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By Charles L. Harness

The barite industry has made notable progress since the days when barite was used only as an adulterant in white-lead paints and the only method of mining it was with pick and shovel. The following chronological record may serve to show how this heavy white mineral has grown in importance in the national exonomy and at the same time to indicate development of methods for obtaining it. 1845. - Barite first, mined in Fauquier County, Va., for use as an adulterant in white-lead paints. 1850 (approx.). - French settlers 60 miles southwest of St Louis, Mo., discovered barite; called it "'tiff;' meaning white. It was mined and shipped to St. Louis for use in paint.

Jan 1, 1946

By Paul. E. Pesonen

Since early in 1940 the Bureau of Mines has been concerned with possible means of utilizing manganese-bearing materials from the Missouri Valley manganese deposit. During the period between July 1945 and August 1947, the Bureau of Mines undertook to complete certain phases of the problem by re-evaluating the results of earlier work and supplementing the findings by additional operations and field studies considered necessary to permit drawing of final conclusions. Distinctive discoloration marks the outcrop of the manganese deposit which is exposed on both flanks of the Missouri River Valley and its major tributaries for a peripheral distance of approximately 523 miles in south-central South Dakota. The apparent magnitude of the deposit, judged largely from observation of the outcrop, had led to much speculation as to its actual value in terms of tonnage and grade. Similarly, investigative work aimed at developing a means of winning a usable manganese-rich product from the deposit had reached no conclusion, except that certain methods showed more promise than others for accomplishing the final objective.

Jan 1, 1948

By Bruce F. Grant

"INTRODUCTION The future of oil production in the part of the Appalachian region included in southwestern Pennsylvania; West Virginia, and southeastern Ohio is directly dependent on the maintenance of existing wells. This report presents an analytical study of the methods used in oil-well reconditioning in this area. The study is part of a research program designed to evaluate those means of stimulating oil production that can effectively and economically maintain present oil-production rates and make it possible to keep existing wells in operation. Well-reconditioning work was curtailed during the war; therefore, an abnormally large number of wells in the Appalachian Region is now in need of repair. Because the lubricant content of Appalachian crude: oils is high and the refined lubricating oils an; particularly suited to use in high speed, high-temperature engines, the demand for these crude oils during the war exceeds, the maximum rate of production obtainable under wartime operating conditions. Increases in operating, expenses, inability to meet war-time reconditioning costs, and inflexible price structures caused the abandonment of an alarming number of wells during the past 4 or 5 years.As a means of increasing regional oil-production rates, new drilling in the older fields for primary production generally is uneconomical because reservoir pressures in most of the fields have virtually been depleted and the production rates of newly drilled wells are small."

Feb 1, 1948

By J. Cooperman

THE INVESTIGATION was carried out in three stages, depending on the objectives of the work and the kind of equipment used. The first stage involved testing of 11 representative Alabama coals, the source of which is given in table 1. The objective was to find whether these coals could be gasified raw by the Lurgi method, and the equipment used was a 4-inch batch generator (to be described later). This generator proved too small and difficult to control to provide adequate amounts of products under continuous operating conditions for testing. For the second stage, a 6-inch batch generator was used, which was provided with facilities for superheating the steam-oxygen mixture and for synthesizing additional methane from the residual carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the primary Lurgi gas. Selected Alabama coals, Pittsburgh-bed coal from West Virginia, "Disco," and anthracite were used. For the third stage of the work, a continuous generator of 1 square foot grate area, following closely the design of the industrial generators operated in Germany, was provided. This generator was designed by 0. Hubmann, engineer for the Lurgi company, and was expected to give results closely simulating industrial-scale apparatus. The purpose of this equipment was to test prepared materials shown to operate smoothly in the 6-inch generator under conditions approximating as nearly as possible those prevailing in industrial practice. Work of the first stage showed that Alabama coals could not be used in the Lurgi process without first destroying the coking power.

Jan 1, 1951

By C. M. McKinney

This report contains Bureau of Mines analyses of 291 samples of crude petroleum from the Gulf Coast Area of Louisiana and Texas. Included are 65 analyses from 51 Louisiana fields and 226 analyses from 216 Texas fields. Analyses from the Texas fields include 90 from 58 Upper Gulf Coast fields, 47 from 28 Middle Gulf Coast fields, and 89 from 40 Lower Gulf Coast fields. The analyses represent fields that produced 1,000 barrels or more per day during at least one of the years 19.57 through 1961, with the exception of 23 analyses from the Texas fields. The fields considered are listed by state and geographical groupings, with field names arranged alphabetically within each grouping. The tabulation also includes information concerning the geological sources of the samples. General characteristics of the crude oils and analytical and computed data determined from the analyses are summarized. Crude oil production data are given for the fields for 1960 and 1961 and are cumulative through 1961.

Jan 1, 1963

By Matthew N. Plis

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents the documentation for COALVAL, a coal property evaluation software package developed on Lotus 1-2-3,4 version 2.2, spreadsheets. The software is compatible with version 3.1 as well, and may provisionally be run on the earlier 2.01 version. COALVAL is a menu-driven program that produces a prefeasibility-level cost analysis of mine-planned coal resources. The package contains cost models for each of five coal mining methods commonly employed in Appalachia: auger, contour strip, mountain top removal, continuous miner, and longwall. Other models, such as a dragline cost model, will be incorporated as the Bureau's Coal Recoverability Program matures. COALVAL allows mine operators, evaluators, consultants, and Government entities to input resource data and the various production, operating, and cost variables that pertain to their property. The program can evaluate up to 25 seams, each to be mined with up to five different mining methods, within a given area. Summary spreadsheets listing the cost per clean ton to mine the resources, f.o.b. the tipple, are produced for each property, seam, and mining method/seam combination.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. Mahan, D. D. Blue, O. C. Garst, F. Fraas, L. Fink

"Early in World War II it became apparent that the known bauxite re- serves might not be adequate to supply the demands of the American aluminum-producing industry, as the transportation of bauxite from abroad to this country might easily be interfered with by hostile action. Consequently, the Bureau of Mines set up an intensive, well-integrated program for the production of cell-grade alumina from low-grade domestic ores. This pro-gram of investigation covered the production of alumina from clay, alumite, red mud, and other low- and marginal-grade ores. In line with the Bureau's usual policy of conservation of natural resources, it was decided that the investigation should be extended to cover the production of alumina and other valuable byproducts from aluminum dross.Statistical information showed that during the year 1943-44, an average of 2,900 tons of aluminum dross was generated monthly. This dross, after partial removal of free metal, had an average metallic aluminum content of approximately 9 percent. Some of this dross was produced by the melting of alloyed aluminum; but a large proportion 1,700 out of 2,900 tons - was generated by two producers of primary aluminum, and the dross did not contain an great proportion of alloying metals. Compared with dross from other sources, this 60 percent of the country's capacity can be assumed to have relatively uniform composition. Moreovcr, the problem of collection and distribution can be minimized because of the relatively small number of plants included in the organization of these two producers of virgin metal.Except for large pieces of metallic aluminum that easily can be mechanically separated for remelting, this dross has been discarded and scrapped. Inasmuch as chemical analyses show that the alumina content of dross is far higher-than ordinary ores - 111 percent alumina equivalent in dross compared to 57 percent alumina in bauxite - aluminum dross is a far richer source of aluminum than any known naturally occurring ores. The discard, of this waste material during the war and reconversion periods would be unsound economically. The work reported herein describes tests at the College Park Station of the Bureau of Mines on the recovery of metal, alumina, ammonia, methane, and abrasive-grade corundum from dross."

May 1, 1946

The first metal-mine accident-prevention course was prepared and published 1942-45 as a series of seven miners' circulars (Nos. 51-57). The course has been broadened, revised, and brought up to date and is being published as a similar series of seven miners' circulars on accident prevention at metal and nonmetallic mines. These circulars are: 1. Accident Statistics (Miners' Circular 51), dealing with general statistics on accidents and injuries at metal and nonmetallic mines, including causes, costs, and the uses of investigations and reports of all accidents.

Jan 1, 1957

By B. J. Moore

This publication contains routine analyses and related source data for 547 natural gas samples from 22 States and three foreign countries. Of this total, 340 samples were collected during calendar year 1967. The remaining 207 analyses are of samples collected during previous years, but releases granting, permission to publish the results were not received until 1967. All samples were collected as a part of a continuous survey of the free world for occurrences of helium in natural gas. The Bureau of Mines has conducted this survey in the United States since 1917, and in 1965 it was expanded to include foreign gasfields. The analyses published herein were made by mass spectrometer and a special helium analysis apparatus which are described in Bureau of Mines Bulletins 4863 and 516.4 Nine previous publications have been made to present results of 7,618 gas analyses made by the Bureau of Mines Helium Activity prior to 1967. The first three, Bulletins 486,5 576,6 and 6177 contain analyses and related source data on 5,218 gas samples collected from 1917 through 1960. The other six

Jan 1, 1968

By James R. Boyle

The value of Alabama's nonfuel mineral production in 1983 was $361.3 million, an increase of $61.9 million over that of 1982. The increase reversed a downward trend that started in 1980 and established a new record high for value of nonfuel minerals in the State. Output of most nonfuel minerals increased to some degree with unit value increases creating the record-high value year. Cement, clays, lime, sand and gravel, and crushed stone were the major commodities produced in Alabama. Alabama led the Nation in the production of crushed marble; was second in bauxite; fourth in ferroalloys, dimension marble, common clay, and fire clay; fifth in bentonite and kaolin; and sixth in masonry cement and lime.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. A. Selvig

EQUIREMENTS of montan wax for industrial use in the United States before World War II were met by imports, nearly all of which came from Germany. An important industry for extraction and refinement of this wax from certain brown coals had developed in Germany. At the beginning of the war, montan-wax imports were shut oft, and American industry was forced to rely largely on substitutes. Since the war, relatively small amounts have been imported from Czechoslovakia. Because of the shortage of montan wax at the close of the war and the fact that industry in the United States had to rely on foreign sources in the past, this investigation was started in 1945 to determine probable yields of wax from domestic lignite. Results of the investigation and the properties of extracted waxes are described in this report. Also included in the report are discussions of the occurrence and geology of lignite deposits of the United States from which samples were obtained for wax extraction and the petrographic composition of lignites, particularly in respect to those components that contribute to wax yields.

Jan 1, 1950

By William C. McLaughlin

In the deep vein mines of the Coeur d'Alene mining district, rock bursts are a potential hazard to the mine structure and underground personnel. Damage repair costs are estimated by one company to exceed $1 per ton of ore mined. The Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the mining companies, has conducted research intermittently over the past 10 years to help reduce bursts. Onsite inspections of major rock bursts were conducted, and reports were submitted to mine management; these included the geology and geometry of the affected area. The paper discusses the development and improvement of microseismic and surface monitoring equipment. The underground microseismic network, when operated on a regular basis and the results plotted daily, is capable of detecting stress concentration in certain areas. The surface seismographs record rock bursts, blasts, earthquakes, etc., throughout the district and show approximate location, time, and relative intensity of the event.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. S. Dean

[During the past year the Metallurgical Fundamentals Section gave about an equal amount of time to the experimental determination of fundamental thermodynamic constants and to the demonstration of the application of such data to more directly practical metallurgical problems. The first division of the work - the actual experimental measurements of typical thermodynamic constants - was carried out an two problems, termed ?continuing? programs, namely, (1) measurements of Specific Heats at Low Temperatures and (2) Measurements of Heats of Formation and Free Energies. Specific substances chosen for investigation are classified as (n) those that have been the subject of requests for information from the industry and that, upon examination, seem of sufficient practical importance to justify study, and (b) compounds that are difficult to treat metallurgically, or whose specific thermodynamic properties have not yet been determined satisfactorily and for which accurate data might suggest improved or new methods of Metallurgical treatment, or (c) materials recognized as belonging to a social class with exceptional thermodynamic properties and, hence, of scientific as well as technical importance.]

Jan 1, 1938

By T. E. Gray

This report describes the preparation characteristics of the significant coalbeds in Harrison County, W. Va. It is one in a series of Federal Bureau of Mines reports planned to determine coals suitable for the production of metallurgical coke, either as mined or after beneficiation. Over 6.5 million tons of coal was produced in Harrison County, W. Va., in 1958, of which over 3.7 million tons was cleaned mechanically in seven preparation plants. All of the coal cleaned was from the Pittsburgh bed. It has been estimated that more than 1,816 million tons of coal remains in the county in beds 12 inches or more thick. The Pittsburgh and Redstone beds were selected by the Bureau for a study based on current production rates and estimated minable reserves. Sample locations were selected following a study of the literature, conferences with mining engineers and mining company officials in the field, and examination of the available sites. Six samples were collected from the Pittsburgh bed, and three samples came from the Redstone bed, Float-and-sink tests of the samples collected from the Pittsburgh and Redstone beds showed that neither coal could be upgraded to a metallurgical fuel under the standards set up for this study, even after intensive preparation. Finer crushing of the samples moderately increased the yields and slightly reduced both the ash and the sulfur contents in the 1.30-specific-gravity float fractions. Finer crushing slightly decreased the yields in the 1.58-specific-gravity float fractions, whereas it reduced the sulfur content 0.11 percent for the Redstone sample and 0.46 for the Pittsburgh sample.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. S. Dean

This is the fourth of a series; of annual report of the Metallurgical Division to be released in this form and cover the fiscal year July 1, 1937, to rune 30, 1938. This report is not merely a recitation or brief of the year's work; it contains technical information in usable form, although a some of this has appeared or will he issued in greater detail in separate reports. The table of contents that follows fists the principal investigations accomplished and those that are being continued. Other projects are being begun and contemplated for the next year.

Jan 1, 1938

By Ralph B. Youtz

This paper describing mining methods at, the Eighty-Five mine of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Co., Valedon, N. Mex., is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in the various mining districts in the United States. The Eighty-Five mine is in southwestern New Mexico, 3 miles southwest of Lordsburg, Hidalgo County (see fig. 1). The mine produces normally 7,000 to 8,000 tons per. month of silicious copper-gold-silver ore, and employs approximately 200 men underground and 40 on-the surface. Mining is done by shrinkage and cut-and-fill methods.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. R. Thoenen

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

Jan 1, 1937

By A. G. Sharkey

THE PURPOSE of this investigation was to develop methods for analyzing coal derivatives and products from the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. As part of this investigation it was necessary to study the mass spectral characteristics of many classes of compounds. The mass spectra of alcohols, the trimethylsilyl ether derivatives of alcohols, acetal-type compounds, ketones, esters, and naphthenes were correlated with structure, and analytical methods were formulated. A method was devised to determine the ratio of branched to normal hydrocarbons up to CIS in the Fischer-Tropsch product. Low-ionizing-voltage mass spectrometry was combined with type-analyses to analyze tar acids and neutral oils from coal. The necessary sensitivity correlations at low-ionizing voltage were developed, particularly for phenolic compounds. Special analytical techniques were developed for the mass spectral analyses of specific compounds and compound types including (1) oxides of nitrogen, (2) hydrogen sulfide, (3) isomers of butenes and pentenes, and (4) hydrogen deuteride. An investigation was made of the effects of various hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds on tungsten filaments in the mass spectrometer. The operating characteristics of rhenium filaments under similar conditions were studied. Several improved sample handling techniques were developed, including an automatic manometer and a self-filling micropipet. Studies were made of anomalous and negative peaks in the mass spectra of certain gases.

Jan 1, 1967

By D. Harrington

For many years the Federal Bureau of Mines-in cooperation with other agencies-has been making investigations and compiling and publishing reports and statistics on accidents in the various branches of the mineral industry.4 Its assistance has been enlisted also in health, safety, and ventilation problems' incident to the driving of many large tunnels in the United States in recent years. As part of this work the Bureau has compiled considerable statistical and other information on accident experience in the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry. It has always been difficult to obtain up-to-date information on tunneling methods and tunnel accidents. Published accounts of tun¬nel construction furnish much interesting material of engineering, historical, or fiscal value, but usually little or no attempt is made to discuss and critically analyze the means taken to preserve the health and life of employees.

Jan 1, 1941

By L. C. IlsLey

Explosives have been fired electrically for several decades. Mountains have been tunneled, deep shafts sunk, extensive coal and metal mine workings excavated and, in times of war, railroads, buildings, bridges, and fortifications have been destroyed by means of electrically fired explosives. Modern engineering depends so much on explosives that their safe and efficient handling and especially their detonation are of prime importance to all those connected with the use of explosive agents. Electric shot-firing is only one method of igniting explosives, but it is rapidly spreading and because of certain inherent safety features should be encouraged. Data collected by the Bureau of Mines indicate that in the United States a large percentage of the blasting in quarries, shafts, and tunnels, and from 15 to 25 per cent of the blasts in mining operations, are set off electrically. The Bureau of Mines is interested in electric shot-firing because of its use in mining, and especially because electric methods, when properly applied, are undoubtedly safer than other methods commonly used.

Jan 1, 1926