Search Documents

By C. H. Elder, M. C. Irani

Two degasification test boreholes were drilled to depths of 1,238 and 1,212 feet on Bureau of Mines property at Bruceton, Pa., as part of the Bureau's long-range coal degasification program. The holes provided detailed geologic information and geologic sections, which were correlated with regional stratigraphic cross sections prepared by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Gas content determinations and coal analyses were made on the Upper Freeport, Middle Kittanning, Clarion, Brookville, and Mercer coalbeds; gas content of the coalbeds ranged from 53 to 165 cubic feet per ton. Formation pressure and gas flow tests were conducted on selected coalbed intervals in borehole 1; formation pressures ranged from 292 to 473 psig. The middle Kittanning coalbed was hydraulically stimulated using very heavy gelled water, but gas production remained low because gel residue and formation water inhibited the flow of gas. Gas contents in the Clarion, Upper Brookville, and Mercer coalbeds were anomalously low owing to the proximity of porous sand- stones which act as reservoirs for gas migrating from coalbeds.

Jan 1, 1977

By A. Gene Collins

Some of the geochemical relationships that exist between subsurface fluids and the associated geologic strata in petroleum producing areas of Louisiana have been determined. Samples of petroleum-associated water were obtained from 126 wells in Louisiana that produced from sediments of three geologic ages: Tertiary, Cretaceous, and Jurassic. The samples were trans-ported to a central laboratory for analysis of chemical composition, using standard methods, to determine if the compositions varied with the geologic strata of their source and, if so, why. The dissolved constituents were com-pared with those of a brine that was concentrated by evaporation. The concentrations of bromide, calcium, and strontium were useful in distinguishing the brines produced from sediments of a late age from those of an earlier age. The concentration ratios of Mg' (total equivalent magnesium) and bromide indicated that dolomitization probably had occurred and altered the composition of the brines. A principal-components analysis of the data indicated an inverse relationship between depth and concentrations of bromide, strontium, calcium, and lithium.

Jan 1, 1970

By Donald R. Irving

ALTHOUGH the quantity of material handled at metal and nonmetal mines in the United States in 1962 was 2.7 billion tons, the same as in 1961, a larger proportion was waste. At metal mines, crude ore production declined 1 million tons and waste output rose more than 18 million tons; at nonmetal mines crude ore production declined 6 million tons and waste output rose 36 million tons. Copper and iron ore producers increased their share of crude ore and material handled from about three-fourths to four-fifths of the national metals total, and sand and gravel and stone producers in-creased their share of the nonmetals total, also from three-fourths to four-fifths. Six States-Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Utah-each handled more than 100 million tons of ore and waste, and together they accounted for 43 percent of the U.S. total. When the large-volume construction materials (sand and gravel and stone) were excluded from the totals, four States-Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Utah-supplied over half of the material handled.

Jan 1, 1963

By R. H. Lien

The Bureau of Mines developed a flue gas desulfurization process as part of its goal of minimizing the undesirable environmental impacts associated with energy and mineral-processing plants. The modified citrate process involves absorption of sulfur dioxide (S02) in a buffered citric acid solution. The S02-loaded solution is regenerated by countercurrent contact with steam in a packed tower. The wet S02 product is then dried and can be liquefied or further processed to make sulfuric acid. Test data from process investigation unit studies are presented. Material balances, flowsheets, and cost estimates are given for recovering S02 from copper smelter reverberatory gas, lead smelter sintering machine tail gas, and power-plant stack gas. Operating cost estimates show the process will add $0.04 per pound of copper, $0.01 per pound of lead, and $0.015 per kwhr to the cost of the respective operations. These costs could be substantially reduced if a source of waste heat was avail-able to provide the process steam requirements.

Jan 1, 1982

Federal lands often contain extensive mineral resources and decisions affecting access to those lands are made with knowledge of the possible minerals-related consequences. Information is provided to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in this report for use in preparing environmental impact statements on the Western Mojave Management Area (WMMA) and the Desert Tortoise Priority Habitat (DTPH). To augment U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) efforts such as the Mineral Assessment of the Planned Foil Irwin Expansion, Modified Silurian Valley Alternative, San Bernardino County, California which is in progress, and the Economic Analysis of the Minerals Potential of the East Mojave National Scenic Area; California, the USBM studied mineral deposits and estimated the potential impacts of mining in a segment of the California desert; the 8.7-million-acre WMMA, an area which includes the 1.2-million-acre Desert Tortoise Priority Habitat (DTPH). In addition, this information is intended to assist administrators, legislators, and the concerned public in understanding the economic importance of mineral resources in the California desert, especially that portion designated as the WMMA. See figure 1.

Jan 1, 1993

By D. R. Tesarik

An instrumentation and numeric modeling study was conducted by the Bureau of Mines at the Magmont Mine in Bixby, MO. An isolated section of this room-and-pillar mine was monitored with borehole and closure extensometers during a pillar recovery program to determine stress redistribution. In situ stress measurements were taken in the rib before pillar extraction began. Sample cores from the boreholes were taken for analysis of the properties of the host rock in the laboratory. The extensometers recorded no measurable displacements during most of the operation. Two-dimensional, finite-element; three-dimensional, finite-element; and three-dimensional displace-ment discontinuity codes were used to model the area of study. The finite-element models were run with two initial stress conditions, i.e., stress due to gravity only and stress obtained by in situ measurements. Horizontal stresses in the models reduced the calculated factor-of-safety in the mine back by up to a factor of 10, but did not have a significant effect on calculated pillar stability.

Jan 1, 1989

By D. S. Colby

The productive capacity of natural gasoline and cycling plants in the United States or. January 1, 1954, was 926 thousand barrels per day, according to the Bureau of Mines biennial survey. This represented an increase of 114 thousand barrels per day during the 2-year period since the last survey. In the previous 2-year period, capacity had increased 164 thousand barrels per day. The total number of plants increased from 521 on January 1, 1952, to 535 on January 1, 1954. The number of operating plants increased from 506 to 521. The major increases in capacity took place in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico, with the absorption-type plant continuing to account for most of the new construction. In 1954, however, 6 plants reported using a refrigeration process whereas only 1 plant reported this in 1952. The number of operating compression-type plants continued to decline and combination plants showed a decline this year because a number of these plants were reclassified as absorption-type.

Jan 1, 1954

By Robert D. Schmidt

This Bureau of Mines report describes the development and application of a computer model for simulating the hydrological activity associated with in situ leaching. The model is intended to provide uranium resource developers with a description of the flow behavior of leachants and ground water during the development, production, and restoration phases of a leaching operation involving an arbitrary pattern of injection and recovery wells. Different aquifer environments are modeled, using a closed-form solution to the partial differential equation that describes three-dimensional changes in piezometric head as a result of pumping from leachant injection and recovery wells. The computer program can model a maximum of, 50 arbitarily located wells. Numerical techniques involving difference quotients and Taylor expansions about time points are used to derive time, velocity, areal sweep, and fluid volume parameters associated with leaching hydraulics. These parameters are output by the program in graphic and tabular formats. Other numeric methods insure that the program running time is minimized without significantly affect-ing the accuracy of results.

Jan 1, 1980

By T. O. Llewellyn

The Bureau of Mines, as part of its goal to develop technology that can conserve domestic mineral resources investigated beneficiation methods for recovering phosphate minerals from two Southern Florida deposits with high magnesium content. Chemical analyses of sized fractions indicated that no coarse pebble concentrate could be produced from either deposit. Conventional fatty acid-fuel oil batch flotation tests on two phosphate samples, analyzing 6.8 and 8.5 pct P205, yielded concentrates containing 28.97 to 29.80 pct P20S at recoveries ranging from 72.4 to 76.9 pct of the flotation feed. The MgO content ranged from 1.20 to 1.36 pct. Bubbling S02 gas through an aqueous concentrate slurry, further reduced the MgO content of these phosphate concentrates to 0.5 and 0.8 pct, but with a concomitant loss in the phosphate recovery. Settling characteristics of slimes from both phosphate samples showed a slow settling rate, which is a typical characteristic of other slimes in the region.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. W. Thompson

OWNERSHIP OF ORE-CONSTRUCTION OF CONTRACT. A contract between the Republic Mines Corporation and the Quilp Gold Mining Co. provided that upon forfeiture of its rights under a contract the Republic Mines Corporation was required to give a good and sufficient deed conveying to the Quilp Gold Mining Co. all ore bodies of every description lying east of the west line of the Quilp Mining Co. claim extended downward vertically and lying south of the north end line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically and which may apex within the lines of the Surprise, an adjoining mining claim. It must be presumed that the contracting parties under such circumstances had in view their statutory rights as provided by the mining statutes of the United States, and that both were familiar with the provisions as to extra- lateral rights granted by the statute to locators of mining claims. This contract means to include all ore bodies of every description lying east (or easterly) of the west (or westerly) line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically and south (or southerly) of the north end line of the Quilp claim extended downward vertically within the Quilp claim excepting the part that was overlapped by the Surprise claim, owned by the Republic Mines Corporation. Quilp Gold Min. Co. v. Republic Mines Corp. (Washington), 165 Pacific 57, p. 61. PURCHASE OF GAS-REFUSAL TO DELIVER SALE TO OTHERS. A gas company that had entered into a contract to purchase a quantity of natural gas refused to receive and accept the gas that was tendered on the ground that it did not conform to the requirements of the contract; subsequently the company refused to sign a writing by which it was asked to consent to the sale of such gas to other persons. But the refusal of the purchasing company to sign such a writing giving its consent or its refusal to consent to such sale did. not affect the rights of the seller to dispose of the gas elsewhere and to other persons. OWNERSHIP OF MINERALS IN HIGHWAY. All mineral deposits within the limits of a highway belong to the owner of the fee and he is entitled to remove them so long as he does not interfere with the public use of the highway. City of Scranton v. Scranton Coal Co. (Pennsylvania), 100 Atlantic 813, p. 819. SALE AND CONVEYANCE. SALE AND CONVEYANCE EXCEPTION AND RESERVATION. The owner of an undivided interest in oil and gas lands conveyed the same to certain named grantees by deed containing a clause excepting and reserving all the oil and gas produced from the undi- vided interest in the land described. The language is not apt for the creation of either an exception or a reservation, but is rather that of a layman unfamiliar with legal distinctions. Strictly and literally construed, it affords a basis for a contention that that which was excepted and reserved was not realty in any form or anything inci- dent thereto, but personalty produced from the land. Immediately following the description of the tract, the grantor excepted and reserved something from the land described. What he excepted and reserved, he excepted and reserved then, and it was from his interest in the land. The clause expressed according to the evident intention of the grantor would read: "Excepting and reserving from the above all oil or gas which may hereafter be produced therefrom." No other construction can reasonably be placed upon the language used. The carving out of a separate estate in the oil and gas in land is a common occurrence in oil and gas producing fields. Mandle v. Gharing (Pennsylvania), 100 Atlantic 535, p. 536. RESERVATION CONSTRUED AS AN EXCEPTION. Where apt words of reservation are used in a deed they will be construed as an exception where this is the evident intention of the parties to the instrument. Although an exception and a reservation differ in legal effect, yet in their creation there is no magic in words, and if the meaning is clear either expression will operate for the purpose designed. The technical distinction between an exception and a reservation is frequently disregarded in the ordinary use of the word, and whether the language used creates an exception or a reservation must be determined from the intention of the parties ascertained from the entire instrument.

Jan 1, 1917

By Bill M. Stewart

The Bureau of Mines conducted laboratory tests to determine the effects on the physical properties of coarse coal waste of adding large amounts of fine coal waste. Maximum laboratory dry density, optimum moisture content, shear strength, and permeability tests were conducted on samples that contained 18 to 60 pct minus No.4 (U.S. Standard sieve size) coal waste. For the nonslaky materials, maximum laboratory densities were highest and permeabilities lowest when the samples contained between 30 and 40 pct minus No.4. Shear strength increased rapidly when the proportion of minus No. 4 was increased from 20 to 40 pct, but then increased only slightly or leveled off when the minus No. 4 was increased to 60 pct. Optimum moisture content and permeability were the physical properties most affected by the addition of fines. Optimum moisture content increased as much as 3 pct, and permeabilities decreased up to three orders of magnitude. Slaky coal waste material had physical property reactions to the addition of fines substantially different from those of nonslaky material.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. E. Zeilinger

This Bureau of Mines report describes the preparation characteristics of the significant coalbeds of the Ohio coalfield. Washability analyses were made on 39 coalbed samples collected from a 14-county area. None of the samples were of metallurgical quality as received. Nine of the samples could be sufficiently upgraded to produce metallurgical-grade products, and the remaining 30 samples could not be upgraded to this quality because their sulfur contents could not be lowered to meet the standard. For steam or power generation, 10 of the samples were of medium sulfur content as received and one could be upgraded to a low sulfur content. Of the 29 samples having a high sulfur content as received, 18 could be upgraded to a medium sulfur content. The original sulfur content of the other 11 samples having a high sulfur content as received can be appreciably reduced by removal of the sink 1.58 specific gravity material; however, these coals would be classified as high sulfur coals both before and after removal of the sink 1.58 specific gravity material.

Jan 1, 1972

By P. C. Van Natter

Numerous mine fires have resulted in high death tolls and considerable finan¬cial loss during the history of coal mining. In most instances the death toll and financial loss were greater because of inadequate fire-fighting facilities. The information in this report is presented in the hope it may serves as a guide in the selection, placement, and care of fire-protection systems in similar coal mines. The adequacy of fire protection varies according to size of operation, employment, and production. When fires occur on the surface or underground, measures must be applied quickly to prevent incipient fires from spreading. The record of coal-mine fires shows that, in many instances, facilities for combating fires were very meager or were absent. It would be virtually impossible to establish and maintain all the necessary facili¬ties that may be needed to extinguish widespread mine fires, but it is believed that the coal industry can ill afford less than the minimum required by other industries where the time element and avenues of escape are much more favorable.

Jan 1, 1958

By D. L. Boreck

Thick coal seams are common in the Western United States, Many seams are over 50 it thick (some are over 200 ft thick) and are too deep to extract using surface methods. Currently, such deposits are developed using standard "eastern" mining methods which only extract a few feet of total seam thickness, often rendering the remaining coal unminable with current technology. Novel methods that increase thick-seam recovery have been developed and are currently being used in Europe. These methods--high-face single-pass and multislice longwall, longwall caving, and hydraulic mining--have great potential for use in the United States. Successful use of these methods is an objective of the Bureau of Mines. Their use requires, among other things, a full evaluation of geologic features common to thick coals. The objective of this report is to present and summarize those features that will affect the introduction of the methods into thick-seam mines in the Western United States. The geologic elements delineated are three-dimensional configuration of the seam, cleat development, joints and fractures, roof and floor lithology, and faulting.

Jan 1, 1986

By F. M. Goodwin, Campbell. John, W. J. Hiffs, G. W. Jones

"INTRODUCTION In cooperation with The Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Boston, Mass., and the Boston Consolidated Gas Co. a survey has been conducted continuously since 1929 by the United States Bureau of Mines to determine the general hazards of combustible gases and vapors in manholes of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. The New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. also has cooperated in the investigation, and tests have been made in its manholes since May 1, 1933.Yearly reports 6 giving the results obtained since the start of the survey have been published.The method and procedure of conductin, the survey in 1935 were the same as heretofore.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe cooperative investigation was arranged through the interest and effort of F. D. Comerford, president of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Boston; E. N. Farnesworth, Jr., vice president and general manager of the Boston Consolidated Gas Co.; and A. C. Fieldner chief engineer, Experiment Stations Division, U. S. Bureau of Mines. Thomas H. Haines, superintendent, Distribution Department, of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co., cooperated in furnishing men and information for the work,"

Oct 1, 1936

As longwall shields are lowered in preparation for advance, dust from the canopy falls directly into the air stream with the potential of becoming entrained. Historical dust sampling data from the early 1980s shows that shield advance contributed an average of 12 percent to the airborne respirable dust levels found on longwalls in the United States. Data from the 1990s indicates that shield dust liberation had increased to an average of 23 percent. Increased longwall production levels over this time resulted in the need to move a larger number of shields during each shift, while an increase in air velocities on the face was also occurring. These factors combine to suggest that greater quantities of shield dust are being entrained into the face air. A series of controlled laboratory tests were conducted in a test stand simulating shield dust entrainment to evaluate changes in airborne respirable dust levels at different air velocities. Significant differences in respirable dust entrainment were observed. The test facility, test methodology, and dust sampling results will be reviewed and discussed

By N. A. Eilertsen

This report describes field investigations conducted in 1953 of two occurrences of manganese and a separate magnetic anomaly in the Southern manganese district of Aroostook County, vicinity of Houlton, Maine -the Pierce deposits, in Hammond Plantation Township; the Burnham anomaly, also in Hammond Plantation; and the Nickerson-Farm prospect in Hodgdon Township. The manganese occurs in a thinly laminated sedimentary rock containing manganiferous carbonate interlayered with fine-grained metamorphosed sediment, rich in chlorite or hematite. The surrounding rocks are mostly dark gray-green slates. Samples composited for metallurgical testing from the Pierce deposits and the Nickerson-Farm prospect assayed 9.0 to 12.3 percent of manganese. More than 90 percent of the manganese could be extracted with sulfuric acid, but in most instances 30 to 40 percent of the iron was also extracted. Leaching tests indicated that, after being reduced in a hydrogen stmosphere at 600° C., about 85 percent of the manganese could be selectively extracted by a solution of ammonia-ammonium carbonate with iron extraction of only 14 percent.

Jan 1, 1958

By Michael S. Miller

In 1987, 1988 and 1989, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the Sperry Creek Wilderness Study Area (OR-003-035; 5,600 acres) and the Gold Creek Wilderness Study Area (OR-003-033; 13,600 acres), plus an additional area (OR-003-033; 2,180 acres) adjacent to the Gold Creek Wilderness Study Area. The wilderness study areas and the addition are south of the Malheur River and are about 20 miles east of Juntura, Oregon. The wilderness study areas and the addition are underlain by volcanic rocks, predominantly basalt and rhyolite flows, breccias, and welded ash-flow tuffs. Lacustrine deposits containing diatomites occur mainly at the east side of the Gold Creek Wilderness Study Area and addition. Alluvium lies along the Malheur River, in terraces and fans south of the Malheur River, and along the floors of some creeks. Shear zones and faults have offset the rocks and provided channels for eruption of volcanic rocks and epithermal mineralization by hot springs.

Jan 1, 1989

By B. J. Moore

This Bureau of Mines publication contains analyses and related source data for 276 natural gas samples from 23 States. All samples except four were collected during calendar year 1984. Those four samples were collected earlier, but releases granting permission to publish were not received until 1984. All samples were obtained and analyzed as part of Bureau of Mines investigations of the occurrences of helium in natural gases of countries with free market economies. This survey has been conducted since 1917. The analyses published herein were made by the mass spectrometer and chromatograph. The results of these investigations are published annually to make the information available to the petroleum industry and the general public. Twenty-eight publications have presented the results of 13,957 gas analyses made prior to 1984. The first three bulletins (1-3)2 contain analyses and related source data on 5,218 gas samples collected from 1917 through 1960; these bulletins have been supplemented annually by information circulars (4-17, 19-24, 26-28) containing 8,453 analyses of samples collected since 1960.

Jan 1, 1985

By Bernadette C. Michalski

THE RAPID GROWTH of the small Albanian mineral industry in the 1950's began to taper off by 1961 and slackened sharply in 1963. The abandonment of Soviet and East European technical assistance programs in mid-1961 greatly affected Albania's mineral development, since four-fifths of all technical aid personnel were engaged in mineral activities. Chinese assistance apparently has not been able to fill the void. Overall mineral production increases during 1961-63 averaged 1 percent per year in value, as compared with 3 percent in 1959 and 5 percent in 1960. Although by world standards Albanian mineral output, except for chromite, is insignificant, it is vital to the country's domestic economy. The mineral industry generated about 14 percent of the gross industrial product in 1962 and employed a notable share of the industrial labor force. In recent years, mineral products have provided about three-fifths of the country's exports by value. Chromite and iron-nickel ores together constituted from one-fourth to one-third of the total export value. In 1963, total trade turnover increased 12 percent over 1962.

Jan 1, 1964