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By P. G. Clites

The Bureau of Mines developed techniques for induction melting of titanium in a split, water-cooled copper crucible. Calcium fluoride, which was used as an inert slag cover during melting, formed an insulating layer of solid slag between the ingot and the crucible wall. This thin layer of slag effectively insulated the ingot from the crucible and prevented the molten metal from shorting across the slits between adjacent segments of the crucible. The technique provides a means of melting loose titanium sponge and scrap and eliminates the need for fabricating a consumable electrode. This report describes the equipment developed and compares ingots produced from two varieties of titanium sponge, from titanium scrap, and from previously melted titanium with ingots prepared by vacuum-arc melting and electroslag melting. A melting scheme was also proposed and evaluated whereby loose titanium sponge was consolidated into a first-melt ingot for vacuum-arc remelting.

Jan 1, 1969

By Thomas J. Peters

The King Mountain study area is centered about 120 air km northwest of Blackfoot, and 30 air km north of Arco, Idaho. The study area makes up the southern one-third of the northwest-trending Lost River Range--the highest mountain range in Idaho. The area is predominantly underlain by Paleozoic-age marine limestone and lesser dolostone, with a relatively small inlier of silica-rich, Ordovician-age quartzite. There are vast, unquantified resources of these industrial minerals present; however, special markets need to be developed for these resources which are near enough for transportation costs to be competitive. Five prospects were found in the study area; however, only one, the Elbow quartz silica prospect, contains resources and current claims. There has been no mineral production in the study area.

Jan 1, 1993

By Wilder D. Foster

In the method used in the Health Branch of the Bureau of Mines for petro-graphic identification of the minerals in a rock, the sample is crushed, ground to a fine powder in a mortar, the powder is put on a slide, a drop of index oil and a cover slip are added, and the slide is ready for examination. The rock should be ground fine enough so that most of the particles consist of only one mineral, otherwise identification is difficult. Finally, the amounts of the minerals present in the sample are estimated to the nearest 5 or 10 percent. When quartz grains are mixed with some claylike minerals) of which by far the most common example is quartz and kaolinite in a shale, grinding in a mortar does not always separate the quartz from the kaolinite; instead, the quartz grains become coated with the kaolinite and are not visible, even after careful search. Talc acts Similarly, but muscovite and pyrophyllite do not. In evaluating the possible silicosis hazard of breathing dust from a shale, it is essential to be able to see and identify all of the quartz grains, as the other minerals present are relatively innocuous.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. W. Birge, D. E. Wolfson, J. H. Lynch

Fourteen coal samples representing the Flag , Fire Clay , Whitesburg , Amburgy , Upper Elkhorn No. 3 , Upper Elkhorn No. 2 , Upper Elkhorn No. 1 , and Lower Elkhorn beds in Letcher County , Ky . , were carbonized by the Bureau of Mines - American Gas Association ( BM- AGA ) method , and yields of products and physical properties of cokes were determined . The samples tested were high- volatile A bituminous in rank , with dry , mineral - matter- free fixed - carbon contents ranging from 55.3 to 62.2 percent . Five of the samples , as received , were chemically unsuitable for metallurgical use because of excessive ash and/ or sulfur content . Generally , strength indexes of the cokes were low and all of the coals would require blending with higher rank coal to obtain satisfactory blast furnace fuel .

Jan 1, 1964

By A. B. Hooker

A list of permissible mine equipment approved by the Bureau of Mines prior to January 1, 1940, was published as Information Circular 7207.3 Three supplements published as I. C. 7240,4 I. c. 7283,2/ and I. C. 73166/ completed the list of equipment available to January 1, 1945. The present list is a revision of the previous lists, together with the additional equip- ment approved from January 1, 1945, to January 1, 1947. In preparing this list, certain items have been omitted, either because the manufacturer is no longer in business or manufacture was discontinued several years ago. However, some discontinued equipments that are still in service and for which repair parts are available are marked with an asterisk to indicate their limited status. The remaining obsolete equipments are listed in tabular form in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 lists seven satisfactory fuels available for use in permissi- ble flame safety lamps and shows where the fuels are available. The equipments listed were approved only when inspection and tests showed that they met the minimum standards of safety as outlined in "schedules" based upon laboratory tests as well as on performance underground. This circular is published so that users and potential users may be in- formed of the many types of permissible equipment available for reducing hazards incidental to coal mining and as an aid in identifying the equipments.

Dec 1, 1947

By John W. Thatcher

A demountable X-ray tube vacuum spectrograph was designed by the Bureau of Mines for the determination of long-wavelength X-ray spectra from the light elements. This instrument was operated for both secondary and combined primary-secondary excitation of the aluminum K-series. There was an increased analytical sensitivity for elements in period 3, and an indication that with improved X-ray tubes or direct election excitation of the sample, X-ray determination of elements in period 2 is also possible.

Jan 1, 1965

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 E. L. Garton

The United Status Bureau of Mines has recently collected samples of crude petroleum from well] in the newly developed Joiner, Kilgore, and Longview fields of Rusk and Gregg Counties in the East Texas district, and from the Van field of the East Central district of Texas. East Texas Cruder The four samples of crude oil from the East Texas fields are all typical "intermediate base" crudes according to the classification given by Smith and Lane. 3 Sample 31,063 is from the discovery well in the Joiner field. This well came in on October 3, 1930, with an initial production of 400 barrels per day. Sample 31,062 was obtained from a well that was completed on February 1, 1931, with an initial production of 3,500 barrels per day. The 32 East Texas crudes are produced at an average depth of approximately 3,600 feet. which is the deepest Woodgine-sand production so far encountered in any of the Texas or Louisiana fields.

Jan 1, 1931

By L. R. Fisher

The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (1) To devise a rapid method for determining quantitatively the porphyrin-carboxylic acid content of a particular crude-oil porphyrin aggregate, and (2) to isolate porphyrins in the crystalline state from crude-oil porphyrin aggregates. The first purpose was accomplished by applying adsorption chromatography. In fulfillment of the second aim three different crystalline porphyries were isolated by methods which involved both adsorption chromatography and fractionation of benzene solutions with hydrochloric acid of varying strength. The three porphyrins had etio, rhodo-, and phyllo-type absorption spectra, respectively. INTRODUCTION Many samples of petroleum have, as interesting minor constituents, chemical compounds known as metalloporphyrins. Their presence in crude oil and other bituminous materials was first discovered by Treibs a quarter century ago. Much experimental work has been done on metalloporphyrins because of their importance to the petroleum industry. They have a deleterious effect on refining catalysts. The ash resulting from the burning of heavy fuel oil is very reactive, We to the presence of metallic constituents, particularly vanadium. In oil-fired gas turbines, the ash may build up on the blades, causing imbalance of the rotors and, in addition, severe corrosion. In industrial boilers, the ash residue is responsible for severe damage to boiler tubes and to the refractory brickwork (15).4 Through study of the chemical constitution of the various metalloporphyrins found in petroleum, much can be learned concerning the origin, migration, and history of crude oils.

Jan 1, 1961

By E. J. Matson

From February until July 1943 the Bureau of Mines conducted an exploration project at the Majuba Hill mine to determine tonnage aria grade of the copper and tin ore and to search for extension of the mineralization. The work comprised sampling, long-hole drilling, underground excavation, and ore-dressing test.

Jan 1, 1948

By d&apos, Dennis V. Andrea

The Bureau of Mines and El Paso Mining and Milling Co. conducted a cooperative in situ leaching research program at the Emerald Isle mine near Kingman, Ariz. The objective of this research was to develop in situ leaching methods for 200,000 tons of ore exposed in the pit bottom and also 3,000,000 tons of ore under 200 feet of overburden adjacent to the pit. The research included core drilling for fragmentation analysis, inplace permeability testing, seismic surveys, blasting tests, blast vibration measurements, inplace leaching, and ground water monitoring. A l5,000-ton test area in the pit bottom was blasted and leached inplace for 117 days. This successful test was followed by leaching 100,000 additional tons of unblasted pit bottom ore. Two test blasts, under 205 feet of overburden and extending to 290 feet, were detonated in an area near the open pit. The second blast was detonated because the first blast did not create adequate permeability for leaching. Pit bottom leaching was discontinued and the test area under 200 feet of overburden was not leached because the company terminated operations at the Emerald Isle mine. Based on the research completed, an expanded in situ leaching system was designed, but not implemented, to recover copper from a 1,500,000-ton area at the Emerald Isle mine.

Jan 1, 1977

By Floyd D. Everett

The J. B. fluorite deposit is in the Washington mining district, southwestern Beaver County, Utah (fig. 1). Fluorite outcrops were found during 1942, and three lode claims wore located. Little work was done on the property until October 1943, at which time the Bureau of Mines started development to determine the subsurface extent of the fluorite mineralization exposed at the surface. The most prominent rocks in the J. B. mine area are porphyries, which vary considerably in composition. Dacite porphyry appears to be the most common host rock for the fluorite-quartz-calcite lenticular masses. The dacite porphyry in the area is highly brecciated over a strike length of more than 1 mile. Fluorite deposits in the brecciated zone cover a strike length of approximately 400 foot. The fluorite lenses range in length from 40 to 200 feet and in width from 4 to 10 feet (fig. 2). The Bureau of Mines work on the J. B. property was started in October 1943 and completed in October a year later. The work consisted of surface trenching by bulldozer and hand methods, shaft sinking, drifting, and crosscutting. Eleven trenches totaling 1,800 linear feet were excavated. An inclined shaft was sunk to a depth of 105 feet, and from thin shaft 577 feet of drifts and crosscuts were driven to outline the extent of the mineral deposit (fig. 3). Two hundred ninety-seven samples were taken in the surface trenches and underground workings. The locations of the samples and analyses arc shown in accompanying figures and tables. Results of metallurgical tests comprise the concluding section of this report.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. M. Singer

The Bureau of Mines investigated the threshold of dispersal of monolayers and piles of rock dust, anthracite, and Pittsburgh seam coal dust in a small wind tunnel that simulated a coal mine gallery, with the objective of preventing or limiting the formation of flammable dust clouds. The effect of selected variables on entrainment velocity was examined. Mode of entrainment and flow processes in the wake region of dust configurations were investigated by means of high-speed motion pictures. Significant results were as follows: 1. Local minimum air velocities required for dispersal were only slightly higher for shallow dust ridges than for dust particles. 2. Minimum velocities for entrainment of dust particles from smooth glass and coal surfaces increased in the order rock dust, anthracite, Pittsburgh seam coal. 3. The mechanism for dispersal of dust poles depended significantly on dust pile geometry, cohesiveness of dust, bulk density and compaction of dust, adhesive surface, and vibrations perturbing the supporting surface.

Jan 1, 1969

By John E. Pahlman

The Bureau of Mines investigated the feasibility of removing heavy metals from mineral-process waste streams by precipitation with lignochemicals and humic acids. Lignochemicals are by products from the paper industry, while humic acids are obtained by caustic treatment of peat, subbituminous coal, and lignite. These high-molecular-weight organic materials have many functional groups, which can coordinate and form innercomplex salts with heavy metals that are crystalline precipitates. Filtering of a humic-acid-or lignochemical-treated solution or waste stream containing these precipitates removes the heavy metal sequstrates. Tests were conducted with two lignochemical samples, three humic acid samples, lime (CaO), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in which increasing amounts of these additives were reacted with 50 mL of solution containing Fe3+ , Al3+, Cr3+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Hg1+. At the appropriate pH, greater than 90-and 99-pct removal was achieved for these 11 heavy metal ions from the 10-and lOO-ppm solutions, respectively, using lignochemicals and humic acids. Removal efficienC)' with these organic materials is better than that with CaO, especially for the more toxic ions, Hg1+, Cd2+, and Pb2+. Unlike the precipitates formed with NaOH or CaO, those with lignochemicals and humic acids are compact and noncolloidal. The volume of their sludge is sharply lower than that of the finely dispersed lime or soda precipitates; thus, their removal in settling tanks or by simple filtration is enhanced.

Jan 1, 1988

The Bureau of Mines performed cratering experiments in a homogeneous granite to test scaling laws for charge weights of 0.00476, 0.0220, 0.0900, 0.304, and 1.03 lb. Agreement among the data was best when empirical scaling exponents greater than one-third were assumed. Although the analysis showed that the best empirical scaling exponents were 0.37 for crater volume, 0.38 for crater radius, and 0.39 scaling for crater depth, all three crater dimensions could be scaled with a 0.38 scaling exponent.

Jan 1, 1970

By S. M. Shelton, R. B. Fisher, M. M. Fine

"INTRODUCTION The Batesville manganese district lies in the southern part of the Ozark region, mostly in Independence County but partly in Sharp, Izard, and Stone Counties of north central Arkansas.Oxides, carbonates, and silicates of manganese are found in the district. 4/ Carbonate ores have been mined from time to time, but the reserves of potentially commercial ore are chiefly black manganese oxide minerals.The district has produced manganese ore for many years. lip to and including 1933, 160,804 long tons of ferruginous manganese ore (10 to 35 percent manganese) and 140,277 long tons of metallurgical ore (35 percent or more manganese) were shipped;./ most of it was wad orThe term ""wad ore,"" used locally to designate the soft, clayey de¬posits of oxide ore, is a partial misnomer. The ores contain a soft, low-specific-gravity mineral of indefinite composition, which can be designated as wad, but coarse and fine particles of psilomelane and hausmannite, with a smaller proportion of braunite, pyrolusite, and indefinite manganese silicates, are also present. Large and small lumps of high-grade, hard manganese oxide minerals are found, frequently embedded in a soft, black matrix of fine particles of manganese oxides mixed with gangue."

Jul 1, 1942

By P. S. Jacobsen

In 1960 over 93 percent of the coal cleaned mechanically in the United States was cleaned in processes that utilized water or dense-medium suspensions of fine solids in water. Thus, in the process of removing deleterious ash-forming and sulfur-bearing minerals, another deleterious substance--water-- is added to the coal. The subsequent removal of the water from the coal, and the concomitant recovery of the coal from the water, is not troublesome in the sizes coarser than 1/4-inch. In the finer sizes, however, it is a difficult procedure that often costs more than the original washing operation. Because of the importance of liquid-solids separation in coal preparation, the Bureau of Mines has a continuing program of research in this field. The objective is to make available information on the performance characteristics of various types of equipment available for liquid-solids separations, thus promoting the wise selection of equipment for specific applications, and, thereby, more effective processing of coal. Results of work on flocculation as an aid to filtration5 and the sieve bend screen6 have been published. The present investigation of the screw-type classifier operating in combination with the cyclone was undertaken primarily because such classifiers are comparatively new to coal preparation and information on their performance is not available. The cyclone has become well-known since its introduction in this country by the Bureau of Mines in 1948.7 Use of the cyclone in conjunction with the screw-type classifier represents an attempt to provide the maximum recovery of solids at minimum moisture content.

Jan 1, 1962

By H. C. Carpenter

Data are presented comparing results obtained with 17 different catalysts in hydrogenating crude shale oil to gasoline in single-pass operation. A method is described for predicting the maximum yield of gasoline obtainable at constant pressure for each catalyst from results of a limited number of experiments at different temperatures. Operating variables have considerable influence on yields and properties of products. With most of the catalysts, at operating temperatures below 890° F. liquid yield exceeded 100 volume-percent. Above this temperature the volume of liquid product decreased rapidly. Maximum gasoline production in most instances was achieved at a temperature higher than that at which the maximum volume of liquid product was produced.

Jan 1, 1959

By H. C. Carpenter

Lignite tar made by low-temperature Lurgi-Spülgas carbonization of North Dakota lignite was hydrocracked in single-pass, fixed-bed operation at 3,000 pounds per square inch over cobalt molybdate catalyst to produce gasoline, and at the same pressure, over zinc chromite catalyst to crack the high-boiling phenolic compounds to low-boiling phenolics. Hydrocracking the raw tar or the creosote-oil fraction from the tar over cobalt molybdate removed most of the oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen in the forms of water, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia, and produced gasoline yields from 31 to 59 volume-percent. The gasoline fractions contained from 0.1 to 7.7 volume-percent tar acids, but tar-base percentages were too low for reliable measurement; removal of these materials with dilute caustic and acid solutions also reduced the sulfur and nitrogen to 0.01 weight-percent or less.

Jan 1, 1963

By John D. Bardill

This report covers the magnetic surveying done in the Plattsburg area , which was part of a general survey, of magnetite deposits in New York State . Other areas being surveyed are the Star Lake district , St. Lawrence County ; Brewster district , Putnam County; and the Sterling district , Orange County. Reconnaissance indicated an area about 3 miles long and 1,200 feet wide , but detailed surveys have been completed on only a portion of that area . In several districts , surveys of this type have served as a basis in the selection of areas for exploration by diamond drilling by the Bureau of Mines .

Jan 1, 1947