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By M. E. Hawkins

This Bureau of Mines report provides information on all of the 329 proved salt domes in the Gulf Coastal States and offshore area of the United States. It includes specific data related to location, depth to the cap rock and to the salt, storage facilities for LPG, and production of salt, sulfur, petroleum, and rock related to or associated with the dome structure in the subject area. Also included is a brief history of the salt, sulfur, and petroleum industries as related to the salt domes. Gulf Coast salt domes were the scene of the first discovery of a large deposit of rock salt in North America, the birthplace of the Frasch sulfur industry, and the location of the first large oil gushers that ushered in the modern liquid fuel age.

Jan 1, 1966

By R. G. Warncke

In the 1953 National First-Aid and Mine Rescue Contest, 58 teams from 9 States participated, 14 teams from 6 States in mine rescue and 47 teams from 9 States in first aid. Three of the teams were combination teams in that the same team participated in both the mine rescue and first-aid contests. The States represented and the number of teams from each State are shown in table 1. [ ] The contest was conducted in accordance with the general rules prepared by the Rules Committee and approved by the General Committee of the National First-Aid and Mine Rescue Committee.

Jan 1, 1955

By Thomas M. Barczak

The initial Support Technology Optimization Program (STOP),Version 1.0, was released at the 19th Ground Control Conference. This original program has since been updated to Version 2.3 which was released in May, 2001. This paper describes the additional features of Version 2.3, focusing primarily on the following three aspects: (1) including uncontrolled convergence into the design requirements for standing roof supports, (2) the addition of design procedures for cable bolts as an alternative secondary roof support, and (3) the addition of new standing roof support technologies. Another new feature which should facilitate the development of design criteria for standing roof support is the capability to define ground reaction curves through convergence measurements alone without having to make support loading measurements. There are several other new features provided in Version 2.3 which are only briefly addressed in the paper. These include: (1) additional graphics capabilities to facilitate rapid assessment of support comparisons, (2)an East-West designation for support selection to more accurately provide cost and support availability data, (3) additional safety measures including a safety factor to identify support design near the peak support capacity, checks to see if the support dimensions comply with aspect ratio requirements, and a measure of roof coverage for the design layout of the support system. These new features of STOP provide more capabilities to design and analyze secondary roof support systems for conditions which could not be fully analyzed in the original version of the program.

By M. E. Hawkins

This Bureau of Mines report provides information on all of the 329 proved salt domes in the Gulf Coastal States and offshore area of the United States. It includes specific data related to location, depth to the cap rock and to the salt, storage facilities for LPG, and production of salt, sulfur, petroleum, and rock related to or associated with the dome structure in the subject area. Also included is a brief history of the salt, sulfur, and petroleum industries as related to the salt domes. Gulf Coast salt domes were the scene of the first discovery of a large deposit of rock salt in North America, the birthplace of the Frasch sulfur industry, and the location of the first large oil gushers that ushered in the modern liquid fuel age.

Jan 1, 1966

By Theodore L. Turner

This Bureau of Mines report describes calcination of kaolinitic clay in a direct-fired 2-1/2- by 24-ft rotary kiln at 750° and 775° C. Methods for preparing kaolin feed materials and characterization of calcined products are discussed. Approximately 99 pct of the alumina in a typical eastern Georgia kaolin was soluble in HC1 after calcination at either 750° or 775° C.

Jan 1, 1982

By Abdurrahman Cetinbas

The effect of water infusion on the flow of methane and on the production of dust was investigated at an active face in the Pittsburgh coalbed. The average total flow of methane at the face decreased by approximately 79 percent, whereas the flow from the ribs increased about 24 percent after infusion. On the day after infusion, dust concentrations appear to have been reduced; however, the presence of large quantities of rock dust obscured the results on the following days.

Jan 1, 1972

By David D. Hottinger

Only a minimum amount of illumination is generally provided for many types of mobile surface mining equipment. This condition presents a hazard to operating personnel working on and around such equipment. To reduce this hazard MSHA has proposed safety regulations requiring minimum levels of illumination for hazardous zones on and in the immediate area surrounding surface mining equipment. This report describes a Bureau of Mines sponsored project demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of providing dragline illumination in compliance with the proposed MSHA regulations. A description of the computer aided design, on site installation and field evaluation of individual lighting systems for each of three different size draglines is presented

Jan 1, 1981

By F. W. Wood

ORIGINAL experimentation in specially designed arc-melting furnaces and a comprehensive review of technical literature have helped with an understanding of electric arcs as used in metallurgical applications. Results relevant to the distribution of electric potentials and currents, temperatures, pressures, the consumption of electrodes, the identities of particles participating in electrical conduction, and the modes and mechanisms of discharge are presented and discussed. Present knowledge of high-current arcs is insufficient to test pertinent theoretical suggestions. However, the chief doubts concern the identities and the liberation or formation of current-carrying particles. It seems that either (1) novel formulations of existing concepts are needed, or (2) essentially new concepts must be recognized to explain observations. An analysis of the situation has led the authors to favor the latter possibility and to suggest the existence of supplementary conducting particles. The conduction of current by the streaming of charged agglomerates is postulated. Another outgrowth of analysis is an equation for the arc potential as a function of current densities in the arc. In lieu of conclusions, the potentialities of practical applications and specific needs for fundamental clarification are summarized.

Jan 1, 1965

By C. M. Harrer

The location, features, quality, and extent of iron ore deposits are evaluated in this Bureau of Mines report. The results of pioneer beneficiation on Wyoming taconites and their success are discussed along with developments in the iron-ore mining industry, markets, and economics. Market potential, transportation, resource developments, taxation, cost of iron ore enterprises, and the future of Wyoming iron resources are evaluated. Although occurrences of iron ores in Wyoming were known prior to 1870, early production to 1900 was as a nonferrous metallurgical flux and as mineral pigment for paints. In 1901, the Hartville-Sunrise hematite deposits were available to the Western iron and steel industry and in 1962, the first western taconite operation was placed in production at Atlantic City, Wyo. This investigation disclosed the probability of other large iron deposits in Wyoming. Taconite in the Bradley Peak area of the Seminoe Mountains has a potentiality of 100 million tons; that in the Owl Creek Mountains may prove very large also. Pioneer beneficiation testing has been included, and results have been generally encouraging. Research continues on the large titaniferous magnetite deposits of Albany County, Wyo. At present high-density titaniferous magnetite is being mined and processed at Iron Mountain for heavy-aggregate and as a sized coating for underwater pipelines. Ample mineral raw materials needed for mining and processing Wyoming iron ores are available. Investments for iron-ore processing plants will generally be large, particularly for taconite and titaniferous magnetite.

Jan 1, 1966

By C. M. Harrer

The location, features, quality, and extent of iron ore deposits are evaluated in this Bureau of Mines report. The results of pioneer beneficiation on Wyoming taconites and their success are discussed along with developments in the iron-ore mining industry, markets, and economics. Market potential, transportation, resource developments, taxation, cost of iron ore enterprises, and the future of Wyoming iron resources are evaluated. Although occurrences of iron ores in Wyoming were known prior to 1870, early production to 1900 was as a nonferrous metallurgical flux and as mineral pigment for paints. In 1901, the Hartville-Sunrise hematite deposits were available to the Western iron and steel industry and in 1962, the first western taconite operation was placed in production at Atlantic City, Wyo. This investigation disclosed the probability of other large iron deposits in Wyoming. Taconite in the Bradley Peak area of the Seminoe Mountains has a potentiality of 100 million tons; that in the Owl Creek Mountains may prove very large also. Pioneer beneficiation testing has been included, and results have been generally encouraging. Research continues on the large titaniferous magnetite deposits of Albany County, Wyo. At present high-density titaniferous magnetite is being mined and processed at Iron Mountain for heavy-aggregate and as a sized coating for underwater pipelines. Ample mineral raw materials needed for mining and processing Wyoming iron ores are available. Investments for iron-ore processing plants will generally be large, particularly for taconite and titaniferous magnetite.

Jan 1, 1966

By M. Leva

WITH the development of new processes for the production of synthetic liquid fuels, an extensive literature search was undertaken to uncover fundamental relationships between fluid and heat flows and the operating variables of new types of converters. Examination of published correlations revealed that considerable uncertainty existed in the correlation of the operating variables of such equipment with the pressure drops which could be expected through packed and fluidized systems; correlations proposed in the literature differed from each other frequently by as much as 75 to 100 percent. Because new processes, especially more recent modifications of the original Fischer-Tropsch process, must compete with old, firmly established processes on the basis of unit product cost, the pressure-drop correlations in the literature were considered to be too inaccurate for use in calculating the energy required to pass fluids through packed beds. The following study was begun in 1946 to develop correlations that would be suitable for the design of new equipment in which fluids are brought into contact with granular materials. To arrive at general relationships, systems were chosen that did not involve chemical reactions, and a, particular effort was made to give the correlations only in terms of quantities that are ordinarily available from general process and design specifications.

Jan 1, 1951

By Keith A. Heasley, John L. Ellenberger

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has continued the research role of the former U. S. Bureau of Mines to develop techniques that will reduce the hazards in the mining work place associated with coal bumps. Current research focuses on both analyzing historical seismic data from bump-prone operations and utilizing a mine-wide seismic network to investigate the exact strata failure mechanics associated with bump-prone geology. The anticipated outcome of this research will be reduced bump incidences through advanced engineering concepts and designs which implement the new understanding of strata behavior. The analysis of the historic seismic data consists of correlating observed mining seismicity with the geologic and geometric parameters at the sites. The primary seismic parameters are the timing, location and magnitude of are corded seismic event. These parameters are correlated with such mining parameters as: the overburden, the size of the immediate gob, the size of the district gob area, etc. This detailed analysis of historical seismic data has provided an informative quantifiable relationship between many of the specific mining parameters and the induced seismicity. The second aspect of the coal bump research is the instrumentation of an appropriate field site to determine the main roof, floor, and gob behavior associated with bump behavior. The chosen field site is a deep-cover longwall mine with competent geology in a historically bump-prone area. The primary field instrumentation is a three-dimensional, full-waveform, seismic array with both surface and underground sensors surrounding an active multi-panel district. The purpose of this seismic array is to determine the timing, the exact location, and the mechanism (tensile fracture, bedding plane slip, etc.) of the failure of the strata surrounding the active and multi-panel gobs. The preliminary results presented in this paper help to define the strata failure areas around the longwall panel.

By Theresa Y. Schulz

It is interesting to study the noise standards that have been promulgated in the US over the last decade or so. These regulations are likely to have long-lasting impact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hearing Conservation Amendment (March 1983) continues to have influence not only in the workplace but in the debate over new regulations. Both the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulatory preamble documents state the desire to be consistent with OSHA. An examination of Table 1, which compares the major components of the three regulations and the 1998 NIOSH “best practices” criteria, depicts the extent to which that intent is met. There has been some regulatory activity in the last decade which may give some hope for evolution and updating based on the wealth of science that has occurred during the last quarter of a century since the OSHA regulation was enacted. However there has also been some “back-sliding” toward more lenient standards. The MSHA noise standard made regulatory progress in September 2000 by emphasizing engineering and administrative controls, followed by personal protective equipment, in the hierarchy of noise intervention. MSHA’s requirement for technician certification (today only available from CAOHC) strengthened the training requirements for audiometric testing in hearing conservation programs and MSHA also added the requirement of dual hearing protection at 105 dB TWA. There were many subtle differences between OSHA and MSHA based on comments and a desire to clarify some of the vague aspects of the OSHA noise standard, and meet the needs of the regulated mining industry. One example pertains to the ceiling for exposures. OSHA says, “no exposures >115 dBA,” which is interpreted to mean no unprotected exposures above that level, giving credit for the assumed effectiveness of hearing conservation programs, hearing protection devices and administrative and engineering controls. MSHA specified that a “P” code1 violation be issued for any protected or unprotected exposures >115 dBA. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) noise standard for railroad operating employees, which went The Modern Evolution of Hearing Conservation Regulationsinto effect February 26, 2007, was expressly based on the OSHA standard but also uses MSHA for comparison. The preamble states that the FRA defers to OSHA as the “primary regulator of noise in the workplace,” but also acknowledges the need for some departure from the OSHA regulation (FRA Preamble II.B). As an example, FRA requires testing at 8000 Hz “because it will allow employers to identify hearing loss sooner.” The FRA rejected MSHA’s hierarchy of noise controls in favor of requiring specific engineering interventions and focusing on appropriate hearing protection which would still allow communication and audibility, and identification of excessive noise through employee-filed “excessive noise reports.”2 Where OSHA has no specific mandate requiring employees to take advantage of the employer-paid audiogram, it has been traditionally a condition of employment and is generally accepted that OSHA-covered workers require an annual audiogram. MSHA addressed this issue in its preamble; however, they made no significant change. MSHA employers are required to offer annual audiograms but MSHA stopped short of requiring employees to comply with annual audiometric testing. The MSHA preamble does allow that mine operators can also make audiometric monitoring a condition of employment. FRA requires employees to

By Ronald F. Balazik

[This Bureau of Mines study is intended to identify and evaluate potential effects of impending large-scale U. S. rail line closings (abandonment) on domestic nonfuel mineral industries. This is the first nationwide study of rail abandonment impacts focused on nonfuel minerals. The analyses presented is based principally on a survey of 200 rail freight records and on statistical tests that correlated 2,000 points in the Bureau's Mines Industry Location System (MILS) with 700 prospective abandonments throughout the United States. The conclusions derived from the analysis can be useful in evaluating proposed national rail abandonment policy rind legislation regarding nonfuel miner it shipping. Among these conclusions are the following: (1) Certain mineral materials (especially fertilizers) are likely to account for a large percentage of the rail traffic affected by abandonment in the next few years, but the total tonnage- involved will be small; (2) abandonment will adversely affect some mineral shippers, particularly local smart haulers; and (3 abandonment could significance reduce the opportunity to develop new resources or reopen defunct mining facilities. Despite these problems, however, the data examined in this study do not indicate that current abandonment trends will cause widespread disruption 01 domestic nonfuel mineral shipping.]

Jan 1, 1980

By W. P. Yant

A previous report of the Bureau of Mines dealt with the toxicity of dichlorodifluoromethane5, a new refrigerant that has a remarkably low toxicity. Continued research by the Prigidaire Corporation6 and toxicological experiments performed in the Laboratory of Applied Physiology of the University of Cincinnati7 revealed another organic fluoride, dichlorotetrafluoroethane, whose toxicity also appeared to be of a very low order and whose physical-and chemical properties make it suitable for refrigeration purposes. In addition to low toxicity, safety in its use is further enhanced by its physical properties, which permit the design of equipment that operates at comparatively low pressures and hence mitigates the dangers and problems of leakage. The investigation described in this report was performed by the Bureau of Mines at the request and with the cooperation of the Frigidaire Corporation.

Jan 1, 1932

This publication summarizes the in-house and contract research and development projects programed for fiscal pear 1980 by the Bureau of Mines under its Minerals Environmental Research activity. The document provides a mechanism for interested parties, including potential contractors, to gain insight into ongoing and projected work of the Bureau's environmental research efforts. Research to identify and correct environmental problems associated with mining and metallurgical operations has long been an integral part of the Bureau's mission. Through the years, efforts of various Bureau programs have yielded valuable information on the origin and control of many of these problems. With the reorganization of the Bureau of Mines in 1979, the Minerals Environmental Technology program was structured to consolidate these efforts into a single program that will systematically investigate al aspects of mining- and processing-related environmental pollution and damage-from initial discovery of the mineral resource to ultimate return of the land to productive use. In fiscal year 1980, the Bureau received an appropriation of about $21 million to conduct research and development work on these problems.

Jan 1, 1980

By Nicholas Kyriazi, John P. Shubilla

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, has undertaken a study to determine how well self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs), deployed in accordance with Federal regulations (30 CFR 75.1714), hold up in the underground environment with regard to both physical damage and aging. This report presents findings regarding laboratory-tested SCSRs in the sixth phase of testing from mid-1996 to early 1998. The SCSRs were tested on human subjects and on a breathing and metabolic simulator. These results indicate that most of the apparatus, if they pass their inspection criteria, perform satisfactorily. However, the deployed CSE SR-100s exhibited significantly higher inhaled CO2 levels than new units, as in the previous phase. This will cause higher ventilation rates in most users, which will, in turn, result in higher breathing pressures, possibly causing users to prematurely remove the apparatus. CSE Corp. has developed a noise test that can identify apparatus suffering from chemical-bed degradation causing the early CO2 breakthrough. This test was added to the inspection criteria for the SR-100. In addition, several of the MSA Portal-Packs that passed their inspection criteria were found to have KO2 dust in their mouthpieces. Further investigations by NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration confirmed these findings, which resulted in the decertification of the apparatus and their removal from service.

Jan 1, 2000

By Michael S. Miller

In 1984, at the request of Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Mines studied 8,500 acres of the 20,250-acre Seven Blackfoot Wilderness Study Area (WSA) consisting of all 3,950 acres of MT-024-657A and 4,550 acres of the 4,850 acre MT-024-657B in order to evaluate the mineral resources. Within this report these 8,500 acres are referred to as the study area. Located about 30 miles northwest of Jordan, MT, the study area is underlain by outcrops of Quaternary alluvium and Cretaceous to Paleocene sandstones, shales, clays, and coal. No mines or prospects were found in the study area. Except for some current interest in petroleum and natural gas, there has been no mineral exploration activity in the study area. The study area contains subeconomic clay, placer gold, and coal. Land within the study area is leased or under lease application for oil and gas.

Jan 1, 1986

By William A. Beck

This report describes the loading and transportation practices employed at the zinc-lead mines of The Eagle-Picher Co., Jo Daviess County, Ill., and Lafayette County, Wis. The report also gives a brief history of the Illinois-Wisconsin zinc-lead district and the operations of the company in the area. The diesel-powered, rubber-tired loading and haulage equipment is described and illustrated from the operational point of view only, and an analysis is made of the materials-handling system without going into health and safety factors. The costs per ton of the various components of mechanical loading, underground haulage, underground crushing, and hoisting for fiscal year 1960 are tabulated.

Jan 1, 1964

By Bill M. Stewart

Since 1974, a large amount of data has been developed concerning the physical properties and stability characteristics of waste generated by the mining and preparation of bituminous coal. However, very little information has been developed on the properties and characteristics of anthracite waste. During this Bureau of Mines research project, coarse anthracite breaker refuse from five sites in eastern Pennsylvania was sampled and the physical properties, which indicate stability characteristics, were determined in the laboratory. Coarse anthracite breaker refuse is quite similar to coarse bituminous refuse in chemical and mineralogical composition. However, the physical properties of the anthracite waste materials tested are different from those of coarse bituminous refuse. For the coarse anthracite breaker refuse tested, the average maximum laboratory density is 113.2 lb/ft3, the average angle of internal friction (direct shear) and average cohesion are 30.2° and 2.6 psi, respectively, and the average permeability (four sites) is 1.24 x 10-2 cm/sec. Stability analyses were conducted on six theoretical anthracite waste embankments. These analyses show the effects on minimum safety factors of geometry, phreatic surface level, and physical properties.

Jan 1, 1983