FLOOD10384 ‎(2)‎

• County: Statewide
• Title: Natural Resources of Colorado
• Date: 1/1/1963
• Prepared By: US Department of the Interior
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

.Bureau of Mines' Petroleum Research Center conducts
.sludies on the feasibility of obtaining oil from shale de-
.posits in northwest Colorado. Both mining techniques
and distilling retorts (right) have been tested near Rifle,
Colorado".

Center specialize in two general areas. The
larger group is concerned with the development
of engineering principles and mathematical tech-
'niques applying to exploration, development,
and operational problems in mining metals and
nonmetallic minerals other than coal. Research
by this group includes methods of ore sampling,
analysis of mining systems, and applications of
itatistics to problems in estimating ore reserves.
Ihe other group specializes in the study of rock
,haracteristics and behavior with particular
~~Phasis on ground control. Its research in-
(des laboratory investigations to determine

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how rock behaves under the strains imposed by
mining, and field investigations-in cooperation
with mining companies of the area-to evaluate
stress-strength relationships of rock in operating
mmes.

Coal Research

Pilot-plant and bench scale studies at the
Denver Coal Research Laboratory are chiefly
devoted to finding new uses for the solid fuels of
Colorado and adjoining States. Colorado's
coking (metallurgical) coals are being tested
more precisely than ever before and carboniza-
tion assays are being made in experimental car-
bonizers to develop knowledge concerning the
effects of variations in size and shape of retorts
and reaction chambers. Samples of coal from
newly opened mines are constantly being ana-
lyzed to determine physical and chemical prop-
erties and thus either broaden or increase the
depth of knowledge of the region' s coal resources.
Tars made from these and other coals are studied
for new uses, and the formation of new carbon
chemicals from coal tars and coal gases is
investigated.

Petroleum, Oil Shale, and Metallurgical
Research

Laboratory research on petroleum, natural
gas, and oil shales of Colorado takes place
largely at the Bureau's Laramie (Wyo.) Petro-
leum Research Center. Studies of exploration,
drilling, and shale mining are conducted in the
oilfields and the shale deposits.
In many laboratories throughout the Nation,
the Bureau conducts m~tallurgical research on
methods of treating or processing the metallic
minerals of Colorado.

Health and Safety Activities

Bureau of Mines safety engineers inspect
Colorado's coal mines as required by Federal law
and visit other mines to investigate fatal acci-
dents or explosions when requested by State
authorities or by mine operators. Mine in-
spectors and Bureau safety representatives also
visit mines, oilfields, and other mineral indus-
tries to conduct safety and first-aid training
courses for both workers and supervisors. The
Bureau also carries on a program for controlling
fires in inactive coal deposits.

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