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By R. C. Earlougher

Based on laboratory tests conducted with the use of fresh core samples as well as a considerable amount of field data obtained from numerous water floods in northeastern Oklahoma, it appears that for any given oil saturation there is a critical maximum velocity above which the oil-recovery efficiency falls off very rapidly. In effect, when a water flood is operated above this critical velocity, the injected water-oil ratio rises extremely fast, thus shortening the economic life of the flood and reducing the ultimate oil recovery. This critical velocity apparently varies considerably with the percentage of oil saturation of the sand, so that in effect the higher the oil saturation at the beginning of a flood the higher the velocity that can be used successfully. In reviewing several of the earlier floods in the Mid-Continent area, it is concluded that most of the failures were due to two things: (I) too low an oil saturation, such as 30 per cent, and (2) too high water-injection rates, Although considerably more field data are necessary to establish definite limits, it would seem that the proper field injection rate for a 330 by 330 or 440 by 440-ft. spacing varies from approximately I bbl. per foot of sand per day where the oil saturation is as low as 30 per cent up to 5 bbl per foot of sand per day when the oil saturation is as high as 45 to 50 per cent, Introduction With secondary recovery by water-flooding receiving more and more attention throughout the industry, a greater working knowledge of multiphase flow under field conditions becomes more and more necessary A great deal of research has been carried on in highly idealized laboratory conditions, from which certain trends have been indicated, but with few exceptions no direct application to field use has been reported. widely varying conclusions have been drawn from the mass of idealized laboratory experiments and often this divergence apparently was due to the neglect of connate or interstitial water. Since interstitial water is such an important factor in water-flooding operations, it then follows that any laboratory flooding experiment must necessarily take it into account; and since it is difficult to set up laboratory models to allow for interstitial water, the next best procedure is to use fresh core samples for such tests. Even this procedure has its difficulties, inasmuch as it is possible to run only one flooding test on each sample, as each sample differs somewhat in character from all other samples. However, this disadvantage can be overcome to a large degree by the use of an extremely large number of samples. The next question that arises is: "IS it possible to get uncontaminated core samples having a true oil and water saturation like that existing in the reservoir?" If the sand under consideration is still in the primary stage of production, with a normal or relatively high amount of gas still in solution in the oil, probably it is not possible to get a nonflushed core. On the other

Jan 1, 1943

By R. C. Earlougher

Based on laboratory tests conducted with the use of fresh core samples as well as a considerable amount of field data obtained from numerous water floods in northeastern Oklahoma, it appears that for any given oil saturation there is a critical maximum velocity above which the oil-recovery efficiency falls off very rapidly. In effect, when a water flood is operated above this critical velocity, the injected water-oil ratio rises extremely fast, thus shortening the economic life of the flood and reducing the ultimate oil recovery. This critical velocity apparently varies considerably with the percentage of oil saturation of the sand, so that in effect the higher the oil saturation at the beginning of a flood the higher the velocity that can be used successfully. In reviewing several of the earlier floods in the Mid-Continent area, it is concluded that most of the failures were due to two things: (I) too low an oil saturation, such as 30 per cent, and (2) too high water-injection rates, Although considerably more field data are necessary to establish definite limits, it would seem that the proper field injection rate for a 330 by 330 or 440 by 440-ft. spacing varies from approximately I bbl. per foot of sand per day where the oil saturation is as low as 30 per cent up to 5 bbl per foot of sand per day when the oil saturation is as high as 45 to 50 per cent, Introduction With secondary recovery by water-flooding receiving more and more attention throughout the industry, a greater working knowledge of multiphase flow under field conditions becomes more and more necessary A great deal of research has been carried on in highly idealized laboratory conditions, from which certain trends have been indicated, but with few exceptions no direct application to field use has been reported. widely varying conclusions have been drawn from the mass of idealized laboratory experiments and often this divergence apparently was due to the neglect of connate or interstitial water. Since interstitial water is such an important factor in water-flooding operations, it then follows that any laboratory flooding experiment must necessarily take it into account; and since it is difficult to set up laboratory models to allow for interstitial water, the next best procedure is to use fresh core samples for such tests. Even this procedure has its difficulties, inasmuch as it is possible to run only one flooding test on each sample, as each sample differs somewhat in character from all other samples. However, this disadvantage can be overcome to a large degree by the use of an extremely large number of samples. The next question that arises is: "IS it possible to get uncontaminated core samples having a true oil and water saturation like that existing in the reservoir?" If the sand under consideration is still in the primary stage of production, with a normal or relatively high amount of gas still in solution in the oil, probably it is not possible to get a nonflushed core. On the other

Jan 1, 1943

By H. D. Keiser

Minor industrial minerals included in this chapter are: the alum minerals, bromine, calcium chloride, epsomite and other natural magnesium salts, iodine, meerschaum, quartz, industrial crystals other than quartz, and nonfuel gases (air, helium, carbon dioxide). Alum Minerals The natural alums comprise a group of hydrated double sulfates, the most important of which are potash alum, KAI(S04)2.12H20, the "alum" of popular usage; ammonium alum, (NH4)AI(SO4)2, known mineralogically as tschermigite; and soda alum, NaAI(SO4)2.12H20. Kalinite, KAI(SO4)2.11H20, and mendozite, NaAl(SO4)2, 11H20, are fibrous monoclinic alums, distinct from the isometric species potash alum and soda alum.4 Alunite, KAI3(S04)2(OH)6, also known as alumstone or alum rock, has been used as a raw material in the manufacture of alum since early times. All the natural alums are highly soluble and occur as surface evaporation products in arid regions or in sheltered places. Potash alum, together with the other natural alums, commonly occurs as an efflorescence or crevice filling in argillaceous rocks and brown coals that contain disseminated pyrite or marcasite. The mineral is derived by the action of sulfuric acid, formed during the weathering of the sulfide, upon alkali-rich aluminum silicates. Ammonia alum is found chiefly in lignite or broad-coal beds and bituminous shales. Alunite is most commonly associated with acid volcanic rocks, where the rock has been largely altered and alunite formed owing to the presence of sulfuric acid solutions or vapors. Aluminum sulfate, which for most uses is the essential ingredient of alum, may be found in saline residues resulting from the evaporation of natural water and may be formed by the action of acid waters upon aluminous rocks. A deposit of natural potash alum occurs in an irregular network of veins associated with sulfur in rhyolite in Esmeralda County, Nevada, about 35 miles west of Tonopah and 10 miles north of Silver Peak. Alum was recovered at a plant operated on the property between 1920 and 1923 by crushing the ore to ¾ in., grinding to minus 80-mesh, and counter-current leaching; the resulting alum solution was then filtered and crystallized. Alunite was of much interest during World War I as a source of potash and during World War II as a source of alumina. The wellknown deposits at Tolfa, Italy, are veins in trachyte and have been the basis of alum manufacture there since the middle of the fifteenth century. Pure alunite is insoluble in water and in common acids, but if it is heated to 500°C it loses its water of hydration, and the residue consists largely of anhydrous potash alum, part of which is readily soluble in water or acids. If the heat is increased beyond 500°C, most of the sulfur combined with the alumina is released as oxides and the residue consists of potassium sulfate and alumina. Thus, either potash alum (and aluminum sulfate) or potassium sulfate and alumina may be made. In the

Jan 1, 1960

My roots span four generations. My great grandfather, Christian Frederick Fisher, along with twenty-one others was drowned in the New Australasian mine disaster at Creswick in Victoria in 1882. My grandfather, also named Christian Frederick Fisher, escaped and then followed a career of shaft sinking for large companies and operating small mines (very unprofitably according to my father) when funds allowed. My father, an excellent practical mining and mechanical engineer, was also a small miner and my early entry into the industry was, like many before me, very basic. My introductions to the business end of a No. 4 shovel, drilling with hand steel and later with jack hammers without the benefit of airlegs, feeding heavy cordwood to hungry boilers and felling trees for mine timber soon dispelled any illusions I had that mining was a bed of roses.Before it became well known I knew "Life was not meant to be easy".In a family-owned small gold mine in a remote part of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland I was fortunate in obtaining an excellent grounding in reef and deep alluvial mining. Operating in vertical and underlie shafts the variable ground conditions often required close timbering. Steam pumps were used underground and steam winders for hoisting.The complete absence of municipal or government infrastructure in this remote mining field threw responsibility on each mine operator to be self-sufficient, and responsible for mine development and installation of crushing and milling equipment, accommodation and water supply. Conditions, although harsh, were acceptable in the 1930s, and fostered great self-reliance.The first crushing from our Black Cat Mine in 1935 returned nearly 200 oz from 10 tons of ore. Gold was then worth $13 an ounce compared to about $400 an ounce today; but in those depression years of the 1930s our operation was profitable.This basic education not only returned dividends when confronted with difficult mining problems, but created a deep respect for the miners who develop the small mines and who continue to contribute to the industry today, often under difficult conditions.Australia and mining are synonymous. The industry has been immortalised by the famous historian, Professor Geoffrey Blainey, in his book "The Rush that Never Ended".Initial gold discoveries were concealed and exploration was frowned upon by authority as being disruptive to early rural development. But with the discovery of gold in the Bathurst area of New South Wales by Hargreaves in 1851, the rush to the gold fields began followed by an influx of migrants. The traumatic effect on industry and society that followed, created the pattern of the love-hate relationship that at times became temporarily submerged, but is so evident today.In the harsh economic climate of the 19th century with low wages and no welfare, the opportunity to wrest riches from the earth was literally "rushed" by the adventurous, the poor, the rich, people from all walks of life. Pressures developed on preFederation Governments to provide law, order and infrastructure to the rushes that have never ended.

Jan 1, 1984

By AIME AIME

CLYDE WILLIAMS, after graduating from the University of Utah as a chemical engineer, worked for a time in western mills and smelters. He then joined the U. S. Bureau of Mines and during the World War studied Ordnance Department and Navy problems on ferroalloys and alloy steels at the Cornell University laboratories. Later, as superintendent of the Northwest Experiment Station of the Bureau, he was active in electric furnace and ore reduction work. Clyde then went to South America and surveyed the iron and fuel resources of the Argentine. Returning, he became chief metallurgist of the Columbia Steel Corp., of

Jan 1, 1936

By George A. Snyder

The presence of moderate to high concentrations of colloidal clays in coal preparation plant waters can cause serious operating and economic problems for a coal company. Among the host of possible problems are the following: 1) Poor separation of clays in the plant thickener, resulting in: a) Increased ash in the clean coal. b) Increased specific gravity of the wash water and decreased coal recoveries at the desired quality. c) Increased thickener operating costs in trying to overcome the problem. 2) Decreased solid concentrations in the thickener underflow and increased pumping requirements to meet solids withdrawal requirements.

Jan 1, 1979

By Patterson B. G

The small party of mining men who formed the original Mount Morgan Syndicate in 1882, commenced operations on the top of the mountain with what were practically nothing more than small hillside quarries, It was not until 1891 that underground stoping began, and open-cut mining therefore commenced with the commencement of operations. This hillside quarrying, however, seems to have been quite haphazard and unsystematic ; there is no trace or sign of any properly devised mining scheme. This can be seen plainly enough from an examination of old mine plans; for in less than five years after stoping was; adopted, the open-cut was down into the stoped-out ground. The following table, prepared from these old plans, shows the downward trend of the excavation in the past fiftyseven years:-

Jan 1, 1939

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) Mae Moh coal mine is an open-cut coal mine in Thailand that produces about 16 Mt of lignite annually to generate 2400 MW of electricity. The surface mine pit covers is 4 km by 7 km with mining depths ranging up to 260 m. A large pit slope is formed with the progression of the mining operation. However, massive slides in the pit slope occur often due to the existence weak planes such as faults and bedding, and the weak mechanical properties of the rocks. Hence, 200 m to 300 m boundaries of rock block including coal seams are left in front of faults in order to prevent slides and maintain the stability of the pit slope. As a result, there are significant coal reserves beneath the abandoned area along the pit slope. Moreover, the mined coal seams are very thick and their thickness range from 15 to 30 m.This paper discusses the application of multi-slicing highwall mining system with stowing to this very thick coal seam left around large pit slopes by means of numerical analysis.

Dec 6, 2010

By Charles L. Morgan

The Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of Hawaii Department of Planning and Economic Development are investigating the cobalt-rich ferromanganese oxide crust deposits found within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll. The objective of this investigation is to complete a preliminary resource assessment and an Environmental Impact Statement for potential leasing of mineral rights to these crusts. The results of this effort will be summarized and published in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in March 1986. Three oceanographic cruises to deposit sites in the Hawaiian Islands EEZ were conducted by the University of Hawaii in 1984. As a result, data and sample analysis yielded the following resource estimates (in thousand tonnes): (1) total crusts - 378,500; (2) cobalt - 2,500; (3) manganese - 76,200; (4) iron - 59,700; and (5) nickel - 1,400. These estimates do not include key factors such as deposit continuity, recoverability, and environmental sensitivity. A preliminary attempt to quantify some of these factors for one particular deposit is in progress and will consist of detailed field studies followed by laboratory analysis. Similar evaluations of the Johnston Island EEZ have also begun and are based upon field work conducted by West German researchers and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Johnston Island EEZ appears to have crust resources about as large as those contained in the entire Hawaiian EEZ.

Jan 1, 1985

By John W. M. Lambert

This paper describes the execution and the results of a new method to seal off leaks in water retaining constructions. The new method, called BioSealing is based on activating the bacteries, present in soil and groundwater. The method was tested under field conditions in 2004 and applied at the HSL aqueduct of the 'Ringvaart Haarlemmermeer' in 2005.

Jan 1, 2006

By John Noakes

Marine scientists at the University of Georgia, have in the past few years, designed, developed and refined two geochemical survelliance systems for the exploration of hard mineral resources on the seafloor. The one first developed is an underwater sled which contains a nuclear radiation detector for measuring naturally occurring gamma radiation that is associated either with marine phosphorites containing uranium and its decay daughters or thorium decay products that are indicative of monzanite. The latter can, in most instances, be used as a pathfinder mineral for placer deposits that may contain other heavy minerals of interest such as rutile, ilmenite, chromite, gold, etc. This sled is operational in continental shelf depths. The second system is capable of more definitive measurements in the form of direct elemental analyses of the silt and clay fractions within the surficial sediments. It consists of a towed sled containing a submersible pump which, upon agitating the sediments, transfers the finer fraction up a hose to a shipboard centrifugal cone then to an automated sample processor. The resultant samples are rendered into sediment wafers, suitable for non-destructive XRF analysis. The system is capable of shipboard analysis for specific elements within minutes after sampling, allowing a cursory look upon which an exploration grid can be formulated while on site. A much wider spectrum of up to 40 elements can be evaluated when the wafers are returned to the land based laboratory.

Jan 1, 2011

By D. Potter

In 1990, Freeport Exploration began regional reconnaissance exploration programs in Irian Jaya, the easternmost province of the republic of Indonesia (Fig. 1). Irian Jaya occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea. Freeport was awarded an initial contract of work that totaled 2.6 million hm2 (6.4 million acres). The company was subsequently awarded additional concessions that added 1 million hm2 (2.5 million acres). The concessions require work commitments and periodic relinquishments. Due to these relinquishments, Freeport’s current land position totals 1.9 million hm2 (4.7 million acres). Freeport began the exploration program to locate additional Grasberg deposits, the largest deposit in the Ertsberg district. But the company recognized that other types of deposits could be present in the largely unexplored area of Irian Jaya.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jonathan E. Ludlow

A field test was conducted to demonstrate and quantify the relationship between deep cutting and the creation of airborne respirable dust for longwall mining With a double-ended ranging drum shearer. The testing program was carried out on the 3 North longwall of North American Coal Company's Quarto No. y mine in Claringten, Ohio. Continuous recordings of the dust levels were made at both the midface and tail ate areas. Data were collected during 27 shifts during which time 81 complete mining, cycles took place. Both drum speed and the number of picks per line were varied systematically during the testing program to alter the depth of cut while the production rate was held constant by maintaining a constant haulage speed. The test results indicated that at the midface position, airborne respirable dust was strongly dependent upon the depth of cut as influenced by both the drum speed and number of picks. Drum speed had a much stronger effect than number of picks over the experimental range, since a halving of drum speed reduced dust levels by approximately 60 percent while removal of every other vane pick resulted in only a 2.1 percent reduction at constant production. At the tailgate position, however, neither effect was strongly apparent. A tendency for the slower drum speeds to he associated with reduced power consumption and higher haulage speeds (and therefore production rates) was also noted. It is recommended that longwall operators oper¬ate at the lowest available drum speed wherever possible.

Jan 1, 1981

By Robert T. Oxnard

"EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe history of Refractory Recycling indicates there was little recycling until the 1950s. Energy incentives were the primary reason for the beginnings of a recycling effort by the refractory brick manufacturers. Quality benefits quickly became evident and fewer rejects were the result. Today, economic factors including higher valued raw materials and increased competition are the driving forces of refractory recycling.There are some success stories in refractory recycling but we have a long way to go. Few incentives, quality concerns, relatively cheap energy, comparatively lax government regulations, inexpensive landfills and inexpensive substitutes make recycling a difficult choice for many companies. Marketing advantages such as ISO 14000, eliminating multiple audits and reduced liability exposure can tip the scales toward recycling viability. Increasingly, the ideological philosophy of a company, a desire to minimize environmental impact and develop favorable public and other interested party perceptions can drive recycling and waste minimization efforts.Recycled materials can be more trouble ""up front"" and harder to ""manage"" due to their suspect quality. However, due to their nearly inexhaustible supply and the fact that once developed, they constantly contribute to the bottom line, they are certain to be the materials of the future. Waste refractory materials will likely see the same bright future as the steel scrap yards and slag piles of yesterday. In hindsight, we will realize that now was the perfect time to prepare and plan for the bright future of refractory recycling."

Jan 1, 2000

British Mining Fields, by J. E. Metcalf. Published by the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London, 1969. Price 50s. (Students, 30s.). A 100 years or so ago Britain's mining industry led the world in the production of coal and base metals. Although she still maintains a sizeable-and, under the circumstances, remarkably progressive-coal mining industry, her production of most other base minerals has long since been dwarfed by mining fields in the Americas Africa, Australia and the U.S.S.R. Nevertheless the story of mining in Britain is of wider interest than the present scale of operations there might suggest, if only because the domestic British mining industry has in terms of finance, technology and manpower been the fons et origo of many highly productive mining fields outside Britain, including the Witwatersrand goldfields. British Mining Fields was published by the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy to give delegates attending the Ninth Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Conference a succinct account of mining in Britain. The main emphasis is on underground mining of base minerals-treated regionally-with separate chapters on coal and gypsum. The author strikes an admirable balance between historical aspects, geological origin and environment of ore deposits, mining methods and economic factors, and provides a few key references for those who wish to make deeper studies. This is exactly the sort of booklet one often wishes were available on South African mining.

An International Ferro-alloys Congress, arranged by the Ferro Alloy Producers' Association of South Africa, the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the National Institute for Metallurgy, will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 1974. The technical programme, occupying five days, will cover the following topics in relation to all ferro-alloys: 1. Burden preparation, blending, pelletization, handling, reducing agents. 2. Electric smelting furnaces-design, operation, management,- smelting optimization, shop practice, refractories. 3. Mineralogy, reduction behaviour, smelting reactions, slags. 4. Automation, Pollution control. 5. Applications, trends in comsumption, trends in composition specifications. There will be no parallel sessions. Papers in the above topics are invited; review papers will also be welcome. Proposed titles and abstracts in not more than 200 words should be submitted before the 30th of November, 1972, to The Chairman, Programme Committee, INFACON 74, Private Bag 7, AUCKLAND PARK, South Africa. The abstracts will be considered during January 1973, and papers accepted for the Congress must be submitted in final form before the 31st of July, 1973. The proceedings of the Congress will be published as a special volume. There will be a series of post-Congress tours to ferroalloy plants and other places of both technical and scenic interest. A full ladies' programme will be arranged. The First Circular, giving further details, can be obtained from: The Secretary of the Organizing Committee, INFACON 74, Private Bag 7, AUCKLAND PARK, South Africa.

By Donald B. Larson, Milton Finger

The use of explosives in deep rock mining carries conventional blasting technology into a relatively new and unexplored realm. Although bill ions of pounds of explosives are used fairly routinely in mining, quarrying, and construction, almost all of these uses are surface blasting. Most of the in sib processes that are proposed for recovery of mineral or energy resources require the creation of high permeability to provide well defined flow paths in the resource bed. At present there is very little information on the fracturing produced by explosives deep in the earth, and the technology for using explosives in deep rock mining is just evolving. A qualitative understanding of the applicable mechanisms in deep rock fracture leads to some key parameters in the selection of explosives for deep rock mining. The selection and characterization process involves a careful analysis of the field environment and the establishment of tests to determine candidate explosives response to planned and accidental stimuli. The details of this selection and characterization process are given for a few candidate explosives. The use of explosives in deep rock mining must be considered as one of the possible tools for recovery of yet untrapped energy and mineral resources. A basic understanding of explosive deep rock fracture will allow optimum selection of explosive processes or other more appropriate methods for recovery of energy or minerals from a particular resource area. The results of some experimental studies are discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By San-chuan Tang, Wen Chen, Shun-ming Ning, Kan-ping Yu, Qiang Zhao, Xue-yong Xing

"A new type of desilication agent (PA-2) was selected by experiment based on the analysis of the characters of silica gel, and the influence of desilication type, desilication dosage, pH value, temperature and aging time on the desilicating effect was studied. The test results showed that on the conditions that pH was 2.0, temperature was 20""C, aging time was12 hours and the dosage of desilication agent was 0.23%, the desilication rate was higher than 93% in solution.IntroductionVanadium is an important strategic resources, which applies to steel industry and petrochemical industry. The main materials for vanadium product are steelmaking vanadium slag, stone coal and containing vanadium waste catalyst, etc. And stone coal is a low-grade carbonaceous silicified vanadium resource, which is unique material for vanadium extraction in China. Meanwhile, our stone coal reserves is No.l throughout the world.The silica acid solution containing vanadium is produced by acid leaching of raw stone coal or its roasted ore. The silica content of this solution is mostly high, besides, when pH is higher than 2 , the solution is unstable. Furthermore, it is very easy to generate gel substance with the increasing of pH value and standing time. 'Ibis silica gel is composed of colloidal particles with the size in 0.001 - 0.1 um. As a result, it is very hard even impossible for the following operation of solution."

Jan 1, 2013

By Gerrit V. R. Goodman

Supplemental water sprays were placed along the sides of a continuous mining machine to improve suppression and confinement of the dust cloud under the cutting boom to re- duce downwind dust levels. Using a full-scale mock up of a continuous mining machine, preliminary work showed that these side sprays improved suppression of the dust cloud and redistributed this cloud under the cutting head. This led to reductions in dust levels around the machine and in down- wind airways for some positions of the mining machine. This testing also showed that side spray effectiveness was influenced by the distance from the fresh air ventilation device to the cutting surface, termed the ventilation setback distance. These sprays produced larger reductions in machine and re- turn dust levels at smaller setback distances than at larger setback distances. These side sprays then were installed in similar locations on a mining machine at an underground coal mine operation to evaluate their effectiveness for im- proving suppression and capture of dust by the flooded-bed dust scrubber. Although sampling could not be conducted successfully in the return, sampling around the mining ma- chine and at the machine operator showed that dust levels decreased with use of these sprays. Further analysis showed that these sprays were most effective at the smaller setback distances, a result confirmed by full-scale laboratory testing. Keywords Occupational Health, Dust Sampling, Coal Mining. Continuous Mining, Control Technology

By Kenneth L. Cashdollar

This paper is an overview of and introduction to the subject of dust explosions. The purpose is to provide information on the explosibility and ignitability properties of dust clouds that can be used to improve safety in industries that generate, process, use, or transport combustible dusts. The requirements for a dust explosion are: a combustible dust, dispersed in air, a concentration above the flammable limit, the presence of a sufficiently energetic ignition source, and some confinement. An explosion of a fuel in air involves the rapid oxidation of combustible material, leading to a rapid increase in temperature and pressure. The violence of an explosion is related to the rate of energy release due to chemical reactions relative to the degree of confinement and heat losses. The combustion properties of a dust depend on its chemical and physical characteristics, especially its particle size distribution. In this paper, the explosion characteristics of combustible dusts will be compared and contrasted with those of flammable gases using methane as an example. These characteristics include minimum explosible concentration, maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, limiting oxygen concentration, ignition temperature, and amount of inert dust necessary to prevent flame propagation. The parameters considered include the effects of dust volatility, dust particle size, turbulence, initial pressure, initial temperature, and oxygen concentration. Both carbonaceous and metal dusts will be used as examples. The goal of this research is to better understand the fundamental aspects of dust explosions.