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By R. V. Lundquist, H. Leitch

Sodium aluminate is the principal aluminum compound formed in the sinters prepared by the lime - soda sinter process for recovering aluminum from silicate source materials . The properties and characteristics of this compound were studied to improve the efficiency of the process . Crystalline sodium aluminate was prepared by sintering stoichiometric quantities of soda ash and calcined alumina for 1 hour at 1,250 ° C. The extent of aluminum extraction from sodium aluminate was determined in water and in solutions of NaOH and Na₂ CO3 . Nearly complete extraction of aluminum from sodium aluminate was achieved only in solutions containing free NaOH in excess of that supplied by the salt through hydrolysis . About 42.2 to 68.8 percent of the aluminum was extracted in water or in solutions of Na₂ CO . The precipitation of alumina trihydrate from sodium aluminate solutions was shown to be part of a continuous , reversible reaction according to the equation Al (OH ) A1 (OH )3 + OHThe reverse reaction dissolves alumina trihydrate in NaOH solutions to produce sodium aluminate . Approximate equilibrium concentrations were determined for the reaction at 30° , 50 ° , and 70 ° C. False apparent equilibrium conditions for the dissolution reaction appear when only a small excess of alumina trihydrate is present in the NaOH solutions . A large excess of alumina trihydrate must be present before the true equilibrium point is assured . The engineering significance of the data is summarized , showing controls that should be exercised for a successful and efficient process .

Jan 1, 1964

By A. D. Hahn

This report describes reconnaissance by the Federal Bureau of Mines of titanium-bearing sandstone in Kemper County, Miss. The purpose was to determine the ilmenite, rutile, and associated heavy-mineral content of black-sand-bearing Eocene deltaic formations" The investigation was part of a survey of titanium resources of the United States. Ilmenite (FeTi03), an iron-titanium oxide, is the major titanium-bearing mineral consumed in the titanium pigment industry. Rutile (Ti02), titanium oxide, is used mainly in producing welding-rod coatings and titanium metal. The fieldwork was conducted during the first half of November 1959. Seven holes, totaling 304 feet of bore, from which 64 samples of cuttings were taken, were drilled in the north-central part of the county; and two holes, totaling 172 feet of bore, from which 34 samples of cuttings were taken, were drilled in the southeastern part.

Jan 1, 1961

By G. V. Sullivan

This report summarizes the results of a preliminary study concerning manganese extraction from low-grade dolomitic materials from the Philipsburg district in Montana by the Dean-Leute ammonium carbamate process. Studies were made to determine the relationship between the variables involved in treating these materials by a roast-leach process and the amount of manganese extracted. The variables studied were the roast temperature, the roast particle size, the molar ratio of NH3 to CO2 in the leach solution, the liquid-solid ratio in leaching, the leach time, and the size of the particles being leached. The roast-leach studies were statistically designed, and the experimental results were evaluated by an analysis of variance.

Jan 1, 1962

By N. A. Eilertsen

Eastern Aroostook County, Maine, contains an enormous tonnage of manganese widely distributed in manganiferous sedimentary beds composed of hematitic shale, hematitic slate, and laminated siliceous carbonate rock. The bedded deposits range in thickness from several feet to over 150 feet. Manganese minerals that occur as silicates and carbonate are so minute that they cannot be concentrated by present methods of ore dressing. From a hydrometallurgical standpoint, the deposits can best be classified by amenability to acid leaching. The deposits of Aroostook County are in three geographical groups (see fig. l), designated as the northern, central, and southern districts. At least 13 deposits are known to occur in the latter district, which covers an Ewes about 8 miles wide and 15 miles long. The Littleton Ridge deposit, on the northern boundary of the southern district, previously examined by geologists from the State and Federal Geological Surveys on the farms of Donald H. Haggerty and David A. Abernethy, was pointed out in reports as being possibly the richest and largest in the southern district. The Bureau of Mines sampled this deposit by surface trenching and diamond drilling from May 1 to September 30, 1951. A total of 23 trenches was bulldozed, aggregating 5,355 linear feet, of which 8 trenches were sampled by cutting 185 channel samples over a linear distance of 1,820 feet.

Jan 1, 1955

By A. L. Engel

This report describes results of laboratory-scale experimental treatment of nine ores containing gold and silver, including samples of products of previous plant treatment, from ore deposits in California and Nevada. The samples treated were taken by engineers of the Bureau of Mines during investigations of these ore deposits. The information reported is of interest for development of the mining districts represented or in future Investigations of similar ores from other sources. The treatment methods were as simple as possible. More complicated treatments were tried when required, The applicability of the methods and their limitations in treating the ores are shown by the data in this report. The following treatment methods were employed in the experiments described: Screen analyses were made to determine distribution of values in various screened-sized portions of crushed ore, or to determine optimum size to which a particular ore should be crushed or ground to liberate values, and some-times to determine residual values in various-sized portions of treated material.

Jan 1, 1961

By Spangler Ricker, F. T. Johnson

"SUMMARYThe Ione-Carbondale clays area is 2 miles northwesterly of Ione, Amador County, Calif. It was explored during the war by the Bureau of Mines to obtain data on the alumina content and to recover representative samples for beneficiation tests for alumina recovery.Seventy holes, aggregating 8,837 feet, were drilled, and about 10.3 acres of land was cleared of underbrush. Maps and cross sections were compiled showing location of holes, analyses, and other pertinent data.The clay beds vary in thickness from 13 to 196 feet, and are covered by a loose overburden, averaging about 11.9 feet in thickness. The ratio of overburden to clay is 1 : 8.2. Analysis of a composite sample showed the recoverable alumina (A12O3) and Fe2O3 content to be in the order of 23.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.Topography of the clay area is ideal for open-pit mining methods and plant site.INTRODUCTIONInvestigation of alumina-rich clays for the possible production of aluminum was made during the recent war period, when the shortage of bauxite was becoming critical.Results of field examinations by the Bureau of Mines and the Federal Geological Survey indicated that one of the most promising areas for the development of alumina-rich clays is in the Ione-Carbondale district."

Mar 1, 1948

By Kenneth L. Cashdollar

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the West Virginia Office of Miners? Health, Safety, and Training (WVOMHS&T) investigated the explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, which occurred on January 2, 2006, and resulted in 12 fatalities. As part of the investigation, the agencies requested that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health?s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory evaluate the effects of explosions on specific mine ventilation seals and other structures and objects at its Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM). The results of the LLEM study would assist MSHA and WVOMHS&T in a more thorough understanding of the various questions that arose during their investigations of the explosion. Six large-scale explosion tests were conducted in the LLEM from April to October 2006. The protocols for these tests, and in particular the procedures for constructing various Omega block seals, were developed mainly by MSHA and WVOMHS&T. NIOSH developed the experimental procedures at the LLEM that would provide the required range of explosion pressures against the seals. Three 40-in-thick seal designs using Omega 384 low-density block were constructed in the LLEM and exposed to various explosion pressures. These seal designs are referred to in this report as the ?2001 design,? the ?hybrid design,? and the ?Sago design.? The 2001-design Omega block seal (80 in high) located in crosscut 2 of the LLEM survived all six explosions, with pressure loadings up to 51 psi. The 2001-design Omega block seal (88 in high) in C-drift was destroyed during Test 2, which subjected the seal to a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 51 psi. The height difference between the two seals and the orientation of each seal to the explosion were contributing factors. The higher seal would be weaker for the same seal thickness. The hybrid Omega block seal in crosscut 3 survived an explosion at a pressure loading of 25 psi and failed during another explosion at a pressure loading of 39 psi at the seal. Based on these tests, it seems that the hybrid seal design is weaker than the 2001 seal design. The Sago Omega block seals were constructed in crosscut 3 and C-drift before Test 3. The crosscut 3 seal survived a pressure loading of 18 psi and was destroyed during an explosion at a pressure loading of 35 psi at the seal. The C-drift seal survived a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 21 psi and was destroyed during an explosion with a pressure loading of 57 psi at the seal. Based on these LLEM tests, it seems that the Sago seal design is weaker than the 2001 seal design, yet it still complied with the requirements of 30 CFR 75.335(a)(2) that were in effect at the time of the mine disaster. During these LLEM explosion tests, the distance of seal debris travel was also measured. In Test 5, the C-drift seal was destroyed during a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 57 psi, and the seal debris was thrown over 500 ft. In Test 6, the C-drift seal was destroyed during a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 93 psi, and the Omega block debris was thrown over 900 ft. During these tests, the explosion pressure effects on other structures and objects were also documented. Unless otherwise specified, all of the pressure data listed in this report represent the highest recorded smoothed (averaged over 10 ms) explosion pressure loadings. The information in this report was used by MSHA and WVOMHS&T as supporting data in their analyses and investigative reports of the Sago Mine explosion.

Sep 1, 2009

By Warren E. Morrison

This study was prepared in response to the need for a series of data that reflect the basic flow pattern of energy resources in the United States. To effectively measure and analyze energy,2 it is necessary to prepare balances that reflect both production and consumption, and the various forms energy resources take at different stages of utilization. Before energy can be measured it must also be put into a common unit. In this study the common unit used is the British Thermal Unit (Btu). The ideal point to survey energy is at the stage of final ultimate use, representing the useful work derived from the interaction of energy inputs and the prime mover. Unfortunately this concept of efficient or useful work from energy output cannot readily be measured in the aggregate. With the present available official data, energy measurement can be carried to the point of calculation of net inputs of energy3 into the economy at various stages of utilization. However, preparation of energy balances, on a net basis is hampered by the fact that this can only be done for years when the censuses of Mineral Industries and Manufactures are taken, usually at 5-year interval.

Jan 1, 1964

By Warren E. Morrison

This study was prepared in response to the need for a series of data that reflect the basic flow pattern of energy resources in the United States. To effectively measure and analyze energy,2 it is necessary to prepare balances that reflect both production and consumption, and the various forms energy resources take at different stages of utilization. Before energy can be measured it must also be put into a common unit. In this study the common unit us d is the British Thermal Unit (Btu). The ideal point to survey energy is at the stage of final ultimate use, representing the useful work derived from the interaction of energy inputs and the prime mover. Unfortunately this concept of efficient or useful work from energy output cannot readily be measured in the aggregate. With the present available official data, energy measurement can be carried to the point of calculation of net inputs of energy3 into the economy at various stages of utilization. However, preparation of energy balances, on a net basis is hampered by the fact that this can only be done for years when the censuses of Mineral Industries and Manufactures are taken, usually at 5-year intervals.

Jan 1, 1964

By Charles Will Wright

The purpose of this paper is to present briefly certain preliminary results of the study of mining methods by the United States Bureau of Mines; to show the relative importance of each method in terms of tonnages mined and man-hours consumed; to give to the mining engineers and particularly to the young student of mining a better understanding of the principal mining methods; and to indicate changes now in progress and to present suggestions for improvements in the art of mining. Questions of mine development and details of underground practice such as drilling and blasting, loading, hauling, hoisting, ventilating, pay systems and mine management are omitted, as these have been or will be discussed in other bureau publications.

Jan 1, 1931

By Sidney Katell

This Bureau of Mines study estimates capital investment, operating costs, and selling prices for three underground bituminous mines producing coal with annual production ranging from 1.03 to 3.09 million tons. It is assumed that the mines have a 20-year life. Wages and union welfare payments are considered as of November 12, 1973, under the Bituminous Wage Agreement of 1971, and costs for material and equipment are based on 1973 indexes. Initial capital investment ranges from $12,938,200 for the 1.03-million-ton-per-year (MJ.Vl tpy) mine to $31,435,500 for the 3.09 MM tpy mine. Total capital investment ranges from $21,607,200 to $51,982,000 for the same mines. Corresponding selling prices for the coal range from $9.11 to $8.06 per ton, assuming a 12-percent discounted cash flow rate of return after Federal income taxes.

Jan 1, 1974

By Louis C. Brichta

The Capital Mine is one of, the more important zinc mines in Lawrence County, Mo. Owing to the urgent need for additional zinc during the war and the available facilities for the treatment of zinc-lead ores at the property, the Bureau of Mines examined the mine during July and August 1942 and selected it for further investigation by churn drilling, which was accomplished in the fall of 1943 and spring of 1944. At the conclusion of the drilling on the Capital holdings, the Greenland property, immediately south, was investigated by drilling two additional holes. Results of the investigation are presented in this report.

Jan 1, 1948

By S. J. Pearce

One phase of the work of the Bureau of Mines in health and safety is promotion of the use of safe, satisfactory, and reliable respiratory-protective devices. To insure that such devices will be available, the Bureau has established schedules of minimum requirements for self-contained breathing apparatus,3/ gas masks,4/ supplied-air respirators (hose masks, air-line respirators, and abrasive-blasting helmets, hoods, or masks),5/ dispersoid (dust, fume, and mist) respirators,6/ and nonemergency gas respirators (chemical-cartridge respirators).7/ Approval tests of self-contained breathing apparatus are conducted under the supervision of mining engineers of the Accident Prevention and Health Division} Region VIII; approval tests of other types of respiratory-protective devices are conducted by the Health Branch.

Jan 1, 1952

By Jr. Smith

To investigate the effects of flow geometry on laminar flames, studies are in progress in this laboratory employing Bunsen-type burners with rectangular cross section. Interpretation of these studies requires a determination of the flow velocity at all points of the rectangular cross section for one dimensional steady laminar flow. In addition, values of the velocity gradient at the boundary for such flows are needed in the interpretation of blow-off and flash-back studies with burners of rectangular cross section. The hydrodynamical problem of steady laminar flow of a viscous fluid in channels of rectangular cross section was solved by Stokes. His results have been quoted by Love21 and by Dryden, Murnaghan, and Bateman,§/ and they have been discussed by Boussines and by Paschoud. It may be noted that the steady laminar flow of a viscous fluid in channels of rectangular cross section constitutes a hydrodynamical analogue for the problem of the torsion of an isotropic prism of rectangular cross section.

Jan 1, 1952

By R. Hogg, T. F. Dumm

"A procedure for evaluating the size/specific gravity distribution of ultrafine coal and the distributions of sulfur and ash with respect to particle size and specific gravity is described. The procedure is essentially an extension of the conventional coal washability technique in which special precautions are taken to ensure particle dispersion in the heavy organic liquids, centrifuges are used to obtain adequate separation rates, and micromesh sieves are used for size separation at fine sizes. An example of the application of this technique to the evaluation of the extent of liberation of sulfur and ash in a coal sample ground to 90Z passing 200 mesh (74 um) is described.INTRODUCTIONIn order to determine the potential for deep cleaning of coal by fine grinding to liberate sulfur and ash-forming minerals, it is necessary to obtain data on the distributions of these species by size and specific gravity. In conventional coal processing operations, this information is obtained by means of a standard ""washability"" analysis. Attempts to extend this procedure to ultrafine coal, however, have generally been unsatisfactory and have often led to unreliable and inconsistent results [11. The present authors have described a modified washability procedure in which cumulative specific gravity fractionation is combined with sub-sieve size analysis (by laser diffraction/light scattering) to determine the particle size/specific gravity distribution of ultrafine coal [2]. Unfortunately, because this technique does not involve separation of the individual fractions, only limited information can be obtained on the specific distributions of sulfur and ash.The objective of the work described in this paper was to develop and evaluate a procedure for size and specific gravity fractionation of ultrafine coal and to use conventional analyses for sulfur and ash to determine their relative distribution in the coal. The procedure is essentially a simple extension of the standard washability analysis [3] but incorporating special precautions for treating ultrafine particles.EXPERIMENTAL Material The material used in the development and evaluation of the ultrafine coal fractionation procedure was a medium volatile bituminous coal from the Lower Kittanning seam. A sample of the coal (nominally - 1/4 inch), obtained from the Penn State Coal Data Base, was ground to 90% passing 200 mesh by the following two-stage grinding procedure: About 2 kg of the as-received coal were ground to about 30Z passing 200 mesh in a Model 4-E Quakertown mill (""coffee grinder""). About 1 kg of this product was then ground to about 90Z passing 200 mesh in a Holmes Model 300 Pulverizer."

Jan 1, 1989

By William E. Young

There are many large rhodunite-bearing veins containing manganese in the Eureka-Animas Forks area of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. The Sunnyside vein is the largest known vein in the area. As observed on the surface, the vein is mineralized over 8,000 feet and attains a maximum width of 200 feet. The average width of the vein and its branches and ramifications is 58 feet in the area that was mapped in detail. The weighted-average analysis of surface and underground samples from the northeastern extension of the Sunnyside vein is 8 percent manganese. Most other known veins in the area have a similar manganese content. The Hidden Treasure vein lies southeast of the Sunnyside-No Name-Mastadon vein. The weighted average of the analyses of surface and underground samples from this vein is 13 percent manganese. Exposures of the Scotia-Silver Chord vein are visible over a strike length of 4,000 feet on Treasure Mountain. Diamond-drill holes show that the vein contains 10 percent or more manganese to a depth of 400 feet. The vein has an average width of 28 feet. The Independence vein is exposed on the surface for a distance of 600 feet and has an average width of 6 feet. Three cut samples taken across the vein had an average content of 20.7 percent manganese. Sampling of the outcrops of eight veins in the Placer Gulch area also indicates manganese. Numerous other veins cropping out in the surrounding area are similar to the outcrop of the. Sunnyside vein system mineralogically and are worth investigating.

Jan 1, 1966

By R. V. Ramani, R. L. Frantz

"The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) established on August 15, 1983, a Generic Mineral Technology Center (GTC) for Respirable Dust within the Mining and Mineral Resources Research Institutes (MRls) at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and West Virginia University (WVU) in association with participating MRis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Minnesota (UMN). The primary goal of the Center is to reduce the incidence and severity of respirable dust disease through researching and advancing the fundamental understanding of all aspects of respirable ~~9t associated with mining and milling and the interaction of dust and lungs. Other Center activities include the training of engineers and scientists, graduate students and undergraduate students through their respective institutions, and the technology transfer to the industry. The Center also serves as the reference center for publications in the respirable dust area. IntroductionExposure to respirable contaminants in mine atmospheres has long posed a serious hazard to miners. The control of these hazards, some of which can have sudden and catastrophic effects and some others, slow and long enduring consequences, has been a major concern for labor, management and government alike. This concern has manifested itself in four primary mechanisms of control -- (1) regulatory control through minimum standard setting by the passage of mine health and safety laws, (2) engineering control through design and operation of mines according to the best recommended practices, (3) interaction of dust and lung control through periodic physical examinations, wearing personal protection devices, etc., and (4) legal and social control through workmen's compensation laws for occupation related health deterioration.The stated objective of the Federal Mine Safety and Health laws is to"" permit each miner the opportunity to work underground during the period of his entire adult working life without incurring any disability from pneumoconiosis or any other occupation-related disease ."" Significant progress has been made in lowering the dust levels in mines since the inception of the Bureau's respirable dust research program. It is generally agreed that mines are less dusty today than they were a decade ago. However, the most serious hazard for workers in the mining and minerals processing industries is still the exposure to respirable dust, and solutions to the problem of respirable dust disease remain to be found."

Mar 1, 1989

By F. Fraas, H. H. Storch

"In the second paper 4 of this series, data were presented concerning the decomposi¬tion of polyhalite by saturated salt solutions. It was found that uncalcined polyhalite upon leaching with boiling saturated sodium chloride solutions yielded a brine in which the (K2 Mg) /304 ratio was considerably higher than that obtained from the calcined material, and for this reason appeared more suitable for the production of potassium chloride. It was found, in fact, that the leach liquors from uncalcined polyhalite deposited a mixture of KC1 and NaC1 upon evaporation and subsequent cooling, whereas those from calcined polyhalite yielded mixtures which contained not only potassium and sodium chlorides but also large quantities of glaserite, K3Na (S04)2. Hence it was decided to study the evaporation of the uncalcined poly—halite leach liquor and postpone experiments on the calcined polyhalite liquors until such time as a process for further removal of sulphate was developed.A considerable body of equilibrium data is available in the literature on thesystem K+ Mg++ — Na+ Cl—S04 =,— H20 for temperatures up to 83º C. Owing, however, tothe lack of data other than that corresponding to the invariant points and the complete absence of data for temperatures of 100 to 115°C., and owing to the fact that supersaturation phenomena render unsafe the prediction of the behavior of such a system upon evaporation, it was considered essential to obtain the necessary data by actual evaporation and analysis of the brines thus obtained."

Feb 1, 1931

By Jr. East

The Bureau of Mines conducted an investigation of the Nightingale tungsten deposit about 38 miles north of Fernley, Nev., from September 1939 to March 1940, to determine possible resources of tungsten ore. The property was owned by the Gold, Silver & Tungsten, Inc., which maintained its offices in Boulder, Colo. Ore was discovered in 1917, and some ore was mined in 1918 and treated in a mill at Toulon, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, 40 miles east. Same shipments were made since 1918, but no production figures are available. The ore is mined from nearly vertical tactite bodies at the limestone-granite contact. The Bureau of Mines excavated 944 linear feet of trenches, drifted 52 linear feet, sunk a shaft 20 feet in depth, sampled the underground workings by cutting 743 linear feet of channels, sampled the surface trenches by cutting 415 linear feet of channels, and drilled 9 diamond-drill holes, totaling 3,000 feet. The ensuing sections note the location and physical features of the district and specify the property and ownership. The history of the mine is briefed, and the geology and mine workings are described. The work done by the Bureau of Mines is summarized and supplemented in detail by assay maps, logs of diamond-drill holes in appendix A, and a table of sample analyses in appendix B.

Jan 1, 1950

By Fremont T. Johnson

Credited with production of more than 164,000 flasks Of quicksilver from 1876 to 1944, the Oat Hill mine has ranked third in output in the United States. During World War II, when the demand for mercury was high, this property was selected for diamond drill with the purpose of increasing ore reserves so that production could be maintained or, if necessary, increased. Although the existence of marginal-grade ore (fill material) left in the stapes and possibly of virgin ore of good grade had suspected in certain parts of the Oat Hill mine, no factual information to tonnage, grade, or location was available. In close cooperation with the Federal Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines studied old records and the few available incomplete maps. Diamond drilling began in November 1943 and was completed in December 1944. Twenty-eight holes aggregating 8,121 feet were drilled, in only parts of the promising areas disclosed by the study of the data available. Detailed data on the work done by the Bureau as well as a brief history of the property and some operating details are described in this report.

Jan 1, 1949