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By G. J. Perrott, H. W. Clark

During the course of the cooperative smoke abatement investigation carried on by the Bureau of Mines , the city of Salt Lake and the University of Utah during 1919-1920 , a study was made as to the suitability of Utah coals for by-product coking with particular reference to low temperature coking . was done because it was realized that a smokeless fuel for domestic consumers was the best remedy for this class of smoke producer . A report of the technical side of the work was included in the final report of the cooperative investiga- Since this report was written (June 1 , 1920) further work has been done by other investigators .

Apr 1, 1922

Low-cost housing, like automobiles, should be appraised in the light not merely of first cost but of upkeep as well. Even more important than the number of miles the family car will go on a gallon of gasoline is the number of days the family home can be kept comfortable on a ton of fuel. A furnace tender who tossed every third shovelful of coal into the ashcan would lose his job promptly, but the effect is the same when homes continue year after year to pour out precious heat through uninsulated roofs and walls, Greater economy in household heating means even more to the national economy than to the individual, especially now that we are preparing for defense. Our fuel resources, although large, should be conserved. If less fuel is used for civilian needs, augmented requirements for defense can be met without unduly increasing the number of men needed at the coal mines and oil ells or adding new producing units that might complicate ultimate readjustment to peacetime conditions when the emergency is past and over-expansion of many industries brings new problems if unnecessary demands for transportation facilities are reduced, public carriers will be able to haul more munitions, and manpower needed for national defense will be released; and by protecting workers from health hazards in their homes additional man-hours of productive effort will be gained. Moreover, reducing the running expenses of houses by proper heat insulation helps home owners to maintain payments on property, and by minimizing foreclosures helps to stabilize the financial structure of the country. In short, here is a situation where the interests of the individual and the Nation are identical and the greatest good for the greatest number is obtained without sacrifice to anyone.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. W. Thompson

The term "minerals" when employed in a conveyance in the State of West Virginia is understood to include every inorganic substance which can be extracted from the earth for profit, whether it be solid, as rock, fire clay, the various metals and coal, or liquid, such as salt, and other mineral waters and petroleum oil and gas. Horse Creek Land & Mining Co. v. Midkiff (West Virginia), 95 Southeastern 26, p. 27. TERM INCLUDES OIL AND OAS. The term "minerals" used to describe the interest in land granted or reserved bona fide includes petroleum oil and natural gas. Horse Creek Land & Mining Co. v. Midkiff (West Virginia), 95 Southeastern 26, p. 27. INJUNCTION TO PREVENT RElllOVAL. The removal of ore from the premises of another without his consent will be enjoined. Barnes v. Esch (Oregon), 169 Pacific, 512, p. 518. TITLE TO MEXICAN BULLION-JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS TO DETERMINE. Where bullion within the jurisdiction of the Mexican Government was seized, condemned, and sold for war supplies by the Constitutionalist forces in the revolution acting under authority from Gen. Carranza, claiming to be the provisional President of the Republic of Mexico, a United States district court of Texas, into which State the bullion has been imported from Mexico, has jurisdiction to try and adjudge as to the validity of the title acquired by and through the seizure, appropriation, and sale by the Carranza forces as against an American citizen claiming ownership of such bullion prior to its seizure.

Jan 1, 1919

By Bruce F. Grant

This report discusses research being done by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Branch und the Applied Physics Branch of the Bureau of Mines to deter-mine the most effective uses of explosives in shooting oil and gas wells, as measured in terms of rates of production from the wells. An experimental investigation of the effects of detonating explosives in shallow holes drilled in rocks, chosen to be similar to those forming oil and gas reservoirs, forms the basis of this study. Records obtained from strain gages placed in the rock around the experimental shots permit determination of the generation and propagation characteristics of the strain wave. Water-injection tests made on the test holes before and after shooting allow the increase in fluid conductivity resulting from the shot to be determined. By rotating these data to the physical properties of the rock, and by conducting shooting experiments over the range of rock types common to oil and gas reservoirs, it is expected that relationships between the fluid conductivity and the properties of the explosive and rock can be developed and used for designing efficient shots for oil and gas wells. Four series of experiment.al tests were completed during the summer of 1949 and are described herein. The results of these tests confirmed the feasibility of the experimental approach and permitted outlining the plans for future research discussed in this report. This report is presented to acquaint industry with this research program and the progress to date, so that the Bureau may have the benefit of suggestions from interested readers.

Jan 1, 1950

Arsenic.--Inorganic arsenic has been added to the Environmental Protection Agency's list of hazardous air pollutants because of a high probability it can cause cancer. EPA estimates that inorganic arsenic emissions into ambient air total more than 6,000 tons per year, with about 65;L of this coming from the operations of copper, lead, and zinc smelters. Asbestos Detection.--In June 14, the President signed S. 1658 providing $172.5 million to detect and remove asbestos hazards in schools. Asbestos Use Must be Reported.--All firms using asbestos in the manufacture of some 30 categories of products must describe in detail how they use the mineral to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, for all manufactures since January 1, 1977.

Jan 1, 1980

The mineral Industry, following the economy as a whole, experienced little growth in 1992. However, with modernized plants, efficient workforces, and lower operating costs, the industry is well positioned to take advantage of possible improvement in the national economy during 1993. In addition to the significant 1992 events highlighted below, important events, trends, and issues within individual mineral industries are addressed in the commodity sections that follow. The value of processed materials of mineral origin is estimated to have been about $310 billion in 1992. The value of U.S. raw nonfuel minerals production in 1992 is estimated at approximately $32 billion, a 3% increase over 1991. The value of domestic minerals production has increased in all but 4 of the last 32 years.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. H. Schutz

TO ASSIST users in the selection of reliable and satisfactory respiratory protective devices, the Bureau of Mines bas established five schedules of minimum performance requirements for the approval of respirators. The current revisions of these schedules3 include 13D for self-contained breathing apparatus, 141F for gas masks, 19B and the amendments to 19B for supplied- air respirators, 21B for dust, fume, and mist respirators, and 23B for chemical cartridge respirators. Copies of these schedules may be obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Publications Distribution Section, 4800 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213. Approval tests on respirators are performed only at the request of the manufacturer4 of the respirator and at his expense. If the device meets the approval requirements, a certificate of approval is granted on the complete respirator. This certificate states that as long as the respirator is manufactured as originally approved, or in accordance with any changes covered by an extension of the original approval, the manufacturer may advertise and sell his respirator as being approved by the Bureau of Mines. Many industries and regulatory agencies require that respirators approved by the Bureau of Mines he used where respiratory protection is needed. The Bureau of Mines, however, has no regulatory power over the use of the respirators that it approves. It acts as an impartial testing agency to insure the availability of suitable and safe respirators.

Jan 1, 1966

By M. W. Von Bernewitz

The Bureau of Mines receives frequent requests for information on the treatment of mercury ores, but as its own and almost all other publications on mercury are out of print, the Bureau has prepared this circular on the metal for the prospector and operator of small mines and plants. Mercury, commonly though improperly termed ?quicksilver?, is the only common metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures. Mercury is used in the amalgamation of gold and silver, in power boilers, explosives, friction-less bearings, laboratory apparatus, lamps, medicine, paint, rectifiers, and for ?silvering.? The last mentioned is being superseded by silvering with silver. The use of mercury boilers may increase when they are thoroughly understood, but amalgamation is -being replaced to some extent by the use of corduroy and other collecting mediums, such as jigs and flotation cells.

Jan 1, 1937

By J. J. Shields

With the increased use of mechanized equipment in mining bituminous coal, production panels are mined out rapidly. To keep current with the rapid completion of production panels, development work must be speeded up also. Although the same type of equipment usually is employed in development as in production places in the same mine, past output per man for development usually was less than from production panels. A study of development practices in 14 mines reveals a tendency toward equalization of the output per man between development and production.

Jan 1, 1957

1. Domestic Production and Use: In 1984, 12 companies operated 27 primary aluminum reduction plants, with 3 firms accounting for 57% of production. Washington, Oregon, and Montana accounted for 35% of the production; Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee 25%; Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina 20%; other States 20%. Based on published producer prices, output of primary metal in 1984 was valued at $7.2 billion. Aluminum consumption by 25,000 firms was centered in the east-central United States. Packaging accounted for an estimated 35% of domestic consumption in 1984, transportation, 20%; building, 18%; electrical, 9%; consumer durables, 8%; and other uses, 10%.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. P. Capp

The Federal Bureau of Mines and the Alabama Power Company conducted an experiment in underground gasification of coal at Gorgas, Ala. involving the use of hydraulic fracturing to increase the air acceptance of a coalbed for the introduction of combustion air and removal of product gases. Air acceptance is defined as the flow rate of air which can be injected into the coalbed at 65 p.s.i.g. This was the second time the hydraulic-fracturing technique was used at Gorgas. Sand suspended in a heavy oil served as the fracturing fluid in the first experiment; in the second the sand was two to six times larger and was suspended in a water-starch gel. In addition to providing further tests of the underground-gasification process, the purpose of the second experiment was to determine the effects of the larger sand and greater volumes of a water-base fluid on (1) the extent of the fractured area, (2) the air acceptance of the coal, and (3) the rate at which a gasification path could be carbonized (linked) through the coal, and to compare these results with those of the first experiment. The coal was fractured by injecting 11,000 lb. of sand and 33,580 gal. of water and water-gel at 200 to 600 g.p.m. and 900 to 1,000 p.s.i. The fluid fractured the coal and the sand served as a propping agent to hold the cracks and crevices open. Pressures during the fracturing operation at test boreholes indicated that the fracturing fluid extended only about 150 ft. from borehole H, the point of application of the fracture. Injection of air revealed that the air acceptance of the coalbed within this e t was materially increased. On the other hand, increased air acceptance also was noted at boreholes up to 280 ft. from borehole H and at the electrolinking area 300 to 400 ft. away, indicating that the fracture effects extended considerably farther than was evident from observation. Similar effects were noted at approximately the same distances after the first hydraulic fracture.

Jan 1, 1961

By M. D. Heresy, H. F. Coward

"Whenever a manometer has been used for recording explosion pressures it has been calibrated under a series of static pressures. Whether the readings taken during the rapidly changing pressures of an explosion (dynamic pressures) truly represent the actual pressures therefore is an open question. The authors had hoped to solve this problem by conducting the calibration with the aid of known pressures, applied at about the ammo rate as in an explosion, for example, by means of a cylinder and piston, the piston being driven in by an eccentric cam at a rate which would be determined accurately by the shape and rate of revolution of the cam. If the rate of compression were great enough, then the pressure in the cylinder (to which the manometer is attached) could be calculated from the laws of adiabatic changes of pressure and volume. It seems highly probably, however, from H. T. Tizard's observations on pressure changes in a cylinder during rapid compression (55) 4/ that there is much heat loss, therefore pressure loss, in the very small interval of time during compression; although Tizard was able to estimate the amount thereof, he did so only by relying on his nanometer, which is exactly the procedure that the authors challenge on the grounds that the manometer was not standardized under the conditions of its use. Hence the authors were driven from this scheme of calibration to another, namely, comparing records of ono and the same explosion taken simultaneously on several instruments of as varied a type as possible. If 2 of a number of instruments agree, perhaps both are accurate; if 3 agree, probably each of the 3 is accurate; if 4 agree, it is almost certain each of the 4 is accurate.There was a second objective in the present work. If the Bureau of Mines and the B.C.D. (British Coal Dust) manometers differ in their records, then from a sufficiently comprehensive series of experiments it may be possible to coordinate the extensive results already obtained at the American and British stations.Thirdly, it was hoped to learn which is the best available instrument for observing the pressures of coal-dust and as explosions and, if possible, to indicate means for improvement in manometry."

May 1, 1935

By R. W. Lewis

Spectrochemical procedures were developed using dc arc excitation for the determination, in parts per million, of 18 impurity elements in electrorefined beryllium and high-purity beryllium oxide. The metal samples were dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid, evaporated to dryness, and converted to the oxide in a muffle furnace at 900° C. Germanium oxide was added as an internal standard for the determination of 15 of the elements, copper oxide for boron and molybdenum, and neodymium oxide for calcium. The average coefficient of variation was 11 percent with the exception of copper, which averaged about 43 percent.

Jan 1, 1962

By Peter Grandone

Bureau of Mines engineers engaged in studying stimulative methods of recovering oil have been making a series of tests on the effectiveness' of methods that may be applied in water flooding oil-bearing sandstones. The report gives the test procedures and results of a study of the rates and pressures used for injecting water into several sandstone formations in the Mid-Continent fields for the purpose of learning more about the mechanics and efficiency of the flooding process and to provide useful information for operators of water floods in this area.

Jan 1, 1949

By James Westfield

Following is a resume of activities of the Division of Coal-Mine Inspection that have had a favorable effect on health, safety, and the reduction o1 injuries at coal mines: 1. The Federal Mine Safety Code for Bituminous Coal and Lignite Mines of the United States was issued originally by the Director of the Bureau of Mines July 24, 1946, after consultation with management and labor representatives of the coal-mining industry. The code has been used by Federal coal-mine inspectors while inspecting bituminous coal and lignite mines as a basis for determining the existence of unhealthful and unsafe conditions and practices in these mines. A revised code was issued by the Secretary of the Interior October 8, 1953, after further consultations with representatives of management and mine workers and was incorporated by reference in the 1952 and subsequent bituminous coal wage agreements. The agreement of May 29, 1946, between the Secretary of the Interior, acting as Coal Mines Administrator under authority of Executive Order 9728, and the United Mine Workers of America, covering bitumi¬nous coal and lignite mines in Government possession, charged Federal coal-mine inspectors with the responsibility of making periodic investigations of the mines and reporting to the Coal Mines Administrator any violations of the Federal Mine Safety Code. Federal coal-mine inspectors also had temporary authority to close mines found to be imminently dangerous, but such authority (under Executive Order 9728) was removed June 30, 1947, when Government control of the mines was terminated.

Jan 1, 1959

By Max J. Spendlove

The Federal Bureau of Mines has been a leader in resource recovery research since it was founded in 1910. Until the early 19601s, most of the projects were concerned primarily with the task of extending and improving conventional technology oriented to secondary metals and minerals upgrading and processing for marketable products of highest value. By the mid-1960's with the passage of the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, all resource recovery research programs were increased in scope and intensity as an effort to solve the growing number of environmental problems and the rapid depletion of domestic energy and mineral resources. Many new materials were investigated including urban refuse, manufacturing, industrial wastes, and stockyard wastes. The objective was to promote maximum recycling as the most practical answer to problems of waste disposal, pollution control, and the short supply of minerals and energy. The new research projects ranged from the conversion of animal manure and other organics to oil, to the recovery of precious and common metals from demolished aircraft and electronic scrap. This profile includes brief descriptions of many selected research projects that typify, the total spectrum of Bureau of Mines research in the important field of resource recovery.

Jan 1, 1977

By Ralph B. Youtz

This paper describing mining methods at, the Eighty-Five mine of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Co., Valedon, N. Mex., is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining methods, practices, and costs in the various mining districts in the United States. The Eighty-Five mine is in southwestern New Mexico, 3 miles southwest of Lordsburg, Hidalgo County (see fig. 1). The mine produces normally 7,000 to 8,000 tons per. month of silicious copper-gold-silver ore, and employs approximately 200 men underground and 40 on-the surface. Mining is done by shrinkage and cut-and-fill methods.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. Bongarra

This report describes the development of the instructional design and content of a training program for shaft construction miners and supervisors. The recommended training approach is based on the results of a needs, task, and competency analysis of the jobs performed by conventional shaft sinking and raise drill personnel. Learning objectives were derived from the task analysis and the appropriate training delivery system was chosen using a selection technique which employed learning algorithms. The training described is aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of constructing shafts by new hire and experienced miners and supervisors. A self-paced, self-teaching, modular approach to training, using criterion-referenced tests was proposed. Recommendation was made to divide the training into three parts: Orientation and Safety; Task Instruction; and Practical Exercise. Training requirements for conventional shaft sinking and raise drilling were described. Training program content was detailed in the form of module and lesson design approaches. In addition, the report recommends a method for developing, implementing and validating the training program. The authors conclude that such an implementation would meet the major objectives of improving the safety and efficiency of shaft construction work operations.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. A. Doerner

"During the year which has passed since the last progress report on reduction of zinc by natural gas,3 the laboratory experiments on this investigation have been completed. In this concluding report, the whole subject will be reviewed and additional data presented.Chemical ReactionsIn a thermodynamic study of zinc smelting, Maier 4 discussed the use of methane for reducing zinc oxide, and predicted equilibria at various temperatures for the sore important reactions. The study has been extended to include the following list.Maier predicted that 870°C. would be the critical temperature above which reaction (1) would take precedence over reaction (2) and that reaction (1) at equilibria would be substantially complete at or above 927°C. A subsequent papers described experimental verification of these predictions and gave data on reaction rates under various conditions.It methane is passed through a heated bed of zinc oxide at a low enough rate reactions (1), (3), and (4) reach an equilibrium which can be expressed by reaction (10). The equilibrium concentrations for the products of this reaction in the temperature range 900° to 1100°C. were calculated by applying the thermodynamic constants to the stoichiometric relations. 6 The results of these calculations are listed in table 1 and shown graphically in figures 1, A and B. These data have major importance, and experimental work has shown that they are subtantially correct."

Dec 1, 1934

By W. W. Adams

Every man-hour of work performed in and about the coal mines of the United States had a 2-percent heavier death load from accidents in 1938 than in 1937. This is an unorthodox way of stating that the death rate per million man-hours of exposure or employment was 2 percent higher in 1938 than in 1937, increasing from 1.74 to 1.78. Thus the average miner had a 2-percent greater chance of being killed in 1938 than he had in 1937. The average quantity of coal resulting from 1 man-hour of work increased 3.6 percent -from 0.615 ton in 1937 to 0.637 ton in 1938. The production of the average ton of coal was accompanied by a slightly smaller loss of life in 1938 than in 1937, the accident rate being 2.793 per million tons in 1938 compared with 2.833 in 1937.

Jan 1, 1941