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By J. D. Davis

On May 15, 1936, Congress authorized the Bureau of Mines to conduct certain studies, experiments, and investigations of subbituminous coal and lignite .4/ Appropriations were made in July 1937, and since that date an active investigation has been underway to complete the provisions of the act. Part of the investigation has included a comprehensive survey of the known properties of the lower-rank non-coking coals, and provisions were made to obtain more data on certain varieties. In line with this plan, a typically subbituminous coal was selected for an extended series o tests in the standard Bureau of Mines-American Gas Association unit,5/ at the Central Experiment Station. This particular noncaking coal was the first one of its rank that ha& been tested in the apparatus; for this reason the results are of particular interest because the testing apparatus was originally designed for use in studying the coke- and gas-making properties of coking coals. The test as described below has been developed by the Bureau of Mines since 1927 through a cooperative agreement with the American Gas Association.6/ Ninety to 180 pounds of coal is heated in a circular retort, 13 to 18 inches in diameter, at wall. temperatures ranging from 540°C. to 1,110°C. in 100°C. steps. All products axe collected and measured; their physical and chemical properties axe then carefully determined to ascertain the gas- and coke-making properties of the coal.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. F. Zaffarano

Intergrated energy balances and energy flows were constructed and quantified for State, regional, and national levels from four separate supply and demand commodity balances for coal, dry natural gas, petroleum and natural gas liquids, and utility electricity. These commodity balances were integrated by source and sectors through conversion and aggregation of their components to energy equivalents expressed in British thermal units (Btu). A summarization of the total gross energy components of supply and demand for commercial energy derived from direct fuels, hydropower and nuclear power, based on individual States and regions, is tabulated for 1960 and 1965. Pertinent computerization details and more than 500 individual State and regional printout tables, in both original commodity units and Btu's, are shown. Using these data, energy flows between States and regions were calculated to identify surplus and deficit energy areas. Report emphasis is on the conceptual aspects of integrated energy balances, rather than on the development of missing State energy data.

Jan 1, 1969

By Cleo Griffith Rall

The method for determining the effective porosity, of oil- and gas- bearing sand described in this report is a development of an earlier method devised by Bureau of Mines. The apparatus has been improved and made more convenient to use, but the procedure has been in use for many years without essential changes. A tabulation at the end of the report gives the results of more than 2,000 porosity determinations for oil sands in the fields of 13 states. A selected bibliography of articles containing descriptions and evaluations of various methods of determining porosity Is a. part of this report. The method was devised and developed at the Petroleum Experiment Station at Bartlesville, Okla., as part of the Bureau's research on fluid-energy relationships and ,on methods of improving the recovery of crude oil from underground reservoirs.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. J. Gleim

A study of the records on file in the Bureau of Mines reveals that moray fire in coal mines have been started by electrical equipment or circuits. There the fires were of undetermined origin, electricity often was Strongly suspected as the probable cause. While it is unfortunate that positive evidence as to the cause is so often lost in the general destruction resulting from fires, there are many lessons to be learned from fire s in which the origin was definitely established as electrical. For modern high-speed methods of producing coal, electrically operated machinery has become virtually indispensable underground. With increases in the amount of equipment it has not always been necessary to increase the number of circuits in the mine where direct current is mainly used, but it has been necessary to increase the carrying capacity of these circuits. For example, lends such as heavy-haulage units drawing 1,000 amperes or more have brought boat the introduction of 6/0 and "No. 9 section" trolley wires. This has not made the task of fire prevention any easier, for it has meant that circuit breakers s must be set so high that partial short circuits fail to open them, therefore an arc of considerable proportions can be maintained without causing the, beaker to open. Thus, if as fall of roof brought a trolley wire down against a loaded car of coal, an arc might be struck that would ignite they cowl without opening the circuit breaker.

Jan 1, 1937

By Paul M. Tyler

One of the best present-day yardsticks of the material welfare of a nation is its consumption of minerals, The United States, with only 7 percent of the world population, consumes 45 percent of the world wealth, pays the highest real wages, has the shortest working hours, and numbers the largest percentages of home owners among its population, and at the same time its per-capita consumption of minerals is far greater than that of any other nation. In 1937, British India, with roughly twice the population of the United States, used less than 2 percent as much lead, 4 percent as muck zinc, and 13 percent as much copper; even in Europe, which has three times our population and where war preparations have greatly expanded the normal needs of peaceful industries, the aggregate consumption of metals and industrial minerals other than lignite is less than the total for the United States alone. The march of civilization passed from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age before the dawn of history. It may be questioned whether man or monkey first threw stones at an enemy, but only man could have fashioned rough stones into weapons. Eoliths rudely shaped by apelike men are believed by archaeologists to have antedated by hundreds of thousands of years the existence of our own human ancestors. The primitive people that followed the retreating Ice Cap northward in early quaternary period - at least a million years ago - were fairly adept in the shaping of flints and even used a little copper. The Bronze Age, so-called, superseded the Stone Age when, around 8,000 B. C., the news spread that chunk s of natural copper could be pounded into better weapons or cutting implements than ever could be made by chipping stones. The Bronze Age gave place to the Iron Age about 1,000 B, C., and though students of modern history may speak of the Coal Age, the Petroleum Age, and the Automobile Age, and so on, these ages have all been crowded into a brief century and a half. The truth is that we still are in the Iron Age, unless perhaps we choose to call it the Age of Many Metals.

Jan 1, 1940

By R. A. Beall, S. L. Ausmus

The development of a completely water - free expendable graphite mold material , useful for reactive metal castings , has been detailed . Mixing and curing variables have been evaluated both by physical testing of the material itself and by castings of titanium , zirconium , and hafnium . The blend of powdered graphite , cornstarch , dextrin , cereal binder , linseed oil , and Carbowax -4000 is a successful mix when mulled in a carbon dioxide atmosphere , and properly cured and fired . The primary advantage of this material is its adaptability to standard foundry techniques ; i . e . , core blowing and hand ramming . Temperatures in the curing and firing cycles do not exceed 960 ° C , and no vacuum firing is required .

Jan 1, 1964

By G. T. Krempasky

In an attempt to develop a suitable precast concrete support for underground use, two different models (1955 and 1958) of a five-piece concrete set were designed, fabricated, and tested under adverse loading conditions. Model 1955 was designed to withstand an ultimate, uniformly distributed, vertical load equivalent to what a three-piece, 12- by 12-inch wood set of intermediate-grade Douglas fir would withstand. A design figure of 138,000 pounds for the vertical load was used on both the 1955 and 1958 models. In addition, the 1958 model was designed to withstand a uniform horizontal load of 7,000 pounds per foot and additional concentrated-point loading. The step- by-step design of each model is presented in the appendixes. A series of five destruction tests was conducted underground on the 1955 model, and results of the tests showed that the type and method of blocking were of major significance.

Jan 1, 1963

By A. S. Swanson

The Babb fault vein in Crittenden and Livingston Counties, Ky. (fig. 1), is one of an extensive series of such veins in the Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois fluorspar district. First operated in 1904, the production to May 1, 1944, was estimated at 143,000 tons of fluorite ore. There are five mines (fig. 2) on the Babb fault zone - Guill ,Kentucky Babb, Delhi-Babb, Eagle-Babb and Howard-Barnes. The Bureau of Mines developed four of these properties by core drilling from July 9, 1943, to May 1, 1944. During that period a total of 8,177.8 feet of diamond drilling was completed in 28 holes.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. C. Barrett

Bureau of Mines research on the arc welding characteristics of titanium was initiated in 1948. Little was known about the art except that the easily contaminated metal required more protection from the atmosphere during welding than most other metals. Chambers were designed and built within which titanium could be welded with adequate inert gas protection. Welds were made and their properties studied, and prototype items were made successfully. This report, presenting a resume of the titanium arc-welding experiments undertaken by the Bureau of Mines, demonstrates that the process is successful if conducted under proper conditions and describes the welding of prototypes. INTRODUCTION The Bureau of Mines' first report on methods of joining titanium covered the subject of spot welding,4/ outlining the conditions necessary for producing spot welds in ductile titanium consolidated by powder metallurgy methods and describing the characteristics of such welds. This report embraces the field of fusion weld-ing of titanium and traces the development of suitable methods and equipment for producing such welds.

Jan 1, 1956

By Alexander L. Peyton

The Magruder and Chambers copper deposits in the Little River gold district, on the border line of Lincoln and Wilkes Counties, Georgia, have been known for a number of years (fig. 1). The Magruder deposit was first opened as a gold mine but has produced mostly copper and load. Records show that about 50 cars of concentrates were shipped from this property. No record of any production at the Chambers deposit is available. The Bureau of Mines, in its program of investigation of strategic minerals deposits, diamond drilled 10 holes, totaling 3,784 feet, on the two properties between December 3, 1948, and June 23, 1949. Eighty-eight core samples were analyzed, and the analyses and drill-hole data are presented in this report.

Jan 1, 1950

By L. G. Trudell, J. W. Smith, K. E. Stanfield

Representation of actual oil yields from sections of the Green River formation oil shales by two types of drill - cutting samples was evaluated . Average oil yields of single sets of mud cuttings from hydraulic rotary drilling in Colorado and gas cuttings from pneumatic rotary drilling in Utah were compared statistically with yields of core samples taken from adjacent holes . Oil yields from gas cuttings were identical to oil yields of core samples . Mud cuttings appeared to represent a section of the formation conservatively , the deficiencies increasing with increasing richness of sample . Because a large amount of the oil - yield data currently available for the Green River formation is based on mud- cutting samples , development of a valid correction method by additional testing is needed .

Jan 1, 1963

By Ronald S. Conti

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) report describes various fire-fighting resources available to the mining industry and examines the fire preparedness of four western coal mines. Information regarding fire-fighting equipment indicates that an inadequate maintenance program may cause component failure of fire extinguishers, damage to waterhoses is usually a result of improper care, and foam may be a convenient means of conveying water to the fire. Performance data relative to water nozzles (throw distance) and specific practices to improve the state of preparedness in many of these areas are discussed. Studies also indicated that a high-expansion foam plug, will travel down an entry, with a 1% rise in elevation, 207 m (680 ft) before a plywood stopping separating the generator and plug failed. The advance rate of the foam plug decreased when the entry is dry, requiring more foam concentrate and as the foam spread further down the entry. An examination of the mines showed state-of-the-art monitoring systems were common at the minesites. Fire safety was also stressed, including early detection and rapid response of the miners to evacuate the mine. However, the mines placed little emphasis on performance of water nozzles, or personal protective clothing for the underground firefighters.

Jan 1, 1994

By Raymond W. Hiteshue, Sam Friedman, Martin D. Schlesinger

The Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the El Paso Natural Gas Co. investigated the effect of high temperature and pressure at short residence times on the hydrogenation of a New Mexico coal to gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons . The study was made in a bench - scale semicontinuous unit at pressures of 500 to 6,000 psig , 480 ° to 1,000 ° C , and residence times of less than 1 minute to 15 minutes . Ammonium heptamolybdate was impregnated on the coal to furnish 1 percent molybdenum based on maf coal . Coal could be rapidly hydrogenated at elevated temperatures and pressures to yield large quantities of gaseous hydrocarbons and small quantities of lowboiling oils , high in single - ring aromatics . At 800 ° C and 6,000 psig and a residence time of 1 minute , the yield of hydrocarbon gas was 43 percent and of liquid hydrocarbons 9 percent , based on maf coal . With a 15 - minute residence time , the yield of gaseous hydrocarbons increased to 68 percent with a decrease in yield of oil to 6 percent . At higher hydrogen velocities , the yields of oil were much greater but contained large quantities of asphaltene . Low concentrations of molybdenum (0.01 and 0.1 percent ) or a high concentration of iron ( 1 percent ) were ineffective at 800 ° C , 6,000 psig , and short residence time .

Jan 1, 1964

By Robert T. Langland

The Bureau of Mines, at its Denver, Colo., research center, has developed a computer program to solve nonlinear regression problems. The program is written in a general form so that, regardless of the functional relationship assumed, the unknown parameters may be evaluated by the Newton-Raphson method of iteration. Variances and covariances of the parameters are derived, based on the propagation of errors. A creep function is established from shale test data as an example of program utility. Program accuracy is compared to the accuracies of other programs in present day use.

Jan 1, 1974

By S. H. Ash

THE ANTHRACITE region of Pennsylvania contains over nine-tenths of the total anthracite deposits of North America and produces all but an insignificant proportion of the total output of anthracite in the Nation. The whole economy of the northeastern section of the United States depends, to a large extent, on the mining of Pennsylvania anthracite, which is shipped to New Jersey, New York, and New England and is a principal source of energy and heat for that entire region. The responsibility of the Federal Government for developing an engineering method that will prevent inundation of the Pennsylvania anthracite mines and keep them in operation has long been recognized. To obtain a reliable picture of the anthracite-mine-water problem and to solve that problem, it is necessary to have factual data on the volume and the quality and character of the mine water handled by the pumping plants in the anthracite region, as well as the kinds of pumps utilized and problems concerning their operation.

Jan 1, 1953

These proceedings consist of papers presented at a Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Seminar in September 1981 for the purpose of disseminating recent advances in mining technology in the area of premining research. The introduction and descriptive papers discuss techniques and instrumentation used in premining research for metal and nonmetal mining and shaft design and borehole control for premine planning.

Jan 1, 1982

By PALMER LARSEN

INDEX TO GEOPHYSICAL ABSTRACTS

May 1, 1931

By Errol D. Sehnke

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report provides detailed information on worldwide alumina production capacity by plant and country. The information was compiled from a variety of domestic and international sources and was based on information available to the Bureau through December 31, 1993. Capacity data represent announced installed and planned capacities and do not necessarily reflect a Bureau of Mines judgment of actual plant operating levels or timing of planned expansions, The year-end capacity is the ?nameplate" capacity or estimated production capacity, whichever is larger.

Jan 1, 1993

By Joseph Gersic

MINFO has been developed to serve as a frontend for three databases created to store basic minerals information gathered during the minerals resource assessment conducted by U.S. Bureau of Mines(USBM) for the Malheur and Jordan resource areas of southeastern Oregon(MJRA). The primary database is the Minerals Location Inventory (MLI.DBF) which contains of information assembled from field work performed during this project, the USBM Minerals Availability System/Mineral Information Location System(MAS/MILS) database, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral lndustries(DOGAMT) Mineral Information Location(MILOC) database, and the U.S. (Geological Survey(USGS) Mineral Resource Database System(MRDS), In addition, assay results are contained in the geochemical database (ELEMENTS.DBF) and modified X-ray diffraction analysis information is contained in the minerals database (MINOR.M.DBF). MINFO includes four types of program modules: ? Enter/Edit Data was developed to allow the addition of new information and to encourage correction of errors by providing a convenient means of entering and editing data and a large degree of automatic checking and filtering of entries. ? ACAD/DBF Link links each site symbol posted on the map in the drawing file to a record in the database. This provides the user with the ability to use a mouse or other pointing device to graphically select a site for viewing and editing. Edits are performed directly in the database file, ? Reports contains 7 formats of data output for creating files for printing, transfer to other database formats, and exporting to other software packages such as spreadsheets and word processing programs. ? Maps includes 5 programs for creating AutoCAD script files which can be used to create maps of selected information in conjunction with AutoCAD. Mineral location mapping files derived from MLI.DBF can be created in 2 formats. Mapping files can be generated from each of the 2 sets of geochemical analyses contained in ELEMENTS.DBF. X-ray diffraction analyses can also be translated into instructions for creating and posting piecharts at sampling sites.

Jan 1, 1994

By Albert L. Toenges

EARLY in 1949, the Economic Cooperation Administration requested the Bureau of Mines to assign a coal-mining engineer to study milling conditions in Greek lignite mines; to make recommendations for the introduction of methods and practices that should increase production and decrease the cost of mining; and, from the results of a geological reconnaissance by geologists of the United States Geological Survey, to suggest plans for the development of mines to supply fuel for a thermal power plant, Albert L. Toenges was assigned to this investigation and arrived in Athens, Greece, March 15, 1949. The study of mining operations and the geological reconnaissance (which was made by W. G. Pierce and X. M. Denson, geologists, United States Geological Survey) Were conducted concurrently. The Geological Survey will publish the results of its investigation separately. Washability studies of lignites from Aliveri and Kimi were made at the Central Experiment Station of the Bureau of -Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. The lignite fields mentioned in this bulletin are shown in figure 1.

Jan 1, 1951