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By D. L. Forrester

This paper, describing the milling practice of the Old Dominion Co., is one of a series being prepared by the: United Staten Bureau of Mines. ACKNOWLEDGMENT In the preparation f this paper, acknowledgment is made of the valuable service rendered by R. S. Allen, metallurgist of the Old Dominion Co. T. G. Chapman, one f the consulting engineers of the Bureau of Mines, assisted in arranging the paper for publication.

Jan 1, 1931

By C. W. Hancher, B. D. Patton, W. W. Pitt

"There are a number of nitrate-containing wastewater sources, as concentrated as 30 wt % NO3 and as large as 2000 m3/day, in the nuclear fuel cycle. The biological reduction of nitrate in waste water to gaseous nitrogen, accompanied by the oxidation of a nutrient carbon source to gaseous carbon dioxide, is an ecologically sound and cost-effective method of nitrate waste disposal. These nitrate-containing wastewater sources can be successfully biologically denitrified to meet discharge standards in the range of 10 to 20 g N(NO3-)/m3 by the use of a fluidized bed bioreactor. The denitrification bacteria are a mixed culture derived from garden soil; the major strain is Pseudomonas. In the fluidized-bed bioreactor, the bacteria are allowed to attach to 0.25- to 0.50-mm-diam. coal fluidization particles, which are then fluidized by the upward flow of influent wastewater. Maintaining the bacteria-to-coal weight ratio at approximately 1:10 results in a bioreactor bacteria loading of greater than 20,000 g/m3,This paper describes the results of a bio denitrification R&D program based on the use of fluidized bioreactors capable of operating at nitrate levels of up to 7000 g/m3 and achieving denitrification rates as high as 80 g N(N03-) per day per litre of empty bioreactor volume. IntroductionThe discharge of wastewater containing nitrate at concentrations greater than stipulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) creates an environmental hazard and constitutes a civil and/ or criminal legal liability.(I.2) At present, we have three options: (1) recycle and reuse of nitrate streams the total economic and technical balance should be Closely examined; (2) use of an alternative acid, which may pose an entirely different set of problems ; or (3) disposal of nonreusable nitrate sources by an environmentally acceptable procedure."

Jan 1, 1980

By NORMAN EBBLEY

NUMEROUS references have been made recently to "Alaska's oil reserves," and in view of the wartime petroleum situation sober thinking demands a dispassionate and scientific study and investigation of these reserves or supposed reserves. The question naturally arises, "Is there actually oil in Alaska, or are the reserves there a supposition?" True, in 1923 President Harding established Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 in Alaska, certainly implying that oil was there. This reserve, embracing about 35,000 sq. mi., was set aside on the advice of the Bureau of Engineering of the Navy Department and was based upon the existence of known petroleum seepages at Cape Simpson on the Arctic coast. The Cape Simpson seepages have been known for more than fifty years, but in spite of persistent rumors of other seepages in northern Alaska no definite evidence of their existence has been available.

Jan 1, 1944

By Emil Gathmann

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) THROUGH wide experience at numerous mills in the United States I have found that there is a decided difference of opinion among the producers of steel as to what constitutes commercially sound steel. Some metallurgists insist upon having, for certain grades of steel, a so-called "open steel," -i.e., one which contains numerous blowholes of varying sizes, and consequently but little volume of true pipe, although a central intermittent shrinkage cavity often extends well down into the ingot: Such blowholes and pipe are expected to weld up during rolling or forging, because their surfaces are not oxidized. Even if this be admitted, included slag particles and a high degree of segregation are bound to be present in the product of such ingots. Blowholes are the result of an oxidized heat, and all heats, unless made or finished in the electric furnace, are oxidized more or less. Subsequent deoxidation, or rather degasification, either in the ladle or in the mold, or in both, is necessary to reduce or prevent blowholes. As is well known, a greater yield of billets or sheets is secured from the ingot by allowing the formation of blowholes, but this is undoubtedly obtained at the expense of the quality of the product. Decided segregation of carbon, phosphorus, and sulphur, as well as small included slag particles, undoubtedly exists throughout the greater portion of all so-called open steel, and cannot be removed by cropping. The first requisite for sound, homogeneous steel ingots and blooms is therefore, in my opinion, so to treat the steel in the furnace, ladle, and mold that "piping" steel is produced. The line of demarcation between harmful and so-called "harmless" blowholes is practically impossible to define. Is it not, therefore, the better and safer practice to use means for the elimination of blowholes and correspondingly reduce the segregation and allow the formation of a well-defined shrinkage cavity or pipe .at the upper end of the ingot? With the relatively cheap deoxidizers available at the present time, e.g., ferro-silicon, aluminum and titanium,

Jan 8, 1915

By A Mooney, G Balog, P Burns, R Brooks

This paper outlines the rationale for the location of the crusher, geotechnical analysis and basis of ground support design, design and scheduling of the chamber and supporting excavations as well as the operational outcomes and lessons learned. Contributions from mining operations, planning, geotechnical and infrastructure teams enabled the Crusher Station One excavation to be completed on schedule, with opportunities taken for underground mining and infrastructure to work safely in parallel to deliver crusher station infrastructure on schedule. Installation of crusher infrastructure was ongoing at the time of writing.

Mar 15, 2021

By Frederick Apgar

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) THE valuable results that have followed the application in recent years of microscopic methods of research to problems of ore genesis have been significant, but possibly the recognition of their practical importance is not as general as might be, and while, as a scientific method of investigating ores and rocks, the advantage derived through the use of the microscope is unquestioned, its utility as an aid in solving shining problems arising during actual every-day mine examination and operation may not be fully appreciated. Perhaps the roost logical method of showing some of these practical applications of the microscope will be to consider first the prospect stage of a mining venture, then the uses to which the instrument may be put during the operation of a working and developed mine, and, finally, to discuss some of the problems of a metallurgical nature that ii-my arise during milling and smelting the ore. The valuation of mining property as a preliminary to acquiring ownership or determining the advisability of investing time and money in an enterprise is one of the most important and delicate problems that come before the mining engineer. The many and variable factors that have to be taken into account, as, for example, the geology of the district, availability of supplies, probable mining costs, transportation facilities, and the quality of ore, require a careful balancing of costs against recoverable values.

Jan 6, 1913

By Mark Sheppard

This paper is the third of a series recording the results of tests made at various quarries throughout the United States to determine (1) the relation between the size gradation of feed to, and product from, primary crushers, (2) the particle shape of the crushed. product, (3) the differences in gradation and particle shape produced by different types of primary crushers, and (4) the differences in gradation and particle shape caused by crushing different kinds of stone. Progress reports 1 and 2 dealt with comparisons of different types of crushers crushing the same type of stone. This report deals with relation¬ship between feed and product of two different limestones, as to size distribution and particle shape, when crashed in the same crusher.

Jan 1, 1938

By Leonard Obert

The various underground rooms in the Bureau of Mines Oil-Shale mine, Rifle, Colo., have been open for periods ranging from 3 to 5 years. During this time 3 roof falls have occurred; 1 was induced, and the other 2 were unintentional. The three roof falls are described in this report. Two causative factors are discussed -a time-dependent deterioration of the roof rock and an unfavorable system of jointing that occurred in the strata overlying the present roof horizon. Irrespective of cause, the operating life of any stoping area would have been short com-pared with the life of the roof (1 to 4 in the most unfavorable instance), if a high-production system of mining had been employed. The report is concluded with several recommendations that should be considered in planning future mining operations.

Jan 1, 1958

By C. S. Parsons

Custom milling-plants have been operated successfully for a great many years on this continent. One of the outstanding examples in the United States is the Golden Cycle mill at Colorado Springs, which mills the gold-telluride ores from the Cripple Creek district. In eastern Canada, the Northern Custom Concentrators, Limited, at Cobalt, successfully treated the cobalt-silver ores of that area for a number of years. Flotation plants have entered the custom field in the past few years. The building of flotation concentrators to treat ores on a custom basis indicates the advance which has been made in flotation. In fact, three years ago it was considered almost impossible to treat successfully a mixture of miscellaneous ores by flotation. The methods used at that time were considered so delicate that any change, even in a single ore, would usually result in decreasing the effectiveness of the separation. Today we find four large custom flotation plants in the United States and one in Canada for treating complex lead-zinc ores from many different localities. The advent of these mills was brought about by the serious problem confronting the lead-smelting plants due to increasing amounts of zinc in the ores presented for treatment. It was necessary to penalize the mines shipping high-zinc ores. The penalty is justified, because high zinc in the lead blast-furnace charge not only decreases the tonnage of the furnace but increases the amount of flux necessary, as well as increasing the metal loss in the slag. It has been estimated that in the Salt Lake valley alone, 75,000,000 pounds of zinc was lost in the slag-dumps from the operations of three large lead blast-furnace plants. It has also been estimated that $150,000 worth of additional flux was required to slag this zinc. It was to avoid at least a part of this wste and to help maintain an ore supply that custom flotation concentrators were built by the smelters.

Jan 1, 1928

By Verônica Scarpini Candido

O Alto-Forno é o principal equipamento em uso para a produção do ferro gusa. Para a redução do minério de ferro em gusa são alimentados pelo topo do alto forno a carga composta por minério de ferro, carvão vegetal ou coque e calcário. Durante o processo de redução os gases redutores ascendentes entram em contato com a carga e geram pós no interior do alto forno. Para que esse resíduo não seja lançado diretamente na atmosfera é necessário que haja a recuperação desse material particulado e uma das etapas é a lavagem da poeira do gás de alto-forno que permite a separação dos particulados sólidos na forma de lama, denominada lama de alto-forno. O objetivo do presente trabalho é a caracterização físico e química da lama do alto-forno a carvão vegetal de uma siderúrgica integrada localizada na região sudeste do estado do Pará, e assim fornecer subsídios para estudos que busquem o reaproveitamento desse resíduo através da sinterização para torná-lo um material mais reativo e dar uma destinação ecologicamente correta e de acordo com as normas ambientas. Para isso, foram realizadas, em laboratório, análises como a granulometria, massa específica, difratometria de raios - x e fluorescência de raios - x. Os teores dos óxidos predominantes foram 57,33 % de Fe2O3, 8,14 % de CaO, 5,6 % de SiO2 e 1,37 % de ZnO).

Oct 30, 2017

By Charles Colcock Jones

In any discussion of this very large subject we are confronted at the outset with so many obstacles that at best only a fragmentary and rather disconnected presentation can be made of it, and my hope is that building from the few facts I have to offer a more complete knowledge may be secured. In the whole intermountain and Pacific Coast region, west of Pueblo, Col., and from Canada to Mexico, there is no production of pig iron, and steel production is confined to the manufacture of a small amount of open-hearth steel from scrap. When we consider the area, the resources, and the several centers of population, this condition seems anomalous, even in the face of every counter argument as to cheap water transportation, or other means of transport from the Atlantic Seaboard or from the iron and steel centers of the Middle West. This comatose condition, if such a term may be applied, is certainly not due to a lack of all the essential materials and factors for success in iron and steel smelting, but is rather, I think, due largely to the general fact that it is only within a comparatively few years that the centers of population on the Pacific Coast have attained a size that would entitle them to the position of distributing or freight centers, or that the "back country" has been enough built up to make it sufficiently interesting to the railroads to foster trade from the local centers to the interior points rather than seek to supply such local centers and the interior by a transcontinental haul. "Ore Supply Edwin C. Eckel, in his monumental work on Iron Ores, has but little to say concerning the Pacific Coast deposits. He mentions (p. 269) those of Minaret, Madera County, and the Eagle Mountains, Riverside County, Cal., "perhaps 50 to 100 million tons each;" the deposits in Shasta County, worked for the electric furnace on Pitt River; and

Jan 1, 1916

By H. W. Turner

Lying to the east of the Rio Grande, in central New Mexico, is a long N. and S. mountain range, broken into separate ridges at several points. These have received separate names; the mountains at the south end, near El Paso, being known as the Franklin mountains, and then, following successively, to the north, the San Andreas range, Sierra Oscura, Manzano and Sandia mountains. At the eastern base of the Sierra Oscura there are several low ridges, remarkable for their red color. All of these red ridges contain reefs of copper-ore. The eastern flanks of the Sierra Oscura are composed of limestone. Some fossils in the limestone were examined by Prof. J. P. Smith of Stanford University, who says they are Fusulina and indicate an Tipper Carboniferous age. The sandstones and shales containing the copper-reefs directly overlie this limestone (Fig. I), and are very likely of Permian age, like the similar beds in Texas, described by Mr. W. F. Cummins.* Overlying the copper-beds are red sandstones and shales in which very little copper has been found. The cupriferous zone and the red sandstones and shales are everywhere associated, and as one stands on a high point, he will see that these rocks form three main belts or lines of hills. These may be referred to as the northern, middle and southern belts. The northern belt was not visited by me, but is known to contain copper-deposits. The middle belt has a trend of N. of W. and S. of E. The copper-reefs have been traced for a distance of more than 2 miles. The southern belt has a trend of about N. 30' W. and S. 30°

Jan 1, 1903

By Jorge M. C. Soares

The CO oxidation reaction has been studied on Au/TiO2 catalysts prepared by incipient wetness (IW) and deposition-precipitation (DP) methods. Additionally the assessment of activity was also conducted on simple gold compounds (Au2O3 and Au(OH)3) and their physical mixtures with TiO2. We have found that there are three types of CO2 production from fresh catalysts, which are only dried, namely: Non-catalytic Type I (low temperature CO2 production); Non-catalytic Type II (higher temperature CO2 production) and Catalytic Type III. The DP catalysts are far more active for Type III reaction, showing activity already at room temperature, whereas the IW catalysts generally do not show steady state conversion until T>673 K. This is due to both large particle size and the presence of residual chlorine for the latter. No truly catalytic activity was found for low temperature CO oxidation on gold precursors on their own, although both Au2O3 and Au(OH)3 react well with CO even at room temperature in an irreversible manner (Type I reaction). Despite that, catalytic activity was obtained by mixing Au(OH)3 or Au2O3 with TiO2 which gives further emphasis on the importance of a good contact gold/support and the absence of chlorine.

Oct 1, 2003

By Stanley L. Arnot

The Mother Lode district in California is probably better known as the land of Bret Harte and Mark Twain than as a gold-producing district, although in this respect it holds an important place. The history of quartz mining on the Mother Lode dates back to the '50s, when, after the first fever of the gold rush, men began to look for something more permanent, if not more lucrative, than the placers. Since that time, the discoveries, shutdowns, and reopenings of the many mines, together with the varying fortunes of their numerous operators, constitute an interesting chapter in California history, but one too long to include in a description of mining methods. The district is well situated, so far as physical conditions are concerned. The Mother Lode extends along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about half way between the crest and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, the country traversed consisting of low rolling hills—typical foot-hills. The elevation varies from 1000 to 1800 ft. and the climate is most desirable. There is an abundance of water, timber is easily obtained from the higher foot-hills a few miles east, and cheap hydro-electric power is generated practically on the Lode. These natural conditions are conducive to low costs in mining and have been the deciding factor in allowing profitable exploitation of the comparatively low-grade orebodies. Transportation facilities are not bad. Five branch railroads, from the main trunk lines in the valley, tap the district at intervals of from 10 to 30 miles, and the roads connecting these are fairly good for trucking purposes. Labor is made up of several nationalities, the principal ones being American, Spanish, Jugo-Slav, Italian, and Mexican. There were few Mexicans on the Lode prior to 1919, but the shortage of labor, experienced generally by the mining camps of the country in the years following the war, made necessary the hiring of some. The percentage of Mexican labor rapidly increased in 1920 and for a year or so thereafter, but it has now diminished until at most of the mines only a few Mexicans are working. Of the different nationalities, Americans are the most efficient and Mexicans the least.

Jan 1, 1925

By D. R. Parrish, K. W. Beaver, H. W. Wood, R. W. Rausch

A pilot test of forward combustion in the Shannon pool, Salt Creek field, Wyo., is described. The Shannon sand, 950-ft deep, contains a heavy (25" API), viscous (76 cp) oil. Natural reservoir energy is limited. Primary production, intermittent since 1889, recovered only about 2 per cent of the oil in place. The field is operated by Pan American Petroleum Corp. for the Midwest Oil Corp., the owner. The original pilot was a 1.32-acre five-spot. The expanded pilot has eight producing wells surrounding a roughly triangular area of about five acres with the injection well near the center. A control or comparison well was also recompleted in another part of the field. Operation of the pilot has been little different front an ordinary gas drive. Little special equipment was found to be absolutely necessary. Except for some use of a temperature-resistant cement, all wells were conventionally completed. In spite of poor oxygen consumption, the over-all performance of the pilot has been good. Total oil recovery to June 1, 1961, was 73,971 bbl. The wells of the original pilot alone had produced about 24,000 bbl, equivalent to 50 per cent of the oil in place, when fire breakthrough at the first well occurred. These wells have now produced oil equivalent to more than 74 per cent of the oil in place in the original pilot area and production is continuing. It appears that ultimate recovery will approach theoretical maximums before the wells must be abandoned. Performance of the pilot has been encouraging, and expansion to a fieldwide combustion operation is being investigated. INTRODUCTION The results of both laboratory investigations and field tests of underground combustion have been reported previously.' However, most of the field tests were primarily experimental. More information and experience are needed before forward-combustion operations can be engineered with confidence. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a successful pilot test of forward combustion. These re- sults should increase confidence in forward combustion as a practical method for commercial oil recovery. HISTORY OF THE SHANNON POOL The Shannon pool is located on the north end of the Salt Creek field in Natrona County, Wyo. It is approximately 50-miles north of the city of Casper. The Shannon pool's3 discovery well was completed in 1889, making this one of the oldest oil fields in the Rocky Mountain region. Three more wells were drilled in 1890. First production was hauled in wooden barrels by horse and wagon to the railroad in Casper. In 1894 a small refinery, the first in Wyoming, was built in Casper to process the Shannon crude. In the following years the field changed hands several times. It appears that each new owner did some development drilling as several wells were completed in each of the years 1895, 1902, 1905 and 1912, with negligible development in the intervening years. Forty-eight wells were drilled in this period, but many were later abandoned. Discovery of the more prolific Salt Creek field proper ultimately forced suspension of operations at the Shannon pool. After 1915 there was only sporadic production, mostly to supply cheap boiler fuel to drilling rigs in the Salt Creek field. But even this was discontinued in 1931. Since then the pool had been dormant until the recent operations, which are the subject of this paper. The Shannon pool is now owned by the Midwest Oil Corp. Field operations are conducted for Midwest by Pan American Petroleum Corp. THE RESERVOIR Fig. 1 is a map showing subsurface contours of the Shannon pool. The reservoir is on a nose of the Salt Creek anticline dipping to the north at about 500 ft/mile. The trap is provided by a shallow fault on the updip side of the productive area. The downdip limits are bounded by water, but this water has not provided an effective source of reservoir energy. The Shannon sand outcrops at many places in the immediate vicinity, providing good surface indications of the Salt Creek anticline. At the Shannon pool the sand has been lowered by faulting and is overlain by about 900 ft of shale and other sands. The Shannon sand consists of two members. The upper, a water sand, is about 40-ft thick and is separated from the lower member by several feet of sandy shale. The oil pay occurs in the lower mem-

Last November, when the British Educational Mission was visiting this country, letters were sent to the various mining schools asking what arrangements had been made for cooperating with British and. French schools. Of the eleven schools from which replies were received, none had taken any definite steps in this direction. The Colorado School of Mines, though, stated that it was offering scholarships to all men who had served in the U. S. Army and Navy during the war. A letter was also sent to Sir Henry Miers, Vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, who was the head of the British Mission. He replied as follows: "In my opinion the mining profession is second to none in the responsibility of the duties which it involves or to which it leads in all parts of the world; also it is a. profession in which the student or teacher has much to gain by migrating to foreign countries. This applies in a special degree to British students coming to America where they will be able to enlarge their views by a widened experience. We (the Mission) have everywhere found the most, cordial acceptance of such proposals. Several of the British Universities have recently instituted a new doctorate of philosophy attainable after 2 or 3 years course of advanced study; this scheme includes Oxford and Manchester. The conditions admitting to the degree course are that the applicant should be a graduate of an approved University and should show evidence that he is qualified to pursue the course which lie proposes." In a conversation with Prof. Alfred C. Lane, of Tufts College, Sir Henry Miers said that students from Great Britain should be most easily attracted to America, both to universities and colleges and technological institutions.. He doubts, however, whether Great Britain can offer America, in this respect, as much as America can offer her. Prof. Lane, though, is quite sure that, especially for geologists, there is much to be

Jan 2, 1919

By N. B. Devi

The extraction of Cu(II) from HCl media using Cyanex 923 in kerosene was investigated. The effect of shaking time, aqueous phase acid concentration, extractant concentration, chloride ion concentration, various metal ions (Mn2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, and Ni2+), and temperature on the extraction were studied. Using 0.1 M Cyanex 923 the extraction of Cu(II) was 6.7 per cent from 3 M HCl, which increased up to 78.5 per cent with 6.5 M HCl and then decreased due to acid extraction by the extractant. The maximum extraction (97.5 per cent) was obtained with 1 M Cyanex 923 from 5 M HCl solution. A mathematical model has been developed to describe solvent extraction equllibria over wide ranges of concentration of extractant, acid, and chloride ions. The composition of the extracted species has been predicted on the basis of slope analysis results and extraction equilibrium modelling. The negative values of enthalpy change and entropy change confirm the exothermic formation of the extracted complex.

Jan 1, 2012

Since its creation in 1910, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Mines has pioneered in the development of mineral technology, through research. From the very beginning, research on mine health and safety has been a dominating concern, and a responsibility that expanded markedly as a result of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Until the mid-1970's research on fuel technology and coal production also was an important part of the Bureau's work. But in the four years following the 1973 oil crisis, Congress established a reorganized Federal energy research apparatus in which all fossil fuel research-encompassing extraction, use, and conservation-was centralized. Today, the Department of Energy houses Federal research on coal mine production technology, while research on coal and noncoal mine health and safety and environmental technology, and on noncoal mine production technology, remains in the Interior Department as a continuing responsibility of the Bureau of Mines. In carrying out its authorized research programs, the Bureau conducts both short- and long-term re-

Jan 1, 2012

By K. A. SPENCER

THE production of soft coal from strip mines in the United States has shown a remarkable growth in the last sixteen years, increasing from one and one-quarter million tons in 1914 to approximately twenty-two million tons in 1929. This is a growth of approximately 1660 p& cent, as compared with a growth of approximately 20 per cent in the underground mines for the same period. But even with this marked in- crease the total tonnage produced by open-face mining represents only 4 per cent of the nation's soft coal tonnage.

Jan 1, 1931

By George Watkin Evans

The need for mechanization in coal mining wherever it can be successfully introduced is evident when we take into account the fact that during recent years the coal-mine employee's wages have increased and his hours have been shortened. Coal is no longer King, and a brief study of statistics covering the production of coal, petroleum and natural gas and the development of water power will convince anyone that coal has had very powerful competitors during the past 10 years. Petroleum production in the United States between 1918 and 1936 increased from 100 per cent to 309 per cent. Water power increased from 100 per cent in 1918 to 270 per cent in 1936. Bituminous coal slipped from 100 per cent in 1918 to 75 per cent in 1936. The anthracite industry slipped from 100 per cent in 1918 to 50 per cent in 1932, but climbed to 55 per cent in 1936. In 1918, the State of Washington produced a little over four million tons of coal and the production of California oil, at that time, was a little less than one hundred million barrels per year. By 1929 the production of California oil had increased to a little over 292,000,000 bbl. or nearly 300 per cent as compared with 1918. By 1934 the production of coal in the state of Washington had dropped to about 1 1/3 millions of tons per year. Our neighbors in British Columbia had their coal production reduced from a little over 2 1/2 million tons in 1920 to less than 1 1/3 million in 1933. The North western Improvement Co., a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co., owns coal properties in various parts of Washington and Montana. The Northern Pacific is one of the very few railroads using any considerable quantity of coal in its operations. Practically all of the American railroads in the Pacific Northwest, except the Northern Pacific, are using cheap California fuel oil or electricity. This problem, of course, is not a new one in coal mining, and all of the progressive coal companies in the country have tried to meet competition from an overproduction of petroleum and an overproduction of natural gas as well as enlarged developments of hydroelectric plants.

Jan 1, 1938