Search Documents

By William O. Vanderburg

Tis paper describing the mining practices at the Cold Springs mine of the Wolf Tongue Lining Co. at Nederland, Colo., is one of a series of similar papers prepared by the Fureau of kines on mining practices, methods, and costs at various mines in the United States. The writer acknowledges the assistance of William Leach and William T. Todd, manager and mine superintendent of the Wolf Tongue Mining Co., respectively, in the preparation of this paper.

Dec 1, 1932

By D. Harrington

Recently the attention of the U. S. Bureau of Mines has in a number of instances been called to the firing of shots of permissible explosives in coal mines with delay-action detonators. In one bituminous coal mine they were used to bring down the coal for conveyor loading; in another in blasting pillars, which were not undercut; in another in one of the two charges separated by stemming in deep drill holes where the coal was undercut and sheared and mechanically loaded; in another in shooting top coal; and in another in the shooting of coal faces electrically from the surface. Some of these mines were rated as gassy by the State Mining Department in the State concerned. In most instances the charging of holes was done while the working shift was in the mine, and in some the shots were blasted while the working shift was in the mine. In all of these cases the shots were dependent - that is, the efficacy of the succeeding shots was dependent - upon the firing of the preceding shot or shots. The first shot, or possibly two or three shots, was usually fired with a no-delay electric detonator or an instantaneous electric detonator.

Jan 1, 1929

In the spring of 1944 the Congress passed Public Law 290 (58 Stat. 190, 30 U. S. C. Sec. 321) "authorizing the construction and operation of demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels from coal, oil shales, agricultural and forestry products, and other substances, in order to aid the prosecution of the war, to conserve and increase the oil resources of the Nation, and for other purposes." Section 2 reads: "In order to carry out the purpose of this act, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized- (a) to conduct laboratory research and development work, and, with pilot plants and semi-works plants, to make careful process engineering studies, along with structural engineering studies, in order to ascertain lowest investment and operating costs necessary to determine the best demonstration plant designs and conditions of operation;

Jan 1, 1948

By Geo S. Rice

"Three men lost their lives in the Black Diamond Coal Mine near Seattle, Wash., recently while wearing oxygen breathing apparatus. The press dispatches stated that these men lost their lives while practicing with the apparatus. Later reports stated that the men died while attempting to make a trip 1200 feet down a 25 degree slope which was filled with black damp, in order to measure the amount of water that had accumulated at the bottom of the mine, and the trip was attempted with oxygen in the tanks of the apparatus with dials indicating only 45 minutes supply. The oxygen in the tank was used up and the men therefore lost their lives from a deficiency of air to breathe.In spite of all the education and training done by the Government to prevent accidents, men are prone occasionally to take unnecessary chances. Every piece of apparatus, no matter how perfect, has its limitations. The Government, through the agency of the Bureau of Mines, has trained many thousands of miners in the use of mine rescue apparatus. The training has been given to all miners who requested it, and the Bureau has gone to the extreme of urging miners to join the rescue and first-aid classes. In spite of all the efforts of the Government, men occasionally attempt the impossible."

Jul 1, 1920

By W. P. Yant

[This report describes results of a study bf the carbon monoxide and particulate matter in the air of the Holland Tunnel and metropolitan New York made by the Bureau of Mines (which had participated in the development]

Jan 1, 1941

By Anthony M. Opyrchal

This Bureau of Mines study assesses the economic significance of the Florida phosphate industry to selected counties in Florida, the State of Florida, and the Nation: it also includes a brief survey of the industry's international impact. Based on forecasts of Florida phosphate production in 1981, and using constant 1977 dollars. estimates are given for 1981 for regional and national output the value of this output, income, and employment created by the phosphate industry in Florida, Federal, Stale, and county tax revenues generated by the State's phosphate industry are also estimated for 1981. The concentrated impact of the phosphate industry on certain areas of Florida and on the State?s regional industries is examined using economic base analysis complimented by an industrial complex approach. The industry's impact at the Stare and national levels is examined through input- output analysis. In addition, an attempt to forecast for 1990 the effects of constraints on phosphate rock mining as a result of economic conditions and other factors is included as an appendix to the report. Also discussed is the phosphate industry's importance to the U.S. balance of trade: U.S. agricultural production. Including forward linkages; the U.S. sulfur industry; and the phosphate industry's importance to the production of fluorine and uranium by- products from fertilizer manufacturing.

Jan 1, 1981

By Sidney Katell

This report covers the period January 1963 through December 1963; it is a continuation of the series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. Also, it is the fifth in a series of reports prepared under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the American Association of Cost Engineers. The agreement provides for the publication of an annual cost bibliography with the work load involved in the preparation shared equally. The abstracted articles, concerned with all facets of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects, are from the following sources: 1. American Association of Cost Engineers Bulletin. 2. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars. 3. Bureau of Mines Reports of Investigations. 4. Chemical Engineering. 5. Chemical Engineering Progress. 6. Chemical Week. 7. Coal Age. 8. Coal--Today and Tomorrow. 9. Coal Utilization. 3/ 10. Cost Engineering. 11. Hydrocarbon Processing and Petroleum Refiner. 12. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 13. Nucleonics. 14. Oil and Gas Journal. 15. Petroleum Management. 16. World Oil.

Jan 1, 1964

By Kenneth G. Skinner

The rapid growth of the metallurgical, chemical, and allied industries on the Pacific coast just prior to and during the war caused a sudden increase in the demand for refractories, which was the immediate cause of a revival in interest in refractory clays available on the Pacific coast, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Population increases and shortage of shipping facilities caused an increase in the amount of various ceramic materials and products used and produced on the Pacific coast, with accompanying demand for information regarding sources of clay. In an effort to supply part of this information, the Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the College of Mines, University of Washington, started a program in 1944 to test the refractory and other properties of clays from seven Pacific Northwest deposits that had been drilled and sampled as part of the Bureau of Mines alumina from clay investigation. Figure 1 shows the location of these deposits.

Jan 1, 1949

By Sidney Katell

This report covers the period January 1963 through December 1963; it is a continuation of the series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. Also, it is the fifth in a series of reports prepared under a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Mines and the American Association of Cost Engineers. The agreement provides for the publication of an annual cost bibliography with the work load involved in the preparation shared equally. The abstracted articles, concerned with all facets of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects, are from the following sources:

Jan 1, 1964

By Kenneth L. Cashdollar

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the West Virginia Office of Miners? Health, Safety, and Training (WVOMHS&T) investigated the explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia, which occurred on January 2, 2006, and resulted in 12 fatalities. As part of the investigation, the agencies requested that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health?s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory evaluate the effects of explosions on specific mine ventilation seals and other structures and objects at its Lake Lynn Experimental Mine (LLEM). The results of the LLEM study would assist MSHA and WVOMHS&T in a more thorough understanding of the various questions that arose during their investigations of the explosion. Six large-scale explosion tests were conducted in the LLEM from April to October 2006. The protocols for these tests, and in particular the procedures for constructing various Omega block seals, were developed mainly by MSHA and WVOMHS&T. NIOSH developed the experimental procedures at the LLEM that would provide the required range of explosion pressures against the seals. Three 40-in-thick seal designs using Omega 384 low-density block were constructed in the LLEM and exposed to various explosion pressures. These seal designs are referred to in this report as the ?2001 design,? the ?hybrid design,? and the ?Sago design.? The 2001-design Omega block seal (80 in high) located in crosscut 2 of the LLEM survived all six explosions, with pressure loadings up to 51 psi. The 2001-design Omega block seal (88 in high) in C-drift was destroyed during Test 2, which subjected the seal to a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 51 psi. The height difference between the two seals and the orientation of each seal to the explosion were contributing factors. The higher seal would be weaker for the same seal thickness. The hybrid Omega block seal in crosscut 3 survived an explosion at a pressure loading of 25 psi and failed during another explosion at a pressure loading of 39 psi at the seal. Based on these tests, it seems that the hybrid seal design is weaker than the 2001 seal design. The Sago Omega block seals were constructed in crosscut 3 and C-drift before Test 3. The crosscut 3 seal survived a pressure loading of 18 psi and was destroyed during an explosion at a pressure loading of 35 psi at the seal. The C-drift seal survived a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 21 psi and was destroyed during an explosion with a pressure loading of 57 psi at the seal. Based on these LLEM tests, it seems that the Sago seal design is weaker than the 2001 seal design, yet it still complied with the requirements of 30 CFR 75.335(a)(2) that were in effect at the time of the mine disaster. During these LLEM explosion tests, the distance of seal debris travel was also measured. In Test 5, the C-drift seal was destroyed during a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 57 psi, and the seal debris was thrown over 500 ft. In Test 6, the C-drift seal was destroyed during a head-on explosion that resulted in a pressure loading of 93 psi, and the Omega block debris was thrown over 900 ft. During these tests, the explosion pressure effects on other structures and objects were also documented. Unless otherwise specified, all of the pressure data listed in this report represent the highest recorded smoothed (averaged over 10 ms) explosion pressure loadings. The information in this report was used by MSHA and WVOMHS&T as supporting data in their analyses and investigative reports of the Sago Mine explosion.

Sep 1, 2009

By C. A. Geffen-Fowler

This report, sponsored by the Bureau of Mines, presents the results of an examination of the safety of the Blind Shaft Borer (BSB) shaft sinking system and an alternative modified BSB design concept in comparison to conventional shaft sinking technology. Detailed study of the two systems was also performed to identify and recommend design changes for optimum safety conditions. A comparison of the BSB systems with conventional shaft sinking was made on the basis of relative risk levels. Risk incorporates both the frequency and the potential consequence of accidents. A safety evaluation of the component operations of the two BSB systems was performed using a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) methodology. The results of this analysis show generally that both BSB systems are safer than conventional shaft sinking. The potential risk of conventional shaft sinking operations could be reduced by over 30%, on the average, with the use of the original BSB system, and by an average of about 10% with the modified BSB. Design change recommendations to further improve the safety of these systems include better fire suppression systems, improved man haulage systems and more compact hydraulics. An operational safety manual was also developed for the modified BSB system.

Jan 1, 1981

The Florida phosphate industry, which supplies about three-quarters of the domestic phosphate fertilizer, produces tremendous volumes of phosphatic clay wastes (slimes). These clays retain a high percentage of water for extended periods of time. The clays also pose an environmental hazard because the disposal technique involves aboveground storage behind earthen dams. Although much research has been undertaken by numerous organizations to dewater slime, no completely satisfactory solution has been developed. In June 1972, a cooperative effort by the Federal Bureau of Mines and the Florida phosphate mining industry was initiated to develop a solution for dewatering the Florida phosphatic slimes. This report discusses various aspects of the slimes problem, reviews past research, makes recommendations for future research, and includes a bibliography of references and patents dealing with the subject.

Jan 1, 1975

By L. A. Conley

This report, covering the period January through December 1976, contains abstracts of articles related to cost engineering and economics for chemical and petroleum plants, mining, and other mineral industries from the following periodicals: 1. Air Pollution Control Association Journal 2. Chemical Engineering 3. Chemical Engineering Journal 4. Chemtech 5. Coal Age 6. Coal Mining and Processing 7. Combustion 8. Drilling-DCW 9. Electrical World 10. Engineering and Mining Journal

Jan 1, 1977

By Hanns J. Billmayer

This report, which covers the period from April 1975 to November 1975, describes the work performed in compliance with the requirements of Contract No. H0357091. The purpose of this contract was the development of protective canopy concepts applicable to rail haulage equipment used in underground coal mines.

Jan 1, 1976

Despite modest improvements in the performance of domestic interest rates and gross national product,1 fixed investment in domestic producers' durable equipment continued to weaken during the second quarter of 1982 and declined at a 12.8 percent annual rate compared with the first quarter.2 Large declines occurred during the second quarter in expenditures on many of the major mineral-consuming industries such as aircraft, computers, agricultural and construction machinery and mining and oil field equipment. These data appear to be consistent with the low level of business investment plans for 1982 reported in the DOC's Bureau of Economic Analysis survey of expenditures on new plant and equipment.3 Domestic and foreign industrial production and mineral industry production activities continued to decline in the most recent period because of weak demand conditions (Tables 1 and 2). The U.S. mining production index declined 7.7 percent between April and June as compared with 1.2 percent for total U.S. industrial production (Table 1).

Jan 1, 1982

This status report contains 39 individual reports on health and safety research projects now being conducted or recently completed by the Bureau of Mines. The Reports on health research cover industrial hygiene, respirable dust, ventilation, noise control, and radiation hazards. The safety research reports cover industrial hazards, ground control, fire and explosion prevention, and methane control. Each report includes background information, a discussion of research progress, and an assessment of each project's current status.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. S. Martin

This paper, describing the concentrating practices at the plants of the Utah Copper Co., is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines in which the data are given in as nearly uniform c manner as possible. The Magna mill is 19 miles west of Salt Lake City on the routes of the Lincoln and Victory highways, and the Arthur plant is 1 mile west of the Magna mill. Both are on the main road west of the town of Magna and east of the town of Garfield.

Jan 1, 1931

By McHenry Mosier

A skull breaker has demonstrated its advantages for secondary breaking in a limestone quarry by entirely displacing secondary blasting . It has reduced safety hazards to workmen, increased the number of quarry operating days , and has lowered mining costs by 2.7 cents a ton. It is believed that the application of the skull breaker can be made economically advantageous in the surface mining of other commoditics .

Aug 1, 1948

By C. M. McCulloch

The methane content of virgin bituminous coalbed can now be measured accurately in the field with exploration core samples from vertical boreholes. The gas content of the coal per unit weight can be used either to design a mine ventilation system or to determine if degasification of the coalbed will be necessary before mining, and to determine the gas resources in the coalbed. The equipment necessary to conduct the test costs less than $50. The gas con-tent of the coal in place in the ground is determined by summing the gas lost from coring, gas measured during desorption, and the residual gas in the coal. Upon removal from the borehole, the core sample is placed in an airtight container and des orbed for several weeks until the desorption rate is below 0.05 cm3/g for 5 consecutive days. The gas lost from the core while it was being cored and the residual gas are estimated by a new graphical method. The amount of gas remaining depends upon whether the coal is friable or blocky. Friability appears to relate to the depth of the sample below the surface, fixed carbon percentage, Hardgrove grindability index, and proximity to tectonic disturbance. Friable coals emit nearly 96 pct of the total gas during desorption whereas a blocky coal emits only 60 pct of its total gas. Coalbeds that are ill defined as to their blocky or friable nature must be tested in the laboratory for unambiguous analysis.

Jan 1, 1975

By W. A. Cole

Underground mining methods at the Gray mine of Tri-State Zinc, Inc., are of special interest because of the low unit costs achieved through use of jumbos and loading equipment mounted un crawler-type tracks and of diesel trucks that haul from the stoping areas to the mill through inclined adits. The operating company, Tri-State Zinc, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gold Fields American Development Co., Ltd., the latter being the American branch of New Consolidated Gold Fields, Ltd., a British-owned company.

Jan 1, 1957