Search Documents

By W. T. Culler

"The ""rate-of-preduotion curve"" described in the revised Treasury Manual* was devised by the author in May, 1920, and since that time has been use by the oil and gas valuation section of the Treasury Department in determining the rate of production of wells for purposes of taxation. This curve is most useful for estimating the future production of a well, or group of wells, of known daily settled production, where future-production curves and tables based on yearly production records are available. It also provides a means for determining the past year's production of a well of known daily settled production, or conversely, the estimated production on any day for a well of known yearly production.The rate-of-production curve is auxiliary to the production decline curve and is derived from it in estimating the future production of a tract, a production decline curve formed from the records of the tract itself should be used. If such records are not available, and there is no information which leads to the belief that the average production decline of the wells in this tract differs from the average for the pool or district, an average curve for the pool or district may be used.The accompanying chart illustrates a typical rate-of-production curve, with the yearly production decline curve from which it is derived. The production decline curve shown is for an average well in the Augusta district, Butler County, Kansas, and has been constructed from the tables given on page 128 of the revised Treasury Manual.The ordinate (vertical scale on the chart) of any point on a yearly production decline curve represents the production of the well during the year previous to the date shown by the abscissa (horizontal scale). For example, the chart shows that an average well, which produced 100,000 barrels of oil in 1915. produced 92,000 barrels in the year previous to January 19, 1916, produced 53,300 barrels in the year previous to June 1, 1916; produced 49,000 barrels in the year previous to July 1, 1916, 27,000 barrels in 1916, and 10,000 barrels in 1917."

Oct 1, 1921

By H. L. Riley

This report describes the methods and equipment used by the Watauga Stone Co. to drill and blast limestone in a two-level quarry, and to crush, screen, blend, and load this stone. Power requirements per ton of stone produced are reported. The personnel requirements for individual phases of the operation are tabulated in man-hours per ton of stone produced.

Jan 1, 1963

By H. L. Riley

This report describes the methods and equipment used by the Watauga Stone Co. to drill und blast limestone in a two-level quarry, and to crush, screen, blend, and load this stone. Power requirements per ton of stone produced are reported. The personnel requirements for individual phases of the operation are tabulated in man-hours per ton of stone produced.

Jan 1, 1963

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) report conveys the results of an economic analysis of minerals in the West Mojave Management Area (WMMA), including the Desert Tortoise Priority Habitat (DTPH), a proposed special land management area. Undiscovered mineral resources were estimated for the entire WMMA, which totals 8.7 million acres. Known mineral resources were studied for the DTPH, which is an area of 1.2 million acres contained within the WMMA. Federal lands within the WMMA are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The WMMA includes Federal, State, and private lands in the western portion of San Bernardino County and the eastern portion of Kern County. The center of the study area is 20 miles northwest of Barstow, California (Figures 1 and 2).

Jan 1, 1993

By Rogers F. Davis

The Bureau of Mines developed a new method for the determination of oxides of nitrogen in diesel exhaust gas. The procedure, a modification of the Saltzman method, uses a NO2 absorbent for the diesel exhaust gas; the colorless absorbent becomes purple on contact with N~. When used properly this procedure gives satisfactory results in 2 hours, whereas the standard phenoldisulfonic acid method required approximately 8 hours. The new method is not satisfactory for determination of oxides of nitrogen in the overrich fuel to air ratio range.

Jan 1, 1966

By E. P. Youngman

Except possibly by individual natives and Liberians (small specters), is now being carried on in Liberia, according to a late report. definite information is obtainable with respect to the mineral resources of e country, except that iron ores are said to be abundant. Tin, copper, zinc, site, corundum, lead, bitumen or li nite, and diamonds have all been re- parte, but no commercial Geposits are known to have, been found. Gold has been duce, but not in significant amounts, as may be inferred from the customs - rt for Liberia recording the exportation of gold to the value of $4.80 Germany from the port of Cape Mount in 1925. It is not uncommon for atives to come into towns with African gold and valuable minerals, but they e reluctant to sive information concerning then. Some years ago the Liberian Government was seeing a loan in return for oil concessions, but apparently no drilling bea boon don

Jun 1, 1932

By Charles L. Harness

Fifty years ago, the belief that "fillers" were added to paints for the sole purpose of diluting and cheapening the pigment may have been justified; but paint technology has made tremendous progress since that time, and today both the manufacturer and the consumer know that the judicious use of fillers may add desirable properties to a paint that cannot be introduced in any other way. A growing respect for these accessory materials has led to the use of the more euphemistic term "extender." The names "extender" and "filler" are to a considerable degree synonymous. The newer term, "extender," is adopted in this paper, though it is actually no more descriptive than the older name. Stewart's3/ definition of extender is: "A cheap pigment, usually of an inert type, used to extend or increase the bulk of a paint, thus reducing its unit cost. Extenders are also used to adjust the consistency of a paint and to let down colored pigments of great tinting strength. The use of an extender in a paint does not necessarily mean the resultant product will be inferior. In fact, extenders sometimes, improve -certain characteristics of a film." All extenders are not cheap, as, for example, wet-ground mica and diatomite. Research in the, use of extenders (also sometimes called "inerts") has been one of the host active branches of study in the paint field; and many thousands of dollars have been spent in establishing the physical and chemical characteristics required of various natural mineral extenders for numerous paint formulas

Jan 1, 1943

By D. Harrington

An explosive may be defined as a substance (usually a mixture) that has the property of yielding, readily to combustion or oxidation upon application of flame or shock, the combustion or oxidation process being rapid and accompanied by formation of such relatively large quantities of gases that much violence and pressure are produced; these, in turn, react against their surroundings and cause what is termed an explosion. By their very nature their action is destructive and disruptive of adjunct materials; hence, all explosives axe potentially hazardous and every type of explosive, irrespective of its relative safety, should be handled, .stored, and used with utmost care at all times and under all conditions. It should always be remembered that any explosive can be rude safe only in certain of its features and under certain conditions and circumstance. If these facts (and they certainly are facts) are always kept in mind, most of the modern types of explosives can be utilized advantageously in our industrial life and with a considerable degree of safety. That commercial explosives can be handled. safely is borne out in part by the fact that in the past 15 years at least 3,000,000,000 pounds of the commercial explosive dynamite have been transported by railroads in the United State, without injury to any person, insofar as available records indicate.

Jan 1, 1939

By J. Bruce Clemmer

[Gypsum is one of the mo .. t iJf.l)ortant nonmp.tal1.ic T!1inerals, as is indicat-? ed by the fact that tlle Uni ted states cO!1sUl:Ied p, roximn..tely 3,500,000 tons of natura.l and calcinecl e::,j;-psum in 1937. The b\.'.ilr:.in.; traces \"fe.ro the largest users and required 2,520,000 tons of calcine for the r-roductiop. of plaster,]

Jan 1, 1941

By R. V. Ramani, V. T. Burgos, J. A. McClay

General The underground mining environment has traditionally been hostile and as early mines were developed, coal seams with particularly difficult natural conditions were bypassed in favor of those more easily exploited. Barring the discovery of new and novel sources of energy, the depletion of petroleum and natural gas reserves will eventually force the United States back to the use of coal as its primary energy source. Figure 1 illustrates the trend away from coal which has taken place over the past half century. Today, the demand for coal requires a re-evaluation of all coal seams to meet the needs of the energy market. Difficult mining conditions may result in an increase in the consumption of roof control materials, require greater investment in pumping and ventilation systems, and increase the need for in-depth engineering of far greater safety in production plans. They may also cause delays in mine development and curtail production, all of which combine to drive up the unit production cost. It is reasonable to expect that conditions will continue to deteriorate as current reserves are depleted, thus bringing this factor into greater prominence in the future. For several years now, it has become apparent that in addition to economic objectives, coal companies must set and achieve several concomitant objectives to accomodate society's interest in the conservation of natural resources. Government action to meet this interest has taken the form of two categories of Federal legislation, environmental protection and employee health and safety. The effects of both of these have not been fully evaluated with respect to the total economic picture, although preliminary evidence indicates that an immediate increase in

Jan 1, 1975

By James D. Noll, Jon A. Hummer, Aleksandar D. Bugarski, George H. Jr. Schnakenberg, Steven E. Mischler, Larry D. Patts

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a study to determine the effects of selected, state-of-the-art emission control technologies on the ambient concentrations of particulate matter and gases emitted by underground diesel-powered mining equipment. Tests were conducted in an isolated zone of an underground mine to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative fuel formulations, namely, water-fuel emulsions, blended biodiesel fuels, ultralow sulfur diesel fuel, and #1 diesel; and selected exhaust after treatment devices, namely, diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems, and filtration systems designed around high-temperature disposable filter elements. The results showed that using a cold-weather and warm-weather water-fuel emulsion formulation reduced mass concentrations of elemental carbon (EC) by about 70% and 85%, respectively. The 20% and 50% soy biodiesel blends reduced EC by 49% and 66%, respectively. The reductions were slightly less pronounced for the 20% and 50% yellow grease biodiesel blends—33% and 56%, respectively. EC concentrations were unaffected by using ultralow sulfur diesel in place of #1 diesel. Use of the reformulated fuels did not substantially alter the concentrations of nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. However, a measurable increase in the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) peak concentration was observed during the biodiesel tests. The ArvinMeritor (AM) fuel-burner DPF system with a palladium-catalyzed DOC reduced EC concentrations by 92%. The diesel filter elements from Donaldson Co., Inc., and Filter Service & Testing Corp. reduced the EC concentration of the mine air by 92% and 70%, respectively. When the palladium-based DOC was used with the AM DPF, it raised the average and peak downstream NO2 concentrations by a factor of three. Tests of the AM DPF system with a platinum-catalyzed DOC and CAP/ETG catalytic particulate oxidizer system had to be terminated because the elevated NO2 concentrations threatened to overexpose the operator. The tests with only a selected DOC also resulted in increased NO2 concentrations in mine air.

Jan 8, 2006

By John R. Benham

In 1979 and 1980, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mineral survey of the 20,500 acre Black Butte RARE II area (No. 5102) in the Los Padres National Forest (fig. 1). The work by the Bureau of Mines indicates that the potential tor mineral resources in the area is low. Samples of outcrops and stream channels contained no economic minerals. A mercury deposit near a granodiorite-sedimentary rock contact occurs 2 mi northeast of the study area, but similar deposits have not been discovered within the area. Geothermal potential exists near Tassajara Hot Springs, but no thermal springs occur in the area; nor have oil, gas, or coal resources been found.

Jan 1, 1982

By Richard J. Leary

The inputs of capital and labor to support future iron ore production were developed by the Bureau of Mines from projections of iron demand and estimates of capital and labor requirements. Trends in technologic change and the organization of production were analyzed. Labor requirement schedules for iron ore mining and beneficiating were constructed from aggregate inter-temporal trends and 1970 cross-sectional analysis of mines and mills. A sup-ply schedule of the capital requirement for mine-mill-pellet plants was developed from U.S. and Canadian experience. The structure of demand for iron to the year 2000 was examined as well as the availability of resources. Projections of capital and labor requirements to 2000 were constructed under two international patterns of iron ore supply to the United States. The most likely model is for a continuation of the 70 percent United States-30 percent foreign shares, expanding at an average 2.0 percent growth rate to 2000, and supported by a cumulative gross capital investment of $3.8 billion constant 1967 dollars and a labor force in the United States of 29,800 by 2000. The information content of projections is discussed, and the possible effects of international forces on supply are considered. A generalized methodology for estimating capital and labor requirements in other mineral industries also is included.

Jan 1, 1975

By Arthur L. Murray

The first thought in the case of an accident or contagious disease is naturally that aroused by our humane instinct , how serious is the case and will the person recover ? The economic effects of such cases , owing to their many ramifications , are seldom realized either by those directing mining operations or those engaged in the labor of producing . This paper is based on the accident experience of the State of Utah and the number of cases of two well known preventable diseases , typhoid fever and smallpox , in that State for the fiscal years 1917-1918 , 1918-1919 , 1919-1920 , and 1920-1921 . The data and figures presented are from coal -mining camps only . W. W. Adams , mine- accident statistician of the bureau, contributed valuable corrections and suggestions . The economic results of accidents are considered first , and those of the two preventable diseases later .

Apr 1, 1922

By Samuel B. Flagg

The Bureau of Mines is endeavoring to ascertain how mineral fuels in which the Government has a direct interest, by ownership or use, can be utilized with highest efficiency. For this reason the bureau has been, and is, carrying on investigations to ascertain the condi- tions of furnace construction and management that are necessary to insure the smokeless combustion of the different coals that are found in public lands or are purchased for Government ships and power plants. Another reason for the bureau undertaking these investigations is the need of better furnace management and a more careful selec- tion of fuel at many Government plants. There are Federal build- ings in hundreds of cities. The coals available at many of these cities differ greatly in quality, and the furnaces in some of the Fed- eral buildings were not designed for efficient utilization of the cheap- est available coal. Hence, some of the boiler plants smoke badly unless fed with low-volatile coal and have caused repeated com- plaints not only from neighboring property owners who have suffered damage, but from persons endeavoring to create a civic pride in clear air. In the course of its fuel investigations the bureau has noted the conditions governing fuel consumption in different cities and has studied the attempts made by these cities to abate smoke through the passage of ordinances imposing penalties on smoky stacks. Some results of that study are presented in this report. The most im- portant conclusion reached is that smoke abatement by ordinance can not hope to succeed unless supported by public sentiment and that a smoke ordinance should look to future prevention rather than to immediate prohibition. In other words, strict control of furnace construction offers much greater hope for smoke abatement than desultory imposition of severe penalties on the escape of "dense" or "black" smoke.

Jan 1, 1912

By W. M. Weigel

"Sand is one of the commonest materials for industrial use, not only as a building material, but in many industrial processes. The general name applies to all grades, from the comparatively impure, unsorted product used in concrete, to especially sized products of extreme chemical purity. Various definitions have been proposed, all more or less open to objection, as they fail to cover special applications. One is: ""Sand - The fine granular material naturally or artificially produced by the disintegration or crushing of rock or slag"". This does not fit the definition of sand as understood by geologists, who consider sand only as a naturally formed product. Another is: ""Sand - The fine granular material naturally produced by the disintegration of rock"". This does not take the chemical com-position into account, and for practically all uses, except in concrete and plaster products, a material composed predominantly of silica or rather quarts is implied.Sand for special purposes usually requires different methods of preparation from those where the ordinary mixture of sizes as naturally occurring are suitable. One of the classes requiring the most uniformly sized grains is sand blast sand.Sand Blast SandThe use of the sand blast has increased rapidly during the past few years. It was formerly used almost entirely in the foundry to clean and remove inequalities from rough castings. This is still the most important application, but in addition, it is now employed for the removal of paint from old surfaces, carving and engraving on stone and marble, glass cutting, cleaning or renovating the rails of stone and brick buildings that have become discolored, preparing the surface of metals for the electrolytic bath, putting the final finish to metal surfaces, and has even been proposed as a means of channeling or cutting out blocks of stone in the quarry."

Jun 1, 1924

By Jack A. Touseull

The Bureau of Mines has developed a simple stereographic method of analyzing the orientation of single and intersecting planes of weakness in vertical pillars of parallel symmetry. From this method, it can be determined if planes of weakness transect the full horizontal cross section of a pillar. A major finding resulting from this method was that intersecting planes of weakness can transect the full horizontal cross section of a pillar even though the individual planes do not. This paper provides step-by-step instructions for using this method.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. W. Scott

Thermodynamics is a powerful tool for investigating rotational isomerism in substituted ethanes and related molecules. Accurate calorimetric data can be interpreted to give information, not only about the energy difference between conformations, but also about the shape of the potential barrier hindering rotation from one conformation to another. However, a deterrent to this use of thermodynamics is the labor required to calculate the contributions to the thermodynamic functions for assumed potential functions. Tables of thermo-dynamic contributions for appropriate potential functions can eliminate that labor and greatly facilitate the thermodynamic study of rotational isomerism. In this research, tables of contributions to the thermodynamic functions were compiled for two potential functions typical of some commonly encountered examples of rotational isomerism. TYPES OF POTENTIAL FUNCTIONS Potential function 1, illustrated in figure 1, A, has two equal minima higher than the third. It has the general shape of the barrier to internal rotation in n-butane, for example. The trans conformation of n-butane has the lowest energy, and the two skew or gauche conformations have equal but higher energy. Potential function2, illustrated in figure 1, B, has two equal minima lower than the third. It has the general shape of the barrier in 2-methylbutane, for example. The two C1 conformations of 2-methylbutane have equal energy much lower than the assumed Cs conformation, which has not been observed spectroscopically.

Jan 1, 1962

By Charles D. Litton

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report details the results of a series of large-scale experiments where small coal fires were used to ignite the conveyor belt at air velocities ranging from 0.76 to 6.1 m/s. In the tests, electrical strip heaters imbedded within a pile of coal were used to heat the coal to a point of flaming ignition. The flaming coal subsequently ignited the conveyor belt located approximately 5 to 10 cm above the coal pile. During the tests, temperature, CO, and smoke levels were continuously measured in order to determine both alarm time and level as the fire intensity progressed through the stages of smoldering coal, flaming coal, and flaming coal plus flaming belt. Analysis of the data leads to certain conditions of air velocity and sensor alarm levels that are required for early detection of conveyor belt entry fires. Two nomographs are presented, which define sensor alarm levels and sensor spacings as a function of belt entry cross-sectional area and belt entry air velocity.

Jan 1, 2010

By Will H. Coghill

[The supply of gravel spar and of acid spar is not well balanced. Gravel spar -- 85 per cent flourspar, 5 per cent silica -- gluts the market, whereas acid spar -- 98 per cent fluorspar, 1 per cent silica -- is somewhat scarce. Hence it is desirable to convert some of the gravel spar into acid spar. Knowledge of this condition prompted the Franklin. Fluorsrar Co. at Paducah. Ky., to enter into cooperation with the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy to improve the methods of fluorspar, milling so that morn acid spar would be available. The fluorspar company detailed Mr. Omar Greeman for the work. During the course of the investigation, while Mr. Greeman was also doing work for a master's degree in the School of Mines? an extensive study was made of gravity concentration of fluorspar ores. Decrepitation by heat treatment was also given a laboratory try-out. A part of tie time was spent on flotation; these notes relate only to the flotation. The results of one of the flotation runs is appended. The test was made in a 500-gram mechanical-agitation machine. The sample was ground to 100-mesh in a pebble mill.]

Jan 1, 1928