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By J. E. Zeilinger

This Bureau of Mines report describes the preparation characteristics of the significant coalbeds of Clay, Gilmer, and Lewis Counties, W. Va. In 1966, almost 1.3 million tons of coal was mined in these counties, of which more than one-half was from the Pittsburgh coalbed. Washability analyses were made of 16 coalbed samples. Of these, only 11 samples could be upgraded to metallurgical quality. For steam or power generation five of the coals were of low sulfur content as received. The remaining samples were generally of medium sulfur content even after upgrading.

Jan 1, 1969

By Albert W. Deurbrouck

This report describes the preparation characteristics of the significant, presently producing coalbeds in Mercer County, W. Va. Approximately 650,000 tons of coal was produced in Mercer County, W. Va., in 1960, of which over 630,000 tons was cleaned in four preparation plants. In 1960 the Pocahontas Nos. 3, 6, and 11 coalbeds supplied 99.5 percent of the total coal mined in the county. Because the number of working mines In this county was small, only six samples were collected; four of which were of metallurgical quality as mined. The remaining two samples could be upgraded by washing at suitable specific gravities. Many of the samples taken were of metallurgical quality as mined; however, the float-and-sink analysis on these coals has been included to point out their amenability to the production of premium quality, special purpose coals. In general the coals were low-volatile bituminous in rank with low ash and sulfur contents.

Jan 1, 1963

By Hewitt Wilson

Until recent years the term "whiting" was applied exclusively to the water-ground chalks of certain north European countries. In many industries these are still considered superior to the whiting made from domestic limestone and marble. However, the latter material has replaced much of the European whiting in the American market, largely due to improvements in grinding and classification by American manufacturers.4 To encourage the domestic industry, the Bureau of Mines in 1931 undertook a study of the preparation of whiting from American raw materials and a comparison of the finished products with European whitings.

Jan 1, 1937

By Gwendolyn D. Hood

The U.S. Bureau of Mines developed a dewatering technique for treating wastewater that was tested on waste slurry from a commercial tile company in Alabama. Raw wastewater samples were pretreated with 10 Ib calcium chloride and 10 lb Wyoming bentonite per 1,000 gal of slurry. After pretreatment, polyethylene oxide (PEO) at dosages varying from 0.05 to 0.20 lb per 1,000 gal was mixed with the waste slurry, forming strong, tough floes that were separated from the clarified water using a trammel. The flocculated slurry was dewatered to a consistency that could be handled for subsequent disposal in a landfill. The clarified water quality was equivalent to that of the company's present treatment system.

Jan 1, 2010

By K. K. Kelley

The first bulletin (245)3 in this series, which appeared in 1932, summarized the entropy values then available for the elements and inorganic compounds, results being listed for some 150 substances. In the interim advances in the realms of spectroscopy applicable to the determination of thermodynamic properties and in the development of methods of calculation therefrom have added many highly accurate values. Moreover, through the efforts of Prof. W. M. Latimer (286) and his coworkers, satisfactory entropy values are now available for all but a few of the common inorganic ions in aqueous solution. At the same time rapid progress has continued in the study of low-temperature heat capacities in several laboratories, In addition, compilation and correlation of data pertaining to vapor pressures (247), thermodynamic properties of carbonates (258), thermodynamic properties of sulfur and its inorganic compounds (250), and the thermodynamic properties of metal carbides and nitrides (251), which were published as members of this series, have yielded many values. As a result, over 500 usable entropy values for inorganic substances may now be tabulated. This bulletin originally was planned as a second revision of the first member of this series, the first revision (249) having appeared in 1936; however, because of requests for the explanatory section of the first bulletin from those teaching thermodynamics, it was decided to com¬bine the information in the first bulletin and its revision with the data that have appeared since 1935 and to repeat the explanatory material in somewhat more detail. The purpose of this bulletin is therefore to give the available values of the entropies at 298.1° K. of the elements and inorganic compounds, together with enough explanation of the methods employed in calculating entropies to make the results comprehensible.

Jan 1, 1941

By P. C. McWilliams

The Bureau of Mines investigated ground support problems in four major block-cave mines to assess the current "state-of-the-art" and to delineate areas for future research. The most significant problem is the inability of present support systems to hold moving ground. Further, as mining progresses to greater depth, this problem becomes more serious. Providing adequate temporary support capable of withstanding primary and secondary blasting is the next most significant problem. A detailed analysis of the effect of mining methods on support problems is also recommended for future research.

Jan 1, 1975

By Paul H. Mutschler

The Bureau of Mines sponsored a study of the impact of changing technology on the demand for metallurgical coal and coke to 1985. Individual technologies were analyzed to determine what effect each had on the demand for and the consequent consumption of metallurgical coal and coke in the steel industry. The domestic steel industry demand for metallurgical coal and coke for the production of hot metal will probably increase through 1985. Formcoke if implemented on a worldwide basis could begin to supplant the U.S. export market for metallurgical coal. The major technologies that have contributed to the decline in demand for metallurgical coke per ton of hot metal are (1) the increased usage coupled with higher iron content of agglomerates, (2) modification of blast furnace practices such as high top pressures and blast temperatures, and (3) increases in the injection of supplemental fuels. The projected demand for metallurgical coal and coke under current technology for 1985 are 109.4 and 76.0 million tons, respectively. With future technology implemented, the demand for metallurgical coal and coke will be 82.0 and 56.9 million tons, respectively. The projected domestic demand for metallurgical coke could further decrease by as much as 15 to 20 million tons by 1985 if formcoking proves technologically and economically feasible.

Jan 1, 1975

By G. R. Palmer

Using a fluidized, countercurrent multiple-compartment ion-exchange (MCIX) column previously developed by the Bureau of Mines, Bureau researchers have successfully extracted uranium from a simulated acidic in situ leach liquor that contained 150 ppm U30s? This successful demonstration of the MCIX system is reported, and the effects of varying the operating conditions on the performance of the system are also examined. Operating the MCIX system with a flow rate of 15 gpm/ft2 and an aqueous-to-resin flow ratio of 200:1, more than 90 percent of the uranium Has extracted, and a resin containing approximately 28 grams U308 per liter was produced. The absorption column used to investigate the operating variables was approximately 18 feet long with a 2-inch ID and was divided into compartments that were 1 foot long.

Jan 1, 1980

IN 1949 the Government Printing Office issued Bureau of Mines Bulletin 468 3 and previously (in 1948) Bulletin 467 4 as part of the program under the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of April 5, 1944 (30 U. S. C., 321-325, and amendments). The two bulletins, relating to oil shale and its products, were published to present abstracts of all patents in this field from 1845 to 1945 5 or before the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act was passed. Also, as part of this program, bulletins were published on patents relating to the pressure hydrogenation of coal e and the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.7 The Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act was not extended beyond April 1955, but it inspired much increased activity in the field of oil-shale research, and many patent applications were filed. It is the purpose of this bulletin to abstract the patents issued in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe from 1946 to 1956, inclusive. A few older patents omitted in the previous bulletins have been included.

Jan 1, 1959

By W. R. K. Wu

Studies are reported on the structure of coal and coke with the graphical , statistical densimetric method based on the relation between the molecular volume per carbon atom ( M / C ) and the atomic hydrogen - carbon ratio ( H / C ) . Previous work , mostly from chemical and physical investigations , is critically reviewed . Difficulties in evaluating the ring increment are demonstrated for coal and coke for the statistical densimetric method based on the additivity of atomic volumes of constituent elements . A new diagram is presented for the graphical method . Methods are introduced for correcting M /C and H/C for the presence of minor constituents in coal and coke . With the graphical method , the fractions of aromatic carbon atoms in the total carbon atoms are estimated for a coal , a resin , and 5 petrographic components ; the types of condensed structure in the fundamental units of molecules are discussed for these substances , 28 coals , and 6 " average " cokes at 500 ° to 1,000 ° C. It is also shown that the number of rings in the fundamental units of coal generally increases with increasing rank and that of coke , with increasing carbonization temperature .

Jul 1, 1960

By Franklin H. Persse

Domestic bismuth supply was projected from production figures for the ores in which it occurs--copper, lead, zinc, and tungsten. Published and unpublished data concerning host ores were examined to determine bismuth reserves and resources, and mine production. Potential recoverable bismuth occurring with reserves and resources of copper, lead, and zinc was estimated to be 36.3 million pounds. A bismuth availability diagram was developed from quantity estimates and ratios of production cost to value for these host ores. Additional recoverable bismuth occurring with domestic tungsten reserves was estimated to be 1.5 million pounds. Domestic byproduct production of bismuth will approximate 1.3 million pounds annually by 1980. This quantity will provide about 37 percent of the 3.5-million-pound estimated requirement for that year. Known world supply of bismuth appears to be sufficient for world demand to the end of this century. The study indicates that bismuth reserves and potential resources in the rest of the world have not been adequately reported.

Jan 1, 1970

By David Hoadley, Kenneth R. Maser, Ashok B. Boghani, James E. Billar, D. Randolph Berry, Mackenzie Burnett, Robert H. Trent

2, Survey of Representative Group of Metal and Non-mental Mines Before proceeding to develop and analyze Emergency Escape System Guidelines, it was necessary to obtain a broad range of information, including both fact and opinion. Although there were many areas to consider, the surveys had three primary goals 1. To determine the current state of underground escapeway planning and execution in American, metal and non-metal mines. 2. To determine, for a wide range of mining conditions, what difficulties can be encountered in complying with present and proposed escapeway regulatory standards. 3. To determine what improvements could be made and what equipment and technology was available to aid in implementing these improvements. To accomplish these goals, three major surveys were undertaken¬ 1. Survey of MESA and State Mining officials, discussed in Section 2. 1. 2. Survey of representative U S metal and non-metal mines, discussed in Section 2. 2. 3. Survey of manufacturers supplying equipment, primarily hoisting, suitable for use in escape systems, the product information which was obtained is discussed in Section 7.

Jan 1, 1976

By W. D. Riley

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, has been conducting minerals recovery research in support of the nation's geothermal program since 1974. The Bureau's program of laboratory and field studies has focused on determining the materials of construction for geothermal resource recovery plants and an the recovery of mineral values from the geobrines. An analytical program has been conducted at the Avondale Research Center to determine the chemical constituents of some high- and low-salinity geobrines found in the Imperial, Valley of California. Data are reported for the early stages of brine production of femur geothermal wells--the low-salinity, medium-enthalpy brines from the East Mesa Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA), Mesa 6-1 and 6-2, and the high-salinity, high-enthalpy brine from the Salton Sea KGRA, Magmamax 1 and Woolsey 1. The reported results indicate the importance of the operating and engineering history, the operating parameters during sampling, and the method of sampling in order to evaluate the chemical analyses.

Jan 1, 1980

By P. M. BIDDISON, G. G. Oberfell, George A. Burrell

The Bureau of Mines is conducting a series of investigations, with a view to ascertaining the most efficient methods of obtaining gasoline from petroleum and natural gas. This report deals with a method of extracting gasoline from natural gas by absorbing the gasoline in oil and subsequently separating it from the oil by distillation. The process is quite different from those of compression and condensation which have been used for a number of years for extracting gasoline from casing-head natural gas, and has not heretofore been described in the literature. MANUFACTURE OF GASOLINE FROM CASING-HEAD GAS. The extraction of gasoline from casing-head natural gas by compression and condensation methods has become a large and lucrative industry in this country. In the year 1915 about 65,000,000a gallons of gasoline prepared by these methods was placed on the market. In addition, in marketing this gasoline, at many plants an equivalent quantity of naphtha was blended with the gasoline, thereby utilizing for automobile fuel and other purposes a large quantity of naphtha that otherwise would have been unsuited for these purposes. The increase for the year 1915 over 1914 was about 22,000,000 gallons. For the year 1916 the production should be more than 100,000,000 gallons. The quantity of casing-head gas treated in the year 1915 by compression and condensation methods amounted to about 24,000,000,000 cubic feet; the average yield of gasoline was 2.57 gallons per 1,000 cubic feet. b This casing-head gas represents natural gas that formerly went largely to waste; hence the process represented a distinct and important step in the utilization of the natural gas produced in this country.

Jan 1, 1917

By FRANKM. SEIBERT, G. G. Oberfell, GEORGEA. BURRELL

The Bureau of Mines is conducting a series of investigations with the common aim of minimizing the losses that occur in the mining and treatment of mineral substances. The results of the investi- gations are being published in reports of the bureau. This report treats of a method of preventing some of the waste of the natural gas incidental to oil mining. This method, the condensation of gasoline from natural gas, offers to the oil operator and others a profitable means of utilizing some of the oil-well gas now being wasted. The most desired constituent of crude oil is obtained, the production of oil is not hindered, and the gas, after the extraction of gasoline, can be returned to the leased area to drive pumps or into pipe lines for uses to which natural gas is ordinarily put, usually with its fuel value lessened only in slight degree. Publications already issued briefly discuss the subject. In this report the work is treated in greater detail, and the results of many additional tests are shown.

Jan 1, 1915

By Kenneth G. Skinner, Hewitt Wilson, Thomas L. Hurst

Although chromite deposits occur in California , Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming , Pennsylvania, Maryland , New Mexico , North Carolina, Alaska, and the Phillippine Islands , less than 1 percent of the ore used in the United States is obtained from these deposits . Most of the ore in peacetime has been supplied by imports from South Africa, New Caledonia, Turkey, and Cuba . The mineral chromite , the most important chromium ore , is an isometric spinel with an ideal composition of FeO Cr2O3 , but commercial chromite has the variable composition (Fe , Mg) Oʻ (Cr , Al , Fe) 203. Chromite has a black color , a specific gravity of 4.4 , and a hardness of 5.5 . In thin section the color is reddish -brown to black . Chromite occurs in dunite and pyroxenitic ultrabasic rocks , which are composed of iron- magnesium silicate minerals such as olivine , saxonite , serpentine , and enstatite . These are also the gangue minerals . Com mercial ore occurs at random in the country rock in kidney- or lens - shaped deposits , which have no apparent relationship to each other . Stringers , veins , and bands often cut the country rock without regard either to fracture or to other deposits . Some beach sands , such as those in southern Oregon, contain chromite .

Mar 1, 1943

By Charles K. Rose

The Cebolla Creek titaniferous iron deposits near Powderhorn in southern Gunnison County, Colo., were examined by the Federal Bureau of Mines as part of an overall program to investigate the Nation's titanium and iron resources. The deposits occur around the periphery of the Iron Hill stock, which underlies an area of about 12 square miles. Concentrations of magnetite, ilmenite, and perovskite arc localized along fractures in the pyroxenite stock. Mineralogical studies of composite surface samples collected in 1956 showed that most of the iron is present in ilmenite-bearing magnetite. Perovskite is the chief titanium mineral in the magnetite-rich and augite-rich types, and sphene is the principal titanium mineral in the placer material. The mica-rich rock contains approximately equal amounts of perovskite, ilmenite, and sphene.

Jan 1, 1960

By Howard J. Pincus

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of fracture filling and associated alteration on the mechanical behavior of rocks. Results are presented for specimens from the Climax and Henderson mines in Colorado and the San Manuel mine in Arizona. The rock types studied from each location are from 1) Climax, medium-grained - granite, fine-grained granite, granite porphyry, schist, and gneiss; 2. Henderson, rhyolite porphyry; 3. San Manuel, quartz monzonite and quartz monzonite porphyry. A description of the rocks was made including: color, texture, mineral composition, composition and fabric of fracture fillings, density and porosity. Unconfined and triaxial compression tests were run on the Climax and San Manuel specimens. Sonic relocities were measured during the compression tests; Shore sceleroscope hardness was measured before the compression tests. Tentative conclusions are that some relation appears to exist between compressive strength and the following properties and features for all the specimens: dynamic Young's modulus, sonic velocity, density, rock composition, and composition and fabric of fracture fillings - veinlets. There appears to be some relation between compressive strength and Shore scleroscope hardness and porosity for quartz monzonite (San Manuel). A relation appears to exist between compressive strength and texture for schist and between com¬pressive strength and extent of failure on fracture fillings for fine-grained granite, schist, and gneiss (Climax). We plan to perform additional analyses of data collected so far and data yet to be collected in the next few months, with emphasis placed on devising a practical index of alter¬ation that can be used in the field. Limitations on interpretations arise from such factors as heterogeneity of the rocks studied, the small range of confining pressures used, and other factors presented in the text.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. B. Anderson

As a part of a Bureau of Mines program on the conversion of coal to liquid and gaseous fuels, the kinetics of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis on iron catalysts was investigated. Nitrided catalysts were studied at 21.4 atmospheres using feed gases ranging from 2H2+1CO to 0.25H2+1CO, and at 7.8 to 21.4 atmospheres using 1H2+1CO gas. The overall apparent activation energy increased with increasing carbon monoxide content of the feed gas from 19.5 kcal/mole for 2H2+1CO to 23.7 for 0.7H2+1CO. The rate of synthesis with 1H2+1CO feed increased linearly with operating pressure from 7.8 to 21.4 atmospheres. A semifundamental rate equation of the form [r=a'PH2 0.6pco 0.4- ?r0.5PH200.5] was shown to fit the data satisfactorily. The relative usage of hydrogen to carbon monoxide decreased with increasing conversion, passed a minimum, and then increased. Apparently water is the principal primary product and carbon dioxide is produced by subsequent water-gas shift reaction. In another group of experiments water, carbon dioxide, argon, and methane were added to 1H2+1CO feed to a nitrided iron catalyst. Argon and methane were only diluents. Carbon dioxide was a slight inhibitor and water vapor was a strong inhibitor to the rate of synthesis. Water accelerated the water-gas shift and usually increased methane production. Important factors of catalyst geometry in determining rate were found to be particle size and extent of reduction. Apparently the active portion of the catalyst is confined to a layer of 0.01 to 0.02 cm from the external surface of particles. A special solution was made of differential equations relating re¬action at the catalyst surface to diffusion in pores of the catalyst for spherical particles with an active layer surrounding an inert core. The equation derived expressed the experimental data reasonably well. Diffusivities determined by this equation varied from 3 to 24X10-6 cm2/sec; these values are of the same magnitude as observed for the diffusion of gases in liquid. The appendix presents a group of synthesis experiments at pressures of 21.4 to 103 atmospheres. In this range the rate of synthesis on nitrided iron catalysts increased with pressure to the 0.74 to 0.84 power.

Jan 1, 1964

By J. S. Walker

The Bureau of Mines monitored surface subsidence and water level fluctuations in 10 shallow observation wells above a series of four adjacent longwall panels in southwestern Pennsylvania, for about 4 yr. This study attempted to correlate the changes in the water levels within the observation wells to the measured vertical and horizontal ground movements associated with subsidence. Results of this study indicate that the fluctuation of the water levels appears to be a function of the well location relative to the mine layout and the proximity of mining. Wells are generally unaffected by mining of a preceding panel unless they are located within the angle of draw for that panel. Wells located at the centerline of a longwall panel exhibit the greatest fluctuation and head loss. This relationship may be related to the strain developed by the advancing longwall face. The water levels in the wells monitored fell at the greatest rate when the ground surrounding the well was in tension. The rate of the decline decreased as the dynamic development of the strains was changing from tension to compression. The water levels were found to be near the premining level before the ground was subject to maximum compressive strain. Nine of the ten wells investigated recovered to their premining water level after mining was completed.

Jan 1, 1988