Search Documents

By Kenneth Eilerts

[Efficient and econonic production of ?etroleum requiros knowledge of the propertios of rescrvoir fluids a:$. their characterintics of flow throayh porous forclntions. The cllanga in propertie s and flow characteri s- tics of fluids when their corosition is altercd cs a rnsult of reservoir- pressure decliae is of 'mecial i~ortenct? ir, planning wall-spaAng pro.yama and production schedules. Rct~ntion of the ~eatent poscible quantity of dissolved gac in the rescrvoir liquid gnneml'y is recognized cs ess~ntisl to mxim ultimzte recoverj of oil fro3 the underground reecrvoir. Ilo:rever, pro6uction mothodn tending to mintain gis in solution in the oil and re- sulting in the optimm ocolo~ic recgvery of oil not only vary from field to fiold but also my have to be changed from time to time in a given field as it is being depleted of its recoveraklo oil. Const vestly there is need tc investigztc tY.e propertiec of resa:-voir f kids corresponding to successivc stages of reservoir depleJ&ion with the view of obtnining infomation oacential to efficient prcriuctian practices.]

Jan 1, 1939

By Arno C. Fieldner

This is the fifth of a series of annual reports4/ of technologic investigations conducted by the Bureau of Mines on the occurrence, properties, mining, preparation, and uses of coal. The research of the Bureau is carefully coordinated with the requirements of the producing and consuming industries, with a view to conservation of resources of coal in mining and use, and conservation of the health and lives of workmen employed in these industries. Such coordination is facilitated by the wide range of specialization of the several groups on engaged in studies concerning coal. Here are reported correlated studies ranging from paleobotanic analysis of the formation of coal as it occurred some millions of years ago to the effect of mechanical methods of mining on present-day employment in mines. As this is a summary of the current work of the Bureau of Mines, so the Bureau likewise has provided a condensed review of the outstanding current work of others on research and technology of coal 5/.

Jan 1, 1940

By Arthur E. Wells

"The present and possible future commercial production of potash from various sources in the United Status is discussed below under the following heads:1. Potash from the saline lakes.(a) Nebraska lakes.(b) California lakes.(c) Other lakes.2. Potash as by-product from the cement kilns.3. Potash as by-product from the iron blast furnace.4. Potash from silicate rocks.(a) Feldspathic material.(b) Leucite rocks of Wyoming..(c) Sericite slates of Georgia.(d) Glauconite (greensand) of New Jersey.5. Potash from Alunite.6. Potash from organic sources other than kelp.7. Potash from kelp.In this discussion very little more than passing reference, if any, will be given to those projects which up to date have been developed only slightly, if at all, beyond the small scale laboratory stage, or for the development of which there appears to be very little financial and technical backing at the present time. Nether or not many of these proposed projects have merit can be determined only by an actual operating demonstration.Generally speaking, the potash industry of the United States has been hardly more than marking time since the armistice. This is, largely due to the fact that the consumers of potash have been expecting that heavy shipments of foreign potash to the United States would be resumed soon at somewhere near the pre-war prices, and they have not seen owing domestic potash at present prices for many months. The result has been that domestic producers have been unable to sell their product at even cost and many producers of potash have been obliged to close down. Thu Nebraska lake plants were closed down in February. The California saline plants were operating at below capacity, and the only large alunite plant is closed down. Even the cement plants have little or no inducements to recover the potash being lost in their waste gases and the production is very small at present.This condition will doubtless continue until a definite policy is decided upon as to the future importation of potash salts from Germany and. France. If unrestricted importation is allowed at prices even 50% greater than in 1913, only a very few, if any, of the domestic projects will be in position to compete with the foreign potash immediately, and the present industry will probably greatly decline with little or no prospect for a future resumption of the industry."

Aug 1, 1919

"The present and possible futures commercial production of potash from various sources in the United States is discussed below under the following heads:1. Potash from the saline lakes.(a),Nebraska lakes.(b),California lakes.(c),Other lakes.2. Potash as by-product from the cement kilns.3. Potash as by-product from the iron blast furnace.4. Potash from silicate rocks.(a),Feldspathic material.(b),Leucite rocks of Wyoming.(c),Sericite slates of Georgia.(d),Glauconite (greensand) of New Jersey.5. Potash from Alunite.6. Potash from organic sources other than kelp.7. Potash from kelp.In this discussion very little more than passing reference, if any, will be given to those projects which up to date have been de¬veloped only slightly, if at all, beyond the small scale laboratory stage, or for the development of which there appears to be very little financial and technical backing at the present time. Nether or not many of these proposed projects have merit can be determined only by an actual operating demonstration.Generally speaking, the potash industry of the United States has been hardly more than marking time since the armistice. This is, largely due to the fact that the consumers of potash have been expecting that heavy shipments of foreign potash to the United States would be resumed soon at somewhere near the pre-war prices, and they have not been buying domestic potash at present prices for many months. The result has been that domestic producers have been unable to sell their product at even cost and many producers of potash have been obliged to close down. Thu Nebraska lake plants were closed down in February. The California saline plants were operating at below capacity, and the only large alunite plant is closed down. Even the cement plants have little or no inducements to recover the potash being lost in their waste gases, and the production is very small at present."

Jan 1, 1919

By Andrew F. Conn

This report summarizes the results from the first year of an anticipated multiphase program to develop improved coal mining equipment which utilize the CAVIJET? cavitating water jet method. This laboratory parametric study demonstrated the advantages of cavitating jets over non­cavitating jets in cutting coal, by producing comparable slot depths at one-fifth of the operating pressure, at better than one-half of the spe­cific energy. These results suggest that CAVIJET-augmented mining devices can be developed with compact, low-pressure pumps. Thus, CAVIJET should be capable of operating with safer, lighter support equipment, while providing all of the advantages (reduction of dust and sparks, reduced damage to cutters) of conventional hydraulic mining methods.

Jan 1, 1976

By Charles Vaught, Jeff Duncan, Michael J. Brnich, Lisa J. Steiner

This document contains most of the materials needed to use the exercise. The main part of the document is the instructor's copy. It tells how to use the exercise, presents the objectives, the master answer sheet, the scoring key, and discussion notes to be used following the exercise. The next section summarizes results from field tests of the exercise, and reports the miners' evaluation of the activity. The last part of this document is three appendices. Appendix A is the exercise problem booklet. This booklet can be duplicated locally. The booklets are reusable. One is needed for every person in the classroom. Appendix B is the answer sheet. Copies of this answer sheet must have the latent image (invisible) ink answers that appear in Appendix C printed on them.3 Answer sheets are consumable. One is needed for each person or each small group of persons who work the exercise. Exercise Summary Read this section first. It determines if the exercise is appropriate for your classes. If you choose to use the exercise, examine the table of contents and review the remainder of this document. Type: Latent image Audience: Remote control and extended cut miner operators and face crews Length: Eight questions (30 minutes for administration plus 30 for discussion) Skills: Remote control mining procedures including remote control mining, taking extended cuts, resetting breaker on mining machine, and setting timbers. Communicating mine conditions, influencing safe behaviors when mine conditions are less than stable Location: Underground coal mine, four section continuous mining operation Average seam height is 48 inches Problem: Your regular job is on the general labor crew at Cripple Creek #9 mine, a four section continuous mining operation. The mains are 9 entries wide and panels are 5 entries across. You and the rest of the crew had annual refresher training about 3 months ago. For the past few days you have been sent to 2 South panel to fill in as the third shuttle car operator. This morning, however, your buggy is down. The face boss asks you to get the scoop and take seven or eight timbers to the number 5 entry because the last shift got off sight line. The miner will be working in entry 5 while the bolter crew pins entry 4. When you get up to the face you see that Mo, the remote control continuous miner operator, has rounded off the left inby corner in order to make his first cuts in the right hand rib. Now, he has squared around enough so that you and Red, the miner helper, can set some posts on the corner. The two of you set posts along the left inby rib of #5 entry while the shuttle car operator waits. You are in a tight spot when Mo decides to start mining. You must decide where the best place is to stand for safety and to be out of the way.

Jan 10, 1999

By Louis A. Turnbull

An investigation of coal deposits near Cerrillos Santa Fe County, N. Mex., was undertaken 14 the Bureau of Mines in 1943 as part of a general program to determine sources of metallurgical coal for western steel plants. Almost all of the coal used for metallurgical purposes west of the Continental Divide Is mined from the Lower Sunnyside bed in, Carbon County,, Utah. Coke used in western steel plants that is produced from Lower Sunnyside a coal is weaker, structurally, than coke used elsewhere in this country. For this reason, western coal operators and steel manufacturers are anxious to develop new areas of coking coal of better quality then the coal produced from the Sunnyside bed. The objective of investigations of western coals was to (a) develop additional reserves of coking coal to supplement proved reserves in the Sunnyside bed. and (b) develop; if possible, reserves of coal with coking quantities superior to those of Lower Sunnyside

Jan 1, 1951

By Valois R. Shea-Albin

Ground control problems are an important factor affecting safety, production, and efficiency in underground coal mines. A major portion of ground control problems encountered in underground coal mines can be attributed to geologic features in the strata surrounding the extracted coal seam. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has compiled information from numerous sources on the geological features that contribute to ground control problems in underground coal mines. The compilation includes (1) sedimentary features such as paleochannels, crevasse splays, clastic dikes, mold-and-cast structures, concretions, and lithologic factors, and (2) structural features such as folds, fractures, joints, cleat, and faults. The compiled information will aid in identifying the features, predicting their occurrence in advance of mining, and controlling or minimizing roof failure when these features are encountered in an underground coal mine.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. P. Walker

"INTRODUCTION Sponge iron has been made commercially since 1912 at a Swedish ceramic plant; and the product, known as Swedish disk-type nagger sponge iron, has an excellent reputation as a superior furnace feed wherever high-grade steels are made.The general procedure for making brickyard sponge iron was described frequent in Swedish technical journals before 1932 and at that time consisted in filling clay refractory containers, called saggers, with iron ore plus the necessary quantity of solid reducing agent and then firing in an ordinary ceramic kiln. Two types of sponge iron were made in this way: (1) An inferior, high-sulfur product obtained by mixing the ore and solid reducing agent; and (2) a high-grade, low-sulfur product made by filling the sagger with alternete layers of unmixed ore and reducer, yielding sintered disks of metallic iron particles.Swedish disk-type sponge iron of interest to the steel industry because it has a very low sulfur content, even when made by the use of low-grade, high-sulfur coals for reducing and firing. The Swedish product also contains little siliceous gangue residue and is almost phos¬phorus-free. To those features must be added the high metallic-iron content -90 to 96 percent - and freedom from even small amounts of the metals that are undesirable in steel making.The details essential for successful operation of this procedure are not known, especially as regards improvements said to have been made since 19;2. The Bureau of Mines therefore decided to determine some of these missing details, and this report records the results of the first set of experiments on the manufacture of brickyard or sagger sponge iron."

Sep 1, 1945

By H. M. Lavender

This paper describing the inclined cut-and-fill, and the semishrinkage methods of mining at the Campbell mine of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Co. at Warren, Ariz., is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of fines on mining methods, practices and costs in the various mining districts in the United States. The major portion of the production from the Bisbee mines of the company is mined by these methods. The total average yearly production for the last two years has been 493,612 tons of 5 per cent copper ore. The average employment in the mining department eras 940 men. With the exception of a small tonnage mined for the high iron and sulphur content, the ore is direct-smelting and is mined for its copper con¬tent and associated gold and silver values.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. J. Geraghty

U.S. Bureau of Mines researchers investigated the development of an innovative transport system for underground coal mining. A one-half commercial-scale bench model was constructed. Novel magnetic levitation (mag-lev) technology was developed. Frictionless and contact-free transport of a prototype materials container and payload has been demonstrated.

Jan 1, 2010

By C. R. Kuzell

This paper, describing the concentrator practice of the United Verde Copper Co., is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of HISTORY The United Verde concentrator was constructed in accordance with recommendations based on certain novel reasons which were quite different from those usually justifying the expenditure of such an amount. Concentrator operations started in March, 1927, although the metallurgical staff had considered for several years the eventual addition of a concentrator department.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. C. McBee

A family of modified-sulfur cements has been developed by the Bureau of Mines for the preparation of construction materials with improved properties. Various types of sulfur cements were prepared by reacting sulfur with mixtures of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and oligomers of cyclopentadiene (CPD). Durable cements were prepared with structural characteristics ranging from rigid to flexible. These cements were used to prepare corrosion-resistant materials for use in a wide variety of industrial applications where resistance to acidic and salt conditions is needed. These materials were prepared as rigid concretes, flexible pavings, spray coatings, and grouts. Production of modified-sulfur cements in a commercial-size plant was demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. G. Morgis

A reasonably clear and broad definition of occupational disease as originated by the Supreme Court of Ohio is: "A disease contracted in the usual and ordinary course of events which from the common experience of humanity is known to be incident to a particular employment." An ailment does not become an occupational disease simply because it is contracted on the employer's premises. It must be one that is commonly regarded as natural to, inherent in, and concomitant of the work in question. The important distinction between accidental-traumatic injuries and occupational-disease injuries is that accidents occur at specific times, ordinarily are discovered readily, and usually leave no question as to the particular employer it whose development the accident occurred. On the other hand, occupational diseases may develop slowly, unknown to the employer and employee until disability occurs, and the injuries sustained are continuing disabilities over an extended period of time and may be incurred while the employee is working for one of several employers.

Jan 1, 1952

By C. I. Pierce

This report describes and presents results of a phase of a laboratory study conducted at the Morgantown Petroleum Research Laboratory, Federal Bureau of Mines, Morgantown, W. Va., to determine the response of shielded electrodes of different dimensions in thin, noninvaded beds and to stimulate interest in the use of focused-type logging devices in the Appalachian oilfields. A blotter model was used to obtain plots of the potential field in the vicinity of a model shielded electrode. Three plots are presented. The difference in curvature of equipotential lines and the variation in measured resistance values for different blotter-model conditions suggest that the shielded electrode will give resistivities higher than normal when measurements are taken in a thin conductive bed located between resistive beds, and resistivities lower than normal when measurements are taken in a thin resistive bed located between conductive beds.

Jan 1, 1961

By S. S. Cole, C. E. Wood, T. L. Joseph

"INTRODUCTION Iron ore containing titanium was first used in blast furnaces over a century ago. It is well known that TiO2 is a slag-forming material that will increase the amount of slag produced by the usual gangue materials, silica and alumina. Increase in the volume of slag due to the presence of TiO2 and a lack of information concerning its effect on the properties of the slag have prevented the general use of titaniferous ore. Also rather com¬mon belief among furnace operators that the bottom of the furnace builds up when ores containing TiO2 are smelted has militated against the use of titaniferous ore. This building up of the hearth has been attributed to the formation of copper-colored crystals of titanium cyanonitride, which have been observed in the salamanders of blast furnaces. Until recently the availability of nontitaniferous iron ore has left little incentive to use ore containing titanium.The presence of vanadium in certain deposits of titaniferous magnetite in New York State has created new interest in problems connected with the use of titanium-bearing ore. It appears that most of the vanadium in this ore can be recovered in pig iron, which can be blown in a converter to produce a slag containing vanadium in amounts suitable for the production of ferrovanadium.The Titanium Division of the National Lead Co. recently erected a largo mill to treat ore from Sanford Hill, in Essex County, New York, about 50 miles west of Port Henry. The ore deposit was acquired from the MacIntyre Iron Co. and is often referred to as Sanford ore. It is one of the largest deposits of Iron-bearing material to be found east of the Lake Superior region and is being mined by open-pit methods."

Jan 1, 1943

By W. H. Ode

Because trade increased among various nations after World War II, the Coal Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe established a Classification Working Party in 1949 to develop an International system for classifying coal. Although national classification systems existed, they had been developed in accordance with characteristics of domestic coals without reference to coals of other countries. Terms for describing similar or identical coals differed in each nation. This caused confusion in evaluating coals shipped in international trade and also hampered exchange of technical information on problems of coal utilization. Experts4/ participating in the classification project early in their work agreed that two systems should be formulated, one for the higher rank coals or so-called "hard" coals in European terminology and the other one for the lower rank coals, the latter designated mainly as brown coals and lignites in the various countries. Rank refers to the degree of metamorphism (progressive alteration) in the natural coalification series from lignite and brown coal to anthracite. The system for classification of hard coals was published late in 1956 as a document of the United Nations.5/ Results of a study for applying this system to American coals were published in 1958.6/

Jan 1, 1960

By Geoffrey G. Huggins

Discussions are presented of the three phases of the noise reduction program on flight-type coal conveyors. The three phases are identification of noise sources, evaluation of potential noise reduction concepts, and implementation of noise reduction which is intended to reduce conveyor noise to less than 90 dB(A) in the underground mining environment. The major noise sources are impacts of the chain on the tail roller and on the top and bottom decks. A total noise reduction of 11 dB(A) was achieved by using techniques which are applicable to retrofit. These are a vibration isolated tail roller and an isolated wear strip on the return deck. A theoretical model of isolation provided by the isolated tail roller is developed. Appendices are presented which contain information on other potential concepts and additional data generated.

Jan 1, 1976

By Walter K. Utt

The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted research to develop an accurate, real-time, position monitoring and warning system for the vehicles used in surface mining. The product of this research will be technology to reduce accidents and injuries associated with the operation of surface mining haulage equipment. The position monitoring system should reduce accidents related to vehicle position and also increase the efficiency of haulage operations. This research was conducted in preparation for development of an accurate, real-time position monitoring and warning system, which notifies equipment operators when they deviate from a known safe course and are approaching a fixed hazard. A radar positioning system designed for marine applications was evaluated and a series of tests was run to determine the accuracy of the radar positioning system when used in a land vehicle. The radar position determination was compared to surveyed values. Both static and dynamic (moving vehicle) tests were conducted. The static test results were marginal and the dynamic test results were not accurate enough for the position monitoring and warning system. Although a promising technology, the system tested needs to be modified to meet the accuracy requirements of mobile mine equipment.

Jan 1, 2010

By Charles H. Atkinson, Robert T. Johansen

Tremendous volumes of petroleum ( crude oil and natural gas ) at present cannot be recovered economically . The feasibility of using nuclear explosions for production stimulation therefore has been investigated . Data from underground nuclear tests conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission were reviewed , and the physical effects were evaluated for stimulating petroleum production . Calculations of the effect on ultimate recovery of increasing reservoir temperature with nuclear explosives showed disappointingly small increases . Production increases caused by fracturing of massive low- permeability reservoirs appear technically and economically promising . Petroleum reservoirs that might be converted from submarginal to commercial production are being located and evaluated as to potential reserves and as a location for a field test .

Jan 1, 1964