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By Walter Kawa

Bureau of Mines research on the hydrogenation of coal has been concerned with developing processes that could be used to supplement the Nation's petroleum and natural gas resources. Motor fuel was produced in a subsidized coal hydrogenation industry in Europe prior to 1945, but the process used is still not economical and other methods of producing liquid and gaseous fuels from coal are being investigated. As an aid to the planning of coal hydrogenation research, a literature survey was made of processes or methods of hydrogenating coal that differ from the subsidized or conventional process. This report contains a bibliography of unconventional methods of hydrogenating coal and a brief discussion of the economics of the conventional method. A general discussion of unconventional methods is included, and the advantages and disadvantages are pointed out where possible. The survey supplements a previous Bureau of Mines survey3 and a comprehensive review published in 1930.4

Jan 1, 1964

By Harold Bailie

The purpose of this Bureau of Mines report is to furnish information on mining practices applied to flat-bedded fluorspar deposits in southern Illinois. It presents new and improved operating procedures and specialized techniques applicable to deposits of this type. All of the operating mines of the Ozark-Mahoning Co. in this area have been opened by vertical shafts which connect with levels consisting of haul-age ways, stopes, and loading stations. The stoping practice used locally called room and pillar, is open stoping with pillars left at different distances and diameters. To facilitate haulage and drainage, the mines are worked from openings turned off the main haulage drift on a grade to conform with the dip of the ore beds. The ore is predominantly fluorspar with smaller amounts of galena and sphalerite that contain traces of cadmium and germanium. The principal gangue minerals are limestone, calcite, shale, barite, and sandstone. The rock hardness ranges from relatively soft shale to hard, abrasive sandstone.

Jan 1, 1960

By James C. Barker

In 1981 and 1985-1986, the Bureau of Mines conducted orientation studies of marine placer platinum-group metals (PGM). PGM are derived from the Goodnews Bay ultramafic complex and magnetic surveys show that the complex extends offshore at least four mi. The present seafloor was an emergent foreland as recently as 8000 years ago. High-energy ocean processes are transporting and depositing sediment such that PGM-bearing materials are reworked and later masked by barren littoral drift. Exploration targets include 1) placers formed since present transgression began, and 2) ancient marine and drowned fluvial deposits. Additionally, there is evidence of PGM solution transport and accretion. At least minor values of PGM in Recent lag-type placers and possible submarine strands are concentrated along an offshore scarp incised through glacial deposits into the preglacial surface between Flat Cape and Red Mountain. Other Recent PGM-bearing features include Flat Cape shoal, Chagvan Bay, Salmon River delta, and modern beaches. Ancient placers include possible N-S fluvial systems 2 to 3 mi offshore, a nearshore scarp 50 ft below sea level, and strands adjacent to projected ultramafic bedrock slopes. The existance of ancient placers is dependent on depth of glacial erosion. SEM studies show PGM are principally isoferroplatinum and osmiridium, with minor sperrylite, moncheite, and platiniridium. Gold is a co-product, and concentrates comprise chromite, ilmenite, and magnetite. Beneficiation tests successfully concentrated precious metals from natural blacksand accumulations, but failed to concentrate low-grade lag gravels.

Jan 1, 2011

By Lawrence G. Houk

Lithium is the lightest of all metals, but as it deteriorates rapidly in air it has no structural applications. Alloys of lithium that will float upon water can be made with other light metals, but these ultralight alloys are not useful in aircraft production or elsewhere at present. Alone or alloyed with alkaline earth meals, lithium acts as reining agent on molten metals, and as a minor constituent with other metals it imparts characteristic properties to the allay. Lithium compounds have somewhat wider application in commerce than either the metal or the alloys. They are used in the glass, ceramic, chemical, and air-conditioning industries and less extensively in the optical, pharmaceutical, electrical, and textile industries. The United States is the leading producer anti consumer of lithium ores and compounds and apparently has the largest known ore reserves. The value of lithium ores and primary chemical byproducts produced is relatively small, yet the lithium chemical industry yields products worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, owing partly to the high degree of purity demanded by the trade for most finished products and to the low combining weight of lithium. Fortunately, the low-grade ores can now be concentrated economically, and this fact, together with our extensive reserves, assures adequate supplies to meet any reasonable increase in demand. Lithium is listed as essential by both the American and British war agencies, and its military importance may be greatly enhanced.

Jan 1, 1942

By M. Hertzberg

This Bureau of Mines report describes experimental and theoretical studies of diffusion flames in free convection. The cross-coupling between buoyancy-induced flows and the combustion process is explored as it relates to the size, structure, and radiative balance of flames. New data are presented for the size-dependent radiance oscillations of diffusion flames and for the angular distribution of the total radiant intensity from a small methanol pool flame. Both amplitude and frequency of the measured oscillations are compared with theoretical predictions that are based on a new view of the structure of diffusion flames. This new view, which is at variance with the traditional one, assumes uniform reaction in the diffusive mixing zone, and recognizes the significance of the role played by convective buoyancy and its duality in both aiding and impeding flame propagation. Buoyancy quenches propagation at low burning velocities, introducing a real discontinuity in the combustion rate. A "flammable volume" is thus defined as that bound between lean- and rich-limit contours. However, in the flow disturbances generated by combustion waves that consume that volume, buoyancy aids propagation by promoting the convective mixing of a new flammable volume. The measured radiance oscillations are manifestations of these propagation and remixing cycles.

Jan 1, 1978

By Jan C. Still

The Glacier Bay subarea is that part of the Juneau Mining District (JMD) within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNP). It is the western portion of the JMD and consists of the land between the Fairweather Range crest and the Takhinsha and Chilkat Ranges crests (excluding that land east of Excursion Inlet.) Figure B-1 shows the area. It is bounded on the north by the Alaska-British Columbia International boundary, to the south by Cross Sound and Icy Strait, and contains Glacier Bay. During 1975 -1977 the Bureau conducted a detailed study of the occurrences, prospects, and deposits in GBNP (B_4).2 This work was in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the provisions of the Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577). As a follow up to this earlier Bureau work, limited studies were conducted, during 1985 and 1986, as part of the JMD study. This report covers the most important aspects of the earlier studies and the 1985 and 1986 studies. ACCESS The Glacier Bay area may be reached through Gustavus airport, a paved strip which is serviced by scheduled jet airliners in the summer and air taxi services year-round. The airport is connected to Bartlett Cove (GBNP headquarters) by an all-weather road. No other roads exist in the area except a skid road to the LeRoy Mine and mill in the Reid Inlet area. Much of the Glacier Bay area is accessible through the salt water inlets and fjords which are part of Glacier Bay. Cruise ships, charter boats, and fishing boats visit these inlets and fjords during the summer months. Elevations within the area range from sea level to over 15,000 feet in the rugged Fairweather Mountain Range. More remote areas are accessible by small boat, foot, or helicopter. Glacier ice is a year-round hazard to navigation in Glacier Bay, and during the winter months some of the more northerly inlets are frozen.

Jan 1, 2012

By Ernest F. Burchard, J. R. Thoenen

"INTRODUCTION Technically speaking, bauxite is not a definite mineral but a mixture of several minerals belonging to a group of partly consolidated material known as laterite, which have been formed by surface weathering of rocks.The term bauxite is applied to the ore of aluminum, although a substantial amount is used for other purposes, such as a base in certain chemical industries and in the manufacture of artificial abrasives, refractories, and certain cements. Although bauxite has not been classed as strategic it now appears that the domestic supply may be insufficient for expanded defense requirements.Until recently, domestic production of metallic aluminum has been ample to meet requirements, but estimates of pyramiding future needs of the defense program have caused serious attention to be directed to the self-sufficiency of this country, both as to the supply of the raw material, bauxite, and the metallurgical capacity available to convert the ore to metallic aluminum.At the request of the Secretary of the interior, representatives of the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey recently investigated domestic resources of bauxite.A preliminary study of published literature and a field investigation disclosed that"

Nov 1, 1941

By R. G. Dressler

The design and operation of the Koppers powdered-coal gasifier and its auxiliaries at Louisiana, Mo., are described. This unit was designed to convert 1 ton of coal per hour with oxygen and superheated steam into synthesis gas - primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The first run was made on May 4, 1949. After this, 44 short runs (less than 8 hours each) and 1 long run (lasting 11 days) were made. Total gasification time was 420 hours. The gasifier was not cooled down during the year when these runs were made. After an initial period of test operations and equipment proving, during which 12 runs were made, the effect of numerous variables on gasifier performance was studied. The long run was made primarily to check the equipment in sustained operation. Detailed data from these runs are presented.

Jan 1, 1954

This manual provides instructions for installling, operating, and maintaining protective canopies on the Joy Mfg. Co. cutter. These instructions are based upon two actual installations: one made in a mine and one in the factory. The parts list and engineering drawings for the protective canopies are included at the end of the manual. And a discussion of some alternative design concepts is also included. The manual can also be used for retrofitting other cutters with similar protective canopies. Skilled mechanics can determine if the instructions herein would be applicable to the other cutters and can determine any necessary modifications if they are not.

Jan 1, 1973

By Richard D. Miller

This publication contains routine analyses and related source data for 350 natural gas samples from 19 States collected during calendar year 1962 as part of a continuous survey of the United States for occurrences of helium in natural gas. This survey has been conducted by the Helium Activity of the Bureau of Mines since 1917. The analyses published herein were made by mass spectrometer and a special helium analysis apparatus. Four previous publications have been made to present the results of 5,648 gas analyses made by the Bureau of Mines, Helium Activity, prior to 1962. The first, Bulletin 486, 3/ contains analyses and data on 2,195 gas samples collected during the period 1917-47. Bulletin 576, 4/ the second publication, includes data and analyses for 1,575 samples collected from 1947 through May 1956. The third bulletin 5/ contains 1,444 analyses and source data of samples obtained from May 1956 to January 1, 1961.

Jan 1, 1964

By H. Dale Nichols

[The growing importance of the Sundance (Jurassic) formation as a source of oil in the Rocky Mountain area has prompted the making off a series of porosity determinations of core samples collected from the reservoir sands of the Lance Creek oil field, Niobrara County, Wyo. These analyses are preliminary to a study of fluid and energy relations in the Basal Sundance reservoir of that field, and the determinations of porosity will be used in subsequent studies requiring calculations of the volumetric capacity of the reservoir and estimation of the reserves of oil and gas.]

Jan 1, 1938

By Roy L. Soderberg

Ground support for metal, nonmetal, and coal mines was examined through fill placement with a pneumatic stower to increase extraction, reduce ground pressures, and improve general mine safety. Several pneumatically stowed stope-fill products were tested to determine the effects of specific gravity, gradation, moisture, and impact velocity on the in-place density of the stowed fill. Hydraulic sand filling has now served the mining industry for several decades but because of the low density does not always provide ample support to the hanging wall; therefore, the sill and crown pillars sometimes build up excessive stresses that are detrimental to mining. Cementation of a dense fill adjacent to a pillar to allow 100-pct extraction of the pillar, or a fill that can be placed without the use of water and where water is a detriment to rubber-tired mining equipment, was found to be a possible use of pneumatic fill. Placing of coal mine washery products into abandoned underground workings is another possibility in order to completely eliminate surface impoundments.

Jan 1, 1976

By M. E. Tyrrell

The Bureau of Mines produced building brick of good quality in an investigation designed to explore the possible utilization of high-glass fractions of municipal incinerator residues in the manufacture of building products. Common clays, lime, and sodium silicate were used as binders for the nonplastic residues Test bricks were formed by dry-pressing, soft-mud molding, and stiff-mud extrusion. A run of standard-size face brick dry-pressed and fired in the West Virginia University Coal Research Bureau pilot plant demonstrated that SW-grade glass-clay face brick can be produced on a commercial scale without difficulty. A cost evaluation made for production of the brick showed an estimated cost of $42.13 per thousand bricks for a shuttle kiln plant and $28.70 per thousand for a tunnel kiln plant.

Jan 1, 1972

By H. B. Salisbury

As a part of a research program designed to help minimize national requirements for new mineral commodities by maximizing recovery of metals from domestic secondary resources, the Bureau of Mines investigated the development of economic methods for recovering copper and associated metals from complex electronic scrap. Three types were selected for research: (1) multiple-pin plugs and connectors, (2) obsolete aircraft radio assemblies, and (3) the magnetic fraction of shredded electronic scrap furnished by the Bureau's Avondale Research Center. The plugs and connectors, after incineration to remove plastic components and melting, yielded a brittle ingot, as did the internal portion of the radio assemblies. The brittle ingots were ground to minus 35-mesh for processing, and the magnetic material was used in the as-received condition. A process using pretreated or raw scrap as a copper precipitant in various concentrations of acidulated copper sulfate solution was developed as a means of effecting an initial separation and upgrading in the form of high-grade cement copper containing all or most of the precious metals.

Jan 1, 1981

By Kenneth H. Johnston

This report describes an in situ combustion project and three waterflood projects in Allen, Anderson, and Wilson Counties, Kansas, that will be visited during the 1964 annual tour of the Kansas-Oklahoma Waterflood Association. Among the unique features of the projects are the movement of heavy crude oil through the reservoir and into the wellbore with energy furnished by burning s portion of the crude oil therein. Another feature is the simultaneous injection of C02 and water, through separate tubing into input wells during early development, to increase injectivity at moderate pressures, Discussion of individual projects includes information on their early history, source and treatment of injection fluids, oil production-decline curves, and the results of water injection on oil production.

Jan 1, 1964

By J. P. Powell

This report provides information on the techniques and results obtained on representative waterflooding projects in Cowley County, Kans. Records show that waterflooding was begun as early as 1935, but not until 1948 was the method expanded. The greater depths to the oil-producing formations in this area compared to those in eastern Kansas undoubtedly delayed the widespread use of secondary-recovery methods. This report presents a discussion of four waterflooding projects in Cowley County, Kans. The locations of these projects are shown in figure 1. The projects have been in operation from 1 to 7 years and have produced more than 1 million barrels of additional oil by injecting 11.5 million barrels of water. The projects are designed to take advantage of elevation and height of the separator tank to collect by gravity flow the produced brine at the respective treating or storage tanks. The closed-type water system is used on three of the projects and an open-type water conditioning system on the fourth. On one of the projects, which was drilled along a narrow shoestring formation, alternate well, were converted to input wells. However, most of the input wells for flooding converted producing wells.

Jan 1, 1958

By James J. Snodgrass

The Bureau of Mines designed and constructed a series of calibration models for geophysical borehole logging. A nominal hole diameter of 3 inches was selected as representative of typical core holes drilled for mining and engineering purposes, although additional hole diameters of 2, 5, and 8 inches are provided in one of the models for determination of empirical correction factors for variations in hole diameter. The physical properties of the models were determined by laboratory analyses of drill core samples and evaluated statistically for reliability. This report outlines the location of the models, elements of design and construction, and results of the laboratory tests. The models are available at the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colo., for use by Government agencies and private industry to calibrate logging equipment for measurements of density, sonic velocity, magnetic susceptibility, and electrical resistivity.

Jan 1, 1976

By G. M. Potter, J. B. Rosenbaum, Masami Hayashi

Most Japanese copper smelters are located in areas of concentrated industrial activity and high levels of atmospheric pollution. A review of unofficial sulfur dioxide emission control data from major Japanese smelters shows capture of 91 to 99.7 percent of the sulfur in the smelter feed. The bulk of Japanese smel ting capacity was constructed in the last 10 years. Six of the major sme lters use flash furnaces, and two use reverberatory furnaces. A prototype three-furnace continuous system is in use as a parallel train with reverberatory furnaces at one smelter. Most of the sulfur dioxide is manufactured into sulfuric acid. The remainder is captured by gas scrubbers that yield gypsum and sodium salts. Ready markets exist in Japan for the acid and other su lfur byproduc ts.

Jan 1, 1967

By John C. Machisak

THE INJURY data and experience at quarries and related plants of the United States are presented in this publication under the following general sections (A) General injury experience: Tables 1-3: Current data on number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, location, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment data. (B) Injury experience at different kinds of quarries: Tables 4-5: Current data on number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, location, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment, data. (C) Injury experience by States: Tables 6-20: Current data on the number of injuries, injury-frequency rates, accident agency, degree of injury, and related employment data. (D) Selected injury data: Tables 21-30: Current data on various selected factors of operating conditions at different kinds of quarries, including employment size-groups, length of shifts, comparative severity of injuries, and injury data and related employment experience at dimension-stone and nondimension-stone quarries and at underground quarries. (E) Historical injury experience: Table 31: Injury and employment data on the quarrying industry for 1911 through 1957. Statistical data on injuries and related employment in the quarrying industries have been collected annually from the operating companies since 1911. Reporting to the Bureau of Mines is voluntary; there is no Federal law compelling operators of quarries and related plants to supply such data. Data presented herein may not be complete for the entire industry. They are however, believed to be representative of the hazards common to all quarry and related workers. Moreover, the figures are comparable as between States-a significant fact in view of the lack of uniformity among the States with regard to the classes of injuries covered by State reports and other factors that tend to make it impracticable or impossible when using State records to

Jan 1, 1960

By Louis C. Srichta

The rapid depletion of known high-grade ore deposits of the Tri-State district and the recognized need for development of additional reserves, together with increased interest in open-pit mining of low-grade zinc-lead ores led to Bureau of Mines examination of several abandoned mining areas for possible deposits adapted to strip mining. Examination of the North Empire tract in Cherokee County, suggested that mineralized zones contiguous to previously mined 2e deposits presented probabilities of meeting the requirements for an open-pit mine - hence the tract was selected for further investigation by churn drilling. The zinc-lead deposit on the property is in a sink-hole structure that has been subjected to intense deformation and silicification. Numerous shafts, mine dumps, and surface caves are evidences of exploitation of an extensive area. The reported active mining period was 1895 to 1905. No production records are available, but it is generally stated locally that the value of the mill products exceeded $2,000,000 which represents considerable production, considering the low metal prices of that epoch.

Jan 1, 1950