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By Robert L. Skaggs

Sixteen nonaqueous techniques conceived to replace the current aqueous scheme for separating hafnium and zirconium tetrachlorides were re- viewed and evaluated by the Bureau of Mines. The methods are divided into two classes: separation by fractional volatilization of the tetrachlorides, which takes advantage of the higher volatility of hafnium tetrachloride; and separation by chemical techniques, based on differences in chemical behavior of the two tetrachlorides. The criteria used to evaluate separation methods were temperature, pressure, separation factor per equilibrium stage, complexity, compatibility with existing technology, and potential for continuous operation. Three processes were selected as being most promising: (1) high-pressure distillation, (2) extractive distillation from a molten salt, and (3) preferential reduction of gaseous ZrC14. Any of the proposed nonaqueous Hf-Zr separation schemes must be supplemented with additional purification to remove trace impurities.

Jan 1, 1984

By G. W. Murrie

A geologic study of the Mary Lee Group of coalbeds in the Black Warrior coal basin was undertaken to examine coal stratigraphy and determine regional trends and extent of the coalbeds. The area investigated encompasses 835 square miles in Jefferson, Walker, and Tuscaloosa Counties, Ala. More than 700 core logs were used to construct a structure map, coal, interval, and overburden isopachs, and cross sections. There is evidence that structure affected sedimentation. Coalbed isopachs indicate the Mary Lee Group was deposited in fluvial-deltaic and low-lying coastal plain environments. The Mary Lee coalbed is the only coalbed which is continuous throughout the area, commonly with two benches which have a combined thickness of 2 to 12 feet. The Mary Lee coalbed changes rank in the basin from high-through medium-to low-volatile coal. The methane gas potential of the Mary Lee Group coals is estimated to be greater than 1 trillion cubic feet. There is an excellent correlation between the orientation of surface cleats with those measured underground in the Mary Lee coalbed. The face cleats roughly parallel the axes of the area's folds and trend northeast-southwest.

Jan 1, 1976

By Lulie H. Crump

Salient information on reserves, production, and consumption of fuels and energy by State are summarized in this Bureau of Mines publication. The data are broken down by fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) and hydropower and nuclear for the major consuming sectors: Household-Commercial, Industrial, Transportation, Electric Power and Miscellaneous. In addition, total energy consumption in the Nation in 1972 is compared with consumption in 1971 and 1973 (preliminary data).

Jan 1, 1974

By Glenn A. Shirey

The objective of this contract as to prepare a detailed, readily usable handbook on dust control techniques for longwall mining operations. Information was gathered from available literature, and through contacts with industry and government personnel. The handbook describes those methods of dust control applicable to today's longwall mining systems, and contains sufficient design elements to assist operators with problems in testing or implementing new control procedures. Complete reference lists are presented at the end of each chapter to direct the reader to additional information.

Jan 1, 1985

By Samuel H. Dolbear

THE value of a mine is basically dependent on its capacity to yield profits. Since the ore must be mined, treated, and sold, some of it in various future years. there is a risk involved as to future costs, selling price, and working conditions. It cannot be expected that the economic condition existing at the time of valuation will continue unchanged for long periods in the future. During the past 20 years, mineral production in the United States has been conducted under a changing economy in many respects more exacting than that applied to other businesses. There have been increased production incentives, technical aid, exploration of privately owned mineral deposits by government at federal expense, and liberal loans for development and equipment, with risk partially assumed by government.. Some of these benefits have been counterbalanced by price ceilings, consumption controls, and stimulation of competition from foreign producers who have been offered the same advantages extended to American operators. For the present, mines will operate under a government policy directed toward reducing federal aid and control. The tenure of this change will depend upon future elections and the status of foreign relations. War and threat of war are now of the most vital significance to the mineral industries. Other factors which influence cost of production, markets, and price of mine output might be classified as Acts of God or Acts of Government. In some countries expropriation and the difficulty of exporting earnings or investment returns are risks that must be considered by foreign capital. Recognizing that this retards American investment in foreign countries, the Mutual Security Agency offers insurance against such expropriation and guarantees the convertibility of capital and profits. Since it is impossible to predict with certainty either cost of production or selling prices of metals for long periods, some assumptions must be made as to profits in the future. The basic assumption must be that the price of the company's product will vary in proportion to changes in operating cost. There is often a lag in this reaction, however, for prices of minerals are generally more sensitive to declines and less sensitive to increases than are costs. This reflects in part the resistance of labor to downward wage revision and a corresponding alertness in realizing its share of price advances. Some labor contracts include automatic adjustments to metal prices. Notwithstanding the complexity of the, problems involved and the difficulty of weighing their effect on value, such risks may be appraised with reasonable accuracy and a rate of earnings adopted that is compatible with the risk. It is, of course, possible to revert to a yardstick of value such as the commodity dollar, which has been advocated from time to time, but while revaluation in 1933 disturbed public confidence, the theoretical gold dollar continues to be the standard of greatest stability. Its gain or loss in purchasing power is reflected ultimately in cost of production and selling price of the mine product. At present 35 dollars are allocated to one ounce of gold. Measurement of Risk In the application of the Hoskold and most other formulae, a yearly dividend rate commensurate with the risk involved is set aside out of annual earnings. If the risk is great, this rate may be 15 to 25 pct of the amount invested. The remainder is placed in a sinking fund invested in safe securities such as high grade bonds or conservative equities, and the interest or dividends from these securities are added to the sinking fund. The sum of these sinking fund payments and the compounded interest at the end of the mine life is taken as the value of the mine. Admittedly the decision as to the size of the risk rate is the most difficult element in valuation and one requiring the most exacting consideration. It is necessary to look years ahead in an effort to determine future costs, market prices, demand, competition which may develop, including that of substitutes, and other influences common to the mine and to the region in which it is situated. Another phase of risk is the enactment of unfavorable legislation, taxes, and what appears to be an alarming spread of nationalization and expropriation. Capital is sometimes borrowed from the government to finance strategic production. Such loans may be collectable only out of production and involve no liability otherwise. Valuation in these cases must recognize the effect of such a reduction in liability. Offsetting some of these risks are the possibilities of mechanization and other cost-reducing discoveries, improvements in mining and treatment methods, new uses for minerals and metals, and normal growth of markets. In this paper, the terms risk rate, dividend rate, and speculative rate are synonymous. Safe rate and redemption rate are also used interchangeably. These alternatives are used here because they are commonly found in the literature on mine valuation. In Michigan, the State Tax Commission has long employed a risk rate of 6 pct in its valuation of iron mines. There the outline of reserves is well established and operating costs and conditions are based on adequate experience. The following comment on rates appears in the report of the Minnesota Interior commission on Iron Ore Taxation submitted to the Minnesota Legislature of 1941.1 Most engineers agree that 7 percent for the specu-lative rate is "an absolute minimum". C. K. Leith in

Jan 1, 1954

By I. Kapageridis

The mining industry worldwide has recognized in the past the need to apply specific rules and guidelines in the reporting of mineral resources and reserves. The high financial investment and risk associated with any mining project and the ever stricter environmental and social controls were the forces behind this recognition. For years the industry experienced the development and enforcement of several codes for reporting accepted by different countries. The implementation of any code can be a confusing task as the guidelines are sometimes general and open to different interpretation. The use of computers in the estimation and reporting of mineral resources and reserves is necessary, particularly when trying to implement particular code guidelines. This paper discusses ways to implement a reporting code in a computerised resource/re-serve estimation study. The implementation is demonstrated using a gold deposit project as an example. The effects of mining, metallurgical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental factors are taken into consideration. This paper also discusses well established reporting codes and the possibility of reaching a single, universally applied code that could be used by Greek mining companies.

Jan 1, 2007

By Wang Jingsong, Ma Tengfei, Feng Fu, She Xuefeng

In this paper the direct reduction melting separation-leaching process is investigated on recovering rare earth from rare earth Bayan Obo complex iron ore (REBOCIO). The REBOCIO was reduced and melting separated to produce iron nugget and rare-earth-rich slag at 1400°C for 12 or 15 min. The RE2O3 is enriched into Ce 4.667(SiO4)O or Ca 3Ce2[(Si,P)3O4]3F, which closely depend on chemical components, especially basic. The optimal acid-leaching parameters of rare earth elements from the rare earth slag are suggested as the hydrochloric acid concentration, the ratio of solid to liquid, leaching temperature, and the leaching time are 1 mol/L, 1:14, 50 °C and 120 min, respectively. The rare earth elements leaching efficiency are more than 95%. Adding of calcium CaCO3 and sodium Na2CO3 in direct reduction process have great in fluence on leaching ef ficiency of thorium.

Mar 1, 2018

By L. B. Herring, Harold Decker

The South Texas area, discussed herein, represents districts 2 and 4 of the Texas Railroad Cominission and extends from Jackson, Lavaca, and Gonzales Counties on the northeast to the Rio Grande River, comprising a total of 26 counties.$ The present boundaries of this district do not coincide with those of earlier reports published in the annual volumes of Petroleum Development and Technology. The war, in its various ramifications, determined and controlled all the phases of the oil and gas industry. Priorities for material and governmental subsidies determined all new operations. New Pools In our opinion, the combine' quantity of crude and distillate reserves added in '943 approached Or possibly exceeded the amount produced. Thirty-five new pools were added to the area' Of these, five have significant reserves and ten offer possibilities of containing consequential reserves. The largest proven reserve discovered during the year was the Slick pool, on the DeWitt-Goliad County line. This is also the most important Wilcox discovery to date in the area. The most significant extension was at Willimar, Willacy County. Other important extensions were developed at Agua Dulce, Seeligson, and Odem. Except for the Porter field, in Karnes County, the Laredo trend, which produces lrom the Jackson and Yegua, proved very disappointing, and this pool is o:C secondary importance. The Scott and Hopper pool, Brooks County, has only orie well, but offers excellent possibilities of becoming an important discovery. It represents at this time the major Frio discovery of the year. The Hobson pool, Karnes County, is not a major reserve, but can be classed as important in that it produces at a shallow depth from the Wilcox. This proves that the potential area of production for this zone occupies a broad trend. Gas and Condensate During the year construction was begun on only one recycling plant, this being in the Sejita field, Duval County. Several others were colltemplated, but no actual operations were begun. The most important development in recycling was the rebuilding of old plants to allow for the fractiona-tion of isopentane, n-butane, isobutane, and propane. Heretofore all pentanes plus have been marketed as cLdistillate,n only a minor portion of the butanes being isolated and sold for fuel purposes. All these new the except propane, are considered vital to the war effort and propane is being marketed as fuel gas. In other instances propane is being isolated and then pumped back into the gas reservoirs for storage. It is anticipated that the demands for this product will increase in the future. Drilling in the Wilcox trend during the year showed the existence of valuable gas

Jan 1, 1944

By L. B. Herring, Harold Decker

The South Texas area, discussed herein, represents districts 2 and 4 of the Texas Railroad Cominission and extends from Jackson, Lavaca, and Gonzales Counties on the northeast to the Rio Grande River, comprising a total of 26 counties.$ The present boundaries of this district do not coincide with those of earlier reports published in the annual volumes of Petroleum Development and Technology. The war, in its various ramifications, determined and controlled all the phases of the oil and gas industry. Priorities for material and governmental subsidies determined all new operations. New Pools In our opinion, the combine' quantity of crude and distillate reserves added in '943 approached Or possibly exceeded the amount produced. Thirty-five new pools were added to the area' Of these, five have significant reserves and ten offer possibilities of containing consequential reserves. The largest proven reserve discovered during the year was the Slick pool, on the DeWitt-Goliad County line. This is also the most important Wilcox discovery to date in the area. The most significant extension was at Willimar, Willacy County. Other important extensions were developed at Agua Dulce, Seeligson, and Odem. Except for the Porter field, in Karnes County, the Laredo trend, which produces lrom the Jackson and Yegua, proved very disappointing, and this pool is o:C secondary importance. The Scott and Hopper pool, Brooks County, has only orie well, but offers excellent possibilities of becoming an important discovery. It represents at this time the major Frio discovery of the year. The Hobson pool, Karnes County, is not a major reserve, but can be classed as important in that it produces at a shallow depth from the Wilcox. This proves that the potential area of production for this zone occupies a broad trend. Gas and Condensate During the year construction was begun on only one recycling plant, this being in the Sejita field, Duval County. Several others were colltemplated, but no actual operations were begun. The most important development in recycling was the rebuilding of old plants to allow for the fractiona-tion of isopentane, n-butane, isobutane, and propane. Heretofore all pentanes plus have been marketed as cLdistillate,n only a minor portion of the butanes being isolated and sold for fuel purposes. All these new the except propane, are considered vital to the war effort and propane is being marketed as fuel gas. In other instances propane is being isolated and then pumped back into the gas reservoirs for storage. It is anticipated that the demands for this product will increase in the future. Drilling in the Wilcox trend during the year showed the existence of valuable gas

Jan 1, 1944

By V. K. Kuppusamy, M. Holuszko

"Lamps and lighting products are the most commonly used electrical products around the globe. With the improvement in lamp technologies, lighting products have grown complex and hence require an improved recycling process. The LED lamps consist of various valuable metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, chromium, silver, and gold, as well as non-metals such as glass, plastics, and fibers. In addition, there are also traces of hazardous substances such as lead, arsenic, and mercury. A major step in the recovery process is size reduction, and researchers have suggested that up to 40% of the total valuable material is lost during the shredding and grinding processes. SELFRAG is a high voltage selective fragmentation comminution technology that uses high voltage pulses in a water medium to efficiently separate the metals at a coarser size without generating many fine particles. It has been proposed that during the fragmentation process of electronic waste (e-waste), the metals can be separated without fine grinding. This research considers the applicability of high voltage pulse fragmentation for LED lamps. Eight different types of LED lamps were processed through the SELFRAG unit at varying pulses to study metal liberation. The product obtained was characterized for metal liberation, metal grades, and liberation analysis. The specific energy consumption for this size reduction process was also monitored. INTRODUCTION Lamps and bulbs are the most commonly used electrical products in homes, offices, industrial operations, and streets. According to Energy Star research (2006), an average US household has more than 40 sockets for light bulbs and consumes approximately 2100kWh every year for lighting. The development in lamp technology has pushed the boundary for newer products. The LED lamps have been taking over the market from the incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). According to the US Department of Energy (2012) and myLEDlight.com (2007), LED lamps have several benefits over other lamps. LEDs produce light hemi-spherically, which increases their efficiency in directional light emission. It has higher breakage resistance from vibration or transportation. LED lamps use up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs thus making them highly energy efficient; They have a longer lifespan, lasting 10 times longer than a CFL and 133 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulb. Because of all the benefits, Smallwood (2014) suggested that the market of LED lamps will grow to $12.2 billion by 2018."

Jan 1, 2018

By R. D. Pehke, J. F. Elliott

The solubility of nitrogen in liquid pure iron has been measured as a function of pressure and temperature. Sieverts' Law is obeyed at all pressures up to 1 atm and the temperature coefficient of solubility is 8 x 106 %/°C. The solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron alloys has been studied by the Sieverts' method and by the sampling method. The solubility is decreased by Al, C, Co Cu, Ni, 0. Si atzd Sn, and it is increased by Cr, Cb, Mn, Mo, Ta, W, and V. Interaction coefficients eN, for the effect of these elements on nitrogen dissolved in liquid iron, are reported. 1 HE effect of nitrogen upon the properties of steel may be desirable or not, depending upon the composition, processing treatment, and the use of the product. To understand the behavior of nitrogen in the various steelmaking processes, it is necessary to have reliable fundamental data pertaining to the solubilities, rates of solution, and chemical reactions of nitrogen in steel, particularly in the liquid state. In an effort to extend our knowledge in these areas, an investigation of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the solubility of nitrogen in liquid iron alloys was undertaken. The thermodynamic aspects of the study are presented in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in liquid pure iron has received the attention of several investigators whose results are summarized in Table I. Reasonable agreement among the more recent researches1-l8 is found for the solubility of approximately 0.044 wt pct at 1600°C and 1-atm pressure of N,, for the temperature coefficient of solubility being small but positive, and for adherence to Sieverts' law for pressures up to 1 atm. The solubility of nitrogen in a number of binary liquid iron alloys has been studied: Fe-A1,3 Fe-As,16 Fe-C,3, 71 18, 19, 20 Fe-Cr ,5,7, 10, 11, 15 21 Fe-Co,'4, '6 Fe-Cu,'6 Fe-Mn,10, 11, 18 Fe-Mo,13, 16 Fe-Ni,10, 11, 13, 15, 16 Fe-O,16, 17, l9 Fe-p,7 Fe-S,l6 Fe-Sb,16 Fe-Se,lg Fe-Si,4) 97 '77 187 19>2° Fe-Sn,16 and Fe-v.51 '3 A few ternary systems have been studied, most of which were reviewed by ~angenberg" who applied the methods suggested by WagnerPz3 Chipman,24 Darken and G~rry, and Morris and Buehl26 for predicting solubilities in multicomponent alloys. Langenberg22 and Humbert and Elliott15 compared the solubilities computed from simple binary alloy systems with experimental measurements of nitrogen solubilities in liquid iron containing two or more alloying elements. The interaction coefficients for nitrogen in

Jan 1, 1961

By Robert J. Greaves

High-resolution seismic reflection profiling can be used to evaluate detailed struc¬tural and stratigraphic features of coal pros¬pects. Since most coal prospects are relatively shallow (less than six hundred meters deep), the vertical and lateral resolution of seismic data can be significantly improved by high sampling rates in space and time. The case study present¬ed shows the effective use of seismic data in evaluation of the Wyodak coal at a prospective coal gasification site. The data were used to map the detailed structure and thickness of the coal and to search for lateral discontinuities, such as pinchouts and. faults. An important find was a paleochannel cutting across the base of the coal seam, which was later confirmed by drilling.

Jan 1, 1983

By John B. Miles

The present period of depression in the iron industry, with the resultant close approximation of the cost of production to the selling-price of pig-iron, should make the discussion of this subject at this time not only interesting but profitable. It is possible that it may result in the collection of data, which when added to those set forth in this paper will clearly indicate the influence of the rate of driving a blast-furnace upon its fuel-economy. The question is not whether an excessive rate of driving (meaning a rate definitely in excess of the average rate in the United States) results in an increase in the fuel-consumption, but rather whether a rate considerably less than the average does not result in a marked decrease in the fuel-consumption. The commercial and metallurgical sides of this problem must be kept separate. With a large margin between the cost of production and the selling-price of pig-iron, and a plant already in operation, it is frequently profitable to sacrifice a couple of hundred pounds of fuel per ton of pig-iron in order to secure the greater gross profits resulting from a larger tonnage. When this margin decreases with a plant in operation, or when the determination of the size of a new furnace intended for a certain production confronts the management, a clear understanding of the effect of the rate of driving upon fuel-economy becomes necessary. If it be granted that slow driving leads to low fuel-consumption, it should be borne in mind in the design of a new plant for the production of a certain tonnage that the adoption of an economical rate of driving increases only the size of the furnace proper, whereas, due to the decrease in quantity of blast required on account of the decrease in fuel burned, the stoves, the blowing-engines, the boilers and the piping may be de-

Jan 1, 1909

By D. Harrington

The Bureau of Mines was created in 1910 largely to determine methods of preventing coal-mine explosions; the Bureau's studies have proved that coal dust, except possibly that of some grates of anthracite, can initiate an explosion in the absence of gas and that its ability to extend or propagate an explosion of either gas or dust has been responsible for nearly all of the widespread explosions that have taken place in bituminous and other nonanthracite mines in the United States in the present century. It is believed by many persons that all atmospheric dusts may be harmful if breathed in large enough quantities for long enough time; bituminous coal dust is generally considered to be essentially harmless physiologically, yet there is abundant evidence of definite damage from inhalation of bituminous dust mixed or unmixed with the dust of other materials. Attention un¬questionably should be given to allaying dust in bituminous mines, especially at principal dust-producing sources. This publication enumerates some of the sources of dust and describes practical methods of employing water as one of the most effective of the known methods to allay dust in bituminous mines.

Jan 1, 1938

By R. A. Friedel

THE UTILIZATION by the Bureau of Mines of infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectrometry in connection with coal research has led to some basic improvements in methods, including a calibration method, a quantitative assessment of infrared spectral energy sources, and the development and perfection of infrared filters and cells. The adoption of a micropipet method to flush organic samples into absorption cells permits the investigation of vapors from organic liquids and the identification of volatile organic compounds. The spectral method has been used to investigate the infrared spectra of metal chelates, the charge-transfer complexing properties of aniline and nitrobenzene, an infrared method for determining the presence of methane in coal-mine air that has been adopted for use in enforcing the regulations of the National Coal Mine Safety Act, and atmospheric pollution including smog and odor-causing oxidation and decomposition of organic materials. Correlation of spectra and structure of organic compounds, particularly aromatics, was studied.

Jan 1, 1966

By D. H. Batchelor

Efficient modern-day mining operations are turning increasingly to technology to combat rising operating costs in an adverse economic climate for the industry. Computerised truck dispatching is one such technological advance that has enhanced the efficiency of the mining operation at Palabora. The economic incentives, basic operation and general system benefits of Palabora's computerised truck dispatching system are considered.

Jan 1, 1987

By Michael S. Miller

In 1985 and 1986, at the request of the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 17,000-acre Pyramid Peak planning area in order to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The planning area is located in Riverside County, CA, 15 miles south of Palm Springs. The planning area contains marginally economic resources of marble and mica, subeconomic resources of garnet and occurrences of gold and tungsten. The area is underlain by marble, quartzite, schist, migmatite, intrusive rock, and a wide zone of intensely sheared rock. Quaternary stream, landslide, talus, and colluvial material overlie the older rocks. Ten claims for marble in or overlapping the southwest and southeast parts of the planning area are current (1986). Many other current claims are outside the planning area, adjacent to or within 2 miles of the southwest and southeast corners. Hundreds of millions of tons of inferred, marginally economic marble in and near the planning area may be mined for cement or lime after other developed resources near markets are depleted or if large-scale construction or other markets develop nearby.

Jan 1, 1987

By K. Izumi

Ultra-grain refinement and high strengthening of metals by accumulative roll bonding (ARB) was widely reported. However, applications of ARB to magnesium alloys were rather limited. In this study, Mg-9%Li-1%Y sheets were applied to ARB at room temperature. Six 0.5 mm thick sheets were stacked and reduced into 0.5 mm thick by four passes. The procedure was repeated up to three cycles, so that the equivalent strain of 6.2 was applied. The sheets show dual phase structure with a (hcp) and ß (bcc). Grains elongates to the rolling direction with increasing number of ARB cycles. After three cycles, fragmented a grains with average size of about 300 nm are uniformly distributed. After the first cycle, the ultimate tensile strength increases to 180 MPa from 133 MPa, while the elongation decreases, however, still high (26%). The tensile strength slightly decreases by the second cycle and does not change at the third cycle. Meanwhile the elongation increases by the second cycle and the sheets show 41% of the elongation after the third cycle.

Jan 1, 2006

By Fumito Tanaka

The Mitsubishi process is the sole pyrometallurgical process for the continuous production of blister copper from copper concentrates and has been successfully operated around the world. The development of calcium ferrite slag (CaO-FeOx-Cu20), the so-called "C-slag", has enabled continuous converting from matte to blister copper in the commercial scale operations. Commercial interests in the slag led to many papers over the CaO-FeOx slag. However, CU2O- bearing slag has not been studied well due to experimental difficulties. The authors have quantified the thermodynamic properties ofthe CaO-FeOx-Cu2O system. The results have been utilized to analyze various issues related to the converting furnace, such as the magnetite precipitation from the slag or from blister copper and to develop better controlling criteria for the continuous converting operation.

Jan 1, 2003

By Brian Hawkins, David Bradley, Rachel Gooding, Lucas Rodriguez, Patrick Wilson, Kevin Wegman, Dhruv Mittal

To better protect the nation and inform difficult defense and preparedness decisions, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is performing a probabilistic risk assessment of explosive terrorism risk to the US homeland. After assessing existing models against requirements, well-developed mathematical descriptions and algorithms associated with explosives hazards were combined with probabilistic modeling techniques used in DHS chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism risk assessments to create a suitable interior explosive consequence model for assessing the impact to human health.

Jan 1, 2018