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By D. Randolph Berry

Foster-Miller Associates has developed a set of guidelines to permit hoist manufacturers, mine owners, and MESA mine inspectors to design, purchase, install or inspect a safe and effective Emergency Escape Hoist, as required by the Coal Mine Health and Safety act of 1969. A series of surveys were carried out to determine: 1. The attitudes and local needs of the MESA District Managers. 2. Current escape hoist installations. 3. Equipment available for future designs. 4. Foreign methods and equipment for mine rescue. From these survey studies, preliminary guideline objectives were developed.

Jan 1, 2012

By Arthur L. Miller

Recent studies suggest that trace metals emitted by internal combustion engines are derived mainly from combustion of lubrication oil. This hypothesis was examined by investigation of the formation of particulate matter emitted from an internal combustion engine in the absence of fuel-derived soot. Emissions from a modified CAT 3304 diesel engine fueled with hydrogen gas were characterized. The role of organic carbon and metals from lubrication oil on particle formation was investigated under selected engine conditions. The engine produced exhaust aerosol with log normal-size distributions and particle concentrations between 105 and 101 cm-3 with geometric mean diameters from 18 to 31 nm. The particles contained organic carbon, little or no elemental carbon, and a much larger percentage of metals than particles from diesel engines. The maximum total carbon emission rate was estimated at 1.08 g h-1, which is much lower than the emission rate of the original diesel engine. There was also evidence that less volatile elements, such as iron, self-nucleated to form nanoparticles, some of which survive the coagulation process.

Jan 1, 2007

By V. B. Dale

This is one of a series of reports covering the mineral resources of the Nation. It describes briefly most of the known tungsten deposits in Yuma, Maricopa, Pinal, and Graham Counties, Ariz. Most of those described were examined by the author. An effort was made to determine the position of the various deposits by section, township, and range and to give accurate road direction to each property from a prominent landmark. All available maps have been used in making these determinations, but in unsurveyed areas it was necessary to make approximate projections of subdivisions. The township and range numbers refer to the Gila and Salt River base and meridian.

Jan 1, 1959

By G. S. Rice

To those concerned in attaining greater safety to life and incidentally to property in coal mining, the meeting of representatives of the national mine safety research organiza¬ tions of the principal coal-producing countries, which was called by the Safety in Mines Research Board of Great Britain at its experimental station near Buxton, should have deep significance. It is notable, first, because it meant the friendly cooperation of countries not many years ago engaged on either side in the great World War; and second, because of the remarkable degree of agreement in the essential fundamental factors and methods of attaining greater safety in coal mines when it is considered that the questions were approached by different paths and that the applications dealt with widely differing natural conditions and national points of view. Varying views, of course, were held as to the relative importance of certain factors, but the differences were of detail rather than of principle. When the meeting adjourned it was unanimously agreed that such meetings should be continued annually and that the greatest benefit was to be derived by close cooperation in the exchange of data. Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States were represented by one or several members of the respective national research organization. It is of interest to note that this research work in Belgium, France, and Germany is supported directly by na¬ tional organizations of mine operators or owners but placed under a scientist appointed by the respective Government, thus giving the work official standing. In Great Britain the work is carried on by a Government board, consisting of persons connected with the coal¬ mining industry or in mining research, appointed by the Secretary for Mines, to direct the work of research of the Mines Department. It does not, however, come under its inspection service. Its work is supported by a penny-a-ton tax on output of coal. In the United States the mine-safety research work is directly supported by the Federal Government.

Dec 1, 1932

By C. W. Owings

The number of major coal-mine explosions occurring annually in the United States is decreasing, due mainly to fuller recognition of explosion hazards in coal mines and knowledge of methods to prevent them, which can be attributed largely to the dissemination of information by the United States Bureau of Mines, State departments of mines, and other coal-mining agencies. Conditions vary considerably from one coal field to another; consequently, outstanding causes of and methods of combatting explosions vary, also. The Safety Division of the United States Bureau of Mines is making a critical study of coal-mine explosions in the various coal-mining States, and an analysis of the results is published as each study is finished. It is believed that, with completion of the series enough information will be at hand which, if applied, will prevent all coal-mine explosions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The data in this circular are based on records of the United States Bureau of Mines and the Industrial Commission of Ohio. The cooperation and assistance of T. P. Kearns, superintendent of the Division of Safety and Hygiene of the Industrial Commission of Ohio, and of James Berry, chief inspector of the Division of Mines of Ohio, is acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1937

By Martyn F. Roetter

The objectives of the work described in this report are to determine the communications requirements and need for communications, both for voice and control, on longwalls, and to make recommendations for longwall communications equipment and systems. These recommendations are designed to guide the future development of longwall communications. Information necessary for the accomplishment of this work has been gathered by a series of visits to longwall mines and discussions with longwall mine operators, as well as with suppliers of longwall communications and mining equipment and with Bureau of Mines personnel. In addition, it has proven possible, through personal interviews and literature evaluation, to gain an understanding of the experience and attitudes towards longwall communications in countries where longwall mining is far more widespread than in the U.S., namely the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Belgium.

Jan 1, 1976

By W. R. Hardwick

This paper describes block -caving methods and practices of the Bagdad Copper Corp. in Yavapai County , Ariz . It is one of a series being prepared by the Federal Bureau of Mines on mining methods , practices , and costs in various mining districts of the United States . The story of the Bagdad caving operation is of particular interest because the ore body was not as thick as at other mines where the method had been successful . At Bagdad the caving method worked very well as a smallscale operation of 300 tons per day but was abandoned when production was increased to 2,000 tons per day . The Bagdad mine is in western Yavapai County , Ariz . , about 22 miles northwest of Hillside , a station on the Phoenix -Ash Fork branch of the Atchison , Topeka & Santa Fe Railway system ( fig . 1 ) . Copper ore now is mined by open -pit methods . The ore is concentrated , and the concentrates are trucked to Hillside and shipped by rail to a custom smelter . Some molybdenum sulfide is produced as a byproduct . This report gives a brief history of the district , describes the ore de- posit , and outlines the methods of prospecting , exploration , and estimation of ore . Development and former underground mining , including stope preparation , stoping , and transportation , are described . Extraction of ore , production rates , miscellaneous operations related to mining , wage and contract systems , and method of concentration are described . The final section discusses mining costs . The underground mine was visited by the author several times between 1937 and 1942 , and some information has been drawn from personal notes . The property again was visited in June 1957 , and maps and plans for this paper were furnished by the company at that time ; they have been edited to conform with Bureau of Mines format . The underground mine could not be visited then because it had been closed in 1948 when open -pit mining was begun .

Jan 1, 1959

By N. C. Dunham

"The Bureau of Mines exploratory work on the Bear Lodge, Wyo., fluorite property wider the strategic minerals Program was completed in November 1944. Exploration consisted of surface trenching, shaft sinking, and drifting at shallow depth. Doak C. Cox of the Federal Geological Survey visited the area during the latter part of 1944 and napped the Bear Lodge property.The Bear Lodge property is situated in the Black Hilts National Forest in eastern Crook County, Wyo., 6 miles north of the community of Sundance (fig. 1). Sundance is 29 miles northwest of Upton, Wyo., a station on the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad and 43 miles southwest of a siding on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, 3 miles south of Belle Fourche, S. Dak. U. S. Highway 14 passes through Sundance in an east-west direction. Sundance may be reached from the south over U. S. Highway 85 and Wyoming State Highway 585.The Bear Lodge property i a situated in the Boer Lodge Mountains in secs. 15, 22, and 23, T. 52 N., R. 63W., 6th P.M.The topography in the vicinity of the fluorite deposits consists essentially of rounded hills which slope gently to the valley floors. Near the north end of the Property the terrain steepens locally, and the canyon walls are Precipitous along the courses of several streams. There is an adequate supply of water and native timber for mining purposes. The average elevation near the deposits is 5,700 feet.The climate of the region is relatively moderate. The summers are usually warm, with frequent rainstorms. Temperatures often fall below zero during the winter months. Snowfalls are moderate to heavy.Fluorite occurrences in the Bear Lodge area have been known since 1914; however, fluorite was not discovered on the Bear Lodge property until 1943, when prospectors working on a nearby manganese deposit found fluorite mineralization in the limestone. No production has been recorded from the property."

Apr 1, 1946

By August J. Kwitowski

This Bureau of Mines report summarizes the development of a protective operator compartment for a new generation thin-seam mobile bridge carrier. The developed compartment is commercially available and is currently employed on approximately 15 bridge carriers used in the mining industry. The design of the compartment, which employed human factors engineering and small- and full-scale mockup models, is fully described. Details of the compartment's fabrication, evaluation, and demonstration in a commercial low-seam coal mine are also provided.

Jan 1, 1986

By Bill Linville

Producing oil, gas, and coal in sufficient amounts to satisfy U.S. demands for fuels, electrical power, and chemicals promises to be one of the country's major challenges during the 1970's. Adding significantly to this challenge is the urgent task of satisfying soaring fuel and power demands without destroying the natural environment or jeopardizing long-range requirements for resources. The Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, is engaged in a comprehensive program of research to help industry meet this challenge. This report reviews the aims of the research program and accomplishments in 1970; the first 11 sections cover coal programs, nine sect ions are then devoted to petroleum, and the concluding five sections deal with oil shale research. Figure 1 shows the nationwide distribution of Bureau of Mines energy research installations; Full addresses are given in appendix A. Many of the publications resulting from the Bureau?s energy research efforts are discussed throughout the report; others are listed in appendix B.

Jan 1, 1971

By ROLLIN THOMAS CHAMBERLIN

The studies herein reported were begun as a part of researches undertaken by the United States Geologü;al Survey looking to the more effcient utilization of the coal in the United States through the reduction of waste in its extnidion, and were continued as part of further researches having regard to the conservation of the fuel resources of this country and to the lessening of injuries and fatalities in coal mining. Among other phases of the general problem to be studied were the origin of the gas whidi escapes into coal mines, its modes of occurrence in the coal and rock strata, and the conditions governing its outflow into the mines. The subject of relative danger from destructive explosions due to gas and coal dust in different mines belonging to different coal fields was to be one of the principal lines of investigation. But this work was barely under way when the series of unusually disastrous explosions in the Naomi, .Monongah, and Darr mines of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, in December, 1907, afforded an exceptional occasion to observe the behavior of explosions on a large scale. Because of the opportunities for study afforded by these terrific explosions, the inquiry originally planned was d ¡verted to the more specific investigation of the conditions in tl10SC mines, and the examinations have been directed toward finding those qualities of gas and dust which were concerned in these explosions. The following discussion, therefore, consists essentially of a report on that subject; but it is far from being exhaustive, and is to be regarded as a preliminary outline of investigations which are still in progress. The first of the three mine explosions mentioned occurred in the Naomi mine of the United Coal Company, near Bellevernon, Pa., on Sunday, December 1, at 7.40 p. m. All the men who were within the mine at the time, fortunately only 34, were killed. Less than a week later there occurred in mines Nos. fì and 8 of the Fairmont Coal Company at Monongah, W. Va., the most disastrous mine explosion yet recorded in the annals of American mining. The mines were comparatively new and well laid out. Mine No.8 had been in operation only about two years and was the pride of the Fairmont Coal Company. Mine No.6 was first opened ahout four years earlier. In order to make it possible, in case of emergency, for either mine to be ventilated by the ventilating system of the other, the two sets of workings were connected underground. The F face heading of mine K o. 6 led direetly into No.2 north heading of No.8 mine. On Friday, Dcccmber 6, at about 10.30 in the morning, an explosion of unusual violcnce swept completely through both mines, pursuing its course throughout the numerous ramifications and bursting out of the two pit mouths, located It miles apart, nearly simultaneously. The slope of mine No.6 was only slightly damaged, but at the mouth of No.8 the destruction was very great. The fan was wrecked, the engine house was demolished, and mine timbers were blown across Monongahela River: As nearly as can be determined, 361 men were killed in the two mines by the explosion. .While the inspection of the Monongah mines was still in progress, on Thursday morning, December 19, at about 11.20, a similar explosion wrecked the Darr mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company ut Jacobs Creek, Pu.; 238 men lost their lives in this explosion, which in number of casualties is second only to the :Monongah disustcr in the history of American mining. Of ull thc men in the mine at the , time of the explosion, only one mun, who happened to be within 100 feet of the ~iUrface on an old manway in a wet, unexploded portion of the mine, succeeded in escaping alive. The underground investigation of these mines was made in cooperation with Clarence Hall and ""Valter O. Snelling, of the United States Geological Survey, and James ""V. Paul, now of the Survey but at that time chief of the department of mines for vVest Virginia, to all of whom the author is greatly indebted for valuable assistance, suggestions, and advice. Mr. Paul will rcport on the nature of these explosions, the precipitating causes, their destructiveness, and the general cüliditions in these mines following the disasters. The present report is confined essentially to the laboratory examination of some of the explosive materials collected from these mines directly ufter the explosions.

Jan 1, 1911

By Bill Linville

During fiscal year 1969, the Bureau of Mines was engaged in 66 projects to improve methods for producing and utilizing petroleum. Programs directed toward the continued conservation of this natural resource, including crude oil, natural gas, and oil shale, were carried out through research performed at four laboratories supervised and supported by administrative personnel of this Bureau of the Department of the Interior. Over 100 technical papers and reports were published by the Bureau or others based on this research, and numerous other reports were prepared for U.S. Government agencies, State agencies, and organizations of the petroleum and natural gas industry engaged in cooperative research programs with the Bureau.

Jan 1, 1971

Two different techniques were used to make measurements of the absolute value of electromagnetic noise in an operating coal mine, Robena No.4, located near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. One technique measures noise over the entire electromagnetic spectrum of interest for brief time periods. With present instrumentation, the spectrum can be covered from 40 Hz to 400 kHz. It is recorded using broad-band analog magnetic tape, and the noise data are later transformed to give spectral plots. The other technique records noise envelopes at several discrete frequencies for a sufficient amount of tine to provide amplitude probability distributions. The specific measured results are given in a number of spectral plots and amplitude probability distribution plots. The general results are that at frequencies below 10 kHz, power line noise within the mine is severe. Impulsive noise is severe near arcing trolleys, and at lower frequencies near any transmission line. Carrier trolley phone signals and harmonics are strong throughout the mine whenever the trolley phone is in operation. Additional information beyond that included in this report may be obtained from the authors, who are with the Electromagnetics Division of the National Bureau of Standards.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. G. Dressler

The Federal Bureau of Mines designed, constructed, and operated a demonstration plant at Louisiana, Mo., to produce gasoline, liquid fuels, and organic compounds from coal by a modified Fischer-Tropsch gas-synthesis process. Satisfactory equipment was developed to produce and purify synthesis gas and convert it into the desired products. Coal or coke was gasified with oxygen and steam to make a gas consisting essentially of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Dust in the raw gas was removed by cyclone separation, water scrubbing, and electrostatic precipitation. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and organic sulfur were removed with diethanolamine, iron oxide, and activated carbon. The gas was passed over iron catalyst and was converted into synthetic liquids, which were then separated and fractionated into gasoline, diesel oil, other liquid fuels, and oxygenated organic compounds. A 39-day continuous run demonstrated the feasibility of the process. Addition of 3 milliliters of tetraethylead per gallon of upgraded (or finished) gasoline gave a product with an octane rating up to 90 by the research method. After a caustic wash, the diesel oil was of a superior quality; its cetane number was 60 or above.

Jan 1, 1961

By Oliver Bowles

The term" sandstone" is applied to a rock composed of mineral grains smaller than pebbles, cemented together more or less firmly. "Conglomerate" is the name given to a rock composed of pebbles, or pebbles and bowlders, of various sizes cemented together. If the pebbles are large and well rounded the rock is sometimes called " pudding stone." Although the term "sandstone" includes all varieties, certain specific terms are applied to types characterized by particular compositions, colors, or uses. "Quartzite" is a variety in which the individual grains are so firmly cemented together with quartz that the rock will fracture as easily through the grains as through the cement; "ferruginous sandstone" is one rich in iron as cementing material, or as grains, or both; "micaceous sandstone" is one in which mica is prominent; " arkose" is a feldspathic or granitic sandstone composed of angular grains; "calcareous sandstone" is one containing considerable calcium carbonate; and" argillaceous sandstone" is one containing considerable clay. The term "flagstone" is used for a rock that splits readily into sheets suitable for flagging; "freestone" for rock than can be cut or carved readily, and with equal ease in all directions; and" ganistel'," in the United States, for sandstone suitable for the manufacture of refractories. Others are named from their characteristic colors such as " bluestone," " redstone," or " brownstone."

Jan 1, 1917

By H. A. Schrecengost

Information presented herein was gathered by examination of 29 fluidized-bed thermal coal dryers and by conferences with manufacturers and users of such equipment to determine what safety features could b incorporated in design, installation, and op ration to minimize fire and explosion hazards. Fire and explosion hazards are inherent in certain types of coal dryers in that high temperatures are employed; the sizes and volatility of material handled are capable of propagating explosions; and drying gases are seldom, if ever, low enough in oxygen content to prevent ignitions of dust clouds, distilled gases, or their combinations. This is especially true for fluidized-bed dryers in which the coal is dried in air suspension and in which atmospheric air is constantly introduced to temper the heated furnace gases. Occurrence of fires on hated bedplates, in dust collectors, and in hot gas inlets was common in nearly all the dryers examined. Forceful explosions which produced external effects had occurred in 11 (39 percent), and internal "puffs" or ?bumps? had occurred in at least 24 (79 percent) of the plants examined in the study.

Jan 1, 1965

By Sidney Katell

This report, covering the period January 1965 through December 1965, is a continuation of a series that began with the publication of Information Circular 7516 in October 1949. It is the seventh in a series of reports prepared in cooperation with the American Association of Cost Engineers. The abstracted articles are concerned with all phases of cost engineering in the field of chemical and petroleum plants and related subjects. They are From the following sources:

Jan 1, 1966

By Herbert Tomlinson

The United States Bureau of Mines has engaged in a study of the conditions under which coal mine accidents, resulting in the loss of life, limb, or time to the injured person, occur from falls of roof and coal. This publication is devoted to the results of a study conducted in the coal mines of the Book Cliffs and Wasatch Plateau coal fields of Utah. To show the necessity of this study, a statement of the fatalities that have occurred during the period 1928-1930, inclusive, in the bituminous mines of the United States and of Utah, is presented (Table 1), followed by a brief description of this Utah district, its coal beds and immediate roof, thickness of cover, dip of coal beds, methods of mining, supervision, roof testing and timbering for roof support, all of which are factors in any plan devised for preventing accidents from falls of roof and coal.

Jan 1, 1932

By Herbert Tomlinson

The United States Bureau of Mines has engaged in a study of the conditions under which coal mine accidents, resulting in the loss of life, limb, or time to the injured person, occur from falls of roof and coal. This publication is devoted to the results of a study conducted in the coal mines of the Book Cliffs and Wasatch Plateau coal fields of Utah. To show the necessity of this study, a statement of the fatalities that have occurred during the period 1928-1930, inclusive, in the bituminous mines of the United States and of Utah, is presented (Table 1), followed by a brief description of this Utah district, its coal beds and immediate roof, thickness of cover, dip of coal beds, methods of mining, supervision, roof testing and timbering for roof support, all of which are factors in any plan devised for preventing accidents from falls of roof and coal.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. F. McCoy

The quantitative determination of the mass rate of flow of methane in an underground airway is calculated as the product of the methane concentration and the air flow rate. Velocities are taken at several points and then averaged over the airway cross section to determine the total volume flow. Errors in velocity measurement thereby result in errors in total volume flow as well as the mass flow rate of methane. The purpose of this program was to evaluate existing instrumentation for measuring air velocities in the speed range under 2000 feet per minute; to evaluate the method for determining total air volume flow from the velocity measurements; to evaluate new techniques which may be applied to measuring air velocities; and to design a prototype instrument which represents the best technique based on the evaluation. The instrument should be: a. portable b. self-contained c. insensitive to dust, moisture and temperature changes d. safe for use in gassy mines

Jan 1, 1972