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By James L. Elder, J. P. Capp, James J. Dowd

The Bureau of Mines and the Alabama Power Co., jointly, conducted the first experiment undertaken in the United States in underground gasification of coal in place, at Gorgas, Ala. Milton H. Fies, manager of coal operations, Alabama Power Co., proposed the cooperative investigation to Arno C. Fieldner, chief, Fuels and Explosives Branch, Bureau of Mines; and assisted in supervising the experiment. The objectives of the experiment were to determine whether coal in place could be burned successfully and whether the burning could be controlled; the effect of the fire on the coal bed and the overlying strata; and the yield and quality of gas that could be obtained.

Aug 1, 1947

By H. C. Miller

The success of any project in which gas is injected into oil-producing sands to increase the current rate or the economic ultimate production of oil or in which surplus gas from oil producing operations is stored temporarily in reservoir sands that have been wholly or partly depleted of their producible oil depends mainly upon an understanding of the underground movements of oil, water, and injected gas and the ability to control their speed and direction of migration through the reservoir sands. Many operators believe that injected gas always travels up the structure and drives oil to wells structurally higher than the injection wells, because the specific gravity of the injected gas is less than that of the fluid substances in the formation. Consequently, many injection wells are located on the flanks of oil-bearing structures with the idea of utilizing the energy of the injected gas to drive the oil to producing wells higher on the structure. It is true, under certain conditions of pressure and fluid depletion of the reservoir sands, that injected gas will move in an up-structure direction, but the theory that injected gas always moves up the structure is based on an erroneous conception of the laws that pertain to the expansion of gases. By definition, "a gas is distinguished by its property of infinite expansion and is limited in volume only by the walls of the vessel which contains it."3 The expansion of gas that is injected into reservoir sands also is limited by "walls" that surround the space influenced by the injected gas. The walls of the majority of undrilled or virgin oil-bearing reservoirs in California are the impervious shales overlying and underlying the productive strata and the "dams" or effective barriers of edge water around the rims of the reservoirs. When gas is injected into the sands of a producing reservoir, regardless of the location of the injection well on the structure or the degree of depletion of oil from the sands, one of the walls which confine the gas in the structure about the injection well is fluid. This wall will be edge water in a nearly depleted reservoir, where the drainage cones or regions of reduced pressure about injection and producing wells intersect; and, where there is no interference of drainage cones and the injection well is structurally above the edge water, the wall will be oil. In some producing reservoirs bottom water may be the lower wall of the space that confines the gas about injection wells, but the effect of bottom water on limiting the expansion of gas is the same as if the water was not present and impervious formation separated the producing from the underlying nonproducing strata. Therefore, since compressed gas always seeks regions of reduced pressure and its final volume is limited only by formation and fluid barriers and since the force exerted by the gas under pressure is equal in all directions, the course of migration of injected gas in reservoir sands in California and the

Jan 1, 1932

By Raymond W. Hiteshue, Sam Friedman, Paul Dobransky, Robert Madden

A hvab coal was carbonized in a closed system at 600 ° C and 40 to 1 , 200 psig to produce a high- Btu gas and char . By retaining the volatiles within the system, it was possible to virtually eliminate production of tars and oils . Depending on pressure and residence time , yields of combustible gases (72 to 92 percent methane ) amounted to 4,000 to 6,000 cubic feet per ton of maf coal and gross heating values of these gases varied from 830 to 960 Btu per cubic foot . Yields of char (maf ) were about 1,600 pounds per ton of maf coal . Increased residence time favored production of gases but reduced their heating values , whereas increase in pressure resulted in somewhat higher heating values and lower production . Similar effects were observed from the carbonization of a low- temperature tar . If these results could be translated to an economical carbonization process for producing high- Btu gas from coal , the demand for coal could be expanded by 40 to 50 million tons per year . Because of large yields of char , a process of this type would obviously have to be integrated with coal - fired power plants . Fortunately , operations could be conducted at essentially atmospheric pressure as product gas under this condition can be obtained in satisfactory yields and with good quality .

Jan 1, 1964

By W. J. Long

As a part of the strategic mineral exploration program, examining engineers of the Bureau of Mines collected samples of ore from four manganese properties in Yavapai, Yuma, Maricopa, and Mohave Counties, Ariz. As all of the ores were too low in grade to be acceptable by manufacturers of ferromanganese beneficiation studies were made to determine the amenability of the ores to concentration.

Jan 1, 1948

By Sam S. Taylor

[The discovery of many oil fields in Illinois since 1936 and their rapid development have brought tine problem of brine disposal to the foreground in that State. The ultimate magnitude of the is not yet known, but already it is great enough to warrant technical investigation. The Bureau of Mines, therefore, has made a general survey of the methods of handling oil-field brines in Illinois and has studied in detail three subsurfaces disposal systems.]

Jan 1, 1940

By Richard F. Link, George S. Koch

Through the use of statistical methods, estimates of metal content and tonnage of an ore body made by using data from 18 diamond-drill holes are compared with actual values established with data from 1,829 drift samples. The reliability of the estimates made from the drill holes is assessed in several ways. The relationship of metal content (assay-width product) to grade is explained. It is concluded that useful estimates can be made from 18 drill holes provided that reasonable assumptions are made and certain risks accepted. The ore body investigated is the Don Tomas vein of the Frisco mine, San Francisco del Oro, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Jan 1, 1964

By Marvin E. Lane

This paper , which describes the mining methods and practices at the Hayden Creek lead mine of St. Joseph Lead Co. in southeast Missouri , is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining methods , practices , and costs in various mining districts of the United States . The Hayden Creek mine is in the W 1/2 sec . 7 , T. 36 N. , R. 4 E. , St. Francois County , Mo. , about 1 mile southwest of the town of Frankclay ( fig . 1) . The mine is on the west edge of the mining district known as the Lead Belt . However , neither the ore body nor the underground workings are connected with those of any other mine in the district . In contrast with most operations in the district , underground haulage is entirely trackless , and nearly complete delineation of the large , well -defined ore body by drilling permitted comprehensive planning of development and mining in advance of shaft sinking . The ore differs in character and occurrence from that of the main ore deposits in the Lead Belt in that the lead mineral , galena , occurs in the dolomitic matrix enclosing granite boulders instead of in dolomite limestone .

Apr 1, 1957

By James F. Neill, O&apos

Brown iron ore resources in Barbour, Butler, Crenshaw, and Pike Counties were investigated in a drilling program and geological study by the Federal Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Alabama Geological Survey and the University of Alabama. The aggregate footage drilled was 18,010 linear feet. When developed, reserves of 12,664,000 long tons of crude ore were indicated, containing from 26.9 to 29.0 percent iron and 0.2 to 1.6 percent manganese under a maximum overburden of 40 feet. Total inferred crude ore for the four counties was calculated to be 827,700,000 long tons. Beneficiation of samples by simulated log washing and use of a 1/8-inch screen yielded from 46.8 to 51.7 percent iron and 0.2 to 2.6 percent manganese. Screen-test studies indicated no appreciable interlocking between the iron and manganese minerals and the waste particles of materials retained on a 200-mesh screen. Clay was prominent in micron-size slimes. Silica was deleterious in the minus 20-mesh size. While an indicated 2,198,000 dry long tons of usable iron ore can be recovered, sink-and-float tests show that it may be possible for 4,654,000 dry long tons to be recovered by other than log washing. However, applicable commercial processes have not been demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1965

By E. C. Hoeman, W. C. Stoecker, R. C. Redfield

"INTRODUCTION Industrial sands, characterized by specific physical and chemical proportion, are,essential new materials for the manufacture of glass, sodium siliante and other products. Sands of suitable characteristics are used extensively for molds and cores in the casting of metals as a granular medium in municipal water filters, as abrasives, as traction sand to prevent the slipping of driving wheels of self-propelled vehicles on trucks and in various ceramic and other structural forms. In addition to the use of common silicon sands in concrete, cement, and mortar, special sands find use in sand-lime brick oxychloride cement, and flooring, for coating prepared roofing, and for placing ware in saggers although sand for sandpaper has been mostly displaced by other harder mineral or synthetic grains, other abrasive uses are numerous and include sandblasting stone sawing, glass burnishing and finishing."

Oct 1, 1945

By Paul M. Tyler

The value of mica depends chiefly upon the size of the flat sheets into which it can be split and also upon whether it is clear or stained. Muscovite (white mica) and philogopite (amber mica) are the micas of commerce. Biotite (black mica) and other varieties are virtually unsalable. Vermiculite, an altered mica having the extraordinary property of expanding greatly when heated, preferably should not be classed commercially as mica. Mica is marketed as (1) cut or uncut block, (2) sheet, (3) splittings, and (4) wet or dry ground mica. In the United States, mica that will not yield flat films over about 1-1/2 inches square, or that is ruled, rumpled, or flawed in any way, can be sold only as scrap, its sole use being for making ground mica. Only sizes that will yield rectangles 1-1/2 by 2 inches or larger can be classed as sheet quality; slightly smaller sizes may be classed as punch, and under certain circumstances still smaller sizes, down to about 1 inch square, may be used for splittings, which are mostly a thousandth of an inch thick or even thinner. Splittings, however, are produced in large quantities only in British India, where labor costs very little. Even there the work is done mostly by children, who not only work cheaper but have a delicacy of touch that enables them to do the splitting faster and better. No mechanical process yet devised will permit ordinary splittings to be made economically in the United States.

Jan 1, 1938

By W. J. Wenger

THIRTY-FOUR analyses of crude oils from the fields of the Four Corners Area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are presented and compared. The samples, taken from formations in four geological time periods, have high gravity and low-sulfur, -nitrogen, and -asphalt content. Generally, the oils are paraffinic in the low-boiling fractions, with increasing naphthenicity in the higher-boiling fractions. Oils from Cretaceous formations resemble other Cretaceous oils in the Rocky Mountains, but oils from Permian and Pennsylvania formations are unlike other oils of these ages in the Rooky Mountains. The differences in the oils are minor and cannot be used to distinguish between fields or between producing formations. With minimum special processing, the oils should yield large amounts of good-quality motor fuels. INTRODUCTION The only place in the United States where four States have a common junction is known as the Four Corners Area. This area (fig. 1) includes the northeast corner of Arizona, the southwest corner of Colorado, the northwest corner of New Mexico, and the southeast corner of Utah. It includes three major geological basins: The Black Mesa, the San Juan, and the Paradox. Major oil developments have occurred in both the San Juan and Paradox basins, but no discovery of commercial importance has been made in the Black Mesa basin.

Jan 1, 1960

By A. R. Mumford

During the course of an investigation conducted by the fuel section of the Bureau of Mines , on a hand- fired return- tubular boiler plant , it was found that the average cost of fuel to produce 1,000 lb. of steam was $ 0.5287 . Tests conducted after some simple changes had been made in the furnaces , and in the control of the boilers , showed the previous high cost of fuel per 1,000 lb. of steam could be reduced to the reasonable figure of $0.3540 , or the equivalent of over 30 per cent saving in fuel cost .

Mar 1, 1923

By D. Harrington, W. J. Fene

That fatalities from mine explosions can be very much reduced from the experience of past years if not wholly eliminated was fairly well demonstrated during the fiscal year ended June 30 , 1934 , there being only 28 deaths in the United States from explosions during this period . This is by far the lowest number of fatalities from explosions in the history of coal mining in the United States insofar as records are available . Although the frequency of occurrence of explosions has not decreased greatly during the past 6 years , there has been a marked decrease in severity , indicating that our coal -mining people are taking more effective precautions to prevent the spread of explosions . Pennsylvania is a good example of what may be done in reducing both the frequency and the severity of explosions ; by the adoption of up- to - date safety measures , Pennsylvania bituminous mines now have the enviable record of only one major explosion disaster in more than 5 years , and the one major explosion which did occur cost but 7 lives although 277 persons were exposed ; their lives were saved because rock- dusting prevented the spread of the flame and violence . Many of our other mining States are making definite progress in working mines without disastrous explosions and fires ; some of these , like Alabama , West Virginia , Indiana , Wyoming, and others now operating with few , if any , explosions , have had anything but a favorable record in the past .

Jan 1, 1935

By W. P. Yana, J. B. Littlefield

"INTRODUCTION AND OBJECT OF EXPERIMENTAn explosion in and rupture of a gas-tight switch box on an electric loader in a mine located near Pittsburgh indicated that the cause was an internally generated inflammable gas-air mixture. This led to the suspicion that moisture condensation or ""other unusual conditions might have caused a spark or are across the surface of the material and that the heat may have created a carbonized path across the synthetic plastic base which would then conduct a large current with the generation of considerable heat and thermal decomposition of the base materials base in the box which exploded gave every indication that this series of events had taken place, and accordingly it was desired to determine what explosive gases such a decomposition of these insulating materials would produce.ACKNOWNLEDGMENTSThe desirability of making this investigation was suggested to the authors by L. O. Ilsley, supervising engineer, electrical section, Bureau of Mines, to whom the occurrence of an explosion in a switch box had been reported. The writers also acknowledge with thanks the assistance of L. B. Berger, chief scientific aide, health laboratory section, Bureau of Mines, in checking the calculations in the tables. DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL INVESTIGATEDThe ten materials used in the tests, identified by letters A to J inclusive, are described in a succeeding list of materials. All the materials except I had a phenolic odor, especially when freshly cut."

Dec 1, 1932

By Forest J. Sur

"INTRODUCTION This report describes an exploratory project conducted by the Bureaus of Mines on a fluorite deposit, near Glenwood, N. Mex. Results of wagon drilling, crosscutting, and test pitting are given, together with results of metallurgical tests made upon samples of the ore. Mining and treatment methods are suggested.C. H. Johnson, Bureau of Mines engineer, examined the deposit in August 1942. H. E. Rothrock, of the Federal Geological Survey, completed a preliminary geologic study and mapped the deposit during the fall of 1942. As a result of these brief investigations, it was concluded that the deposit contained substantial inferred ore reserves, and exploratory work was recommended. G. A. ApelI, also of the Bureau of Mines, made a topographic and underground survey and report on the mine in March and April 1944. A wagon drill, air compressor, and other equipment and supplies were delivered to the property on May 19 to 23, 1944. Drilling began under the direction of the author on May 25, 1944, and was completed in October 1944. The results of drilling and. sampling form the basis of this report."

Apr 1, 1947

By L. C. Brichta

The Tri-State zinc-lead catalog, compilation of which was initiated by the Bureau of Mines in August 1949, is designed to provide a continuing record of avail-able drill-hole logs and maps of mine developments in the zinc-lead district in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma. The maps and data thus preserved constitute a reservoir of factual information readily available to individuals and firms interested in planning mineral explorations, to Government agencies for formulating estimates or ore reserves, and to the mining industry in the district for general uses. The areas to be included in the catalog embrace the explored and mined tracts within 760,000 acres of the more active western part of the district. The consensus among local mine operators, geologists, and mining engineers is that over 100,000 boles, costing more than $30,000,000, have been drilled in the district. Records of some of the early drilling and mine developments are destroyed or lost, but the Bureau of Mines has copies of about 47,500 drill-hole logs and is accumulating and recording on microfilm those that are currently available. As of May 1, 1954, the logs of approximately 28,000 drill holes had been microfilmed and are available for inspection at the Bureau of Mines office, Joplin, Mo.

Jan 1, 1955

By G. E. MeGlelland

During the 1970?s, the Bureau of Mines investigated a particle agglomeration technique for improving the flow of leaching solution through heaps of clayey or crushed, low-grade gold-silver ores. This technology has been adopted on a broad scale by the precious-metal-processing industry. This report presents information on the application of agglomeration technology to finely ground precious-metal-bearing tailings. Two commercial operations that have benefited from agglomeration technology are discussed. The technology is cost effective because of decreased leach times and improved precious metal recoveries.

Jan 1, 1985

By James J. Dowd

The investigation to evaluate the reserves of coking coal in the United States suitable for the manufacture of metallurgical coke is being made by the Bureau of Mines in three parts: (1) To estimate known measured and indicated recoverable reserves of all coking coal; (2) to upgrade marginal coals through effective preparation; and (3) to study the carbonizing properties of coals and coal blends not now widely used for metallurgical coke making. This is the eighth of a series of reports giving the results of studies by counties under part (1) of the investigation. (See appendix.) This report covers Jefferson County, Pa., which comprises parts of Marienville, Hallton, Ridgway, Brookville, DuBois, Penfield, Smicksburg, and Punxsutawney quadrangles. (See fig. 1.) A short resume of the chemical and carbonizing properties of the coals is included. Data on the coal beds in the county were obtained from mining companies, land companies, individual landowners, and other sources of authentic information. A base map for each bed in each quadrangle was made to the scale 1 inch equals 1,200 feet. Maps of mines, locations of drill holes, bed and total coal thicknesses, and the outcrop of the bed were plotted on the maps. With all available data plotted, isopach lines were drawn to limit areas of known unmined reserves in beds 0 to 14 inches thick, 14 to 28 inches thick, 28 to 42 inches thick, and over 42 inches thick, These areas of coal reserves also were divided into "measured" and "indicated" categories. All areas in each thickness range and in each category, mined-out areas, areas excluded from the estimate, and areas outside of the outcrop were measured by planimeter on the base maps. Estimates of total reserves 14 inches and more thick and maps for individual beds were prepared from these data.

Jan 1, 1952

By H. N. Dunning

A comprehensive production research program, now in progress at the Petroleum Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines at Bartlesville, Okla., includes studies of the displacement of petroleum from sand by detergent solutions. An earlier report (12)2/ presented the results of an extensive research program to determine the value of detergents as floodwater additives. This report presents later results of the detergent-testing program (13, 17). Although water-flooding methods and controls are constantly being improved to increase the production of oil from secondary-recovery operations, considerable crude oil commonly remains.in place after a water flood has been terminated. Therefore, the possibility of improving the efficiency of a waterflood by the use of detergents is of increasing interest. The effects of many substances on the efficiency of water flooding have been investigated in laboratory studies (5, 11, 13, 17, 19, 24). Of the various sub-stances tested, only surface-active agents were consistently effective in removing oil from sand. Results of laboratory studies presented in earlier reports (9, 11, 12, 13) show that many detergent solutions effectively displace petroleum from sand surfaces under varying conditions encountered in centrifuging, manual and mechanical agitation, ultrasonic vibration, and imbibition.

Jan 1, 1957

By G. L. Oldwright, Virgil Miller

"The data presented in this paper were collected at the smelter of the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co. of Canada Limited, Trail (Tadanac), Brithish Columbia. The authors are greatly indicated to S.G. Blayrock, vice president and general manager; James Buchman, smelter superintendent; and the staff members mentioned in Report of Investigation 3243. The authors are exceedingly grateful to George Murray, assistant smelter superintendent, for his keen interest, suggestions, and help in carrying out this investigation.INTRODUCTIONThe methods of charign the blast furnaces at Toole and Kelloggs were noted in Report of Investigations 2957 and 3094 respectively. Report of Investigations 2957 cited (4 to 9 inclusive) Hofman's Metallurgy of Lead (p. 226) and the work of A.S. Dwight, Thompson and Sicka, the staff of the Engineering and Mining Journal, and L.D. Anderson, N.F. Collins, in The Metallurgy of Lead (Chas. Griffin, London, 1910) also gives (pp. 247 254) the principles that he believes govern the successful charging of the blast furnace."

Dec 1, 1934