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By Richard G. Sandberg

The Bureau of Mins, U.S. Department of the Interior, is investigating a hydrometallurgical procedure to conserve cobalt, nickel, and copper by recovering the metals from the matte byproducts of smelting Missouri lead ores. For want of adequate processing technology the mattes are now either unmarketable or marginally so. The procedure involves leaching with manganese dioxide and sulfuric acid to obtain copper, nickel, cobalt, lead, and manganese sulfates, and elemental sulfur as expressed by the following reaction: MS + MnO2 + 2H2SO4 ? MSO4 + MnS04 + S° + 2H2O, where M = Cu, Ni, Co, and Pb. The leach solutions, containing near theoretical amounts of sulfuric acid and manganese dioxide at 85° to 100° C, convert up to 98 pct of the cobalt, nickel, and copper in the mattes to sulfates in less than 2 hr. As they are formed, the cobalt, nickel, and copper sulfates are dissolved leaving a residue of lead sulfate, lead, sulfur, and gangue. The soluble metals are recovered from the leach solutions by caustic and sulfide precipitation, and the residue returned to the smelter for lead recovery. The manganese can be reclaimed from the spent leach liquor as manganese oxide and recycled to leaching.

Jan 1, 1979

By P. G. Barnard

The Bureau of Mines investigated the effects of various additions of rare-earth metals or rare-earth oxides on the mechanical properties of cast and wrought plain-carbon steels. Rare-earth metals, as misch metal, were added to medium-carbon steel in amounts to 0.70 weight-percent; rare-earth oxides, as a commercial mixture, were added in amounts to 1.50 weight-percent. The melting and casting of conditioned steels were done in a vacuum-induction furnace, to avoid formation of oxides from the melting atmosphere and to pro-vide better control over chemical composition. At room temperature, data for tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and hardness of cast and wrought steels were obtained by standard testing equipment and procedures. Impact tests were conducted on as-cast steel specimens. The greatest amount of tensile ductility and impact strength was obtained in as-cast steel with 0.50 to 0.70 weight-percent misch metal additions. No significant improvement on mechanical properties was indicated in wrought steels containing rare-earth metal additions in the range from 0.10 to 0.70 weight-percent. In general, the rare-earth oxide additions up to 1.50 weight-percent had little effect on the tensile properties of steel in the cast, wrought and annealed, or wrought and normalized condition.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. F. Barkley

"The fly-ash problem of the smoke-abatement engineer - who now might well be titled, ""Smoke and Fly-Ash Abatement Engineer"" - starts with the necessity for him to know what fly ash really is, what plants really create it, and how much is being created. Fly ash in this connection may be defined as all solid particles emitted to the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of fuel.COMPOSITION OF FLY ASHMuch can be learned about fly ash by studying samples with a strong magnifying glass or, preferably, a high-power microscope. As an example, figure 1 is a photomicrograph of an underfeed-stoker fly ash weighing 23.7 pounds per cubic foot, which passed a baffle-type cinder catcher and was caught by a Cottrell precipitator. Figure 2 shows a similar fly ash made at a higher stoker rating and weighing 36.2 pounds per cubic foot. The lighter ash contains more light, unconsolidated ash than the heavier. In both instances some of the ash has been fused to a glass, as is indicated by the spherical particles resembling marbles; however, the heavier dust contains more and larger spheres. With the faster burning and higher air pressures occurring at the higher burning rates, more of the larger fused spheres reached the precipitator.Such studies of fly ash frequently make possible correct determination of its source. For example, the Supreme Court Building, one of the finest of the Federal buildings in Washington, was having considerable difficulty with fly ash from some outside plant. It was thought to come from a nearby apartment house. A fly-ash trap was installed there, and care was taken in the operation of their underfeed stokers. The fly-ash nuisance continued. Microscopic examination of the fly ash found about the building compared with samples taken from the stack of the apartment house showed to the surprise of the accusing building superintendent that the present source was elsewhere. By the same means, the source was found to be a plant about ore-half mile away."

Sep 1, 1939

By R. T. Artz

Disposal of sewage is an important part of mine sanitation. Improper... handling and.disposing of sewagerare conducive to the spread of disease and often add foul and nauseating odors to the mine air. The diseases spread by unsafe methods of disposing of waste in mines are typhoid fever, cholera, amebic dysentery, hookworm, and other intestinal diseases due to parasites. Sanitary toilet facilities, with a good sewage-disposal system, each maintained in good order at all times, should help to prevent the spread of diseases transmitted by intestinal body wastos. The metal and nonmetal-mining industries have recognized the impor-dma tance and need for disposing sewage properly; accordingly, facilities of some sort are installed and need today in most large mines. The coal-mining industry has given little thought to the disposal of sewage underground; however, in most mines of the anthracite industry, the inflow of large vol- unes of highly acid mine water and the extensive drainage system required to remove this water provide a natural means for disposing of sewage.

Dec 1, 1946

By G. S. Rice

To those concerned in attaining greater safety to life and incidentally to property in coal mining, the meeting of representatives of the national mine safety research organiza¬ tions of the principal coal-producing countries, which was called by the Safety in Mines Research Board of Great Britain at its experimental station near Buxton, should have deep significance. It is notable, first, because it meant the friendly cooperation of countries not many years ago engaged on either side in the great World War; and second, because of the remarkable degree of agreement in the essential fundamental factors and methods of attaining greater safety in coal mines when it is considered that the questions were approached by different paths and that the applications dealt with widely differing natural conditions and national points of view. Varying views, of course, were held as to the relative importance of certain factors, but the differences were of detail rather than of principle. When the meeting adjourned it was unanimously agreed that such meetings should be continued annually and that the greatest benefit was to be derived by close cooperation in the exchange of data. Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States were represented by one or several members of the respective national research organization. It is of interest to note that this research work in Belgium, France, and Germany is supported directly by na¬ tional organizations of mine operators or owners but placed under a scientist appointed by the respective Government, thus giving the work official standing. In Great Britain the work is carried on by a Government board, consisting of persons connected with the coal¬ mining industry or in mining research, appointed by the Secretary for Mines, to direct the work of research of the Mines Department. It does not, however, come under its inspection service. Its work is supported by a penny-a-ton tax on output of coal. In the United States the mine-safety research work is directly supported by the Federal Government.

Dec 1, 1932

By Robert E. Barieau

A list of 163 references to original experimental PVT data on helium is presented for the period 1895 to 1968. The list is complete as of the start of the Helium Centennial Year, 1968, to the best of the author's knowledge. Citations were keypunched for easy updating and are listed alphabetically by author.

Jan 1, 1968

By Bruce McDonald

This report contains the findings of a study to perform a task and skill analysis of roof-bolting operations, with respect to the operational training requirements and to prepare detailed recommendations for the operational training system. The extent of the problem was determined by visiting underground coal mines, interviewing training and safety personnel, observing and interviewing roof-bolter operators, and reviewing present training programs and facilities. In conjunction with the mine visits an extensive literature search was conducted with emphasis on training, mine safety, and accidents involving the roof-bolting operation and roof-bolter operators. A number of training programs and training devices were considered resulting in the development of a recommended training program including training devices to be used and establishing training objectives.

Jan 1, 1977

By Wing G. Agnew

It is thought that a brief description of the unique mining and milling procedure at the Doyle nine may be interesting to those engaged in small-scale operations at old mines or in working new ore body adjacent to old workings. It also shows what can be done with r. small capital outlay in working a zinc-lead mine on a small scale; as the operation herein described was begun 3 years ago with four men and it now employs 17 men. The original idea was to mine out any ore left around the edges of some old stones above the water level and to rob pillars after an old stope became filled with waste and tailings. This has been done, and the procedure is still being followed; at the same time a paying lead is being mined toward an area in which churn-drill holes have shown ore. Also, preparations are now being made to do some pumping.

Jan 1, 1936

By P. J. Colbassani

Samples of mine atmospheres collected by Federal coal-mine inspectors during their inspections and investigations of coal mines, in accordance with provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act (66 Stat. 692; 30 U. S. C., sees. 451-483) are analyzed routinely by chemical methods at Bureau of Mines laboratories. When samples collected in open workings of nongassy coal mines at points not less than 12 inches from the roof, face, or rib contain 0.25 percent or more methane, the act requires the operator, during operation of such mine, to comply with the provisions of sec. 209, Title II, of the act, which pertain to gassy mines. The methane con-tents of such samples are determined by a physical method based on infrared absorption spectrometry to provide an independent check on analytical results obtained by chemical methods. This information circular describes the equipment and procedures used by the Bureau for determining low concentrations of methane in coal mine atmospheres by infrared absorption spectrometry. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are indebted to Dr. R. A. Friedel, Chief of Spectrometric Section, Branch of Coal-to-Oil Research, Bureau of Mines, for suggesting the analytical method and for furnishing valuable advice and assistance, and to J. A. Queiser of his staff for making exploratory measurements by this method; to Dr. M. G. Zabetakis of the Division of Explosives Technology for his assistance during the conduct of preliminary experimentation; and to L. B. Berger, Chief, Branch of Health Research, under whose guidance the equipment was procured and the work conducted.

Jan 1, 1958

By Allen D. Look

Use of two-way radio communication at the Santa Rita open pit of the Kennecott Copper Corp. has furnished a satisfactory answer to the problem of communications for an operation covering an extended area. Coordination of operations has resulted, with little loss of time in making changes during the shift. Repairs are facilitated, and safety of operations is increased through better control of blasting and hazardous conditions. INTRODUCTION Expansion of mining operations brings increasing needs of improved communications to coordinate the mechanized operations that contribute to the efficiency of present-day open-pit methods. Equipment found satisfactory when first installed becomes inadequate as distances and demands increase. It is the, purpose of this paper to record the progress being made by one mine in meeting this problem.

Jan 1, 1952

By O. C. Blade

Diesel fuel is being used in greater volume than ever before in the United States. During 1950 railroads used 43 percent of the total volume of Diesel fuel sold, smelters, mines, and manufacturing plants used about 13 percent, highway vehicles such as trucks and busses, and equipment such as tractors and bulldozers accounted for approximately 20 percent, about 12 percent was used by water craft, and the remaining 12 percent by gas and electric utilities, the military forces, and oil companies. These figures were calculated from data issued by the Bureau of Mines. 2/ Comparable figures for 1951 and for 1952 to date are not available, but recent information indicates that well over 11,000,000 barrels of Diesel fuel per month are produced by the country's refineries. 3/ More information on this increasingly important type of engine fuel is needed by the petroleum industry, engine manufacturers, and consumers, particularly on the grades and qualities of the Diesel fuels being marketed. To supply this information the American Petroleum Institute and the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, under cooperative agreement, are conducting annual surveys of Diesel fuel oil produced in refineries in this country.

Jan 1, 1952

By Frank E. Williams

This Bureau of Mines report deals with the urbanization of Tucson, Ariz., a southwestern city with an arid environment. Zoning regulations concerning known aggregate sources are described, and information relating to projected needs for the urban area is furnished. History of growth is outlined not only for the local aggregate industry, but also for the entire urban area. Past conditions are pointed out and background material for future conditions is provided.

Jan 1, 1967

By R. J. Bielicki

A sorption apparatus for measuring the equilibrium sorption isotherm and the rate of diffusion of methane from fine-sized coal was designed and constructed. Preliminary work that used Pittsburgh and Pocahontas No. 3 coal shows that the diffusion coefficient varies with pressure and that the fracture spacing in these two coals is substantially different.

Jan 1, 1972

By Walter E. Lewis

The Fort Randall Reservoir project, on the Missouri River at Pickstown, S. Dak., was designed by the Corps of Engineers and is part of the Missouri River Basin Development Program. The location of the project with respect to adjacent features is shown' in figure 1. When the project is finished, it will include a large earthwork dam and 12 circular tunnels, 8 of which will be equipped for power and 4 for flood control. Various phases of the construction have been contracted to independent companies, and at present four companies are working on different phases of the project under a rigid time schedule. Western Contracting Corp. is the contractor on stage II, earthwork; Johnson-Winston Construction Co. is the contractor for construction of the intake towers at the upstream side of the dam; McCarthy Improvement Co. has the contract for the power house and the outlet works on the downstream side; and Silas Mason Co. has the contract for driving the power and flood-control tunnels. The latter two companies use the same roads for ingress and egress to their respective work areas and the same general waste dump area. Under such circumstances, it is necessary that each company stay on a time schedule in regular sequence to avoid interference with the other.

Jan 1, 1951

By R. H. Storch, D. C. Holt

During reconnaissance investigations of more than 300 stream areas in Idaho to determine the potential value of ilmenite in black - sand placer deposits 46 deposits were explored by churn drilling , trenching , test pitting , or shafting . The component mineral content and total black - sand content were determined for more than 8,690 reconnaissance and exploration samples . Data compiled during the investigation indicate a good potential for large , low- grade deposits containing ilmenite , monazite , columbite , euxenite , uranothorite , and other radioactive black minerals and accessory black - sand minerals . The data also indicate most deposits will be economic only if several component minerals can be recovered as coproducts .

Jan 1, 1963

By J. G. Kirby

According to the Bureau of Mines annual survey, as of January 1, 1954 there were 337 refineries with a total daily crude-oil throughput capacity of 8,006,897 barrels. The total daily capacity increased 368,236 barrels during the year while the total number of refineries declined 6. The capacity of the average refinery to process crude oil therefore increased during 1953 from 22,270 barrels to 23,759. With the exception of the Texas Inland, all refining districts reported gains in the installed capacity for the year, the largest being the Louisiana Gulf Coast with an increase of 20 percent. A total of 397,500 barrels of additional crude oil capacity was reported as under construction January 1, 1954. Accounting for 129,500 barrels of this total are facilities for 3 new refineries in North Dakota, 2 in Washington and I each in Ohio and Utah. Equipment being installed to replace existing units, totaled 180,750 barrels daily.

Jan 1, 1954

By S. H. Ash

[On December 2, 1932, the Governor of California called upon the representatives of the mining industry of the State to attend a meeting at Sacramento to discuss ways and means of assisting is relieving some of its perplexing and extremely distressing problems, particularly the mounting cost of accidents which faces the industry with an industrial insurance rate for classification of $11.85 per $100 of pay roll, effective January 1, 1033. The significance of this fact is at once apparent when it is realized that the classification rates per $100 of pay roll for mining have steadily increased for some time, as follows: $3.91 in 1924, $5.54 in 1925 and 1926, $8.04 in 1927, $8.53 in 1928, $9.05 in 1929, $9.42 in 1930, $10.54 in 1931, $10.99 in 1952, and $11.85 in 1133. In other words, the cost rates have acre than doubled, wile statistics indicate that the accident rates nave shown an entirely different trend. At the meeting mentioned, one of the management officials sounded an effective keynote when he declared that a spade should be called: a spade. The perplexing problems of any industry can be approached best and remedies applied if that policy is kept to the front. It is appropriate to mention that high accident rates and a decrease in wages in recent years have unquestionably accounted in part for a unit cost rate, on a pay-roll basis; it also is well to explain that the policy years3 1926 to 1930, inclusive, are the years on which the accident-cost experience for 193: is based. That accident rates :lave not undergone the expected beneficial chance in California's experience is apparent in the words of a Bureau of Mines report:4]

Jan 1, 1933

By Glan Dale Coe, Will H. Coghill

"INTRODUCTION Characteristics of the mineral products that are to be contrasted herein are net energy consumed in grinding to a definite top limiting size and size distribution of the ground products. Through contrasts of these grinding characteristics this paper to differences in related mineral products and in unlike products. For,example, in anticipation of the data to follow, although Joplin chert and Babeitt taconits are running mates in defying the best crushing machinery, taconite is one of the more docile and Joplin chert one of the most refractory mineral products ordinarily fed to a grinding Routine grinding tests on a great variety of ores and tabulation of the findings have been covered amply by Lennox 4/ and by Maxon 5/ and associates. In contrast to that work, the present paper is a record of random tests made over a long period, and each answered an urgent question at the moment. The work was done at the Southern Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama. The pressure of war work prevented an organized investigation."

Apr 1, 1943

By A. D. Hahn

The Federal Bureau of Mines examined ilmenite-bearing sands in southern Texas as part of a program to discover sources of supply for the domestic titanium industry. Deposits were examined from May 1956 through January 1959 in the outcrops of sandstone beds in the Jackson group of Eocene formations in Lee, Burleson, Fayette, and Starr Counties on the Gulf Coastal Plain; in alluvial valley fill in Brewster County in southwest Texas; in the sand beaches of Matagorda Peninsula and the Galveston, Padre, and Brazos Islands--part of the offshore chain of barrier islands along the Texas coast; and in unconsolidated sediments in Willacy County on the Rio Grande delta in the southeast Texas.

Jan 1, 1961

By Seth C. Schaefer

The Bureau of Mines investigated thermodynamic properties of Mn304 (manganomanganic oxide) and Mn203 (manganese sesquioxide). The standard Gibbs energies of formation (?Gf°) of Mn304 and Mn203 from their lower oxides were determined with high-temperature galvanic cells using stabilized Zr02 (zirconia) as the electrolyte. Potential measurements were obtained for the cell Pt, MnO, Mn304//Zr0 2//02(g, 0.0112 atm), Pt, with the overall cell reaction 6Mn0(c) + 02(g, 0.0112 atm) = 2Mn304(c), where- 02 refers to indicated partial pressure of oxygen at the reference electrode. Similar measurements were obtained for the cell Pt, Mn304, Mn203//ZrO2//02(g, 0.0115 atm), Pt, with the overall cell reaction 4Mn304(c) + 02(g, 0.0115 atm) = 6Mn203(c). Equilibrium oxygen pressures for the Mn0-Mn304-02 and Mn304-Mn203-02 systems were measured and may be expressed for the respective systems as [23,400 109 P02 T + 11.91 (764.9 - 1,208.6 K) and log p02 = - 11,957 + 9.66 T (968.6 - 1,208.2 K),] where pressure (p02) is in atmospheres and temperature (T) is in kelvins. Standard thermodynamic properties of Mn304 and Mn203 were derived from these measurements and auxiliary thermodynamic data from the literature.

Jan 1, 1982