Industrial hygiene sampling at Rio Blanco Oil Shale Facility. II. Sampling during burn of retort one
Industrial hygiene sampling was conducted during the burn of a second and larger experimental modified in situ (MIS) oil shale retort at the Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company's facility in northwestern Colorado. The study was a follow-up to sampling performed before and during the burn of the first MIS retort prepared by the company. Air sampling was again conducted on the lower level of the underground mine, and limited sampling was also conducted around process units located on the ground surface. An attempt was made to sample areas of expected maximum concentrations in order to characterize air contaminants near process units or areas, rather than to sample actual employee exposure. Samples were collected for analysis of dust and a number of selected gases and vapors in air, and limited monitoring was conducted for noise. Observed total dust levels ranged to 0.32 mg/m/sup 3/ - well below the threshold limit values for respirable and total dust containing 5% quartz. Particle size of dust in the mine was 3.4-..mu..m mass median aerodynamic diameter. Multielemental analysis of airborne dust indicated no elements that would be of concern at the observed dust levels. No detectable levels of particulate-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were observed, but vapor-phase PAH from both the mine and surface showed a mean of 0.1 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ for the sum of the eight PAH analyzed. Most other organic and inorganic gases and vapors analyzed were below the detectable levels of the methods used in the study. Noise levels in the mine exceeded 90 dBA near booster fans and in both mine water and product pump areas, as did the area on the ground surface around the demister and fan that handled retort offgases. 25 references, 4 figures, 5 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5915530
- Report Number(s):
- LA-10334-MS; ON: DE85008909
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Industrial hygiene sampling at Rio Blanco oil shale facility
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
RETORTS
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
AIR SAMPLERS
DUSTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
IN-SITU RETORTING
NOISE POLLUTION
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
RIO BLANCO OIL SHALE PROJECT
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
HYDROCARBONS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
INFORMATION
MONITORING
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PROCESSING
RETORTING
SAMPLERS
040700* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Health & Safety
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)