Search Documents

By G. B. Shea

In 192b, there wore 47 fatal accidents in the California petroleum industry, 14.6 per cent more than occurred in 1927 when 41 men lost their lives in the drilling, producing, manufacturing, and marketing divisions of the industry. This increase in the number of fatal accidents for 1928 has caused the first upward trend in the fatality curve of the California petroleum industry since 1923. In no other year during the 6-year period have the fatalities in any one year been greater than those for the preceding year. This fact should be given serious consideration and study by the petroleum industry, and an endeavor should be made to cause the number of fatalities again to decrease and conform to the previous gradual declining trend of the fatality curve. The following chart shows the trend of fatal accidents during the past six years:

Jan 1, 1929

By Paul M. Tyler

Bismuth is a useful metal and rather an uncommon one . The element probably constitutes much less than one-millionth part of the earth's crust , but the potential supply - to no small extent as a by-product of the production of lead and copper with which it is associated in nature has tended for many decades to exceed the demand. A single mine in Bolivia could readily flood the world's markets , and considerable quantities of bismuth are allowed to escape recovery at many smelting plants .

Jul 1, 1931

By S. P. Kinney

The Department of the Interior has recently investigated the atmospheric conditions in tunnels of the Union Pacific Railroad in Utah and Wyoming , by observations made from the cabs of freight locomotives . This work was conducted by the Bureau of Mines at the request of , and in cooperation with , the Union Pacific Railroad Co .. and was brought about by several accidents to members of engine crews while passing through tunnels , from pollution of the tunnel air by exhaust gases from freight locomotives . The object was to determine the cause of gassing accidents , by examining into composition of the air in locomotive cabs while passing through railroad turmels ; to learn the effect of these conditions on the engine crew; and to provide a means of protection for the men so exposed . Gas samples and temperature readings taken in the cabs of locomotives were used in studying the atmospheric conditions to which the locomotive crews were exposed . The symptoms and the physiologica effects produced in men exposed to the atmospheres encountered were studied . The pulse rates and body temperatures were taken , and the determinations of the carbon monoxide content of the blood were made . Various methods for the prevention of gassing and for the protection of men therefrom were considered and tested , among which were the use of mechanical devices for deflecting the smoke away from the engine cab, and the use of various types of gas masks and breathing apparatus . While this investigation is a part of the safety work of the Bureau of Mines in connection with hazards from atmospheres containing carbon monoxide ( CO ) , the results are of particular value to railroads operating steam locomotives through tunnels , and are also valuable to other industries where atmospheres having poisonous gases or of a high temperature and humidity may be present . The results may be summarized as follows :

Jun 1, 1923

By W. W. Adams, T. D. Lawrence

The National Safety Competition , a safety contest conducted annually by the Bureau of Mines , United States Department of the Interior , to promote safety at mines and quarries , has just resulted in the award of safety trophies , known as the " Sentinels of Safety" , for 1939. Awards were made to a bituminous- coal mine in Wyoming , an anthracite mine in Pennsylvania , a metal mine in Michigan , and a nonmetallic -mineral mine in Alabama ( all being underground mines ) and to anopen-cut mine in Minnesota and a stone quarry in Michigan. The awards signify that the recipients won first place in their respective groups in an accident-prevention contest by operating during 1939 with the smallest loss of time in proportion to the total number of man-hours worked at the mine or quarry . Each of the trophy-winning companies for 1939 operated his property without a disabling injury to an employee , except at the anthracite mine , whose record , while not free of accidents , was better than that of any other mine in the anthracite group . The " Sentinels of Safety" trophy is a bronze statue of a mother and infant welcoming the father safely home after his day's work in the mine . Six trophies were provided by THE EXPLOSIVES ENGINEER magazine to be awarded annually by the Bureau of Mines . These trophies remain in the custody of the mining companies for 1 year , after which the trophies are transferred to the winners of the succeeding year's contest . A replica of the trophy is provided for permanent retention by the company surrendering the bronze trophy . In addition to the award of the safety trophies for 1939 , each man employed at a winning mine or quarry receives from the Bureau of Mines a certificate of honor in recognition of his part in helping his company to win the trophy . Companies ranking second , third , fourth , or fifth in their respective groups , and all mines and quarries whose records were free of disabling ( losttime) injuries and showed at least 30,000 man-hours worked during the contest year were awarded certificates of honorable mention . Mines and quarries that won the " Sentinels of Safety" trophies for 1939 and those that were awarded certificates of honorable mention are indicated in the following paragraphs .

Jun 1, 1940

By G. R. Hopkins

According to reports as of January 1, 1931, the total daily charging capacity of the cracking plants, hoth completed and under construction, in the United States amounted to 1,950,781 "barrels, an increase over the previous year of 14 per cent. The total daily capacity of the operating plants amounted to 1,594,990 "barrels, or 82 per cent of the grand total, the capacity of the in¬ operative plants was 244,661 "barrels, or 12 per cent of the total, while the capacity of the plants under construction amounted to 111,130 "barrels, or 6 per cent. In comparison with a year ago, these data indicate a decline in the total capacity of the plants "being "built "but show material increases in the capacity of "both the other two classes. The increase in total inoperative capacity and the decline in construction in 1930 undoubtedly resulted from un¬ satisfactory economic conditions. The total number of cracking units completed or under construction on January 1, 1931, totaled 1,863 as compared with 2,002 the previous year and with a high of 2,559 on June 1, 1926. During the period between June 1, 1926, and January 1, 1931, the total charging capacity of the cracking plants has more than doubled, but the number of units has shown a material decline. This condi¬ tion has been brought about largely through the dismantling of many Burton still of small capacity and through the tendency to increase the size of the new units The "largest unit that can be identified in this survey has a daily charging capacity of 10,000 barrels, but undoubtedly there are some that would exceed this in size. Texas, with a total of 575,300 barrels, ranked far ahead of the other States in charging capacity, and was followed in order by California, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Indiana, with only five refineries, ranked third in cracking capacity, which illustrates the importance of the Chicago district as a gasoline-producing center. Not all of the States showed a gain in capacity during the year; in fact, four of them, namely Illinois, Louisiana, New York, and Oklahoma, reported a decline.

Jun 1, 1931

By David M. Hyman

The Bureau of Mines has developed two experimental designs for deter- mining the volumes and relative proportions of the various gas species, particularly methane (CH4), occluded in rock salt. To date, the rock salt samples analyzed have been relatively small (400- to 1,000-gram) grab samples from Louisiana Gulf Coast domal salt mines. The results obtained are comparable to results in Polish domal salt mines, in terms of occluded gas volumes per mass of rock salt. The notable difference between the Louisiana and Polish occluded gas mixtures is in the relative proportions of the individual gas species. The two methods used by the Bureau are ballmill crushing and dissolution. Of the two, the dissolution method appears to be more versatile because it can be performed in situ. The relevance and applicability of data on the occluded gas contents of rock salt are dependent on sample size, sample collection method, geologic context of the sample, and the correlation with gas emissions that occur as a result of mining-induced fractures and pressure differentials.

Jan 1, 1982

By Joseph S. Coffman

To determine the availability of manganese for metallurgical purposes from selected world resources, the Bureau of Mines evaluated the potential production of contained manganese in concentrates based on the demonstrated resources of 23 foreign and 8 domestic mines and deposits in 9 market economy countries. All but 2 of the 23 foreign deposits are operating mines; none of the domestic deposits are in operation. The demonstrated resources of the mines and deposits used in this study represent an in situ ore resource of approximately 2.2 billion tons," containing 780 million tons of manganese with a total recoverable production potential of 514 million tons of contained manganese in concentrates. The analyses of mines and deposits in this study indicate that about 213 million tons of the contained manganese (41 pct) is potentially available at a January 1981 constant dollar long-run total cost of up to $1.50 per long ton unit (22.4 lb, or 10.15 kg contained Mn), approximately 428 million tons (83 pet) is potentially available at a cost of about $1.75 or less, and 491 million tons (95 pet) is available at less than $3.30. The remaining 23 million tons, which is potentially available at much higher costs (about $8 to $35 per unit), represents the U.S. deposits. On an annual basis, with a cost range of up to $1.75 per long ton unit, the availability from currently operating mines would last at least 80 years based on 1980 world production data. Total manganese production costs are estimated to comprise mining-8 pet, beneficiation-3 pet, transportation-26 pet, and smelting-63 pet.

Jan 1, 1984

By Thomas W. Camm

In this U.S. Bureau of Mines report, mine and mill cost models are presented to make quick estimates of the cost to develop mineral deposits in the desert region of the Southwest United States. Regression analysis was used to generate capital and operating cost equations for each model in the form Y = AXB, where Y is the cost estimated and X is the assumed daily capacity in short tons. A and B are constants determined by the regression analysis. Each is broken down into 11 subcategories to facilitate escalation of costs for inflation and to increase their versatility in economic evaluation work. This report contains 2 open pit models, 6 underground mine models, 11 mill models, and cost equations for access roads, powerlines, and tailings ponds. In addition, adjustment factors for variation in haulage distances are provided for open pit models and variation in mining depths for underground models.

Jan 1, 1991

By Jr. Gabler

Methods for the direct spectrochemical determination of impurities at the parts-per-million level in tungsten metal and oxide are presented. Several published procedures were investigated and numerous modifications were made in establishing procedures with improved precision and extended lower levels of determinability. Details of standards preparation are presented, experimental work is described, and three preferred methods are described in detail. A germanium carrier-distillation procedure is applicable to the determination of 13 elements in tungsten powder; a silver chloride carrier-distillation procedure provides for the determination of 24 elements in tungstic oxide, and a sustaining ac arc method is applicable to 26 elements in tungstic oxide. The choice of methods to be used depends upon sample form, elements and concentrations to be determined, and the precision and accuracy required. The investigations reported here were undertaken to develop direct spec-trochemical methods with increased accuracy and precision to determine impurities in high-purity tungsten and tungstic oxide, to define the lower concentration levels of detectability and measurement for the common impurities in tungsten by direct spectrographic means, and to present the details of the developed or modified methods that have proved applicable.

Jan 1, 1965

By W. P. Haynes

To evaluate the potential use of battery-powered vehicles, the Bureau of Mines studied the performance of a battery-powered truck propelled by a 9.6 kw dc motor in considerable detail under various driving conditions. Some of the factors investigated were: Gear ratios, payload (1,468 lb maximum), road grade, stops made per mile, and charging time. With the exception of some difficulty with brush wear, operation and maintenance of the truck was generally trouble-free. On range tests carrying an 868-lb payload a distance of about 50 miles at an average speed of about 19 mph in normal driving, the Bureau's battery-powered truck averaged 1.6 to 1.9 miles per ac kwhr input. Stop-and-go tests indicated that prospects for the use of battery-powered trucks in house delivery service within city limits are good; performance of the Bureau truck was sufficiently high for that type of service. The estimated power cost of 2.65 cents per mile while making 10 stops per mile was attractively low from the standpoint of fuel costs.

Jan 1, 1967

By R. D. Leitch

"REASONS FOR AND PURPOSE OF WORKIn 1924 the United States Public Health Service was requested to undertake a special study of stream pollution. At that time the proposal that the United States Bureau of Mines take up the study was made by the Public Health Service because in point of training and experience the personnel of the latter was considered not to be as well, suited to this type of investigation as was that of the Bureau of Mines. H. Foster Bain, then Director of this bureau, promised to undertake the work, and, accordingly, field investigations were begun in the spring of 1925. The problems of mine-drainage wastes and of gas-house and coke-oven waste were investigated in the laboratory, and a method of treatment by sodium hydrate and benzol was found to be promising. The idea was obtained by A. C. Fieldner, chief engineer of the Bureau of Mines experiment stations, while in Germany in 1924, where he was shown a practical application of the process, but no information was obtained as to definite chemical or mechanical processes. Because of the then pending American patent application by the German firm, we made no attempt to develop our findings further. Shortly after, a similar method of treatment was developed in the United States, and since that time we have devoted our attention entirely to mine drainage. This paper is a presentation of some general facts and information gathered during the past five years on coal-mine drainage.SCOPE OF WORKAt the time our work was begun there was such a diversity of opinion on the whole subject and apparently so little was accurately known, that it was decided to undertake a basic study from which (1) certain definite information might be evident, and (2) what might be considered side issues of the original investigation would be suggested for subsequent study.A stream in a district thought to be representative of those in low to average sulphur bituminous coal fields and another in a high sulpbur district were selected for study, A fair (weber of factors entered into the tentative selection of these streams, the chief ones being their accessibility and freedom from other industrial or domestic pollution, besides, of course, the presence of mine drainage in these streams."

Apr 1, 1931

By Charles E. Munroe

"It has been recently learned that certain foreign manufacturers are offering far importation into this country detonators at greatly reduced prices, some of these detonators being of such low grade (No.4), that their use would greatly increase the dangers in blasting.Detonators and electric detonators are used in initiating the explosion of the various high explosives that are now so extensively employed in a great variety of mining operations. Originally a large number of different grades (or ""strengths"") of detonators and electric detonators were marketed, the grade number indicating the weight of the charge of fulminating material contained in the copper case of the detonator. As late as 1914, a report of the Bureau of Mines (Bulletin 80, A primer an explosives for metal miners) shows that grades Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, containing from 0.54 to 2.00 grams each, were being offered for use. However, the writer bad observed as early as 1896, when the more insensitive types of explosives like nitro-substitution explosives began to be introduced for use in mining and other blasting operations, that use of a high-grade detonator was essential to insure certainty of discharge."

Mar 1, 1921

By Alfred Bellows

The objective of this contract is to design, build and demonstrate a support system to improve roof control in the entries of longwall mines. The objective of this phase has been the detailed design of such a system and the selection of a test site in which to perform the pilot demonstration. The result is a complete set of detail drawings or specifications which define the three major components of the system. The Gate Support is a variation of a face chock which has an extended canopy and additional hydraulic legs to protect the region of the face-entry intersection. The Entry Support is a steel beam and hydraulic prop set which is reusable and serves to support the first 100 or more feet of entry inby the longwall face. The Transporter is a bolter-like vehicle with a crane used for installing and retreating the beam sets. The test site selected is CF&I's Allen Mine in Colorado. They presently use simi¬lar steel beams and expect the FMA support system to be more effective as well as recoverable. It is recommended that the completed drawings be used to build a prototype system and test it first in a remote section of the mine and then in the active longwall tail entry.

Jan 1, 1978

By David E. Morse

Burundi, a small central African republic located between Tanzania and Zaire, remained essentially a nation of small family farms in 1978-79 with approximately 95% of the population engaged in subsistance agriculture. Coffee and tea continued as the nation's major export commodities. Mineral exports, small tonnages of cassiterite, wolframite and bastnasite, accounted for an estimated 3% of total exports in 1978 and 2% in 1979, or $2 million2 in both years. Burundi's major mineral imports in 1978-79 were cement, iron and steel, and refined petroleum products. Abnormal weather conditions, a drop in world coffee prices in 1978, and the conflict in neighboring Tanzania and Uganda in late 1978 and early 1979 combined to re-strict economic growth in Burundi during 1978-79. The gross domestic product (GDP) posted a gain of 6.7% in real terms for 1978 and an estimated 2.5% for 1979 which was significantly less than the 13.7% recorded in 1977, a time of high world coffee prices. The manufacturing and construction sectors were hard hit in 1979 by the conflict between Burundi's eastern neighbors because of transport disruptions which made building materials and manufacturing inputs almost unobtainable.

Jan 1, 1981

By William A. Beck

This paper is one of a series, describing current practice in diamond drilling for production at various mines throughout the United States. It describes the drilling and blasting methods, used at the Tennessee Copper Co., which started using deep-hole drilling for blasting in 1927, employing inde- pendent, rotation percussion drills with sectional drill steel. Since 1942 the company has employed diamond drills for deep-hole drilling. This method has now passed the experimental stage and promises to become permanent. The elimination of rock dust and safer working conditions for the drill crews are listed as the main advantages. The higher initial cost of equip- ment is the principal disadvantage.

May 1, 1948

By E. J. Matson

Under the investigation for critical and strategic minerals the Kaiser mine, formerly the Baxter fluorspar property, in northeastern Mineral County, Nev., was explored. The work comprised excavating 32 trenches averaging 90 feet in length, 8 feet in width, and 1 1/2 feet in depth. The trenches were excavated across the strike of the ore body to enable the engineer to spot the diamond-drill holes; 7 such holes were drilled, aggregating 3,276 linear feet. A total of 20 core samples and 107 sludge samples was taken. The work under this program indicated that the fluorspar southwest of the deposit extended laterally and also at depth at least 250 feet below the 400-foot level. INTRODUCTION The Kaiser fluorspar deposit is in the northeastern portion of Mineral County, Nev. Mining was begun about 1928, and the property has been a consistent producer of both Acid- and Metallurgical-grade fluorspar. The mineralized zone has been developed along a strike length of about 2,000 feet and to a depth of over 700 feet along the dip.

Jan 1, 1957

By William E. Wallace, S. J. Page, B. L. Razzaboni, C. A. Hill, Pamela Mike, P. Bolsaitis, M. J. Keane, Val Vallyathan

"Respirable quartz cytotoxicity, as measured by erythrocyte hemolysis and pulmonary macrophage release of lactate dehydrogenase in vitro, is neutralized by boiling in water in glass test tubes for 10 to 40 minutes. The cytotoxicity is reduced to near zero by boiling l to IO mg quartz per milliliter water. For greater concentrations of quartz in water the hemolytic potential after 40 minutes of boiling approaches that of native quartz. Replacing the medium with fresh water midway through boiling results in full detoxification through 20 mg quartz per milliliter water. Pre-boiling the medium with silica reduces the detoxification effect. Detoxification persists after mild drying at l 10°C for 8 hours, and persists after three days of resuspension in water at room temperature.INTRODCJCTIONResearch underway to determine interactions of quartz and other mineral dust surfaces with pulmonary fluids and alveolar macrophages in culture led to the observation that when dusts were autoclaved in aqueous suspension, their cytotoxic effects on macrophages were suppressed, in some cases fully and even after several days incubation with the cells. This finding was in direct contradiction to earlier results from both short term macrophage lysosmal enzyme release assays, as well as longer term cytotoxicity assays from macrophages in culture; in those studies, dusts were steam autoclaved at 121°C with no liquid water but with steam present. 1.2 However detoxification under boiling conditions has been reported in other research. 3 It was decided to use the hemolysis assay to further investigate these findings, because of its sensitivity simplicity and cost.RESCULTS AND DISCCISSIONRespirable quartz dust used in this study was taken from a stock of crystalline silica, Min-U-Sil; obtained from Pennsylvania Sand Glass Corporation, fractionated in air with a particle classifier. The small size fraction retained for use was 80% less than S micrometer particle diameter, with an area equivalent median diameter of 1.24 micrometers as estimated by automated image analysis. The silica was at least 98.S mass percent silica as determined by X-ray energy spectrometric analysis; and the crystalline form was alpha-quartz as determined by X-ray diffraction. It's specific surface area was 3.97 square meters per gram as determined by nitrogen adsorption isotherm methods. I"

Jan 1, 1990

By W. J. Kroll

This report on the bibliography of zirconium has been confined to those publications and patents that appear to be useful in the commercial development of the metal, both the malleable and the nonmalleable. The methods of production have been stressed and special attention has been given to the alloys. Compounds of importance, like the oxide and chloride, for the manufacture of the metal or of the alloys have been considered. The use of the oxide in refractories anal in the glass and porcelain industries has been omitted. The present survey is critical; that is to say, an attempt has been made to evaluate the effectiveness of suggestions made in the literature. The exhaustive work of Marden and Richy, Bureau of Mines Bulletin 186, published in 1921, has been taken as a base to start from with the intention of bringing the subject up to date with material published in the last 24 years. During this time there was considerable 'advance in the preparation of the metal and Its alloys, and in the development of new uses. On the other hand, there was little progress in the methods of decomposing the ores, so that the chapter on this latter phase is necessarily short.

Jan 1, 1946

By Fremont F. Clarke

"INTRODUCTION Clay beds of southwestern North Dakota were investigated to determine (1) the average alumina content of the clays in four principal areas of occurrence, (2.) which, if any, would be the most feasible method of extracting alumina from the clays, and (3) whether the clays had any other commercial uses.During the investigation exposed sedimentary beds were examined for clay and the thickness and areal extent of outcropping clay beds in the more promising areas were measured. Four-principal areas of bentonitic clays, comprising 6,967 acres in Stark, Slope; and Billings Counties, N. Dak., were mapped and sampled.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of investigation of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our natural resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. The Mining Division, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, does the actual investigative work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Division, Oliver C. Ralston, chiefs analyzes samples and makes beneficiation tests.Acknowledgment is duo John P. Gries, professor of geology, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, for his studies of and advice on geological phases of the work. His data were drawn on freely in preparing this report; also E. D. Gardner, regional engineer, Rolla, Mo., and E. Y. Dougherty, district engineer, Rapid City, S. Dak., for assistance and advice in supervising the program."

Mar 1, 1948

"These tentative coal mine inspection standards have been prepared as a guide for the Federal inspection of coal mines of the United States. Much time and thought have been spent by various members of the Safety Division in the preparation of thses standards, and it is believed that compliance with them eventually will be possible in most mines. In many instances objections will be raised to them owing to long-established mining customs and practices that are inherently of dubious safety and to a natural inclination to oppose change. In other instances there will be valid objections due to conditions not foreseen at the time these standards were prepared. Or there may be substandard conditions and practices due to original mine layouts that it is not practicable to change during the lifetime of the mine; in such instances it is likely that some effective measures are or can be taken toward lessening hazards.With the rapid change in mining methods some of the standards may become inapplicable and it may be advisable to revise them to meet the new conditions. Therefore, questions regarding these standards and suggestions regarding new standards should be brought to the attention of the supervising engineer of the Coal Mine Inspection Division so that modifications of and additions to these standards may be made from time to time.In many respects these standards exceed the provisions of the various State mining laws, and some may conflict with the laws of some States. In cases of conflict, the intent is not to advocate noncompliance with State laws but to suggest that it may be desirable for the State to reconsider such laws or safety orders.Although an effort has been made to word these standards so that they may be readily understood, nevertheless, a reasonable interpretation should be placed upon them. In fact, in numerous instances the words reasonable"", ""suitable"", and ""properly"" are used in recognition of the fact that reason- and sound judgment enter into the carrying out of the safety endeavor.The policy of the Bureau on some vitally important safety matters in mines is set forth in its published Safety Decisions. These decisions have been consulted and used in the preparation of these standards. These decisions also are now being reexamined by its Mine Safety Board."

Feb 1, 1942