domestic and industrial consumers; and (4) the increased demand of war industries for coal. Because of this critical fuel situation, an investiga¬tion was made of possible sources of fuel nearer to points of consumption in New England. Meta-anthracite, which is a satisfactory fuel for some purposes, had been mined in Massachusetts and Rhode Island many years ago. However, the introduction of freer-burning anthracite and bituminous coal into New England markets resulted in the abandonment of these mines.The coal mined in the vicinity of Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island, Newport County, R. I., had been used successfully for smelting copper ore and for fuel. It is reported that this coal is less graphitic than the material mined at Cranston near Providence, R. I. The coal is meta-anthracite and does not burn freely. However, improved equipment for burning coal has been developed, and if minable reserves of meta-anthracite should be found, methods of burning it probably could be devised.The purpose of this investigation was to determine sources of additional fuel. Since meta-anthracite mined at Portsmouth had been used with some success, an investigation was undertaken to determine the characteristics and continuity of the beds in this area."

Apr 1, 1948

By T. W. Quayle

This paper describing mining practices at the United Verde copper mine, Jerome, Ariz., is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in the various mining districts f the United States. At present mining operations are being conducted both underground and by electric shovels in an open pit. The open-pit work has been described by E. M. J. Alenius in a previous publication of the Bureau of Minos;3 the present paper will be confined to a description of the underground mine. The underground methods comprise horizontal cut-and-fill, shrinkage with delayed filling, horizontal square-set, inclined square-set, and top slice. The normal daily production of the underground mine is 3,000 tons of copper ore per day, requiring the employment of 900 men underground.

Jan 1, 1931

By MINE SAFETY BOARD

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF MINES ON CERTAIN QUESTIONS OF SAFETY AS OF FEBRUARY 3 , 1933

Jul 1, 1933

By D. K. Deardorff

The purpose of this work was to investigate the hafnium-carbon phase diagram. Alloys used to study this system were prepared from high-purity components by both consumable-and nonconsumable-electrode arc melting. Data for the diagram were obtained on the alloys by metallography, optical pyrometry, thermal analysis, heat treatment, and X-ray diffraction. The data indicate that a carbide compound occurs over considerable range of composition, and that one of each of the following types of reactions occurs in the hafnium-carbon system: Peritectoid, peritectic, and eutectic. The maximum melting temperature of hafnium carbide is 3,840° C at 49 to 50 atomic percent carbon, and the composition range of hafnium carbide at temperatures of 2,150° to 2,380° C is from 37.0 to 48.5 atomic percent carbon. The hafnium a-S transformation temperature is raised on alloying with carbon from 1,750° to 1,890° C, where a peritectoid reaction isotherm occurs. Alloying hafnium with carbon increases the hafnium melting temperature from 2,190° to 2,250° C, at which temperature a peritectic reaction occurs. Hafnium carbide and carbon react at 3,055° C to form a eutectic of 68.3 atomic percent carbon.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. H. Field

Synthesis of hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction in a hot-gas- recycle system was demonstrated to be technically feasible. This project was undertaken, by the Bureau of Mines, to determine if the system was operable and to ascertain the optimum conditions for the production of gasoline. Carbon steel turnings packed with a void volume from 88 to 90 pct. were satisfactory catalysts, but steel catalysts with greater void volume, either turnings or steel wool, were not as active. Good temperature control with a pressure drop of less than 0.5 pounds per square inch (p.s,i,) per foot of catalyst bed of turnings was obtained by operating with a recycle to fresh feed ratio of 20 and by splitting the total gas flaw and injecting portions into the reactor at different entry ports.

Jan 1, 1961

By Will H. Coghill

The jig men of the Tri-State (Joplin-Miami) zinc district complain about the flakiness of their mill feed. They believe that the flakiness of the composite grains of gangue and mineral are to blame for losses of zinc; that is, that the flaky grains in the jig tailings have higher zinc tenor than the cubical grains. Although the evidence which follows contradicts this belief, no effort is made to give a final and conclusive answer. On the other hand, there is outlined a positive and mechanical method which the operator may use to pursue this and similar investigations. DISCUSSION OF SCREENING METHOD Hand-sorting is obviously not satisfactory for separating cubical grains from flaky grains because the personal influence can not be removed. Screens, however, may be used with success. A set of each of two types of screens is required; namely, the square-hole type and the rectangular (rectang, oblong) type. The square-hole screens must be of the double Tyler scale; that is, the order of the sieves should be after the fourth root of two instead of the customary square root of two; close sizing is important. The size of the rectang screens may be selected by trials so that a part of the material already closely sized on the square-hole screens, will pass the oblong holes. Obviously, the cubical grains will remain on the rectang and the flaky grains will pass through. Hence the mode of operation is to screen first on square-hole screens and then split the products on the oblong-hole screens.

Jan 1, 1928

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 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 P. T. Brooks

A process for extracting 69 percent of the vanadium from weathered Nevada dolomitic shale containing about 1 percent V205 was developed on a laboratory scale by the Bureau of Mines. The process essentially is comprised of salt roasting, leaching with dilute sulfuric acid, solvent extraction, and precipitation of vanadium as ammonium metavanadate. Carbonaceous unweathered shale was less amenable to treatment. A preliminary cost estimate for mining and processing 1,500 tons per day of weathered shale indicated a production cost of about 1 dollar per lb of V205. Considering recent sales at nearly $1. 75 per lb of contained V205, larger scale testing to obtain more definitive process design and evaluation data may be warranted.

Jan 1, 1974

By Hugh Haddow

This paper describing the methods of recovery and treatment of a sand and gravel deposit and the preparation of these materials for a number of special markets is one of a series being prepared by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. It is of particular interest to those sand and gravel operators who have a surplus of fine sand which must be sent to waste, both from the point of view of, equipment and the variety. of markets supplied, and in that it describes one of the few sand and gravel plants which have resorted to hydraulic classification for sizing fine sand. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of J. R. Thoenen, mining engineer of the Bureau of Mines, in the preparation of this paper.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. W. Adams

"During the calendar year 1925 the Bureau of Mines received from the operators of several hundred mines and quarries complete accident records covering deaths, permanent disabilities, and “lost time” temporary injuries. Some of the companies, - those that participated in the National Safety Competition-also furnished information showing the number of man-hours of work performed during the year. With these two types of information it was possible to calculate the accident-frequency and accident-severity rates of the different plants. Complete and comparable reports of accidents and Man-hours of “exposure” were received from 34 underground metal mines, 59 underground coal mines, 15 underground mines producing other nonmetallic minerals, and 102 open quarries or open-pit mines. The figures in the table appended to this report show the accident severity rates and other data for each of the 34 underground metal mines and for the group as a whole. It is proposed to publish similar figures for the other classes of mines and quarries at an early date.The 34 metal mines listed in the table are situated in Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota., and Utah; they employed 5, 925 men, an average of 174 men per mine, including employees above-ground as well as underground. With but few exceptions, 50 men was the minimum number of employees in any mine. The total period of employment or “exposure” at the 34 mines was 14,612,607 man-hours, an average of 2,466 hours per man, or the equivalent of 308 work-days of eight hours for each employee. Accidents resulted in 15 fatalities, 9 permanent disabilities, and 1,950 temporary “lost time” injuries (causing disability exceeding remainder of shift). The fatal and nonfatal injuries represented 132,575 days of disability. Thus the accident frequency rate for the group was 135 accidents per million hours and the accident severity rate was 9.073 days lost per thousand hours of 1 “exposure”. The severity rates ranged from 0.227 to 88.653, while the ·range of the accident-frequency rates was from 16. 6 to 307 .4. In compiling the accident severity rates shown in the table, all accidents caused by explosives were weighted at twice the number of days actually lost, as one of the purposes of the National Safety Competition was to stress the prevention of accidents caused by explosives."

Sep 1, 1926

These proceedings consist of papers presented at two Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Seminars in early 1980 for the purpose of disseminating recent advances in mining technology related to surface coal mining reclamation.

Jan 1, 1980

By SUMNER S. SMITH

Mine inspection in Alaska by the Federal mine inspector was somewhat handicapped during 1915,the inspector having to spend a large part of the summer and fall in examining the Matanuska coal field in connection with the designation of the Government reservations and the leasing units in that field. However, in addition to>this work, the mines in southeastern and southwestern Alaska were inspected by both Federal and Territorial inspectors, a considerable number of men near the Federal inspector's officeat Juneau were trained in first aid to the injured and in the use of mine rescue apparatus, the mines of the interior and of Seward Peninsula were inspected by the Territorial inspector, and a suit was brought in the name of the Territorial inspector for the nonreporting of serious accidents under the Territorial inspection law. The work of the Federal inspector was handicapped also by a lack of field assistants. This condition is likely to be serious, as preparations have been made for opening the Matanuska, Bering River, and Nenana coal fields, and a number of permits granting the free use of 10-acre tracts in other fields throughout the Territory have been issued. The need of a comprehensive inspection law and experienced engineers to safeguard the opening of coal mines by operators who are not familiar with coal mining and are using inexperienced help is obvious.

Jan 1, 1917