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By D. Harrington

Educational campaigns conducted by the manufacturers of explosives, the Bureau of Mines, mining companies, and safety organizations have contributed greatly in reducing accidents caused by explosives arid blasting. Despite these campaigns and the dissemination of information, accidents from explosives and blasting continue to be the direct cause of scores of fatalities and hundreds of nonfatal accidents annually, not only in the mineral industry but essentially wherever explosives are used. The experience of many mining companies and other users of explosives has proved that accidents from explosives can be prevented or averted by the proper training of employees in the handling and using of explosives and by the enforcement of definite rules and instructions for their use. Unfortunately, throughout the years numerous false impressions and ideas have grown up and around the use of explosives. Many of these can be traced back to the manner in which the users of explosives were originally taught, if instructed at all; and as with many types of misinformation in nearly all walks of life, those false ideas are decidedly persistent and being so cause much damage. Many if not most of the users of explosives gained their knowledge of explosives and blasting by watching others and more or less "absorbing" the procedures and thrones of the other fellow, who acted unconsciously as teacher or instructor. A study of explosives accidents reveals the results of such "teachings" when the causes of the accidents are determined, and as might be expected the results very often are far from good. One of the most persistently erroneous impressions or ideas is concerned with the burning rate of safety fuse. Many men with

Jan 1, 1944

By James C. Barker

A uniquely mineralized area extends from northwestern Canada through Alaska into eastern Siberia. Some of the metals found there are relatively rare in the conterminous United Stales. Among these are cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite. Geologic evidence suggests that cobalt and the platinum-group metals may be present in deposits that could constitute nationally important reserves. Chromite in potentially minable deposits is known, but it may be relatively less abundant. Limited reserves of these metals have been delineated, but most of the favorable terranes and reported occurrences throughout the vast expanse of Alaska remain unexplored. As part of the mineral studies mandated under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Bureau of Mines' Alaska Field Operations Center and the Bureau's research centers at Albany, Oreg., and Reno, Nev., are cooperating in a long- range program to investigate occurrences and delineate reserves of cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite in Alaska. Studies of other critical and strategic minerals will be phased in during succeeding years, as ongoing projects are completed. This first in a series of annual reports summarizes available information about deposits and past production of cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite, and describes current and planned Bureau investigations of these minerals.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. M. Gooding

This paper presents a short history of the production of mineral-energy fuels and energy from waterpower in the United States, with brief discussions of the utilization of each of the fuels and hydropower, and a look at fuels competition and interchangeability. Basic data, in figures and tables, are brought together in this publication for the production of coal in the United States from 1800 to 1960, for crude petroleum, natural gas liquids, and natural gas from 1859 to 1960, and for hydropower since 1900. Production for each segment of the fuels complex in the principal producing States from 1946 to 1960 is shown. Data are not included for consumption as such or for imports and exports.

Jan 1, 1963

By R. M. Gooding

This paper presents a short history of the production of mineral-energy fuels and energy from waterpower in the United States, with brief discussions of the utilization of each of the fuels and hydropower, and a look at fuels competition and interchangeability. Basic data, in figures and tables, are brought together in this publication for the production of coal in the United States from 1800 to 1960, for crude petroleum, natural gas liquids, and natural gas from 1859 to 1960, and for hydropower since 1900. Production for each segment of the fuels complex in the principal producing States from 1946 to 1960 is shown. Data are not included for consumption as such or for imports and exports.

Jan 1, 1963

By Stephen Utter

Stresses induced by block-caving mining were estimated from in-place measurements of strain or deformation in rock and concrete around mine openings. The four types of gages used for measurements in the Climax Molybdenum mine during 1959-61 were Whittemore gage, Carlson strain meter,2 Valore strain cell, and Climax extensometer. Gage performance in the laboratory was evaluated by stressing instrumented rock and concrete specimens in a universal testing machine and by comparing measurements taken by the gages and a standard gage. Gage performance in the mine was evaluated by comparing measurements taken during an 18-month test. The Whittemore gage, Carlson strain meter, and the Climax extensometer proved suitable for the investigation; the Valore strain cell, effective in the laboratory tests, gave erratic measurements in the mine.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. K. Whyatt

The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted an overcore stress measurement on the 5300 level of the Lucky Friday Mine, Mullan, ID, to investigate the stress regime around an experimental stope in a rock-burst-prone mine. The result indicated a stress field with unexpected magnitude and orientation [s 1 ?135 MPa (19,600 psi) oriented S 80° W). An unusual amount of rock-burst activity was encountered during subsequent excavation. A careful review of the overcore data suggested the overcore strain measurements were valid. Moreover, concentrated rock-burst activity suggested that the measured stress field did exist, but was localized and therefore did not represent the far-field in situ stress field.

Jan 1, 2010

By David M. Gullikson

Since publication of the paper on the composition of California oilfield waters by Jensen (6)3/ in 1934 the only other information on the subject was published recently by Chave (4). To supply needed information on the composition of California waters in areas of current drilling activity, the Federal Bureau of Mines collected formation water samples for analysis. Thirty-eight samples from oil-and gas-producing formations in 12 fields located in Ventura, Kern, Glenn, and Colusa counties were analysed by the Bureau's San Francisco Petroleum Research Laboratory. The samples were selected particularly from fields where the water composition was not well known or where interpretation of electrical logs has been difficult and the interpretation may be affected by unusual composition of the water. These samples were obtained from rocks ranging in geologic age from Cretaceous to Upper Pliocene. Fifteen constituents of these waters were determined including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, strontium, barium, lithium, chloride, iodide, bromide, carbonate, bicarbonate, sulfate, borate, and residual acidity. These analyses are the first to be published on California oilfield waters in which determinations for potassium, strontium, bromide, iodide, boron) and naphthenates were made on a significant number of samples. The electrical resistivities of tae samples were determined at 75° F. and 175° F.

Jan 1, 1961

By G. L. Mowrey, S. D. Maksimovic

An important element of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) mining research program is the development and evaluation of reliable coal interface detection (CID) systems. Commercially available CID sensors based on natural gamma radiation (NGR) are only applicable if the immediate roof is composed of shaley material. The USBM has made numerous underground and laboratory measurements using several NGR systems approved for installation on mining machines by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. In addition, two small handheld NGR instruments were used to make comparative measurements. Underground NGR measurements in 10 different coal seams, potassium-uranium-thorium radiometric analyses on samples from 16 seams, and chemical analyses of coal and rock for correlation with NGR counts were made. Laboratory test results on the effect of air gap and sample thickness, size, and weight on the NGR measurements, as well as general results of the various NGR systems, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

Five conclusions that emerged from ADL's Contractor Noise Measurements Assessment done for the Bureau of Mines and the 7 December 1971 Bureau of Mines Contractors' Round Table Meeting in Boulder, Colorado were: ? a limited amount of good data has been obtained for characterizing the noise environment for electromagnetic (EM) coal mine operational/emergency communications systems; ? significant noise date gaps still exist; ? suitable instrumentation and data analysis methods are available for filling these data gaps; ? the immediate and most important data gaps should be filled by means of a timely field measurement effort that is purposely limited in scope and duration; ? this field measurement effort should preferably be carried out by a team knowledgeable and experienced in coal mine EM noise measurements.

Jan 1, 1972

By William W. Aljoe

The hydrologic characteristics of two abandoned underground coal mine sites, near Latrobe, PA, and Uniontown, PA, were investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for possible implementation of alkaline injection into the mine pools as a means of abating their acid discharges. The Latrobe site was chosen for a one-time application of alkaline injection to achieve a partial, short-term neutralization of a limited portion of the mine pool. A quantity of alkaline reagent (sodium hydroxide) sufficient for a one-time neutralization of the water in this portion of the pool was added. Although nearly all of the neutralizing reagent had moved away from the injection wells within 6 weeks, no evidence of neutralization was noted at the mine discharge during the study period. This lack of neutralization probably occurred because the injection wells did not intercept a primary flow path through the mine. Criteria for successful application of alkaline injection at this or other sites include (1) positive identification of the primary flow paths through the mine pool and (2) addition of quantities of alkaline reagent sufficient to neutralize the entire volume of the pool along the primary flow path.

Jan 1, 2010

This report presents the results of reconnaissance-level investigations of the mill refuse disposal systems for 15 plants throw-heat the conterminous United States. The sites visited represent a cress section f the copper, iron, lead and zinc, and phosphate industries' practices in the field of fine-grained refuse disposal. The reconnaissance-level investigations were carried out to gather supplemental data to tae in-depth studies of Kennecott's Magma and Phelps Dodge's Morenci tailings deposits and Kennecott's Chino leaching dump. The various sites visited were classified according to the different systems and techniques used by the mining industry. The probable effects and relationships between site conditions and disposal methods were determined and evaluated to the extent feasible by a reconnaissance level investigation.

Jan 1, 1974

By P. D. Kovscek

The Bureau of Mines equipped a longwall shearer with a water-jet-assisted mechanical cutting system to determine the effect of the high-pressure sprays on machine performance, airborne dust levels generated, and size of particles formed. Testing was conducted on a simu-lated coal block (coalcrete) while cutting at a water pressure of 190 psi and at water-jet-assisted pressures ranging from 1,000 to 6,000 psi. The shearer motor energy used by the shearer while cutting coalcrete was determined for each cutting condition. Results indicate that the motor energy required by the shearer for each ton of material cut did not vary significantly as the water pressure was increased. Results of dust measurements recorded near the cutting drum indicate that at water pressures above 3,000 psi, dust reductions up to 85 pct were achieved com-pared with cutting with conventional sprays. Analysis of the particle size distribution during cutting showed that increasing the water pres-sure resulted in increased median particle size. In light of these results, various mechanisms for water-jet-assisted cutting are discussed.

Jan 1, 1986

By Wallace W. Roepke

The Bureau of Mines tested new designs of drag bit cutters with sintered diamond inserts instead of standard tungsten carbide tips. The bits were tested for orthogonal cutting forces, primary dust generation, and incendivity, with a standard plumb-bob type conical cutter (600 included tip angle) as the reference. Preliminary wear and impact-failure testing were also done. The results were mixed. Two new designs had forces similar to those of the reference bit, but one new design had about twice the normal force. This same design had almost twice the specific energy during shallow cutting but generated an equal or slightly lower amount of primary dust than did the reference bit. Incendivity was eliminated for two radial designs. One conical design had ignition only after more than 15 impacts, but the other conical design was incendive. Impact failure occurred, but not so quickly as anticipated. Over 7,500 impacts on a sandstone face, with a total cutting distance of more than 1,981.2 m, only scuffed the leading edge of the sintered diamond cutting face but put hairline cracks in the substrate mounting pad. Additional design and testing are needed to develop an optimum cutter, but prospects look good for this material.

Jan 1, 1983

By Stephen P. Holt

In the fall of 1946 and spring of 1947 the Bureau of Mines put down five inclined diamond-drill holes totaling about 3,100 feet of bore to test for the possible eastward extension of the Royal Princess ore deposit in Jo Daviess County, Ill. Attention of the .Bureau was first directed to this property by the Illinois State Geological Survey. The history of production of the Royal. Princess mine and reports as to the size and nature of the deposit were considered justification for investigating the trend of the mineralization. This report describes the work done by the Bureau of Mines and presents the data obtained.

Jan 1, 1948

By BUREAU OF MINES

This report is submitted in accordance with the provisions of the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of April 5, 1944 (30 U.S C. 321-325, as amended), which require that: "The Secretary of the Interior shall render to Congress on or before the first day of January of each year a report on all operations under this Act." Owing to the broad scope of the content and the diversity of interests represented, the Annual Report for 1953 has been divided into two separate publications. Each has been published by the Bureau of Mines as a Report of Investigations, and the respective titles follow: R. I. 5043, Part I - 011 From Coal. R. I. 5044, Part II 011 From 011 Shale. - Identical in each report, the introduction summarizes research progress made in 1953 under the entire Synthetic Liquid Fuels program. A free copy of each of these publications may be obtained by a written request to the Bureau of Mines, Publications Distribution Section, 4800 Forbes Street, Pittsburgh 13, Pa. The R. I. number and title of the publication desired should be indicated.

Apr 1, 1954

By K. E. Stanfield

Oil-yield results are presented for 65 oil-shale sections in Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, sampled during the period 1957 through 1963. Including previously published data, oil-yield results for 203 sampled sections have now been released by the Bureau of Mines to aid in appraising the shale oil potential of the basin. Oil yields of core samples (135 sets) were regarded as reliable bases for appraising the Mahogany-zone interval, but only 5 sets of cores sampled the deeper, lower-zone oil shales. Drill cuttings (68 sets) sampled the lower-zone oil shales, but their oil yields are principally indicative and should be confirmed by analyses of cores. More complete core sampling of the lower-zone oil shales is needed.

Jan 1, 1967

By Lyman C. Hitchcock

The objective of this program was to determine the minimum luminance requirements for underground coal mining work from the working face to the first transfer point. The resulting data encompasses 114 visual tasks from conventional continuous and longwall mining methods representing the salient visual tasks found in the jobs listed. Cutter Operator Roof Bolter Face Drill Operator Airdox Operator Longwall Jackman Shuttle Car Operator Loader Operator Shot Fireman Continuous Miner Operator Longwall Head Conveyor Operator Longwall Tail Conveyor Operator

Jan 1, 1973

By Jack L. Henry

The monocarbide region of the ternary system U-C-O has been investigated at 1,700° C as the first phase of a more extensive study of a portion of the four-component system U-C-O-N. An area bounded by the following compositional limits in atomic percent was studied: U, 44 to 55; C, 30 to 60; 0, 0.2 to 20. Compacts composed of mixtures of uranium, graphite, and uranium dioxide powders were sintered at 1,700° C under an equilibrium pressure of carbon monoxide to produce uranium oxycarbide specimens having a variety of compositions. Sintered specimens were evaluated by X-ray, chemical analysis, and ceramographic techniques. Solid-solution boundaries and phase relations have been established, and the effects of composition on the lattice parameter as well as the decomposition pressure have been investigated. Oxygen can be substituted for carbon in stoichiometric uranium monocarbide to the extent of about 17 atomic percent at 1,700° C. The composition range of the oxycarbide solid solution extends from about 48 to 51 atomic percent uranium in the low oxygen region. Above 10 atomic percent oxygen the composition range narrows to less than 1 atomic percent uranium. Carbon monoxide exists as a gaseous phase in equilibrium with all compositions which contain oxygen. Five separate phase fields were found bounding the solid-solution area. Other phases within this portion of the system include uranium, uranium dioxide, uranium dicarbide, and uranium sesquicarbide. Decomposition pressures of oxycarbide compositions at 1,700° C have been found to vary from a few microns for stoichiometric and uranium-rich compositions to 35 torr for carbon-oxygen-rich specimens. Lattice parameters were found to depend upon the U to C + 0 ratio as well upon the extent of substitution of oxygen into the stoichiometric monocarbide lattice.

Jan 1, 1967

By Edward E. Johnson

The principal purpose of this study was the development of an engineering and economic model of a hypothetical large-scale open pit gold mining operation. The guiding concept in developing the model was the idea that, through study of a number of such models, it would be possible to evaluate a mineral property and to make reasonable estimates of the benefits to be derived from research in mining and metallurgy. The model by use of a computer is able to produce results easily and quickly when cost factors are varied. Cost factors may be varied as a result of assumptions of improved technology or of assumptions of assuming different approaches or methods to accomplish a particular segment of the mining or processing operation. The discounted cash flow rate of return was used to measure the effect of changes in costs or expected revenue. In this study, assumptions based on past processing practices were made in an effort to reduce costs of processing the ore These assumptions were: (1) Eliminating the low-grade cyanide circuit; (2) reducing the quantity of material to be processed by screening after crushing; and (3) using a combination of assumptions (1) and (2). All three assumptions resulted in reduced capital investment and operating cost that caused substantial increases in the rate of return.

Jan 1, 1968

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