Fire and explosion properties of oil shale
This is a progress report summarizing more than 5 years of a long-range Bureau of Mines research program. The purpose of this program has been to investigate the fire and explosion properties of Green River oil shale in the Bureau's Experimental Mine, in laboratories, and in the field. The lean limits of explosibility of oil shale dust, by small- and large-scale tests, are reported as a function of grade, ignition source, and particle size. A limited number of laboratory tests on the autoignition of oil shale dust layers and the spontaneous combustion tendencies of oil shale are described. Moderate-scale rubble fire tests were conducted to determine flame spread rates as a function of ventilation flow. With the aid of a system to continuously monitor methane emissions in a deep oil shale mine, the characteristics of the methane flow are reported as a function of ventilation and blasting procedures, and are compared with gas yields from core samples. Tentative predictions as to the emission of the methane to be expected in deep oil shale mines, far from the outcrop, are offered. Brief reference is made to a parallel investigation into the fire and explosion hazards of oil shale mining and processing by a Bureau contractor; detailed results of the latter investigation are to be found in the contractor's reports. 43 figures.
- OSTI ID:
- 6129399
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
040500* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Properties & Composition
ALKANES
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIONS
FIRES
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAS FLOW
GREEN RIVER FORMATION
HYDROCARBONS
IGNITION
MATERIALS
METHANE
MINING
OIL SHALES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
VENTILATION