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By J. H. Wiggins

The evaporation of crude oil without doubt causes one of the largest single losses to which the oil is subjected after it is taken from the ground. The few days during which crude oil is stored on the lease before being taken by the pipe line, causes an aggregate loss per year from evaporation estimated at 122,100,000 gallons of gasoline in the Mid-Continent field alone. This has a value, at 22 cents per gallon, of $26,880,000 and represents about 3 per cent of the total gasoline produced in the United States from all fields and all sources. The following table shows this in more detail:

May 1, 1920

By Oliver Bowles

The Bureau of Mines issued three Information Circulars on marble many years ago (5), (6), (7).2/ They have long been out of print; furthermore, conditions have changed considerably in the industry in succeeding years. A presentation of current data is therefore desirable. This report furnishes general information on marble, including its properties, distribution of domestic and foreign deposits, methods and equipment used in quarrying and milling, economic and marketing problems, and recent advances in marble technology. INTRODUCTION Most marbles are crystallized limestone. The term "marble" is derived from a Greek word meaning to sparkle or flash, because the calcite crystals in marble sparkle as they reflect light. The word "marble" is employed frequently to mean a small ball used in the game of marbles with which nearly every child is familiar. Although the little spheres were originally of marble, few of those made in recent years contain that material; nevertheless, the expression "playing marbles" has persisted.

Jan 1, 1958

By M. G. Zabetakis

The use of liquid hydrogen as a high-energy fuel introduces numerous hazards not ordinarily associated with the use of other more conventional fuels. These hazards are attributable to the unique properties of hydrogen in the liquid and gas states (table 1). Since little work has been conducted on explosion and related hazards of cryogenic fuels, a research program was undertaken to obtain basic data on such dangers for hydrogen and other combustibles under these conditions. These data were used to outline emergency procedures for protecting personnel and equipment when an accidental spillage of liquid hydrogen occurs and to establish a quantity-distance table for the storage of this fuel. The vaporization of liquid hydrogen from a surface is treated as a prob¬lem in heat transfer theory. Two extreme cases are briefly considered: (1) The transfer of heat occurs at constant temperature drop between, the boiling liquid and the hot surface, and (2) the transfer of heat is limited by the rate at which it can flow to the surface from a hot insulating medium. The available data indicate that the former case (1) is applicable when vaporizing from a conducting surface and, initially, when vaporizing from an insulating medium; the latter case (2) is applicable after initial flash vaporization has occurred from the insulating medium. The vaporization rate determines in part the rate at which flammable hydrogen vapor-air mixtures are formed above a spill area. However, the rates at which heat is transferred to the vapor, and air is brought in contact with it also are of importance. Accordingly, the distribution of flammable mixtures above a spill area was determined experimentally. In general, flammable mixtures were found to be both above and within the visible vapor cloud.

Jan 1, 1961

By A. B. Hooker

Gassy mines require daily inspections with methane detectors to test for the presence of methane. Although in many manes it may be sufficient to know that there is no methane present or that its percentage is below a certain amount, it is desirable and often necessary to determine definitely the percentage of methane at the working faces and in the various air currents. The Bureau of Mines recognizes two general types of portable methane detectors, namely; 1. Methane detectors by which the presence of methane may be detected and its approximate percentage estimated.

Jan 1, 1929

By S. H. Ash

THE MAGNITUDE of the drainage problem of the anthracite industry in Pennsylvania's Western Middle field is realized when it is known that in 1951 nine pumping plants in this field pumped nearly 36 billion gallons of water to the surface. This is almost 68,000 gallons per minute pumped against an average hydrostatic head of 350 feet for that year alone. In 1948 over 20,000 gallons per minute was pumped by relay pumps against an average hydrostatic head of 265 feet. In addition to the water pumped to the surface, it is estimated that 15,000 gallons per minute overflows to the surface from underground pools in idle mines. The volume (second-feet) of water pumped and overflow water is almost 1;z times the, average mean flow of the Schuylkill River at Pottsville for the 8-year period 1944--51 (7, 13).4 Mahanov and Shamokin Creeks drain an area of 99 square miles in the Western Middle field, and all surface drainage in this area must traverse some part, of the coal measures before entering these streams. On the basis of 46.03 inches of rainfall (the weighted average of 6 recording stations for 1948), the runoff from the drainage area during that period was 51 billion gallons, approximately 1 times the volume of water pumped by all mine-pumping plants in the Western Middle field. In other words, because of the pervious strata overlying the mine workings, approximately two-thirds of the total runoff in the drainage, area becomes mine water tributary to the pumping plants.

Jan 1, 1953

By Gennaro G. Marino

The Bureau of Mines and the University of Illinois investigated surface characteristics and damage to structures from mine subsidence over a room-and-pillar coal mine in Hegeler, IL. Data on three adjacent subsidence sags and associated structural damage were collected, summarized and evaluated. The subsidence sags developed over a 10-year period and took place above a modified room-and-pillar operation mining the Herrin (No. 6) coal at a depth of 130 to 135 ft. Surface vertical displacements of 3.0 to 3.5 ft resulted from extracting 6.1 to 6.4 ft of coal. Ground movements associated with sag formation severely damaged three houses and a radio station building, broke numerous utility lines, and structurally distorted three radio transmission towers. The radio station was remodeled and the towers repaired, but the three houses were subsequently demolished. Surface waters collecting in the subsidence depressions caused failure of radial ground transmission systems. The following subsidence profile characteristics were determined at the radio station and one of the houses, respectively: profile slopes, 0.02 and 0.07; maximum curvatures, 2.3 x 10-4 ft-1 and 3.0 x 10-4 ft-1; and angular distortions, 6.6 x 10-3 and 62.0 x 10-3. Although the house was more severely damaged than the radio station, both structures are classified as severely to very severely damaged.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. W. Miller

Depletion of coals most suitable for metallurgical fuel has nude necessary a general survey of coking-coal reserves in the United States. These investigations were begun in 1948 at the joint request of the Munitions Board, Department of Defense, and a number of coal companies. This report, which is one of a series, by counties, describes the preparation characteristics of the coals of Letcher County, Icy. From these data it is possible to determine: (a) Which coals either as mined or after beneficiation by conventional preparation are suitable under present standards for producing metallurgical coke, (b) which coals require special and more intensive treatment in preparation than is now practiced, and, (c) which coals cannot be upgraded by known commercial preparation methods to metallurgical fuel standards now accepted.

Jan 1, 1955

By Robert M. Strong

The following report is a summary of the commercial results which 'Were obtained from 2,000 tests conducted by the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey at St. Louis, Mo., and Norfolk, Va., in 1907 and 1908, under the technical supervision of R. H. Fernald, engineer in charge of the producer-gas section. The tests dealt primarily with gasoline, forming part of the investigation of mineral fuels provided for by acts of Congress. To determine the relative economy and efficiency of gasoline it was compared with denatured alcohol. The tests, many of which were undertaken in connection with work for the Navy Department, supplemented, to a certain extent, the work of previous investigations, but only so far as was necessary to emphasize some of the more important points and to lead up to the defining of conditions required for the economical use of gasoline and alcohol. In order to determine and eliminate the affecting engine conditions as far as possible, the investigation was commenced by making comparative gasoline and alcohol tests on the same engines. These tests were repeated on other engines of approxiElately the same size and speed, having different degrees of comFression, different methods of governing, and different carburetors. The final report will include much material that may be of use in engine design, but that side of the investigation was not pursued any further than was necessary to obtain the best possible results, for alcohol and for gasoline with the engines at hand, and to prove that the minimum fu·el-consumption rate for each could be obtained in approximately the same manner. The effects of engine and of operating conditions both have a bearing on the commercial deductions but will be discussed only in a general way at this time.

Jan 1, 1911

By E. J. Gleim

In keeping with past custom, it is the purpose of this publication to bring up to date previously published lists of equipment that meets safety standards of the bureau of Mines so that the mining industry may be informed as to the development and availability of equipment that can be used safely. The present lists supplement those in Bulletin 543. Permissible Mine Equipment Approved to January 1, 1953; Information Circular 7722, Permissible Equipment Approved During the Calendar Years 1953-54; and Information Circular [40], Permissible Equipment Approved During the Calendar Years 1955-56. These [ew] lists also contain equipment meeting those standards revised since the last listing. A revision of Schedule 16C (now Schedule 16D4/) was officially approved on September 28. 1958. Schedule 29 was another standard revised in 1958. The revision was officially approved on September 8. 1958, and is known as Schedule 29A5/ .

Jan 1, 1960

By John C. Edwards

Standard smoldering and flaming combustion tests using smaIl coal samples have been developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines as a method to evaluate the response of a smoke detector. The tests are con-ducted using a standard smoke box designed and constructed according to Underwriters Laboratories. The tests provide a standard, easily reproducible smoke characteristic for smoldering and flaming coal combustion, based upon a comparison of the smoke optical density and the response of a standard ionization chamber to the smoke. With these standard tests, the range of threshold limits for the response of a smoke detector and the detector's reliability can be evaluated for nearly identical smoke visibility and smoke physical characteristics. The detector's threshold response limits and reliability need to be well defined prior to the instrument's use as part of a mine fire warning system for improved mine safety.

Jan 1, 2010

By Edward G. Cunney

Track in underground bituminous coal mines was investigated and technology was taken from other industries in order to obtain information on conditions that impair the safety and efficiency of the track and to develop guidelines and useful information on the construction, inspection and maintenance of mine track. Volume 1 contains information on the investigations, observed track conditions, useful technology from railroads and other industries, derivations of track condition descriptors and limits, conclusions, and recommendations. Volume 2, Guidelines, contains recommended standards and practices for mine track. It includes the relation of track conditions to safe speeds; descriptions and limits for measurable track features, such as gage; descriptions of conditions for track components that are normally not measurable, such as subbase soils; construction requirements and techniques; inspection requirements and methods; and methods for managing and performing track maintenance work. It does not repeat the summary or? derivations. Volume 3, Inspection Handbook, summarizes recommended standards and procedures from Volume II and provides related information for ready reference by inspectors in the mines. As a research product to be used in mines, it does not repeat the summary, derivations or references.

Jan 1, 1977

By William E. Bruce

The Bureau of Mines performed drill calibration tests on two industrial percussive drills of 2-5/8- and 3-1/2-inch piston diameters to determine operating characteristics for their use in conjunction with penetration rate data in developing drillability equations and furthering the knowledge of percussive drills. The use of a linear velocity transducer for measuring piston velocities and application of its instrumentation are described. Data presented include relationships between maximum piston velocity and feed air pressure other results confirm the theory or data of previous investigators, and some comparisons are made with the performance prediction formulas of other investigators.

Jan 1, 1969

By D. N. Tallman

The Bureau of Mines has completed 4 yr of deep-bed filtration research comparing the efficiencies of granular magnesium oxide (MgO) and conventional filter sand in single- and dual-medium filters when filtering mineral-processing and mine waters. Bench and field evaluation tests were conducted using water types ranging from synthetic suspensions of asbestos, kaolin, metal hydroxides, and milled sand to process waters from magnetite beneficiation, iron ore flotation, granite cutting, and a steel mill. Even though the turbidity reductions were similiar, MgO filters were found to be advantageous when filtering water pretreated with alum because the volume throughput before breakthrough (turbidity > 1 NTU unit) was much more for the MgO filter than for the sand filter. Reduced head loss owing to the greater porosity of the MgO filter beds is potentially the most beneficial advantage in employing MgO as the filter medium, especially when filtering water pretreated with polymer flocculants. Granular MgO (periclase) is durable and can be backwashed Like sand. It is compatible with anthracite in a dual-medium filter and apparently is not poisoned by dissolved metals in the process water. No single solid-removal mechanism could be identified for the improved filtration observed with granular MgO.

Jan 1, 1987

By John C. Machisak

The Nation's mining and quarrying industries have again met the annual challenge to their ingenuity--that of reducing disabling work injuries among their employees. The effectiveness of management in facing this problem and in meeting this responsibility is evident from the results of the 1961 National Safety Competition. Three hundred ninety-three or 45.3 percent of the mines and quarries participating in the competition established a new record number of participants operating throughout the competition year without a disabling work injury. Another record established in the 1961 contest was the number of participants (868) enrolled in the competition. This annual safety competition was begun in 1925 and is conducted by the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior. It provides for six bronze Sentinels of safety trophies which are awarded each year to the winning participant in each group. Since its inception, the competition has exerted a strong influence in the field of safety promotion. The statistical record of its accomplishments over the years gives strong support to the theory that well-organized and well- administered safety programs are effective tools to be used to reduce the number of disabling work injuries. It stimulates and holds the interest of employees and management in accident prevention. Because of this, mines and quarries participating in the contest have a more favorable safety record than those operations not enrolled.

Jan 1, 1963

By Russell R. Trengove

The Strawberry tungsten mine is in the Jackass Mining District, in an isolated portion of eastern Madera County, near the southeast corner of the Yosemite National Park. The deposit was discovered in 1941, and production started in 1943 when the mill was completed. With the exception of 1946 and 1947, production has been continuous. The area in the vicinity of the mine is granite containing islands of sedimentary beds highly altered by metamorphism that resulted from the intrusion of acid igneous rock. Schoelite occurs in almost vertical lenses of tactite between the limestone and the granite.

Jan 1, 1949

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 Ruth F. Brinkley

Principle activities of the Bureau of Mines Explosives Research Laboratory from July 1, 1960 to June 30, 1961 are reviewed briefly in Part 1. Part 1 also includes data obtained in connect ion with several minor investigations which are not sufficient to warrant separate publications. Part 2 gives brief abstracts of publications that appeared during fiscal year 1961; in general, the research reported in these publications antedates this period.

Jan 1, 1963

By Steven J. Page

The Bureau of Mines used fiber-laden air to test two identical fibrous aerosol monitors (FAM) in order to establish the FAM-optical count correlation. The FAM is a unique instrument developed by GCA Corp. (GCA) to measure real-time fibrous aerosol concentrations. It will also respond to particulates that have sufficient shape irregularities to possess fiber characteristics such as the 3:1 length: diameter (L:D) aspect ratio. Results of the Bureau's laboratory tests showed that the FAM response is linearly correlated to concentration data obtained using the optical membrane filter count technique approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A plot of the FAM-optical count correlation showed that FAM concentration readings are generally well within ±25 pct of the optical membrane filter count. Initial tests to estimate the best ratio control setting of the FAM for 5-µm fiber-length discrimination were performed using one instrument only (the ratio control setting determines the minimum threshold fiber length that will be detected by the FAM). The estimated setting was then used to correlate both FAM units. The result was a 65 pct difference in correlation between the two units. It appears that the major factor responsible for this difference was the internal adjustment of the photomultiplier detector sensitivity for each of the two FAM units.

Jan 1, 1980

By G. H. Damon

Since 1963, Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8179 has served the mining industry as a fundamental safety guide in the field of blasting agents. In the intervening 14 years, many changes have occurred, and this report presents revised and new recommendations which recognize these changes. For example, AN-FO is now supplied mostly premixed, whereas in 1963 much of it was mixed by the blaster; aluminum metal (A1) and other fuels are now often added to AN-FO to increase strength, and flake aluminum powder is used as a sensitizer in water gels; and water gels or slurries that are now extensively used were just coming into practical use in 1963. To provide the widest possible margin of safety, some of the Bureau's recommendations are more stringent than existing regulations,

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul Hatmaker

Pumice and pumicite are siliceous volcanic substances quite similar in chemical composition , but somewhat different in physical properties , manner of formation , and mode of occurrence . Production in the United States has increased from 23,271 tons valued at $ 94,943 in 1910 , to 56,843 tons valued at $336,099 in 1930. Both pumice and pumicite are included in these figures as it has been impractical to collect statistical data on the separate commodities .

Mar 1, 1932