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Methane Encountered At the Bureau of Mines Oil Shale Shaft.

Vinson RP; Cox KC; Kissell FN

Proc 12th Oil Shale Symp Denver Colorado 1979 Apr; :339-342

10004078

In studies published in 1975 and 1977, the Bureau of Mines called attention to the possibility that deep oil shale mines would be gassy. The presence of methane gas in mines creates an additional hazard as well as impacting the economics of mining. In November 1978, a methane ignition occurred in the Bureau of Mines oil shale research shaft in Colorado, which was subsequently classified as gassy by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. In December 1978, a second ignition was followed by a fire that necessitated flooding of the shaft. The present paper briefly reviews the circumstances surrounding those incidents and their implication for mehtane gas hazards in other oil shale deposits.

19790401

OP;

1979

OP 116-84

PRC;

Proc. 12th Oil Shale Symp., Denver, Colorado, Apr. 17-20, 1979, PP. 339- 342

CO;