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By L. H. Kalenowski

The metal lithium, its alloys, and its salts are becoming Increasingly important as industrial materials. Lithium metal, because of its great affinity for elements, such as nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, carbon, and silicon, has become important for a wide variety of uses, ranging from purifying helium gas by removing the nitrogen to scavenging molten metals of undesirable impurities. The excellent fluxing properties of lithium salts have found increasing use in such applications as fluxes for welding aluminum and in lower melting ceramic glazes and coatings. Lithium chloride is one of the most hygroscopic salts known and is widely used as a dehumidifying agent. .About 17 lithium minerals are known. Four of these have commercial importance: Amblygonite, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, and spodumene. Spodumene is the most important source of lithium and lithium salts at present, but sizable deposits of amblygonite occur in the pegmatite area of the Black Hills of South Dakota. The size and nature of these deposits preclude the, possibility of, any assurance of an adequate supply of amblygonite for an operation processing only this mineral. Frequently spodumene and amblygonite occur associated in pegmatite minerals. Preliminary investigations indicate that a simultaneous recovery of spodumene and amblygonite can be made by froth flotation. A single process for treating spodumene and amblygonite or mixtures of thorn, would make possible more use of amblygonite as a source of lithium and obviate the separation of spodumene and amblygonite when they occur together.

Jan 1, 1952

By D. E. Banks, J. K. H. Ma, Y. Rojanasakul, J. Y. C. Ma, C. J. Malanga

There is evidence to suggest that cell injury induced in alveolar macrophages (AM) following phagocytic activation by silica particles may be mediated through changes in intracellular free calcium [Ca 2+}. However, the mechanism of silicainduced cytotoxicity relative to [Ca2+], overloading is not yet clear. To provide a better insight into this mechanism, isolated rat AMs were exposed to varying concentrations of crystalline silica (particle size< 5 µm in diameter) and the fluctuation in their [Ca2+]; and cell integrity were quantitatively monitored with the fluorescent calcium probe, Fura-2 AM, and the membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (Pl). Results from this study indicate that silica can rapidly increase [Ca2+]; in a dose-dependent manner with a characteristic transient calcium rise at low doses (<0.1 mg/ml) and an elevated and sustained rise at high doses (>0.1 mg/ml). Depletion of extracellular calcium [Ca 2+]0 markedly inhibited the [Ca2+]; rise (˜90%), suggesting that Ca2+ influx from extracellular source is a major mechanism for silica-induced [Ca2+]; rise. When used at low doses but sufficient to cause a transient [Ca2+]; rise, silica did not cause significant increase in cellular Pl uptake during the time of study, suggesting the presevation of membrane integrity of AMs under these conditions. At high doses of silica, however, a marked increase in Pl nuclear fluorescence was observed. Depletion of [Ca 2+] 0 greatly inhibited cellular Pl uptake, induced by 0. 1 mg/ml or higher doses of silica. This suggests that Ca 2 + influx, as a result of silica activation, is associated with cell injury. Indeed, our results further demonstrated that the low dose effect of silica on Ca 2+ influx is inhibited by the Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine. At high doses of silica (>0.1 mg/ml), cell injury was not prevented by nifedipine or extracellular Ca2+ depletion, suggesting that other cytotoxic mechanisms, i.e., nonspecific membrane damage due to lipid peroxidation, are also responsible for the silica-induced cell injury. Silica had no significant effect on cellular ATP content during the time course of the study, indicating that the observed silicainduced (Ca2 ... ); rise was not due to the impairment of Ca2 + -ATPase pumps, which restricts Ca2+ efflux. Pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin B to block phagocytosis failed to prevent the effect of silica on [Ca2+]; rise. Taken together, these results suggest that the elevation of [Ca2+]; caused by silica is due mainly to Ca2+ influx through plasma membrane Ca2+,channels and nonspecific membrane damage (at high doses). Neither ATP depletion nor Ca2+ leakage during phagocytosis was attributed to the silica-induced [Ca2+]; rise.

Nov 1, 1995

By H. G. Iverson

The effects of adding boron and boron plus carbon to electrorefined vanadium were evaluated with respect to mechanical properties at low temperatures and response to heat treatment. Grain size was significantly decreased with the addition of 0.05 percent boron, the decreases ranging from 30 percent at 800° C to 75 percent at 1,100° C. Increasing the boron content resulted in only a small increase in strength at room temperature, but at 77° K, boron contents of 0.005 to 0.076 percent increased the yield strength of vanadium over 50 percent, from 70,000 psi to 110,000 psi. When boron and carbon were present together, the individual grain-refining effects obtained with either element were retained. Approximately a twofold increase in strength was obtained by age-hardening the alloys containing both boron and carbon. Alloys with only boron additions did not age-harden.

Jan 1, 1968

By James A. Wasson

This report analyzes the petroleum-production potential of the basal Greenbrier dolomite zone, Sycamore-Millstone field, Sherman District, Calhoun County, W. Va., through the application of certain secondary-recovery methods. The well logs obtained and the core recovered from a well in this formation permitted an evaluation of the productive capability of the reservoir, Approximately 120,000 stb of oil may be produced from a 20-acre five-spot unit at breakthrough if the property is waterflooded. At an assumed limiting producing gas-oil ratio of 20)000 sef/stb, approximately 69,000 stb of oil should be recovered by low-pressure gas drive.

Jan 1, 1967

By F. W. Hoertel

Near-optimum parameters were determined by the Bureau of Mines for vapor deposition of rhenium on heated copper substrates by hydrogen reduction of rhenium hexafluoride (ReF6). High-purity deposits of nearly 90-percent theo¬retical density were obtained with the reaction chamber at 250° C, with an H2 to ReF6 volume ratio of 25 to 1, and with an ReF6 flow rate of 5 grams per hour. Some rhenium deposited as a loose, black powder. When the established near-optimum parameters were carefully followed, this could be minimized but never completely avoided. Varying the reaction chamber pressure, both above and below atmospheric, yielded excessive quantities of rhenium powder. Deposition efficiencies, based on only the coherent metal, ranged between 70 and 75 percent. Massive deposits contained only spectrographic traces of impurities. The average microhardness (Knoop, 100-gram load) of vapor-deposited rhenium was 907. Limited research on the deposition of rhenium-tungsten alloys by reduction of the mixed hexafluorides produced deposits in which linear composition gradients were pronounced; this nonhomogeneity was attributed to the wide variation in optimum hydrogen-reduction temperatures of the two hexafluorides (250° C for ReF6 and 550° C for WF6). Using deposition temperatures between 250° and 550° C did not eliminate the composition variations.

Jan 1, 1967

By Haskiel R. Shell

Methods of chemical analysis of clays for the following constituents are presented: moisture, ignition loss Fe2O3, TiO2, P2O5, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, total. carbon, carbonate carbon total sulfur, soluble salts, and soluble sulfate. In these procedures the attainment of accuracy has been the primary consideration sample was taken to insure accuracy, with ordinary precautions. The procedures may therefore be somewhat somewhat and will not be suited for routine work on samples for which the approximate analysis is already known and in which the need for accuracy is not very exacting. However, the method shod be as a set of detailed directions, that have been tested and shown to yield accurate results with clays and other aluminum silicate minerals. Among these minerals are clays of all types, bentonite bauxite, shale, brick; soil, calcined refractory, and sand. Although some of the methods are Unusual, no particular claim is laid to originality. The material was drawn frail many sources, put together and tested.

Jan 1, 1949

By Lewis M. McNay

The strength characteristics of hydraulic sandfill modified by varying quantities of type III portland cement and two flocculants were investigated by the Bureau of Mines. Three different sand-cement ratios were examined using different percentages of flocculant. Two other experimental variables were curing time and weight-percent solids for hydraulic mixture. Results of unconfined compression tests with strain are discussed. Maximum strength was achieved with 0.5 weight-percent of ferric sulfate per ton of solids when the slurry mixture was 75 weight-percent solids. The bearing capacity of hydraulic sandfill is reduced by increasing the water content and decreasing the amount of cement mixed with sandfill.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. J. O'Dea

"The United States hat large reserves of titaniferous iron ores that are a potential future source of both iron and titanium. Although it is not now economically feasible to recover iron and titanium metals from these ores, they may become important in times of stress and, in some instances, already have served as a source of pigment-quality titania.The iron- and titanium-bearing constituents of the ores considered in this report are not completely separable from each other by ore-dressing methods, and chemical (or smelting) procedures must be employed. It is im¬portant, therefore, that information be available concerting their reactivities. The most important titanium-bearing constituent is ilmenite (FeTiO3), the thermodynamic properties of which were discussed in a previous publication.3/ The results of thermodynamic studies showed that both hydrogen and carbon monoxide are relatively ineffective reducing agents for the iron in limonite. On the other hand, carbon theoretically is effective at tempera¬tures above 8510C., at which. point the combined equilibrium pressures of CO and CO2 from the reactionsFeTiO3 + C = Fe+ TiO + COand200 = C+ CO2reach 1 atmosphere.This report gives results of small-scale tests of selective reduction by carbon of the iron in titaniferous iron ores, both with and without addition of sodium carbonate. It is shown that the bulk of the iron may be reduced and separated without serious reduction or loss of titanium. Three Wyoming ores, Iron Mountain, Shanton, and Taylor, wore studied. The principal factors investigated were temperature, time, carbon:ore ratio, particle size, and sodium carbon ore ratio.Two methods of investigation were employed. In the first, intimate mixtures of ore and carbon were roasted and the reduced iron and titanium evaluated by leaching with dilute sulfuric acid and analyzing the leach solution (and, in some instances, the dried residues).Twenty grams of ore were mixed thoroughly with carbon and tamped into an alundum thimble having a loosely fitting cover. The thimble and contents were placed in a test-tube end porcelain tube and heated to the desired temperature in a Globar tube furnace. The open end of the porcelain tube was connected to a bubbler containing sulfuric acid, in a manner that permitted complete shut-off of the tube when desired. This allowed removal of the tube from the furnace at the end of the roast period without exposure of the contents to the atmosphere."

Jun 1, 1946

By W. J. McKenna

This paper, describing the milling practice at tine lead-zinc concentrator of the International Smelting Co., is one of a series of papers on milling methods being prepared by the United States Bureau of nines. The concentrator is operated as a unit of the International Smelting Co. and is located about 40 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, at Tooele, Utah. The Tooele Valley Railroad, operating between the plant and Warner, Utah, a distance of 6.5 miles, makes connection with both the Union Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads.

Jan 1, 1933

By Philip C. Tully

This bibliography contains 2,072 citations to technical and scientific literature about helium and alpha-particles abstracted by 12 abstract service publications during 1962. Citations are listed by 16 major subject classifications with several subclassifications to minimize areas of literature search. Automatic data processing was used to reduce the time and labor required to compile the bibliography.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. L. Wiley

[NOTE. - P before the number indicates that the ab tract appears in patent section. Abstract numbers without. P appear in literature section. A Abietic acid, hydrogenolysis - 404 Acetone, recovery - P-4024 Acetylacetonate catalyst - P-3352, P-3664, P-6067 Acetylene, production - P-2556, P-3169, P-4064, P-4221, P-4222, P-5002 Acid catalyst - P-4584 Salts - P-4555 See also Specific acid. Acid treatment. See Procedure. Adsorption. See Hydrogen, adsorption. Agitation. See Equipment, agitators; Procedure. Alcohols: Decomposition -1128 Hydrogenation - P-3288, P-4743 In motor fuel - 1486]

Jan 1, 1952

By R. D. Leitch

"REASONS FOR AND PURPOSE OF WORKIn 1924 the United States Public Health Service was requested to undertake a special study of stream pollution. At that time the proposal that the United States Bureau of Mines take up the study was made by the Public Health Service because in point of training and experience the personnel of the latter was considered not to be as well, suited to this type of investigation as was that of the Bureau of Mines. H. Foster Bain, then Director of this bureau, promised to undertake the work, and, accordingly, field investigations were begun in the spring of 1925. The problems of mine-drainage wastes and of gas-house and coke-oven waste were investigated in the laboratory, and a method of treatment by sodium hydrate and benzol was found to be promising. The idea was obtained by A. C. Fieldner, chief engineer of the Bureau of Mines experiment stations, while in Germany in 1924, where he was shown a practical application of the process, but no information was obtained as to definite chemical or mechanical processes. Because of the then pending American patent application by the German firm, we made no attempt to develop our findings further. Shortly after, a similar method of treatment was developed in the United States, and since that time we have devoted our attention entirely to mine drainage. This paper is a presentation of some general facts and information gathered during the past five years on coal-mine drainage.SCOPE OF WORKAt the time our work was begun there was such a diversity of opinion on the whole subject and apparently so little was accurately known, that it was decided to undertake a basic study from which (1) certain definite information might be evident, and (2) what might be considered side issues of the original investigation would be suggested for subsequent study.A stream in a district thought to be representative of those in low to average sulphur bituminous coal fields and another in a high sulpbur district were selected for study, A fair (weber of factors entered into the tentative selection of these streams, the chief ones being their accessibility and freedom from other industrial or domestic pollution, besides, of course, the presence of mine drainage in these streams."

Apr 1, 1931

By Paul M. Tyler

Hafnium appears to be among the more abundant of the newly discovered elements . Though quite widely distributed in nature , its compounds chemically so resembled those of zirconium , its sister element , that it escaped detection until 1923 , when Coster and Hevesy announced the discovery of the element , to which they gave the name of " hafnium " , from Hafniae , the Latin name for Copenhagen , where their research work was performed . Hafnium has so far been found only as a minor constituent of zirconium minerals . Zirconium as an element was discovered more than 140 years ago , but only a few unimportant uses were found for the metal or its compounds until some 18 years ago ; it is still classed among the rarer commercial metals . It is not surprising , therefore , that hafnium has not yet found a definite place for itself in industry . Nevertheless it has commanded a considerable interest among scientists ; and in 1930 some 70 grams of perfectly pure oxide of hafnium were prepared in Europe . A commercial future for hafnium is already glimpsed in the radio industry , and its high melting point and electronic emissivity have already led to the taking out of patents for its use in radio tubes and incandescent electric lamp filaments and for the cathode surfaces of devices such as X- ray tubes and rectifiers .

Apr 1, 1931

By Gwendolyn D. Hood

The Bureau of Mines investigated techniques for dewatering slurries from talc-processing operations to improve water reclamation and pro-duce dewatered solids suitable for disposal. Various flocculating reagents were evaluated, and a nonionic polyacrylamide was found to be most effective in a specialized flocculation dewatering technique. The flocculation dewatering method was applied in laboratory batch tests and in continuous tests using a static screen, a belt-roller device, and a clarifier-thickener laboratory unit. In continuous tests using the unit, wastes of 3.5 pct solids were dewatered to 56.9 pct solids using 0.03 Ib of flocculant per ton of dry solids treated.

Jan 1, 1983

By H. R. Shell, John L. Miller, M. V. Denny

In the mica research program conducted by the Bureau of Mines at Norris , Tenn . , many micas other than silicon fluorphlogopite have been synthesized . It has been well established since the initiation of the program that synthetic micas are important materials useful for their superior or unique properties as well as substitutes for natural micas . The possibility of controlling the physical properties of synthetic mica by isomorphic substitution of other ions in the fluorphlogopite lattice further emphasizes the importance of these materials . Accurate measurement and reporting of their properties constitute an essential part of the research program . The study of germanium fluorphlogopite is in keeping with the requirements of a comprehensive study on isomorphic substitution , specifically to identify precisely the material -- chemically , structurally , and optically . The X- ray measurements , including indexed powder and single crystal data , with a description of the methods used to obtain these data , are provided . 5 Earlier work on germanium mica by R. A. Hatch et al . (5) gave an estimate of the cell parameters from X - ray powder data , but no attempt was made to index the diffraction pattern or to determine the space group symmetry . Later work by E. A. Schatz and J. C. Withers (9) listed X- ray and optical measurements , but no attempt was made to index the mica or determine its symmetry . Roth (7) found that germanium dioxide having the a - quartz structure , when heated with equimolar percentages of MgO , CaO , Sr0 , or Ba0 at 1,235 ° C , formed ABO3 -type compounds , e.g. MgGe03 isostructural with enstatite (MgSiO3 ) . Geo₂ also has a rutile - type polymorph with Ge ++ ions in octahedral coordination . Germanium was substituted for silicon in the serpentine structure by Roy and Roy (8 ) using hydrothermal techniques . These authors wrote as follows : "The substitution of Ge + for Si + yielded a magnesia - germania serpentine , formed easily in euhedral hexagonal plates which in some instances were visible in the light microscope . Electron micrographs and the sharp X - ray diffraction patterns confirm a plate - like rather than tubular habit . " It has been shown in this investigation that substitution of germanium for silicon in the mica structure is readily accomplished without radically changing the characteristics of the mica . Substitutions in the mica structure take place in three locations : Tetrahedral , octahedral , and interlayer positions . The tetrahedral positions are normally occupied by Sit or by a combination of Sit with Al +3 the most common combination being 2A1 +3 and 6Si +4 · , The octahedral position , which has six - fold coordination in phlogopite , contains a larger cation such as magnesium . In muscovite it contains only 2A1 ions ; therefore , this mica is considered a dioctahedral mica , whereas phlogopite is considered trioctahedral . +3 The interlayer position has twelve - fold coordination with six oxygen ions from each of two adjacent tetrahedral silica layers . This is the cleavage plane of the mica and commonly contains the largest cation in the mica structure (e.g. potassium) .

Jan 1, 1964

By Allen S. Smith

Analysis of the helium content of a natural gas presents more than the usual difficulties encountered in applying the thermal-conductivity method because of the relatively small amounts of this inert as present and the wide variation in the other constituents. However, the numerous advantages of this method and its adaptability to Continuously recording and control instruments make it worthy of consideration. A specific application of the method described yields quantitative results only when used with gas mixtures of known qualitative compositions which Vary within predetermined limits. Periodic analyses for the helium content of a producing gas well may be conveniently made by an absorption method, and a continuums analytical method is not necessary for this purpose. Natural gas containing 1.75 to 1.90 percent of helium produced from Government-owned wells is processed in the Amarillo (Texas) Helium Plant of the Bureau of lanes. The helium extracted in the plant is supplied to the Army and Navy, and the processed natural gas is sold to a commercial gas company. As complete recovery of the helium in the raw material is not economically practicable, the processed gas contains 0.1 to 0.3 percent of helium, depending upon conditions of operation. Production is checked against the helium removed from the gas, which before the installation of the thermal-conductivity apparatus was calculated from the analysis of a cumulative sample of the processed gas. As conditions of operation affect the residual helium content to a large extent, a composite sample was an uncertain index of the efficiency of the process.

Jan 1, 1934

By Michael G. Zabetakis, Aldo L. Furno, Henry E. Perlee

The Bureau of Mines conducted an experimental study with liquid and gaseous hydrogen to determine the hazards associated with the use of liquid hydrogen as an ionizing particle detector in bubble chambers . The glass window , the vacuum chamber , and the vent system were investigated . In addition , a study was made of the detection and ignition of escaping hydrogen and of the available electrical equipment for use in hydrogen atmospheres . Materials such as tempered glass , aluminum , and stainless steel are not penetrated readily by the small fragments formed when fully tempered glass is shattered and propelled by hydrogen at initial pressures up to 100 psig ; long , slender fragments from untempered glass may penetrate thin walls of relatively soft materials such as rubber gaskets and lead . Hydrogen can be vented satisfactorily from a vacuum chamber with a well - designed vent system . However , the rapid leakage of hydrogen into the surrounding air is a serious problem because the available detectors are satisfactory only when the accumulation of hydrogen is slow . Much of the electrical equipment currently available was designed for use in hydrogen- air atmospheres .

Jan 1, 1963

By W. M. Nabors

As part of a program to promote conservation and efficient utilization of petroleum resources, Bureau of Mines engineers at the Morgantown (W. Va.) Petroleum Research Laboratory are studying secondary oil-recovery projects in the Appalachian region. The increasing demand for petroleum and its products and the increasing cost of exploratory drilling tend to emphasize the importance of improving the recovery of oil from known petroleum reserves. Published reports setting forth the pertinent facts of these operations may help others to profit by the experience. This report presents the results of a study of secondary-recovery methods used in West Virginia by the Piedmont Oil and Gas Co., the Ryan Oil Co., and Water floods , Inc., on their Roane County leases in the Walton and Clover Rush Run pools. The principal oil-producing horizon underlying the area studied is the Big Injun sand, at approximately 2,000 feet. The sand is often referred to as blanket sand because it underlies much of the State and is oil-productive in many localities. Most of the pools in the area were discovered during 1907 to 1910 and were similarly developed and operated.

Jan 1, 1960

By Henry P. Wheeler

As recently as 1915, helium was available only in very small quantities at a cost equivalent to $2,500 per cubic foot. It was a laboratory curiocity, and its properties were of interest to a limited number of scientists (11).3/ During the past 30 years, however, helium has grown from a plaything of scientists to a factor of importance in the prosecution of the recent war. Navy blimps filled with nonflammable helium proved to be more than a match for German submarines operating in the Atlantic. American bombers were able to fly unheard-of distances to drop bombs on Tokyo, Nagoya, Yokahama, and other Japanese cities because they had been made lighter with magnesium, arc-welded in a helium atmosphere. The Army utilized helium-filled radio-sonde balloons to obtain vital information concerning weather conditions affecting D-day invasions and other military maneuvers.

Jan 1, 1946

By D. J. Dollhopf

The specific objective of this three year study is to investigate the means of reestablishing non-polluted hydrologic systems in areas where surface mining directly impacts shallow ground-water resources. The research area chosen for the study is located near Colstrip, Montana it a new mine site where chemical analysis of core samples from the overburden suggested that excessive concentrations of several elements would he encountered during the mining process. This report discusses local vegetation; soils; and regional geology, and hydrology. Stratigraphic cross sections and regression analyses were used to study the litho-chemical relationships in the overburden. Cross sections indicated Inimical material may be related to both rock tune and position within the overburden profile. In overburden zoness where clay content was high, there was a greater probability that Pb, Cu, Ni, and Mn concentrations would also be higher than average; similarly, the likelihood of overburden exceeding a suspect level became less as the sand content increased. Highest value, of conductance were usually found within a few meters of the surface. High concentrations of clay, nickel, and zinc were frequently found directly above and below the Rosebud coal. Regression analysis indicated overburden SAR was predictable with only a Na analysis. A strong relationship also existed in the overburden between conductance, Ca, and Mg.

Jan 1, 1977