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[This Bureau of Mines report presents results of a survey of underground mining equipment and of two demonstration programs showing the feasibility If quieting; a load-haul-dump (LHD) machine and a personnel vehicle. Typical noise levels are presented for the major machine types used in underground mines, along with estimates of the noise overexposure of miners who operate or work near these machines. General principles of noise control are explained, and the application of these principles is illustrated in the description of modifications made to the LHD machine and the personnel vehicle. The noise control package installed On the persona of vehicle lowered its noise level by 14 dBA after 4 months of operation, and inspection of the LHD machine after 2 1/2 years of operation with the modifications showed its noise level 7 dBA lower than that of the unmodified machine. Noise dosimeter measurements indicated that both machines were in compliance with Federal noise regulations for a typical shift.]

Jan 1, 1980

By J. D. Noll

Elemental carbon (EC) is used as a surrogate for regulating the exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM) of underground metal/non-metal miners. EC was chosen as a surrogate because EC is selective to DPM and is a major component of DPM. Using EC as a surrogate also gives one the advantages of no sampling artifacts and being able to sample at all locations in the mine. Currently, EC represents DPM well in underground mines. Some control technologies have been shown to possibly alter the relationship between DPM and EC and characteristics of DPM. Therefore, future work will investigate the relationship between DPM and EC as new control technologies are implemented.

Jan 1, 2002

By M. A. Trevits, M. R. Thibou, A. Ozment, A. C. Smith, J. B. Walsh

The Excel No. 3 Mine is a room-and-pillar mining operation owned by MC Mining, LLC, a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners, LP, which produces coal from the Pond Creek Coalbed in Pike County, Kentucky. Late on December 25, 2004, a fire was discovered near the bottom of the slope and, after an unsuccessful attempt to fight the fire underground, it was decided to address the fire remotely from the surface. The mine operator developed a plan to fight the fire that called for the installation of temporary seals at the slope and mine shafts to eliminate the inflow of oxygen. In addition, the plan called for drilling and completion of vertical boreholes into select areas of the mine workings to monitor the mine atmosphere and inject nitrogen gas and gas-enhanced foam. Over the next 9 days, nitrogen gas was injected almost continuously and gas-enhanced foam was injected periodically as deemed necessary. On January 7, 2005 it was determined that the fire was successfully suppressed. This paper presents a discussion of the fire-fighting approach and an analysis of the results of the application of gas-enhanced foam technology.

By N. S. Raymon

As part of an interegency agreement with the Energy Research end Development Administration to develop unproved refractory materials for use in coal gasification processes, the Bureau of Mines reviewed the literature to determine the effect of steam, H2, CO, and CH4 as well as the alkali metal oxides K2O and Na2O on refractory materials. Emphasis was given to the performance of high-alumina castable and fired refractories to conditions expected in coal gasification processes. Approximately 85 references were reviewed with 40 cited in the text. The literature was found to contain little data directly applicable to the selection of refractory lining materials suitable for use under the conditions of temperature, pressure, and gas compositions expected in second generation coal gasification reactors.

Jan 1, 1976

By Donald P. Schlick

This Information Circular presents a brief historical digest of the early attempts of the Bureau of Nines and the U.S. Public Health Service to establish coal mine dust exposure standards. It reviews current, accepted standards of the United States as well as available standards of other countries.

Jan 1, 1971

By J. J. S. Sebastian

The process development described in this report was carried out at the Morgantown Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with West Virginia University. An experimental laboratory-scale pilot unit to gasify coal dust in entrainment was constructed on the Campus of the University in Morgantown. The enormously accelerated demand for liquid and gaseous fuels and utilization of our immense coal resources require that a low-cost process be developed for the gasification of a wide variety of coals. Such a process would be a major factor in lowering the cost of synthetic liquid fuels. None of the proc3sses developed in Germany prior to and during World War II, such as the Winkler process, the H. Koppers dust gasification process, the Wintershall-Schmalfoldt process, etc., meet all the requirements for a low-cost process under American conditions. Nor has any other process designed and experimentally operated at atmospheric pressure during the post-war period in this country appeared to fulfill all of the necessary conditions for a low-cost process.

Jan 1, 1950

By Frank A. Peters

This evaluation of the sulfurous acid process for the production of metallurgical-grade alumina is the first of a series concerning various known methods of extracting alumina from low-grade aluminous materials and was undertaken to permit comparison with other processes. In the process with which this Bureau of Mines report is concerned, calcined clay is leached under pressure with 20 percent sulfurous acid and then filtered to remove a siliceous residue. The aluminum sulfite remaining in the filtrate is precipitated as a monobasic sulfite which, together with iron sulfite, is then decomposed under pressure to form a crude alumina hydrate and iron oxide. This intermediate product is purified in a modified Bayer process to yield alumina suitable for electrolytic reduction to aluminum. A study estimate (16)3 is used for these evaluations. The capital cost, not including land, is estimated at $95,701,600 on a Marshall and Stevens index basis of 240.0 for a plant producing 1,000 tons a day of alumina or 350,000 tons a year. The annual operating cost for this size plant is estimated at $22,831,100 or $65.23 per ton of alumina using clay at $1 per ton. Depreciation and local taxes are included in the estimate, but profit and Federal taxes are not considered.

Jan 1, 1962

By James R. Boyle

The Bureau of Mines initiated a program to address short-and long-term objectives of wetlands restoration as a option for reclamation of lands mined for phosphate. The short-term objectives were to identify a suitable wetland test site, initiate an extensive premining monitoring plan, develop an acceptable mining plan, and recontour and revegetate the test site. These goals were accomplished using a unique combination of expertise provided by Federal and State agencies and private industry. A 6.5-ha forested wetland with an associated streambed was offered by private industry as the test site. A premining monitoring program was established and carried out from May 1982 to October 1983. A control site was established to determine ecological changes unrelated to mining. Clearing and mining began in October 1983 and was completed in April 1984. Grading and streambed restoration was completed in February 1986. Revegetation of the site was completed in February 1987. The program to meet the long-term objective of postmining monitoring is described.

Jan 1, 1988

By Paul Zinner

Efforts to win an enriched manganiferous product from the Missouri Valley deposits of South Dakota have included an application of most known ore-dressing devices and have been largely unsuccessful. At least two methods showed some promise of success and were the subjects of detailed Investigation by the Bureau of Mines during the period from July 1945 to August 1947. A series of mining and beneficiation tests were undertaken to determine conditions under which the most feasible concentration methods could be employed and to define the limits of such applications in terms of the character of the final beneficiated product. In the absence of a significant current market for any conceivable product of beneficiation, the extent to which applied methods might be considered successful was measured in terms of ratios of recoveries to grade, regardless of the adaptability of such beneficiated products to further metallurgical or direct usage. The results of all investigations show that production of a shale-free, concretionary, manganese-bearing product by any known method requires great sacrifices in manganese recovery. Products of beneficiation, with specifications permitting some inclusion of shale, can probably be most effectively produced by methods employing specialized jigging equipment as the principal functional unit of a process.

Jan 1, 1949

By Henry C. Meeves

The Bureau of Mines, between 1956 and 1963, examined 18 major pegmatite districts in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming to evaluate their content of beryllium, a material in short domestic supply that has become increasingly important to modern industry. This examination report includes the salient statistics on the production of pegmatite minerals other than quartz and feldspar; and brief descriptions of 170 specific pegmatite deposits.

Jan 1, 1966

By Thomas Fraser, M. G. Driessen

This report is one of a series written by members of the Solid Fuels Mission to Germany describing wartime developments in the mining , preparation, and utilization of coal . The mission was organized early in 1945 under the auspices of the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee , which cooperated with a counterpart British Committee . Engineers from other allied countries cooperated in some of the investigations . The Solid Fuels Mission operated under the direction of a steering committee headed by Dr. C. J. Potter , deputy solid fuels administrator . The personnel of the mission consisted of H. F. Yancey , in charge , J. W. Buch , Thomas Fraser , L. L. Newman , and L. D. Schmidt , of the Bureau of Mines ; H. H. Lowry , Director of the Coal Research Laboratory , Carnegie Institute of Technology ; H. J. Rose , vice president and director of research , Bituminous Coal Research, Inc .; and F. H. Reed , chief chemist , Illinois Geological Survey . Over 50 reports were written by the members of the Solid Fuels Mission . These and microfilms of supporting data obtained in the course of the investigations are on file at the Bureau of Mines , Washington , D. C. where they are available for public examination . The Office of the Publication Board in the Department of Commerce is prepared to furnish photolith copies , photostats , or microfilm reproductions of all declassified reports . A Bibliography of Scientific and Industrial Reports is issued weekly by the Department of Commerce , Office of the Publication Board , and is sold by the Superintendent of Documents , Government Printing Office , Washington 25 , D. C. , on a subscription basis . An initial payment of 10 dollars will provide for approximately 9 months , and subscribers will be notified when additional remittance is necessary . All subscriptions will begin with volume 1 , No. 1 , unless ordered otherwise . The Bibliography covers all materials and subjects and gives instructions for obtaining the desired items . The reports of the Solid Fuels Mission relate to the following general subjects : Mining methods in the Ruhr district of Germany , with special reference to mechanical cutting and loading equipment , pneumatic packing , and Diesel mine locomotives ; activities of industrial research laboratories supported by the German coal and coke industry ; coal preparation in western Europe ; low-temperature carbonization processes ; metallurgical coke from weakly coking coals ; low- ash electrode carbon from coal ; new developments in the production of metallurgical coke and the utilization of gas and byproducts ; briquetting brown coal and bituminous coal without the use of binders ; recent engineering developments in gas turbines and steam generators , with special reference to use of coal ; German coal-fired heating and cooking stoves; and the commercial extraction of coal with solvents for production of synthetic liquid fuels or chemical products . Numerous reports on the activities of German synthetic - liquid -fuels plants and the plants for the production of synthesis gas from solid fuels are available in the same office as the Solid Fuels Reports . It is planned to publish in this series of Information Circulars the more important reports or combinations of reports prepared by the members of the Solid Fuels Mission . A similar series on synthetic - fuel activities is being prepared .

Nov 1, 1946

Under contract from U. S. Bureau of Mines, Harza Engineering Company in cooperation with Eastern Associated Coal Corporation, conducted a ground control study of two mechanized longwall panels at the Federal Number 2 Mine. The mine is located in Northern West Virginia, and the coal is mined from the Pittsburgh Coal Seam. The prime objective of the study was to collect data which will aid in the proper selection of the longwall supports system and to control the entry caving problem. Instruments installed in the mine were borehole pressure cells, convergence recorders, roof sag recorders, horizontal roof strain indicators, differential floor movement systems, and lateral roof and floor movement systems. Instruments installed on the surface, above the instrumented longwall panels, consisted of slope indicator system, vertical bed settlement probe system and shear displacement detecting system. A comprehensive surface subsidence study was conducted in conjunction with the instrumentation. In addition to the instrumentation and monitoring, special tests were conducted to determine the bearing capacity of the roof and floor rocks, in situ modulus of coal, roof and floor rocks, and response of borehole pressure cells to ground stress. Cores of coal measure rocks were collected for the physical property tests. Face observations were made to detect various roof behavior parameters under the different jack setting pressures. This report essentially describes the instrumentation work, special tests and presents the data collected.

Jan 1, 1976

By John P. Borovsky

A 3-year study was conducted to evaluate the problems and benefits of using vegetation to stabilize tailing from a potential Minnesota copper-nickel milling operation. The project consisted of three separate investigations: a waste characterization study, a greenhouse study and a field study. With few exceptions, the physical and chemical characteristics of the tai ling were found to lie within the range of properties of Minnesota soils. The tailing lacks organic matter; is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; and may contain elevated levels of soluble salts and heavy metals, particularly copper and nickel. Numerous grasses, forbs and woody plants will tolerate the tailing as a rooting medium. Peat incorporation and topsoil dressing provided few benefits to the revegetation process which were not provided by a fertilizer application. With fertilization, grass/legume production in the tailing was comparable to local agricultural yields. Concentration of heavy metals in grasses grown in the tailing were generally below suggested tolerance limits for plants and animal forage. Legumes tended to accumulate higher concentrations of copper and nickel, and metal uptake of most plants was positively correlated with rate of fertilization. Tailing drainage water contained elevated levels of heavy metals, and establishment of vegetation had little effect on the quantity and quality of tailing drainage water. However, topsoil dressing significantly increased drainage water volume when compared to unvegetated control plots. Copper-nickel tailing revegetation recommendations were developed.

Jan 1, 1983

By Sandip K. Mukherjee

This report presents the results of the economic analysis of several applicable alternatives to increase airflow in four underground coal mines. Pressure-quantity surveys were conducted underground and measurements were also made at the main mine fan(s). The existing ventilation networks were modeled using the modified Penn State ventilation simulator. The applicable alternatives were simulated. Performance data obtained from these simulation runs were utilized to conduct the cost-effectiveness analysis. The costs for each of the alternatives included capital, operating and maintenance costs. These costs were expressed as annual ventilation costs per active section in terms of dollars per elm taking into account the economic life associated with each of the alternatives. The benefits were expressed as increased airflow quantity in the critical sections. A section of this report also deals with comparison of simulator predicted air quantity values against air quantity values measured underground. The computer outputs for each simulation run are presented in Volume II of this report.

Jan 1, 1983

Productivity in underground metal and nonmetal mines is contingent upon work methods, mine layout, and ore handling techniques. One of the most important factors impacting productivity is the efficient movement of men, materials and supplies from the surface into and throughout the mine. Various transportation systems such as man-trains, service shafts, rubber-tired diesel equipment, etc. are currently used to transport men and supplies in underground mines. In many underground mines, it is not uncommon for a worker to spend 25% of his eight-hour working day traveling from the surface to his work area and returning to the surface.

Jan 1, 1975

By C. M. Flynn

The solubilities of sideronatrite [Na2Fe(OH)(SO4)2?3H20] and ferrinatrite [Na3Fe(SO4),&apos;3H2O] were determined by the Bureau of Mines in the Na2SO4-Fe2O3-H2SO4-H20 system at 25°, 40°, 60°, and 90° C. The solution compositions investigated ranged from Na+-Fe&apos;+ mol ratios of 0.5 to >100 (Na2SO4 saturation) and H+ -SO4 2-mol ratios of 0 to 1. O. The results are presented in the form of contour plots. The solubilities were determined by seeding supersaturated solutions of known composition with the specified solid phase to precipitate a substantial amount of solid. Water was then added in small portions to the solution until the last portion of the solid dissolved. Equilibration times at 25°, 40°, 60°, and 90° C were 2 days, 1 day, 8 to 16 h, and 2 to 4 h, respectively. The accuracy of the solubility data is estimated to be 1 to 2 pet. Low iron solubilities of <0.36 pct Fe2(SO4)&apos;, or 1 g Fe/kg solution, were obtained in solutions containing at least 8 pet Na2SO4 in the absence of H2SO4 or a total of at least 36 to 38 pet Na2SO4 + H2SO4 at high acidity. The filterability and density of sideronatrite and ferrinatrite in comparison with other iron compounds are reported. These compounds are suitable vehicles for iron removal in Na2SO4-rieh solutions. Additional solubility data on the Na2SO4-H2SO4-H20 system were also obtained.

Jan 1, 1987

By Wallace W. Key

This report concerns types, quantities, specifications, and uses of non-metallic minerals as a basis for improving their supply, conservation, and utilization. Supply-demand details concerning mineral fillers, roofing granules, and roofing rock used in asphalt are incorporated in this report, along with highlights on production and sales of roofing, floor tile, and other related asphalt products of California. Comparable data for the United States are included. Although large quantities of commercially prepared mineral fillers are used in asphalt for paving and related applications in other States, addition of commercial fillers for these uses rarely is required in California because of the natural fines available. On the other hand, California manufacturers of asphalt products other than paving utilize about 300,000 tons of asbestos, diatomite, limestone, mica, soapstone, slate, and other nonmetallic minerals as filler, mainly for roofing and flooring. Also, about 500,000 tons of roofing granules is produced in California, most of which goes into roofing manufacture in California. In addition, a significantly large and growing tonnage of relatively coarse mineral aggregates are used on low-angle, built-up, asphalt roofs to produce an attractive surface and offer protection against the elements. Nearly all minerals used in asphalt products manufactured in California come from local sources, except asbestos and mica--and there are indications that local deposits of these commodities could be utilized in some use categories.

Jan 1, 1966

By Stephen R. Iverson

The U.S. Bureau of Mines made an economic appraisal of the Buttermilk study area, Inyo County, California in October 1980. Results of surveys indicate no potential for metallic, non-metallic, or energy resources in the area. However, glacial till covering most of the area prevented bedrock examinations by the appraisal teams or earlier prospectors. No mining claims are known to be in the area. INTRODUCTION Present Studies The U.S. Bureau of Mines, Western Field Operations Center, searched county mining claim records and other data available concerning mineral deposits, claims, leases, production, and mining activity in the area. The Bureau conducted field work in October 1980 searching for prospects and claim locations. Fourteen reconnaissance lode and placer samples taken from the area were analyzed for gold, silver, and tungsten; a spectrographic analysis also was run on selected samples.

Jan 1, 1981

By Bernard Baum

Combined preservative/fire retardant systems were pressure impregnated into Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine samples and evaluated for decay, flammability, and mechanical properties. The objective of the evaluation was to identify cost-effective systems for use with mine timber, and to provide an information and data base from which Federal code regulations could be established. Thirty systems, based on combinations of commercially available preservatives and fire retardant impregnants and coatings, were applied to Douglas fir samples and evaluated for decay and flammability. The ten most promising systems were ap¬plied to both fir and pine and reevaluated for decay and flammability before and after water leaching. The five best systems were given a thorough laboratory evaluation using both pine and fir. Evaluations included flame spread, smoke density, toxic gases, decay, compressive strength, flammability after artificial weathering, and cost. All systems had acceptable toxic gas levels and smoke densities, but flame spread was only borderline acceptable for most of the samples tested. A trade-off analysis showed Acid Copper Chromate/Fyrprufe with Albi-107A/144 intumescent paint and Koppers NCX to be the-best systems. Recommendations are made for further large-scale testing using the two best Systems.

Jan 1, 1978

By W. I. Nissen

This Bureau of Mines report presents the design for a commercial-sized flue gas desulfurization (FGD) demonstration plant that uses the citrate process. The goal of the Bureau&apos;s citrate process is to minimize the undesirable environmental impacts of industrial plants emitting SO2-bearing gas. The FGD plant is located at the George F. Weaton powerplant, Monaca, Pa. Construction was completed in April 1979 and will be followed by preliminary testing and a 1-year testing and evaluation program. Design capacity of the FGD plant is 156,000 scfm of 0.2-volume-percent-SO2 flue gas yielding about 16 tons of sulfur per day. The plant is intended to (1) clean fly ash, SO2, and Cl- from the gas while cooling the gas in a venturi scrubber, (2) absorb SO2 from the gas using 1,200 gpm of a countercurrent-flowing citric acid-sodium citrate-sodium thiosulfate solution, (3) react the absorbed SO2 in two 13,000-gal stirred closed vessels with added H2S, thus precipitating elemental sulfur and regenerating the citrate solution for recycle, and (4) recover the sulfur from the slurry by air flotation, followed by melting in a heat exchanger and separation from the occluded citrate solution in a sulfur decanter at 35 psi and 135° C.

Jan 1, 1979