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By D. J. Bauer

A primary amine extraction system was investigated for fractionating a cerium-group, lanthanide sulfate mixture. Addition of diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid (DTPA) to the amine extraction system resulted in separation factors as high as 5.4 for lanthanum-cerium, 8.0 for cerium-praseodymium, 3.7 for praseodymium-neodymium, and 7.0 for neodymium-samarium. In multistage studies on a cerium-free lanthanide mixture, 96 percent of the lanthanum was recovered with a purity of 95 percent.

Jan 1, 1968

By Leslie H. Sharp, Martin J. Gavin

"Introduction.Investigations of the oil shales of the State of Colorado were begun February 1, 1920, by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the State of Colorado, under cooperative agreement entered into by the Bureau and the State, funds for which were provided by the State. The investigations are for the purpose of determining by large-scale Laboratory retorting tests, those conditions which will produce optimum yield of best quality products from Colorado shales. (For an outline of the work and description of the apparatus, see Gavin, Martin J., and Sharp, Leslie H., ""investigations of the Fundamentals of Oil-shale Retorting,"" Reports of Investigations, Bureau of Mines, July, 1920.)In the preliminary work which is usually required when a new material is being dealt with, certain physical and chemical constants of the shales being investigated, and their products, were determined; these data will be of much value not only to the thorough retorting tests now under way at Boulder, but to engineers who will design and construct oil-shale plants. While the figures presented in this report apply only to the shale used in the determinations, strictly speaking, the shale used was selected to represent, as well as possible, an average of the massive type of oil shale encountered in Colorado. The figures, therefore, can probably be applied with little danger of serious error to any massive Colorado oil shale which yields in the neighborhood of a barrel (42 gallons) of oil to the ton.This paper is based on a more complete article now being prepared in which experimental methods are explained in full, and complete experimental data. For the purpose of presenting the data with as delay as possible, it has been decided to anticipate the more complete article with the present report."

Aug 1, 1920

By D. Bienstock, J. H. Field, M. J. Lempel

A computer program is presented to perform the detailed and numerous calculations required for determining the interface temperatures and steady - state heat flow through a furnace wall composed of several refractories in layers . A method is developed that will allow the designer to determine the various thicknesses for each refractory layer to minimize either the total wall thickness or the cost of the wall per unit of area . A sample problem is presented and analyzed to illustrate the techniques involved .

Jan 1, 1964

By Douglas A. Donato

This Information Circular presents the MULSIM/PC system of numerical modeling computer programs developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. This system consists of four programs: PREMUL, the preprocessor or mesh generator; MULSIM/PC, the actual numerical modeling program (number cruncher); MUL3D, a three-dimensional postprocessor; and MUL2D, a two-dimensional postprocessor. These programs were specifically designed to operate on IBM-compatible (MS-DOS-based) personal computers for easy transfer of this technology to the mining industry and academia. MULSIM/PC uses a subvariation of the boundary-element method, namely, the displacement-discontinuity technique, for linear-elastic geomechanical analysis of mine plans in one or two parallel underground tabular deposits. Results calculated by this technique include stresses and displacements as they relate to changing mine geometries and materials. In addition to describing the MULSIM/PC program and its features, and providing a detailed example model, this report also documents the associated preprocessing and postprocessing programs that are part of the MULSIM/PC system. User's guides for all the programs are contained in the appendixes following the main report.

Jan 1, 1992

By E. C. Lane

This is the first publication in a projected series of reports on properties of commercial motor fuels pursuant to a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee and the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior. The report gives results of analyses in oil-company laboratories of samples of gasoline obtained from service-station pumps in 18 marketing areas by representatives of oil companies. These companies obtained the samples and analyzed them for their own information and supplied data from their laboratory reports to the Bureau of Mines for compilation and publication. History of Bureau of Mines Gasoline Surveys The following quotation from Report of Investigations 3162/4 is included in this place for the information of readers who are not familiar with the Bureau of Mines gasoline surveys that have preceded the present report:

Jan 1, 1936

This is the first publication in a projected series of reports on properties of commercial motor fuels pursuant to a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee and the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior. The report gives results of analyses in oil-company laboratories of sample of gasoline obtained from service-station pumps in 18 marketing areas by representatives of oil companies. These companies obtained the samples and analyzed them for their own information and supplied data from their laboratory reports to the Bureau of Mines for compilation and publication. History of Bureau of Mines Gasoline Surveys The following quotation from Report of Investigations 31624/ is included in this place for the information of readers who are not familiar with the Bureau of Mines gasoline surveys that have preceded the present report:

Jan 1, 1936

By Suzann C. Ambrosio

Cameroon's mining industry continued to be dominated by crude petroleum. The value of petroleum output was estimated at $1 billion.2 The 1982 gross domestic product (GOP) was approximately $8.4 billion. During 1981, crude oil export revenues increased in value 30%, comprising approximately 56% of Cameroon's total export earnings. The 1982-87 5-year plan emphasized, hydrocarbon and agricultural development and targeted the exploitation of bauxite and clay deposits. New petroleum legislation was promulgated on November 26, 1982. Public Law No. 82-20 detailed hydrocarbon companies' obligations concerning oil and gas discoveries and exploitation. In general, the Cameroon Government has participated in joint ventures with private companies and has levied a 57.5% petroleum tax plus adjustable royalties. Exploration expenses were paid by concession holding companies, and the Government in the past has reimbursed 50% of expenses under certain conditions.

Jan 1, 1984

By Reynold Q. Shotts

A study was made of the coal resources of an area in Jackson County, Ala., forming a part of the Flat Rock, Henegar, and Stevenson quadrangles. The area studied is a portion of the Plateau coalfield on Sand Mountain and is near the Tennessee Valley Authority's Widows Creek steamplant. Since no detailed geological study of this area had been published, some reconnaissance work was done. The coalbeds and adjacent strata such as sandstones, conglomeratic sandstones, and conglomerates were studied. Available drill logs, together with the areal geology, provided sufficient information to permit correlation of the coalbeds and an estimation of coal reserves. For all categories of reserves, computed on a regional basis, a total of 72,920,000 tons of coal more than 14 inches thick is estimated for the areas studied in Stevenson, Flat Rock, and Henegar quadrangles. Of this tonnage, 40,001,000 tons is estimated to have less than 60 feet of overburden. The total measured coal reserves for the above three quadrangles are 16,359,000 tons, with 12,411,000 tons under less than 60 feet of cover.

Jan 1, 1966

By G. B. Gait

This report is the fourth in a series concerning the Bureau of Mines program for microfilming maps of abandoned mines in the Pennsylvania anthracite region; a catalog of the microfilmed maps of 70 mines in the Western Middle field is presented. Previous reports were catalogs of microfilmed maps of mines in the Eastern Middle field and in the Wyoming and Lackawanna Basins of the Northern anthracite field. Additional catalogs will be published as the microfilming of significant mining areas is completed.

Jan 1, 1971

By James H. Jolly

Although zinc in the environment is generally considered to be beneficial or benign, excessive amounts can cause deterioration of environmental quality and toxicity problems for some plants and animals. High amounts of zinc in the environment are often associated with anthropogenic activities, mainly those involving zinc production and consumption and those related to the use and disposal of zinc-containing products. To obtain some upper limit parameters on the historical quantities of zinc chat may have entered the U.S. environment from anthropogenic sources, the Bureau of Mines conducted a materials flow study of zinc from the earliest beginning of the domestic industry through 1990 and for the year 1989. For comparative purposes a generalized historical materials flow of zinc for the world was also prepared. The United States was the world's leading producer and consumer of zinc in the 1850-1990 period. In that period, U.S. mines and smelters produced 15% and 20%, respectively, of world output, and U.S. zinc consumption accounted for about one-fourth of the world total. Maximum zinc losses into the environment related to the above production, consumption, and disposal of end use products total about 63 million tons. Dissipative uses and landfill disposal have accounted for about 73% of the potential zinc losses to the environment, followed by mining and smelting 22%, and manufacturing, 5%. At the end of 1990, contained zinc in useful end-products in the United States was estimated to be about 23 million tons. In 1989 slightly more than 1 million metric tons of zinc in new zinc-containing products were added to the domestic pool of zinc in use but in the same year, an estimated 0.9 million tons was dissipated and discarded, indicating only small net gains to the zinc pool of use annually.

Jan 1, 1992

By George A. Savanick

This paper reviews advances in the art of borehole (slurry) mining made by the Bureau of Mines from 1974 to 1980. The design of a proto-type borehole-mining tool (BMT) developed by the Bureau of Mines is pre-sented along with production data, reclamation data, and an application of the BMT to the mining of coal, uraniferous sandstone, oil sands, and phosphate ore. The BMT was first used near Wilkeson, WA, where steeply pitching metallurgical coal was mined at 8 st/h from a depth of 25 to 75 ft. Next, 940 st of uraniferous sandstone was mined at 8 st/h from a depth of 75 to 100 ft in Natrona County, WY. One thousand short tons of oil sands was mined in Kern County, CA, at the rate of 14 st/h from a depth of 110 to 150 ft in 1979. Most recently, 1,700 st of phosphate ore was produced at 25 st/h from deep (230-to 250-ft) deposits in St. Johns County, FL. Progressive improvements were made in the borehole mining technique. These include the use of the hydrostatic head of a water-filled borehole for roof support, and the development of methods to survey and backfill mined-out cavities.

Jan 1, 1987

By Thomas Varley

[For a year or more, statements have appeared in the technical press, and Especially in various trade journals, indicating that valuable metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and other rare metals, have been found and also have been successfully extracted from oil shales. These reports stated tat decarbonization and special methods of chlorination treatment, leaching and subsequent Precipitation, also cyanidation followed by table concentration of the residues after cyanidation, all indicated that told ad silver and other metals could be, and were, successfully recovered. Such articles have caused much misunderstanding, and as the correctness of some re of the statements made in them were questioned by some of the technical journals and by various chemists and metallurgists, an investigation of the subject. was begun by the metallurgical division of the Bureau of Mines, in order, if possible, to determine to what extent, if any, metals of value do occur in oil shales, and if so, the feasibility of attempting their recovery by tie processes said to have been used for teat Purpose. Inasmuch as the Bureau's station at Salt Lake City is investigating the recovery of oil from oil shales, the investigation of too recovery of metals from oil shales was assigned to my direction as superintendent 'of that station. An agreement had been entered into with the owner of m extensive oil shale deposit in Wyoming whereby I would personally collect the samples' of shales for use in the investigation.]

Jan 1, 1922

By Gary P. Sames

This report discusses some practical applications of a geotechnical investigation conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines that can help mine operators meet revised Federal regulations in their roof control plans. The investigation, designed to characterize roof conditions near the coalbed outcrop in drift coal mines in eastern Kentucky, revealed that weathered stress-relief joints near outcrop are crucial ground control factors in the region. The joints' origin and character were determined through underground mapping of many joints in coal mine roof and detailed observations and measurement of joint trends and physical characteristics in widely separated strip mine highwalls and roadcuts. This resulted in an understanding of stress-relief-joint patterns and the effect of various rock types on the intensity of weathering in the joints. That information is used in this report to show how stress-relief joints contribute to roof failure and how, through improved roof support and mine planning, safer roof support plans can be developed.

Jan 1, 1992

By James Westfield

Bureau of Mines activities for safety and health in the mineral industries were reorganized during the fiscal year to provide direct supervision by the Assistant Director -Health and Safety. On December 19, 1954, the field offices conducting these activities were designated as district health and safety offices reporting to the Assistant Director. The functions of determining the causes of accidents and injuries in the mineral industries and recommending measures to eliminate them were continued, with satisfactory results in improved safety records. The inspection of coal mines and enforcement of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952 were conducted as directed by the Congress, and safety conditions in the mines were notably improved. One coal-mine explosion classed as a major disaster occurred during the year. The causes of that explosion and means for preventing a recurrence were still under investigation because of the extreme difficulty in recovering several portions of the mine. Basic research on the nature of certain hazards and ways of eliminating them is continued. Training of individual workmen and supervisors in this knowledge is a major part of the work.

Jan 1, 1956

By William A. Stickney

The zirconium-hafnium separation plant at Albany, Oreg., was the result of a chain of events that started with studies by A. R. Kaufmann at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Variations in the listed neutron-absorption cross-section of zirconium caused him to suspect a misprint. As a result of these discrepancies and following his suggestions, Oak Ridge scientists made studies establishing a value of 0.4 barn or lower. This meant that the potential of zirconium for reactor application was greatly enhanced. Since hafnium is invariably associated with zirconium and has a high neutron cross-section, it was necessary that an efficient hafnium-separation method be developed before the superiority of zirconium as a structural material in nuclear reactors could be realized. The Albany plant was built and operated for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) under Letter Agreement AT-(11-1) -140, patterned after a plant operated by the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp. at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Construction was begun in April 1951. Hafnium was to be extracted preferentially as hafnium thiocyanate from an aqueous mixture of zirconyl and hafnyl chlorides in hexone (methyl isobutyl ketone) by a liquid-liquid countercurrent system.

Jan 1, 1959

By W. W. Adams

[Sales of explosives - permissible explosives5/ other high explosives, and black blasting powder - in the United States during the calendar year 1937 reached a combined total that slightly exceeded the quantity sold in 1936. A larger output was reported for permissible and other high explosives but a smaller for black powder. Production of the three classes of explosives totaled 404,744,294 pounds, more than 3 percent over 1336. The total quantity produced included 49,579,441 pounds of permissible, 288,924,253 pounds of other high ex- plosives, 36,403,950 pounds of black powder in pellet form, and 23,836,550 pounds of black powder in granular form. Sales of granular black powder declined 26 percent compared with 1936 and of pellet black powder 12 percent; gales of permissible explosives increased nearly 4 percent and of other high explosives 10 percent]

Jan 1, 1938

By J. R. Thoenen

In the summer of 1937 the authors began a series of time studies of the various processes employed in' the production of crushed stone. These studies, made at quarries situated in the eastern and southeastern parts of the United States, have not been completed, but to make results available to the industry as early as possible, it was decided to publish summaries of the studies made to January 1, 1939, as a series of progress reports. The first of these dealt with power-shovel loading and was issued as Report of Investigations 3461 in September 1939. The second, issued in September 1939 as Report of Investigations 3467, dealt with quarry haulage. The present report discusses analyses of time studies of primary drilling at the same group of quarries. OBJECT Or STUDY Pressure of business problems frequently requires the entire attention of quarry management, and in consequence internal plant economies often are neglected. Also, operating officials absorbed in their local problems are prone to overlook possible economies that would attract attention immediately were they critically examining another plant. The authors felt that technical studies at a number of plants, made by impartial engineers, might disclose opportunities to reduce costs or improve efficiency in internal plant processes.

Jan 1, 1940

By Robert E. Green

This Final Report summarizes the results of work accomplished under Contract No. J0215039. It is in an executive overview or executive summary format. The number and description of the various technical reports prepared and submitted is outlined. The essential changes and reasons for the revised program schedule/contract modifications actually enacted in May 1982 are discussed in detail. The evolving mines/deposits list and the accompanying criteria classifications are explained along with the verifications/justifications for adding or deleting specific mines/deposits to the list. Difficulties and problems experienced during the different phases of the project in conjunction with the ensuing remedies are highlighted. The final section of they report is devoted to presenting Davy McKee's suggestions for improvements to future MAS commodity studies. Appendix I is comprised of three of the evolving mines/deposits lists starting with the original RFP list and ending with the final completed list. Appendices II and Ill are tabulated summaries of property data including reserves/resources, assays, production, and operating costs. The figures for the specific mines/deposits are given in "range of values" so as to protect the confidentiality of the individual owners/ operators.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. A. Beall

Consumable-electrode arc melting is now accepted throughout the industry as the best method for producing ingots of zirconium, titanium, molybdenum, and their alloys. In addition, the technique is widely used in laboratories for fusing samples of such metals as hafnium, chromium, tantalum, columbium, and thorium. The production of consumable electrodes from these metals presents some rather difficult problems, the accepted industrial solution being the use of heavy powder-metallurgy-type presses. This paper summarizes information on fabrication of consumable electrodes by this and alternative means, such as sintering, nippling, and welding lightly pressed compacts of scrap metal. A possible saving of considerable capital investment is shown in the case of sintered compacts. The electrical circuit components of a pilot sintering unit are analyzed. INTRODUCTION The consumable-electrode arc-melting process has been accepted by most of the industry as the best method at present for producing high-quality pure or alloy in-got from sponge titanium or zirconium. This technique is not particularly new, having been patented by Von Bolton (l)3/ in 1909 for melting tantalum. However, it has been applied to industrial-scale operation only in the last few years. Among the important contributions to this technique are the work of Kroll (2) and Parke and Ham (3) and the work reported by the Office of Naval Research (4). The Bureau of Mines-has added considerably to the knowledge of this process (5-9).

Jan 1, 1956

By S. J. Pearce

The need for a simple, very sensitive, and accurate method for the determination of benzene in blood and urine was evident throughout a recent study of chronic benzene (C6H6) poisoning conducted cooperatively by the United States Bureau of Mines, The Barrett Company, and the producers of benzene. A combustion method which will be described in a later publication, end a previously described5/ adaptation of Smyth's method were developed and used during that investigation. The adaptation of Smyth's method gave satisfactory results when dealing with exposure conditions that produced chronic poisoning in a comparatively few days, but it was time-consuming and lacked the accuracy necessary for a study of the absorption, distribution, and fate of benzene in the body during exposure to threshold concentrations of benzene vapor in air. The combustion procedure was satisfactory from the standpoint of sensitivity but was cumbersome, intricate, time-consuming, and required the use of special and somewhat expensive physical and. chemical apparatus. Following the termination of this study of chronic poisoning, possibilities for developing better methods occurred, and these have been investigated by the Bureau of Mines with the aid of Relief Works Division personnel. A microcolorimetric method for the determination of benzene in air has been described recently.6/ The present report deals with the adaptation of this new colorimetric method to the determination

Jan 1, 1936