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By A. T. Coumbe

This compilation of statistics covering competitive fuels consumed for heating of residential and commercial buildings is in response to numerous requests for data of this nature to show the relative changes in the demands for the different fuels in recent years. The figures presented cover the amounts of various fuels ant electric energy reported as used for heating dwellings and commercial buildings. However, the totals for gaseous fuels and electricity necessarily include amounts consumed for both cooking and lighting purposes, as these associated household uses could not be readily broken out. [ ] SOURCES OF FUEL AND POWER STATISTICS Liquid fuel: Mineral Market Reports of the Bureau of Mines covering annual Pales of fuel oil and kerosine. The fuel oil figures include grades 1 to h, reported as sold for space heating. Kerosine and grade 1 fuel oil delivered as range oil ore also included. Gaseous fuel: "Gas Facts" published by the Bureau of statistics of the American Gas Association. Thin source was used as It is believed that the data shown are representative of the actual market

Jan 1, 1953

By Don M. Coulter

"INTRODUCTION The district comprising Union, Lafayette, Pontotoc and Calhoun Counties, Miss. (fig. 1), was examined in October 1941 by R. W. Smith of the Bureau of Mines, accompanied by J. W. Adams of the Mississippi Bauxite Co. 3/ Subsequently, geologists of the Federal Geological Survey made a more detailed study of the area. 4/Bauxite had been reported as present in several localities in Pontot. County, and large deposits of kaolin are known in Pontotoc, Union, Calhoun, and Lafayette Counties. Many of the bauxite deposits, such as those on Big Hill, Second Hill, and Third Hill, in Pontotoc County, form the caps on hills and are outliers of Wilcox deposits on the Midway formation. Such deposits could have no extensions because of erosion and were not examined, as they were investigated by the Mississippi Geological Survey. 5/ Most of the bauxite was known to be low-grade, with a high iron content. However, Pontotoc County in particular presented possibilities of finding high-grade bauxite with a low iron content by drilling down the dip from the Wilcox-Midway contact. Consequently, with few exceptions the investigation was confined to drilling in this direction.Headquarters were established in Tupelo, Miss., on July 13, 1943, and mineral agreements were obtained covering 8,367 acres of land, with 62 land-owners in Pontotoc and Union Counties. Holes were drilled on properties of three of the landowners in Union County and 36 in Pontotoc County."

Apr 1, 1948

By Robert M. Becker

Particle mixtures were sampled in the laboratory, using ordinary sampling procedures, to determine whether or not the compound-multinomial probability distribution and other developments of part 2 agreed with experimental results. The objective was accomplished by the Bureau of Mines by comparing the moments and moment relationships of the appropriate probability models with their corresponding experimental values over a fairly wide range. The overall agreement between the corresponding theoretical and experimental values is both good and complete. The results demonstrate that sampling to a constant amount, such as weight, of items per sample is not the same, in general, as sampling to some constant number of items per sample. The results seem to confirm all the developments of part 2 and the application of the compound-multinomial function to bulk sampling.

Jan 1, 1965

By H. G. Iverson

The purpose of this investigation was to beneficiate the Talladega gray iron ores by flotation. A component of the problem was the determination of the degree of beneficiation possible by flotation as well as the relative selectivity of certain reagents in promoting flotation of either the iron minerals or the siliceous gangue minerals. The scope of the present investigation involved only the use of small-scale laboratory equipment. Treatment by roasting and magnetic separation was not included in this study, inasmuch as a similar comprehensive investigation was completed and the results were published by the Bureau of Mines in 1927. The results of the work on Talladega iron ores are briefly summarized in this report. In the search for efficient and economic methods of beneficiating low-grade iron ores, the flotation process is among those that are receiving considerable attention. The Talladega ores are of particular interest for a flotation study, because they contain two iron minerals (magnetite and specular hematite) that are somewhat dissimilar in their flotative response.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. H. Jacobs

The first authorization, in November 1940, was for a plant of only several hundred pounds capacity at Boulder City, Nev. Improvements in the process and subsequent additions to some sections have enabled the plant to produce more than 2,000 pounds of manganese per day for substantial periods. By the time pilot-plant operations were suspended in June 1945, over 1,500,000 pounds of metal had been produced. The future of electrolytic manganese production obviously depends not only on satisfactory development of methods but on availability of raw material and demonstration of valuable uses. Investigations of manganese-ore deposits in this country, made since 1938 by the Bureau of Mines, have revealed large amounts of ore suitable for making electrolytic manganese. At first the pilot plant was operated on ore from the Three Kids mine near Las Vegas, Nev. After practical features of the process had been worked out, other ores from throughout the United States were tested in the pilot plant. The purpose of this paper is to compare the results obtained on the following ores: Three Kids; Ladd mine, Tracy, Calif.; Chamberlain, S. Dak., nodules; and ore from Metals Reserve stockpiles at Deming, N. Mex.; Cushman, Ark.; and Philipsburg, Mont.

Dec 1, 1947

By A. L. Engel

The Bagdad-Chase copper-gold mine south of Ludlow, Calif., was visited by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines in July 1955 to determine the mine's status of activity and to obtain a bulk sample for metallurgical testing. The deposit was discovered in 1903 and has been worked intermittently. It has a production record of about 273,000 tons of ore. The first production of about 150,000 tons was treated in a cyanide plant 2 miles west of Barstow, Calif. The extraction of gold was not satisfactory because of the presence of copper minerals. Since 1910 the ore has been shipped to various smelters in Arizona and California for use as a flux.

Jan 1, 1957

By Charles D. Litton

This Bureau of Mines report presents a discussion of the essential components of pneumatic monitoring systems and their associated functions. Design criteria are presented which can be used for the design and fabrication of pneumatic monitoring systems having total system response times on the order of 15 to 30 min. To illustrate the utility of these design criteria, two detailed design examples are presented,

Jan 1, 1983

By D. A. Reynolds

THIS PAPER gives results of an investigation of the composition and carbonizing properties of coals from the Beckley bed, Caretta No. 5 mine, Susanna, McDowell County, and Glen Rogers No. 2 mine, Glen Rogers, Wyoming County, W. Va. The investigation included BM-AGA carbonization tests at. 800° and 900° C. and various chemical and physical tests designed to evaluate agglutinating, plastic, and expanding properties of coal. Both coals were of low-volatile bituminous rank, and each was blended with 70 and 80 percent high-volatile A coal from the Pittsburgh bed, Warden mine, Allegheny County, Pa. The Beckley bed was 39 to 58 inches thick at three points in the Caretta No. 5 mine, and the coal was 39 to 49 inches thick. The carbonizing sample contained 83.0 percent fixed carbon on the dry, mineral-matter-free basis. It contained 3.1 percent moisture, 15.8 percent volatile matter, 72.4 percent fixed carbon, 0.7 percent sulfur, and 8.7 percent ash, as carbonized. The ash softened at 2,680° F. The free-swelling index was 7;i, and the agglutinating value was 7.7. This sample fused weakly in the Gieseler plastometer; its blends with 70 and 80 percent Pittsburgh coal attained maximum fluidities of 830 and 600 dial divisions per minute, respectively. The single coal yielded 83.0 percent coke at 900° C. Yields of other carbonization products per ton of coal at 900° C. were: Gas, 9,950 cubic feet; tar, 3.5 gallons; light oil, 1.36 gallons; and ammonium sulfate, 16.3 pounds. Blending with Pittsburgh coal lowered the yield of coke and raised the yields of other products significantly. Caretta coal yielded strong, blocky coke at 900° C., 89 percent of which was plus-2-inch size. Strength indexes of 900° C. coke from 30:70 blends of Caretta No. 5 and Pittsburgh and of Pocahontas No. 3 and Pittsburgh coals were, respectively: 2-inch shatter, 68 and 53; 1%-inch shatter, 90 and 85; 1-inch tumbler, 50 and 53; and %-inch tumbler, 62 and 65. The specific gravity of the 900° C. gas from Caretta No. 5 coal was 0.272, and the heating values were 491 B. t. u. per cubic foot and 2,440 B. t. u. per pound of coal. The blends yielded much richer gas. Yields of tar acids and bases (0.09 and 0.04 gallon per ton, respectively) were within the normal ranges for low-volatile coals. Caretta No. 5 coal expanded 7.5 percent in the sole-heated oven at a charge density of 55.5 pounds per cubic foot. The blends containing 70 and 80 percent Pittsburgh coal contracted 4.8 and 7.5 percent, respectively.

Jan 1, 1953

By C. W. Davis

Two general schemes have been used for the determination of gold and silver in material containing considerable quantities of copper ; one is known as the " all fire " method , and the other as the , " combination " , or " wet and dry" method . The all fire crucible method , using an excess charge of litharge , has been found satisfactory when the copper content of an ore is under 6 per cent , ( Loevy , J. , Zur Edelmetallbestimmung in hochprozentigen Kupfererzen : Chem. Ztg . Jarhrg . 35 , 1911 , p . 278 ) , or where the precious metal value is so great that a small sample can be used . In the latter case , silica is added until the copper ratio is sufficiently low . If there is more than 6 per cent of copper in an ore , the lead button obtained from a crucible fusion will require repeated scorification before . it can be cupelled successfully . Rescorification is not only tedious , but also causes a slag loss of precious metals . In combination methods , the copper is dissolved , and the gold and silver in the residue . is determined by fire assay Although some combination methods have given satisfactory results for gold and silver , they are not applicable when an estimation of the platinum metals is required . Since substances containing platinum are frequently high in copper , a study of methods which might be used for the estimation of small quantities of gold , silver , and the platinum metals in such material was considered worth while . The estimation of platinum in ores by fire assay methods has been described in Technical Paper 270 of the bureau; ( Davis , C.W. , The detection and estimation of platinum in ores : U. S. Bureau of Mines Tech . Paper 270 , 1921. ) the present paper , which is supplementary to that report , deals chiefly with the application of combination methods , taking them up to the point where the fire assay is to be applied .

Mar 1, 1921

By Edward D. Thimons

The Bureau of Mines developed a stopping design that allows the stopping to be blown down by strong blast forces without incurring any permanent damage. Trials with the new stopping, dubbed the quick-fix blowout stopping, have been conducted in the Bureau's Safety Research Coal Mine at Bruceton, Pa., and in two New Mexico uranium mines. Results have been favorable in all cases. Compared with conventional brattice stoppings or wood bulkheads, the quick-fix blowout stopping is easier and less time consuming to install, is easier to maintain, and in most cases is just as efficient an air barrier. There is same indication that the shape of the stopping makes it more resistant to blast fore s than the fabric stoppings now in use.

Jan 1, 1976

By R. V. Higgins

Tarner (1),3/ Muskat (2), and Schilthuis (1) have presented methods of calculating oil recovery by the expansion of dissolved gas with and without return of gas to the reservoir. Although electronic computers have eliminated the tedious and time-consuming calculations (4) required by each of these methods, many petroleum engineers do not have access to electronic computers. For these engineers a short method is presented that uses the Tarner method as a base. Moreover, for engineers who have access to computers and have not as yet prepared a program, the short Tamer method requires less computer time than the long iterative methods. In the proposed short method, no plotting of the calculated data is required to determine a point of intersection described in the original Tarner presentation, as only one calculation is needed to determine the value sought, or two calculations if greater accuracy is desired.

Jan 1, 1960

By D. J. Bauer

This report covers a phase of an extraction project carried out as part of a research program on rare-earth technology. The current project--the production of pure cerium compounds--is an intermediate step between ore processing and metal reduction. In this connection, a study on a separatory-funne1 scale was made on nonreducing extractants for recovering cerium (IV) from tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and of methods for recovering the cerium nitrate from the strip solution. Dilute sulfuric acid was found to be 100 percent effective in stripping cerium (IV). Several precipitants were effective in recovering the cerium from the strip solution, and ethanol was especially promising. A scaled-up investigation was made into the use of spray-tower type equipment to perform the function of extracting, washing, and stripping. This equipment, referred to as the pressure-bubbler, utilized the system developed on the separatory-funnel scale. Feed solutions were prepared from a bastnasite concentrate by two techniques. Of these, the sulfated bastnasite solution was most successful, resulting in 86-percent recovery of the cerium at 99.7+-percent purity.

Jan 1, 1959

By Lowell Stroud

Ten natural gases containing from 0.023 to 8.4 percent helium were investigated. In seven high-helium samples, the isotopic abundance of Ne21 was greater than in the atmosphere, being supplemented by 33 to 85 percent of "excess" or "radiogenic" Ne21. The ratio of He4/Ne21(rad) in these gases was evaluated and found to vary between 2.9 x 107 and 5.9 x 107 , a factor of approximately 2. Argon concentrations were determined by the isotope dilution method. The isotopic ratios of Ar40/Ar36 in the high-helium gases were from 5 to 75 times the atmospheric value, with the Ar40 being about 80 to 99 percent radiogenic in nature. The ratios of He4/Ar40(rad) in all 10 gases were evaluated and found to range from 4 to 18. The isotopic ratio of N14/N15 in four of the high-helium gases was essentially the same as in the atmosphere; in three cases it was approximately 5 percent higher than the atmospheric value of 272.0. The genesis of nitrogen and the relationship of nitrogen to helium in natural gases were reviewed and are discussed in terms of a theory for the concurrent generation of nitrogen, helium, radiogenic neon 21, and petroleum (hydrocarbon gases and liquids).

Jan 1, 1967

By Oliver C. Fursman, Lloyd H. Banning

This research was undertaken to determine the feasibility of producing steel from hydrogen - reduced , pyrophoric iron powder . Before steelmaking tests were begun , investigations were made to develop procedures for handling the pyrophoric powder safely , and melting tests were made in a single - phase , electric - arc furnace to determine inert gas requirements for preventing powder oxidation . Steelmaking tests were conducted in a conventional electric - arc furnace , usually by a two - slag basic procedure . Results of the research indicated that ( 1 ) pyrophoric powder can be handled safely and can be prevented from oxidizing excessively during charging and melting in electric - arc steelmaking furnaces ; ( 2 ) little , if any , more electrical energy is required for melting Cerro Bolivar iron powder per unit of contained iron than is required for melting heavy melting scrap ; ( 3 ) high - quality steel can be produced readily from high- grade iron powder , having recoveries up to 95 percent of the total iron ; ( 4 ) steel can be produced from simulated titaniferous , chromiferous , and manganiferous iron powders ; and ( 5 ) the electrical energy required for melting increases with increase in the proportion of slag - forming constituents in the furnace charge .

Jan 1, 1964

By E. G. King

Many of the existing thermodynamic values for the titanium halides are estimates, including all the entropies and high-temperature heat contents of their crystalline and liquid phases. This report contains the results of low-temperature heat capacity measurents (which lead to entropy values at 298.15° K,) and high-temperature heat-content measurements of four halides - trichloride, tribromide, tetrabromide, and tetraiodide. The new data are combined with selected heat-of-formation values at 298.15° K. to obtain improved values of the heats and free energies of formation of these halides at high temperatures, thus supplementing the previous data of Kelley and Mah.5/ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This investigation was conducted under a cooperative arrangement between the Federal Bureau of Mines and the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research. The work was done by Bureau of Mines personnel using Bureau of Mines calorimetric equipment. The Office-of Naval Research supplied the supporting funds and arranged for procuring the samples of the titanium halides. The samples were prepared and analyzed by the Inorganic Chemistry Section, Division of Chemistry, National Bureau of Standards.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. V. Ramani, W. Miola, R. Srikanth, S. C. Soboleski

"Dust control in high-production longwalls requires attention to operating practices and ventilation schemes. Several studies have shown that the shearer is the major source of dust on a longwall face. Support movement has not been regarded as a major source of dust in US longwalls. Yet, under certain conditions, 31% of the shearer operator's dust exposure can be due to support movement.Several methods have been developed for the control of shield-generated dust. But the need for better methods is apparent. In this paper, the amount of airborne, respirable dust generated per shield move is estimated from specially designed experiments on longwall faces. Ten experiments were conducted on five longwall faces in four mines. Each experiment involved one face visit and lasted three to six hours. The contribution of shield movement to the airborne, respirable dust concentration immediately downwind of the shield move varied between 0.12 and 1.75 mg/m3 in the five longwall faces. The mass of airborne, respirable dust gener-ated by shield movement was found to vary between 39 and 386 mg per shield move. The results from this study reveal that control of dust from longwall shields requires a combi-nation of approaches involving alternative operating prac-tices, reducing shield dust generation rate, increasing face air flow and decreasing personnel exposure.IntroductionIn 1992, longwall mining accounted for about 36% of US underground coal production, a 240% increase from a decade ago. The absolute longwall tonnages were 46 and 133 Mt (51 and 146 million st), respectively. Compared with room-and¬pillar mining systems, the longwall mining system is charac¬terized by higher recovery, enhanced safety and higher pro¬ductivity.However, personnel dust exposure on a longwall face is higher than in other types of mining. According to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) data, fewer longwalls were in continuous compliance with the applicable dust standard in 1992 than in 1989.Controlling shearer-generated dust and reduction of per-sonnel exposure to airborne dust have commanded attention in the design of longwall faces, operational practices and ventilation schemes. Studies in the United States and abroad have revealed that support-generated dust can be a major obstacle to compliance under certain conditions (Becker et al., 1989; Bradley et al., 1983; Jankowski and Organiscak, 1983; Jankowski et al., 1990; Organiscak et al., 1985)."

Dec 1, 1996

By W. W. Agey

Under terms of cooperative agreements, the Federal Bureau of Mines Inter-mountain Experiment Station assisted the General Services Administration (GSA) in operating the manganese-ore purchasing depots at Deming. N. Mex., and Wenden, Ariz. A resident metallurgist stationed at the depots directed sampling of the ore lots for assaying, took samples for amenability testing, calculated acceptances for payments to shippers, and served as technical adviser to the depot manager. The Intermountain Experiment Station at Salt Lake City, Utah, tested the amenability of the ores to determine how much of the manganese could be recovered in concentrates assaying a minimum of 40 percent manganese (Mn) and containing a maximum of 16 percent iron (Fe), 15 percent silica (Si02) plus alumina (AI203), 0.3 percent phosphorus (P), and I percent copper (Cu) plus lead (Pb) plus zinc (Zn). All chemical analyses of the ores and test products were done at Salt Lake City. In all, 567 ore lots submitted to the Deming depot were tested by flotation to determine their amenability to concentration into specification-grade material; 421 lots were amenable, and 146 were unamenable, primarily because of high copper content or excessive silica or iron in the flotation concentrate. Chemical analyses totaling 42,700 were made on the ores submitted to the Deming depot and on the products of the amenability-test program.

Jan 1, 1959

By M. C. Malamphy

A general description of the activities and results of bauxite investigation by the Bureau of Mines at its bauxite project in Saline and Pulaski Counties, Ark., has been given in Report of Investigations No. 4251. The factual data obtained during the project are reported in a series of Reports of Investigation beginning with No. 4251, of which this is the seventeenth. The data are accompanied by maps showing the location of holes drilled and the deposits developed. Each area upon which work was done is reported by half townships. Each bauxite deposit investigated was assigned a name and a number for ready reference and identification, and its location and name are shown on the appropriate half-township map. The description of each half township is followed by a description of each deposit developed in that half township. The 14 half-township maps and 77 detail maps of the bauxite deposits in this series of reports give the locations and numbers of all the holes drilled on the project, except the deep holes drilled to test the geophysical anomalies. The locations of those holes show on figure 13 in volume 1. The descriptions of the deposits developed are followed by complete detailed logs of the drill holes.

Jan 1, 1948

By N. A. Tolch

[In this partner ?propulsive strength? or "strength" is defined as the relative propulsive effect of an explosive as determined by means of the United States Bureau of Mines ballistic pendulum. The data presented are derived from one particular strength testing device and do not necessarily represent the relative execution value of the different explosives in actual blasting. However, it is believed that the data obtained with the ballistic pendulum fire indicative of the relative propulsive or heaving force and are of value until propulsive strength can be expressed in more fundamental units.]

Jan 1, 1929

By Alton B. Cook

In the Scurry Reef field, Scurry County, Tex., a study was made to determine the physical properties of the oil in all parts of the reservoir by a new method developed for this study. The method involved correlation of data from a survey 1 of the gravity of the produced oil, from measurements of gas-oil ratios on key wells selected to give representative data for the entire reservoir, and from laboratory analyses of reservoir oil samples. A field survey was made of the API gravities of the produced oil by testing oil samples from 107 key wells. Precise gas-oil-ratio tests were made on 45 key wells that were producing under comparable separator-operating conditions. Subsurface-oil samples were obtained from seven wells, selected to provide reservoir oils ranging approximately from a minimum to a maximum in saturation pressure. The physical properties of the subsurface-oil samples were determined, and correlations were made of these laboratory data with the field gas-oil-ratio test data. These correlations were then used to estimate physical properties of the oil throughout the reservoir. A logical procedure of determining the variations in physical properties of reservoir oils in most fields is to obtain and analyze subsurface-oil samples from enough key wells to provide an ample coverage of the field. Under this procedure, data from a large number of samples would be needed to provide the desired information on the Scurry Reef field, as it is one of the largest known in the United States.

Jan 1, 1955