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By C. J. Wilhelm

The disposal of brines produced with crude petroleum and natural gas has been a long-continuing problem to oil and gas operators as well as to farmers and stock-raisers in the vicinity of producing fields. .An impartial appraisal of conditions pertaining to the problem of brine disposal lead to the conclusion that study of the technical considerations, with proper weight given to the economic and social factors, is the most desirable approach to this problem . Brine disposal is a problem of such magnitude 1n certain areas in the State of Kansas that in August 1934 a cooperative agreement w s made between the Kansas State Board of Health and the U. S. Bureau of Mines for a cooperative technical study of methods of brine disposal.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. V. Higgins

A computer program is presented to calculate the shape factors and volumes of cells from a potentiometric model, using coordinates of the inter-sections of the stream lines and equal potentials and a few additional coordinates. Shape factors are used in flow computations when the geometry is complicated. The program also includes computer instructions to divide the channels into cells of equal volume and to obtain the shape factor for each of these equal volume cells. An illustrated example using the potentiometric model for the waterflood of a seven-spot well-spacing pattern is presented. The information contained in the report is of value not only to those allied to the subject but also to others, because many of the techniques can be conveniently used in formulating other computer programs.

Jan 1, 1966

By Fred D. DeVaney

The Mesabi iron district of Minnesota has a potential production of over 50 million tons of iron are annually. The large shipments of ore each year are gradually depleting the reserves, and if the present rate of production is to be maintained there must be a growth in the present available ore supply. Growth is a natural course. The growth of a city may be affected by the addition of city blocks or by the improvement of utilities necessary for its betterment. These may go on in the order named or concurrently. The city-block type of growth of the Mesabi has been tremendous, and the "betterment" type has followed in due course. Probably the former has reached its limit, and if so, more time will be allotted to the latter. It is not the in¬tent of this paper to present either a eulogy of the wonderful mining methods or a history of the milling, but it is pertinent to say that if the lean-ore area continues to produce, the continuance will be more the result of further improvement of milling methods non well under way than of extension of boundaries by the city block plan of growth.

Jan 1, 1932

By A. Wahab Khair

"This paper presents an analysis of fracture mechanisms in coal subjected to bi-axial state of stresses, indentation of laterally confined coal specimen. Coal specimens were loaded to failure by the straight wedge indenters at various lateral confinement pressures. Strain distribution and acoustic emission characteristics of coal specimens under stress were recorded. The influence lines of vertical forces acting on the horizontal straight boundary of the coal specimen for each type of wedge indenter have been established using holographic interferometry technique. The effects of wedge indenter angle, confinement pressure, and coal anisotropy on fracture types, failure modes, and post-failure conditions were studied. The results indicated that combined application of holographic interferometry and acoustic emission monitoring techniques is not only suitable ·for studying deformability of heterogeneous and microscopically discontinuous material under stress but it also enhances the mode of fracture during the post failure stage. INTRODUCTIONOne of the relevant processes in the coal cutting technology is the application of indentation theories. Since most cutting tools in the coal industry are wedge shaped most of the indentation research is found for a wedge shaped tool.A wide range of behavior is found in different rocks subjected to the wedge penetration. A rock which is elastic brittle at standard pressure might become elastic plastic at high confining pressure (Gnirk and Cheatham, 1963). It was also observed that some rocks will merely be crushed and indented by a wedge whereas others will crack and form chips, furthermore the existence or non-existence of chips depends mostly on the geometry of the indenter, type of rock and the depth of penetration (Evans and Murrel, 1958). However, coal cutting technology is mostly explained by models which use rigid wedge to penetrate into a brittle material in which both crushing and chipping will occur (Evans and Murrel, 1958, 1962)."

Jan 1, 1988

By S. J. Schatzel

In an effort to increase productivity, many longwall mining operations in the U.S. have continually increased face lengths. Unfortunately, the mining of larger panels may increase methane emissions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a mine safety research study to characterize and quantify the methane emissions resulting from increasing face lengths in the Pittsburgh Coal-bed. The goal of this research effort was to provide the mine operator with a method to predict the increase in methane emissions from the longer faces for incorporation of additional methane control capacity into the mine planning process, if necessary. Based on measured methane emission rates of 0.066 m3/s (140 cfm) for a 315 m (1032 ft) face, projected longwall face methane emission rates were 0.090 m3/s (191 cfm) for a 366 m (1200 ft) face, 0.106 m3/s (225 cfm) for a 426 m (1400 ft) face, and 0.124 m3/s (263 cfm) 488 m (1600 ft) face.

Jan 1, 2006

By C. H. Elder, Maurice Deul

A 5-hole pattern was drilled from the surface at a site near Oak Grove, Jefferson County, Ala., to degasify the gassy Mary Lee coalbed in advance of mining. Gas and water production was monitored for 1 year, 4 months to allow gas flow to stabilize fully. A thickened water stimulation treatment was designed and applied in one hole of the pattern to evaluate this degasification technique for the Mary Lee coalbed. A gas production rate of 70,000 ft3 /day after stimulation treatment indicates that the use of vertical boreholes coupled with hydraulic fracturing in advance of mining the Mary Lee coalbed would provide for more rapid degasification and could provide a possible source of natural gas.

Jan 1, 1974

By Edwin M. Thomasson

HELIUM SHIPMENTS in 1964 exceeded the volume shipped during the previous year for the 15th successive time. Shipments from Bureau of Mines helium plants were 667.4 million cubic feet,2 about 6 percent more than in 1963. Production at Bureau of Mines plants totaled 784.5 million cubic feet. An additional 3,193.1 million cubic feet, which was produced by private companies participating in the helium conservation program, was purchased by the Bureau and stored underground for future use. The Bureau of Mines continued to sell helium at $35 a thousand cubic feet, the price established in 1961. Substantial railway freight rate reductions for tank car shipments of helium went into effect during the year, resulting in a lower delivered price for helium. As the Nation moved ahead in the space age, it became increasingly apparent that helium would continue to play an essential role in research, in technology, in defense, and in industry.

Jan 1, 1965

By John C. Machisak

INJURY DATA and experience at coal mines in the United States for 1957 are presented in this bulletin under the following general sections: (A) General injury experience: Tables 1-6: Current data on number of fatal and nonfatal injuries, frequency and severity rates, and average severity. (B) Selected injury experience: Tables 7-36: Current data on causes of injuries, distribution of injuries by part of body injured, days of disability, extent of hand and machine loading, experience by employ¬ment and production groups, and various other operating factors and physical conditions related to the occurrence of injuries at the Nation's coal mines. (C) Injury experience, by States: Tables 37-41: Data on injuries, injury rates, employment, causes of injuries, and severity rates. (D) Major disasters: Table 42: Data on major disasters from 1948 to 1957. A major disaster is defined as a single accident in which, or as a result of which, five persons or more are killed instantly or die at any time thereafter. (E) Historical coal-mine-fatality experience: Tables 43-47: Data on fatalities and their causes at bituminous-coal, lignite, and anthracite mines from the earliest records through 1957.

Jan 1, 1960

By Wils L. Cooley

Several aspects of mine safety grounding systems and equipment are studied. Electrolytic corrosion of test ground beds has shown a high incidence of stray current damage, while efforts to build a reliable continuous ground bed monitor continue. Laboratory and field investigations of trailing cable splices have yielded strong evidence that splices can contribute to stray current problems in the mines, but a method is suggested for discovering deteriorating splices before they pose a serious hazard. A prototype device has been constructed to evaluate the electrical resistance of rail bonds underground as a source of stray current. Theoretical modeling of ground electrodes, has advanced considerably, now covering measurements of large cylindrical electrodes, multiple-rod ground beds, rod electrodes in stratified earth, and measurement of connected beds. A prototype instrument design is given for a potential gradient plotter to quickly evaluate voltage gradients near earth electrodes. Additional ground-check monitor testing is reported.

Jan 1, 1977

By C. H. Elder

Two degasification test boreholes were drilled to depths of 1,238 and 1,212 feet on Bureau of Mines property at Bruceton, Pa., as part of the Bureau's long-range coal degasification program. The holes provided detailed geologic information and geologic sections, which were correlated with regional stratigraphic cross sections prepared by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Gas content determinations and coal analyses were made on the Upper Freeport, Middle Kittanning, Clarion, Brookville, and Mercer coalbeds; gas content of the coalbeds ranged from 53 to 165 cubic feet per ton. Formation pressure and gas flow tests were conducted on selected coalbed intervals in borehole 1; formation pressures ranged from 292 to 473 psig. The middle Kittanning coalbed was hydraulically stimulated using very heavy gelled water, but gas production remained low because gel residue and formation water inhibited the flow of gas. Gas contents in the Clarion, Upper Brookville, and Mercer coalbeds were anomalously low owing to the proximity of porous sand-stones which act as reservoirs for gas migrating from coalbeds.

Jan 1, 1977

By Seth T. Reese

THE INJURY DATA and experience at coal mines in the United States for 1949 are presented in this bulletin under the following general sections: (A) General injury experience: 1. Tables 1 to 18: Contain current data on number of injuries, frequency and severity rates, average severity, major and detailed classification of injuries, and distribution of injuries by part of body and days of disability. (B) Selected injury data: 1. Tables 19 to 45: Contain current data on various selected factors of operating and physical conditions that have contributed to the occurrence of injuries at bituminous-coal mines and at Pennsylvania anthracite mines. These factors include extent of hand and machine loading, size of mine by employment and production groups, thickness of bed or vein, duration and number of work shifts, rating of mine as gassy, or nongassy, types of cap lamps, ventilation, explosives, and combinations of factors that influence mine safety. (C) Injury experience by States: 1. Tables 46 to 52: Contain current data on number of injuries, frequency and severity rates, average severity, major classification of injuries, injury records of all coal-producing States, and the relative standing by States according to injury-frequency rates. (D) Appendix: 1. Tables 53 to 84: Contain certain injury data for the years 1943-47 that have not heretofore been published.

Jan 1, 1953

In the three years to June 2005, 959 injuries associated with continuous miners (CMs), shuttle cars (SCs), load-haul-dump and personnel transport (PT) were reported by NSW underground coal mines, comprising 23% of all injuries reported. The present paper reports an analysis of the narrative field accompanying these reports to determine opportunities for controlling injury risks. The most common combinations of activity and mechanism were: strain while handling CM cable (96 injuries); caught between or struck by moving parts while bolting on a CM (86 injuries); strains while bolting on CM (54 injuries); and slipping off a CM during access, egress or other activity (60 injuries). For the other equipment considered, the common injury mechanism was the vehicle running over a pothole or other roadway abnormality causing the driver or passengers to be injured (169 injuries). Potential control measures include: monorails for CM services; hydraulic cable reefers; handrails on CM platforms; redesign of CM platforms and bolting rigs to reduce reach distances during drilling and bolting; improvements to guarding of bolting controls; standardisation and shape coding of bolting controls; two handed fast feed; improvements in underground roadway maintenance, vehicle suspension, visibility and seating; and pedestrian proximity warning devices.

By T. R. Strombotne

The purpose of this report k to document a contract undertaken by TSA Systems, Incorporated for the United States Bureau of Mines to develop a commercially available source of a continuous, working,, level detector for the measurement of radon daughter products in various working environments. The basic radon measuring technique was devised by Robert Droullard and Robert Holub and has been applied here. For further details or purchasing information contact: TSA Systems, Incorporated 4919 North Broadway Boulder, Colorado 80302

Jan 1, 1982

By Bradley V. Johnson

This publication summarizes the in-house and contract research and development projects conducted since 1974 by the Bureau of Mines for the control of noise and vibrations from surface mine blasting.

Jan 1, 1982

By T. L. Muldoon

The bagging of dry pulverized products using fluidized air packers creates severe respirable dust problems in many surface mining operations. During bag filling, excess air and product blows by the bag valve/nozzle interface. After bag ejection, dust blows out of the bag valve. During conveying and handling dust is released from the bag valve and dirty bag surface. Overexposure of the bagging machine operator and bag handlers is common. This report describes the development and testing of a new dust control system for bagging machines. The system features a new bag clamp design to reduce product blowby during filling. A controlled vacuum system removes excess air from the bag before ejection, eliminating the problems after bag ejection and during conveying and handling. The system has shown significant reductions in dust exposure for both bag machine operators and bag handlers. These reductions are achieved with no significant effect on total mill productivity.

Jan 1, 1985

By John J. Sammarco

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a regulated, intrinsically safe, rechargeable power supply for portable electronic equipment for underground use. The regulated output is ideal for microprocessor power requirements and is suited for operation in hazardous environments. Two rechargeable, sealed batteries are contained within the power supply. Provisions are made to use an external source of power if these batteries fail. Provisions are also made to charge these internal batteries when needed. The circuit is composed of three main circuits: the main regulator circuit, the input protection circuit, and the output protection circuit. The main regulator circuit provides remote voltage sensing, current sensing, fault monitoring, and internal thermal protection. The input protection circuit checks for excessive input current and low battery conditions. The output protection circuit contains two overvoltage detection devices. Schematics, a parts list, and a calibration procedure are provided in this report to enable readers to fabricate the power supply.

Jan 1, 1989

By Steven W. Schmauch

A mineral survey by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey indicate the Blanco Mountain RARE II area has low potential. Lode deposits consist of small, mineralized quartz or quartz-gossan veins. The veins are sparse and widely separated and lead, silver and gold content is restricted in amount and concentration. No gold or other potentially economic minerals were found in a placer deposit. There is no evidence of industrial mineral, geothermal, or energy resource potential in the study area. INTRODUCTION A mineral resource survey of the Blanco Mountain RARE II area (No. 5059), Inyo and Mono Counties, California was conducted in July 1981. This report summarizes the results and interpretations of the Bureau of Mines investigation.

Jan 1, 1982

By Kay E. Goldberg

The Bureau of Mines conducted a study to develop and evaluate a training workshop for mine safety training personnel. The workshop was based on the Instructional Development Institute (IDI) which has been used for nearly ten years to train educators and administrators in the application of a nine-step model for defining, developing, and evaluating instruction. The Mining Instructional Development Institute (MIDI) was developed by investigators at the University of Southern California as a two-phase project. Phase I involved the modification of the six-day IDI program (including audiovisual presentations, workbooks, games, and exercises) for use by mine safety trainers as a workshop lasting three and one-half days. Phase II involved the evaluation and validation of the prototype MIDI workshop by means of a two-stage jury of experts and a prototype field trial. On the basis of data collected in the validation process it was determined that the institute provided an effective and useful method of instruction in mine safety training and that the institute would be especially valuable for mine safety training administrators and supervisors.

Jan 1, 1980

By E. C. Lane

[This is the tenth in a series of retorts on properties of commercial motor fuels, made in accordance with a cooperative agreement between the Cooperative Fuel Research (C.F.R.) Committee e end the Bureau of Mines of the United States Department of the Interior. The first report rave data on motor gasolines sold during .e winter of 1935-36.3/ The present report presents analytical data for 1,732 samples, representing the products of approximately 50 companies, which, as in previous surveys, include both lame and stall suppliers. In addition, the Pacific coast is represented by data that were averaged by the Pacific Coast Technical Group before being submitted and are published exactly as they were received. As in previous surveys, the data are divided into the three groups of samples of regular-price, premium-price, and third-grade gasolines, and each group has been averaged separately. he number of samples, items, and brands comprising each groan), exclusive of those of the Pacific coast, are as follows: Regular price, 934 samples, 230 items, and 50 brands; premium price, 465 saris samples, 184 items, 40 brands; third-grade gasolines, 360 samples, 177 items, and of these terms as used in the surveys are follows: Sample: The individual supply of gasoline obtained at the filling station and analyzed in the laboratory.]

Jan 1, 1941

By E. C. Lane

["_&apos;_-is is t`-e tenth in a series of retorts on proferties of cornmerci-al motor fuels, m,-_de in accord^nce ::ith a cooper: tine aSreement between the Cooperative Fuel scorch (C.F.R.) Committo e ^nd the. PPure__u of Mines of the United_ States De_nartr.ent of the Interior. Zee first report rave data. on motor gs.solir_es sold. during .e winter of 19,-"1-3b. e are ent report presents an^..lytico1 data f&apos;i&apos;r samples, rerrerentin_E, t:-.e products of apyroximately 90 conr.anies, hich, as in previous surveys, include both lame and stall surnliers. In ?_"dition, the Pacific coast is represented by data that were avera,;el ty the Pacific Coast Technical Group before bein submitted and are rublisi,ed exectly zis they were received. As in previous s?nrve,rs, the data r~Lre divided into the three groups of samples of regular-price, premiu::--trice, and third-grade gasolires, and each group has been averaged sel c~r~.tely. he number of nmtles, items, and brands comprising each groan), exclusive of those of the Pacific coast, are as folio:;s: Reg<.~-lar price, 934 ca.^rnles, 2c0 i to s, and ~0 brands; premium price, 460 saris les, lPitems, an&apos;. -C` brat&apos; i _~ t__ rd grade gaseline, 360 samples, 177 i te.^..s, and of these terms as _ised in the surveys are a:: follows:]

Jan 1, 1941