Explosion hazards of oil shale dusts: Limits, pressures, and ignitability
The Bureau of Mines, under a cooperative agreement with the Colorado Mining Association, has investigated the explosion hazards of fine oil shale dust. Six grades of dust of varying oil assay (from 20 to 55 gal/ton) but with similar size distributions were studied in a 20-L explosibility chamber and in a 1.2-L ignitability furnace. Lean limits of flammability, maximum explosion pressures, and maximum rates of pressure rise were measured in the 20-L chamber and thermal autoignition temperatures were measured in the 1.2-L furnace. Electrical spark ignition measurements were made in both systems. For comparison with the oil shales, Pittsburgh seam bituminous coal, gilsonite, sulfide ore, and anthracite coal were also tested. The lean limits of flammability vary inversely with oil assay and all grades of shale dust with oil assays of 20 to 24 gal/ton or greater are capable of generating dust explosions at concentrations above their respective lean limits. Even the 50 gal/ton shale dust is less flammable than Pittsburgh bituminous coal. In terms of electrical ignitability, the shales are at least an order of magnitude less ignitable than the coal. The shale dust clouds are, however, somewhat more easily ignited thermally than the coal. Microscopic observations of the various grades of dust were made in order to determine whether the particle size variable could be isolated and studied independently of kerogen content of the shale dust. The implications of preliminary data, which suggest that those two variables are not readily separable, are also considered.
- Research Organization:
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- OSTI ID:
- 5905320
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8404121-
- Journal Information:
- Oil Shale Symp. Proc.; (United States), Conference: 17. oil shale symposium, Golden, CO, USA, 16 Apr 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Domains of flammability and thermal ignitability for pulverized coals and other dusts: particle size dependences and microscopic residue analyses
Improved 6. 8-L furnace for measuring the autoignition temperatures of dust clouds. Report of investigations/1993
Related Subjects
DUSTS
FLAMMABILITY
OIL SHALE MINING
FIRE HAZARDS
COLORADO
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
US BUREAU OF MINES
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
HAZARDS
MINING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
SAFETY
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
040300* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Drilling
Fracturing & Mining
040700 - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Health & Safety