Search Documents

By A. C. Fieldner

Much activity is called for in the present period of hightened national effort, and wise direction of such a program must always be conditioned by positive knowledge gained in years of slow and painstaking study and development. Research and technologic investigations on coal by the Bureau of Mines have been described in a series of annual

Jan 1, 1941

By W. H. Coghill, F. D. DeVaney

"Introduction Numerous investigators have studied grinding. Each has contributed his bit to a literature that is difficult to correlate. Too many of the results have been transformed into curves with no many ""inflection points"" and ""counterflexures"" that they obscure the issue.Some of the investigators have neglected the very essence of the problem, namely, the power and the amount of material to which a known amount of work was applied. The purpose of this paper is to show the ease with which results can be interpreted when these quantities are duly recognized. Some grinding tests will be given for illustration.Grinding studies are of two kinds: (1) Study of the character of the ore and (2) study of the performance of the machines. Several ores may be crushed by a given machine, or several machines may be used on a given ore. The illustrations given in this report cover both objectives.Grindability Characteristics When the ores are being studied the information sought is grindability characteristics (grain-size distribution) and the grindability (work required to produce new surface) of a group of ores.When the study is of the machines, several machines are used for a given ore or given types of ores, and the grinding performances of the machines are compared by a grain-size study.Table 1 gives the grindability characteristics and grindability of six substances, one of which is coal. The substances are arranged from left to right in progressing order of tons per horsepower-hour. Curves and graphs are not needed for elucidation. The secret of the ease of interpretation is the order mentioned and the similarity of the sizing analyses. Power records must be complete in grinding studies.The grinding device was a ball, plunger, and mortar called the drop weight.' It may be used to advantage when the amount of material to be tested is too small for the orthodox machines.The upper part of table 1 shows the grindability characteristics by the cumulative-sizing analyses. Note how closely the percentage weights agree for a given sieve size. The lower part shows the grindability in terms defined elsewhere. The present paper should be read in conjunction with that paper."

Jun 1, 1934

By G. S. Knoke

This report presents the results of a demonstration of the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of hydraulic borehole mining of shallow oil sands. Borehole mining offers a method for extracting the oil sands with minimal disturbance to environmental quality because (1) no overburden is removed, (2) no waste rock piles are required, (3) the tailings can be backfilled into the borehole cavity, (4) the ground water quality should be undisturbed, (5) a closed-loop water system can be employed so that no surface streams are polluted, and (6) surface subsidence can be minimized by backfilling the mined cavities. This project consisted of two concurrent tasks: mining operations and environmental monitoring. To generate the environmental impact, nearly 1000 tons of oil sands were mined from two boreholes. Water quality and ground subsidence were monitored. No significant changes occurred in the chemical composition of the process water, indicating that the borehole mining process does not dissolve the mined material. The average subsidence in the immediate vicinity of the boreholes was about 1/2 inch, although some points were noted to be slightly elevated. In general, the amount of subsidence increased with time and decreased with distance from the bore-hole. A mining cost analysis was used to project an estimated cost for production mining of about $38 per barrel of oil.

Jan 1, 1980

By S. S. Peng

Successful longwall mining requires a good roof control. A good roof control implies that: (1) no excessive pressure is build up in the face powered supports, and (2) chain pillars are designed in such a way that panel entries are well protected and interactions between adjacent panels are minimized. A clear understanding of strata behavior around longwall panels due to face movement is, therefore, the foremost requirement for achieving better roof control. This dissertation is designed to analyze the effects of strata behavior on longwall panels due to the mining activities. The following topics are studied: (1) the weighting, phenomena and their effects on front abutments, and (2) the chain pillar stability and pillar design under various roof conditions. Three dimensional finite element analysis was employed. The effect of parameters such as overburden depth, mechanical properties of the immediate roof and main roof, panel width, and size of chain pillar on (t) and (2) were analyzed. Four typical models were utilized to simulate various phases of panel extraction under various combinations of the above parameters; model one is to simulate the beginning of panel mining; model two is to simulate the situation that longwall face has passed more than half of panel length; model three is to simulate the completion of panel production; and model four is to simulate the second panel mining. The following formulae have been developed by applying multiple regression model to analyze the finite clement results: (1) a formula that classifies the type of root strata at the face area. (2) formulae that predict the first weighting and periodic weighting lengths. (3) a formula for design of the chain pillar size. Case studies were performed to check the validity of the formulae proposed. Comparison of the formulae proposed for the chain pillar design with other formulae were also performed.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. Randolph Berry

The objective of this program was to develop a system to extinguish coal mine fires by remote sealing of the underground passageways. The system developed had to be versatile enough to function under a wide range of operating conditions, including large variations in passageway geometry, depth of mine, water conditions, both in the mine and at the surface, and rubble in the mine passage. The system developed had to include instrumentation for the remote probing of the passageway prior to sealing, a system for sealing the mine passages, and instrumentation for remote monitoring of the quality of the seal during and after construction. These objectives were successfully achieved during this program. The remote mine sealing capability of the system was satisfactorily demonstrated in a field test conducted at the Eastern Associated Coal Corporation Federal No, 1 Mine in Grant Town, West Virginia.

Jan 1, 1973

By Ivor Hawkes

This report describes how longitudinal and bending stress waves in' percussive drill rods generate noise. It is shown that in practical drills the largest noise source is the bending waves, which are mainly generated because of imperfections in the piston, chuck, and drill rod alignment. Equations are presented which enable the noise spectra generated by the bending and longitudinal waves to be precisely predicted. Means for reducing the amplitude of the bending waves are discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul M. Ambrose

ADVANCES in mining and processing technology made it possible to reopen the De Beers diamond mine in South Africa, originally located in 1871 by Cecil Rhodes and closed in 1908. Radioactive material was used to indicate the efficiency of hydro-cyclones used in diamond concentration. Added interest was shown in recovering diamond from the sea off the coast of South-West Africa. Production of crude artificial abrasives declined because demand was paritally met by withdrawals from stocks. The value of graded grain-coated abrasives and grinding wheels surpassed those of 1962.

Jan 1, 1964

By Harlan A. Walker

This paper on the mines of El Potosi Mining Co. is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in the various mining districts of North America. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the helpful suggestions and criticisms offered by the management, together with the assistance of the mining staff in preparing maps and drawings and of C. L. Thornburg, mine geologist, in preparing the section on geology.

Jan 1, 1934

By C. T. Anderson

In July 1947, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Air Materiel Command, started an investigation of zirconium alloys with the object of determining the suitability of such alloys for high-temperature applications. This report covers the preliminary study of about 25 zirconium-rich alloy systems with respect to preparation, fabrication, tensile properties, metallographic structures; constitution, and heat resistance. Obviously, each system could not be investigated thoroughly, and this publication can be regarded only as a first approach. The more promising individual alloy systems will be studied in greater detail and reported in subsequent publications. The study of zirconium alloys on such a scale has been made possible by the U.S. Bureau of Mines developments in the past 5 years On producing zirconium metal. This basic process is similar to that developed by Kroll for producing ductile titanium metal and consists essentially of reducing zirconium chloride by means of molten magnesium. The Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory at Albany, Oreg., has produced several thousand pounds of ductile metal in this manner and has a pilot plant producing over 300 pounds of metal per week. Alloys were prepared by melting Bureau of Mines zirconium and the best available grade of alloying element in graphite, with suitable provisions for preventing oxidation. The ingots were quartered longitudinally and sheath-swaged at 850° c. to 3/8-inch diameter rod. Two of those rods were send to Wright Field for room-temperature and 1,200° F. tensile properties. The remaining two sections were used for metallographic, hardness, heat-treatment, and heat-resistance studies. The salient features of this investigation are summarized in table 1.

Jan 1, 1950

By Sidney A. Suhler

A field operable, breadboard model, borehole radar was developed for the detection of hazardous geological anomalies in and above a coal seam in advance of mining. A four-inch diameter downhole probe was fabricated and tested in several environments. The radar transmitter was also employed in a cross-hole or through transmission mode to determine natural geotechnical and man-made conditions between boreholes. Sensitivity to underground conditions in both modes of operation were indicated.

Jan 1, 1978

By Bruce Maxwell

The deformation modulus of coal mine pillars theoretically can be reduced by drilling holes in advance of the mining face. This reduction of modulus along the edge of the pillar has the effect of decreasing the stress concentration in the roof; control of roof caving is thereby predicted. Initial field work indicated that a high horizontal stress field existed at the field test site: Subsequent field work was undertaken to confirm the high horizontal stress field and to attempt to relieve the horizontal stress in the immediate roof. A method of softening pillars in conjunction with normal mining activity was developed. Instruments to measure horizontal roof strain, roof parting, roof tilt at the rib, and changes in vertical and horizontal stress in the roof and in the coal were used. These instruments were installed in both softened and unsoftened entries and in locations to indicate the effect of vertical slots in the roof. Significant stress reduction due to pillar softening was indicated, but the effect of this reduction on roof stability was not established. The vertical roof slots relieved the horizontal stress in the immediate roof very effectively, and observations of roof conditions indicated that the slots definitely improved roof stability.

Jan 1, 1977

By Gordon T. Austin

The combined value of production of natural abrasives, which include tripoli, special silica stone, garnet, staurolite, and emery, increased about 4% in 1990. The decrease in the value of tripoli production was the result of a decrease in total production. Emery decreased owing to a decrease in the volume of the material produced. Special silica stone experienced a decrease in unit value and in the quantity produced. Garnet showed an 8 % increase in quantity and an 8 % increase in unit value. Staurolite increased about 38 % in the quantity produced, and the value of production increased about 36 %. The fused aluminum oxide industry showed a 12 % decline in the quantity produced and a 13 % decline in the value of production. The silicon carbide industry saw a 47 % decrease in the quantity produced and a 23 % decrease in the value of production. Combined, the industries decreased 17 % in quantity and value compared with those of 1990.

Jan 1, 1993

By Larry G. Stolarczyk

An underground medium frequency radio communications system has been developed and demonstrated in both coal and metal/non metal mines. The principal advantage of the system are its low cost, ease of installation and the ability to provide radio communications to any vehicle or roving miner in the underground mine. The system provides high quality radio coverage in work areas and along manways with existing "wireplant" conductors. The conductors include AC power cable, telephone cable, metal water and high pressure air pipes, etc. The measured communications range from the base station to mobile transceiver exceeded 12,500 ft without the use of repeaters. A cost/benefit analysis shows that the initial cost of the equipment can be returned 2-6 times in the first year. The mine productivity increases by approx. 13 percent.

By C. P. Mangelsdorf

When the finely bedded shale frequently encountered over coal seams experiences a separation, the material below the separation must behave like a beam or plate in that it must resist both bending and shear. Be-cause of the weakness in interlaminar shear inherent in such strata, shear deflections that are usually ignored in isotropic beam theory may account for a significant part of the total roof sag. Similarly, when a roof truss is installed in such a roof the upward displacement reducing the sag will have components due to shear as well as bending. Questions asked by mine operators about the installation of roof trusses frequently deal with optimum position, slope, and initial tension of the inclined chords. This Bureau of Mines report examines the effects of those chord parameters on the strain energy of both shear and bending and offers optimum values that will minimize the total strain energy of the immediate roof. Design charts are provided, several design examples are included, and the results are compared with current practice. The effects of in situ stresses are investigated and are shown to be equivalent to an additional load on the beam.

Jan 1, 1988

By Alfred L. Ransome

GOLD output in Alaska in 1950, following a 2-year decline, increased to the highest point since 1942. Tills unexpected gain in production of the Territory's greatest value commodity was largely responsible for the increase in the over-all value of mineral output in the Territory to $17,852,000 from $15,549,000 in 1949. Although coal continued to rank second to gold in value of output, production was slightly less than the record production of 1949. The mining of platinum continued to be an important factor in the mineral industry, with production of crude platinum metals exceeding that of 1949. The output of lead was three times the 1949 production, and silver gained 46 percent over the previous year's total. Copper and zinc production-entirely as byproducts from other ores-showed an increase, but remained minor. Production of tin was relatively small, but substantially above the total for 1949.

Jan 1, 1953

By C. R. Carpenter

A dynamic gas-mixing system assembled by the Bureau of Mines for the generation of precise gas mixtures from sources of concentrated or pure gases and diluent gases is described. A set of electronic mass flow controllers with maximum flows ranging from 10 to 5,000 ml/min, a so-called Pure Air Generator, and gases in cylinders are used to generate differing gas concentrations. The repeatability of the delivery rate of a flow controller, measured on different days, has a precision of 0.3 pct of the setting. This dynamic gas-mixing system reduces the cylinder inventory and the demurrage charges for special gas mixtures. Gas mixtures that cannot be shipped commercially, such as flammable mixtures of methane in air, can be conveniently prepared by this system. The maximum dilution ratio is 2.5 x 104. Thus, gas mixtures can be made over a wide range of concentrations, from the percent region (by dilution of a pure single-component gas) to fractional parts per million (by dilution of a premixed standard, e.g., a 1,000-ppm mixture). This system is especially useful in determining the response of gas detection devices over the entire range of their measurement. Because the controllers are voltage controlled they lend themselves easily to automated control using computer-based systems.

Jan 1, 1983

By L. K. Weaver

Bureau of Mines investigated the progressive impact that petroleum (crude oil and condensate) operations in the Gulf of Mexico have had on onshore operations and the expected effect of increasing activities in this area on future petroleum supplies from domestic sources. The data analyzed include capital expenditures, number of wells drilled, success ratio for exploratory wells, daily production per completion, annual producing rates, and oil reserves. The report compares offshore and onshore data and ascertains trends in petroleum industry operations. Observed data and trends indicate that in the near future Gulf of Mexico development and production will continue to increase relative to total U.S. petroleum activity. By 1975 annual oil and condensate production from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to be in the range of 750 million bbl to 1,150 million bbl, and account for approximately 20 to 30 pct of the estimated total domestic production.

Jan 1, 1969

By A. S. Watts

The Bureau of Mines has been conducting an investigation of the feldspar resources of the New England and North Appalachian States with a view to greater efficiency and economy in their utilization. Such an investigation was deemed necessary, not only because of the continued and increasing consumption of these minerals, but especially because of the demand for better technical control of the raw materials that are used by the white-ware industries of the United States. Most manufacturers of white pottery wares have only a limited knowledge of the origin, mode of occurrence, and methods of mining and preparation of the materials that they use. Heretofore, owing to a belief that the supply of raw material was unlimited, the manufacturer had concerned himself chiefly with the solution of the problems of manufacture. Within the past few years, however, it has been found that difficulties arise in manufacture which can be traced beyond the manufacturing process and are believed to be due to a need of better control of the materials used. Furthermore, as competition becomes more severe, more attention must be paid to selection of materials in order to minimize consumption and also to avoid unnecessary expense for transportation of material. Doubtless the lack of interest as regards these details has arisen from the fact that in the past a considerable proportion of the whiteware ingredients has been imported and the manufacturer has been forced to rely on the samples submitted and the general uniformity of the source of supply to insure against variation of the material. An extra precaution arising from this lack of definite knowledge still prevails in the common practice of never depending on one source of supply for anyone ingredient. Often the products of three or more producers are blended so that if anyone shall vary without warning the variation arising from its use will not be sufficient to ruin the ware.

Jan 1, 1916

By Bruce F. Grant

"INTRODUCTION The future of oil production in the part of the Appalachian region included in southwestern Pennsylvania; West Virginia, and southeastern Ohio is directly dependent on the maintenance of existing wells. This report presents an analytical study of the methods used in oil-well reconditioning in this area. The study is part of a research program designed to evaluate those means of stimulating oil production that can effectively and economically maintain present oil-production rates and make it possible to keep existing wells in operation. Well-reconditioning work was curtailed during the war; therefore, an abnormally large number of wells in the Appalachian Region is now in need of repair. Because the lubricant content of Appalachian crude: oils is high and the refined lubricating oils an; particularly suited to use in high speed, high-temperature engines, the demand for these crude oils during the war exceeds, the maximum rate of production obtainable under wartime operating conditions. Increases in operating, expenses, inability to meet war-time reconditioning costs, and inflexible price structures caused the abandonment of an alarming number of wells during the past 4 or 5 years.As a means of increasing regional oil-production rates, new drilling in the older fields for primary production generally is uneconomical because reservoir pressures in most of the fields have virtually been depleted and the production rates of newly drilled wells are small."

Feb 1, 1948

By R. S. Dean

The original flotation reagents were certain oils selected for a combination of properties that occurred fortuitously. It was recognized quite early in the study of flotation mechanism that, in order to function, an oil must have an active group-one that differs from the remainder of the molecule in its affinity for water or the mineral particle. Wark4 gives credit for recognition of this elementary chemical principle to the senior author of this report.5 However, it was soon found that simple hydrocarbons could not be used as flotation reagents and that two of the functions, which were combined in the early flotation oils such as pine and eucalyptus, could be obtained in separate compounds and their relative intensity controlled to advantage. These two functions were called collecting and frothing.

Jan 1, 1944