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The Organic Petrology Laboratory (OPL) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Energy Resources Science Center in Reston, Virginia, contains several thousand processed coal sample materials that were loosely organized in laboratory drawers for the past several decades... |
Thursday, September 27, 2012 Type: Publication
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Groundwater concentration data and solid-phase leachate data were collected for samples taken in and around Tuba City Open Dump, Tuba City, Arizona, in 2008. Sample locations, sample collection and analytical methods, and previous geochemical results are provided in Johnson and others (2008)... |
Monday, June 25, 2012 Type: Publication
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Electron beam microanalysis of coal samples in U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) labs confirms that As is the most abundant minor constituent in Fe disulfides in coal and that Se, Ni, and other minor constituents are present less commonly and at lower concentrations than those for As. |
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 Type: Outside Publication
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Despite the growing interest in using energy sources other than liquid hydrocarbons (e.g., electricity, natural gas, hydrogen) in the transportation sector, it will be decades before widespread, substantive change to our energy and transportation infrastructure can be implemented... |
Monday, December 26, 2011 Type: Outside Publication
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The principal mission of the USGS Energy Resources Program is to (1) understand the processes critical to the formation, accumulation, occurrence, and alteration of geologically based energy resources; (2) conduct scientifically robust assessments of those resources; and (3) study the impacts of... |
Sunday, December 04, 2011 Type: Publication
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Geochemistry is a constantly expanding science. More and more, scientists are employing geochemical tools to help answer questions about the Earth and earth system processes. Scientists may assume that the responsibility of examining and assessing the quality of the geochemical data they generate is... |
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Type: Publication
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The tool of measuring "vitrinite reflectance" under a microscope has great value in petroleum exploration and coal utilization, and the reflectance is a simple number, such as 1.4% Ro, with some slight variations depending on technique. Sample collection, preparation and measurement are simple... |
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Type: Outside Publication
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The 63rd Annual Meeting of the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology will be held in Porto (Portugal) in September 10-16, 2011, and the meeting venue is the Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto... |
Monday, August 15, 2011 Type: Conference
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A new American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard test method for measurement of the reflectance of vitrinite dispersed in sedimentary rocks has been developed by an international committee of technical experts from government agencies [Page 4, PDF document]... |
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Type: Outside Publication
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Energy Resources and Petroleum Systems in the 21st Century - Technical Sessions:
1) Petroleum Systems and Evaluation of the Unconventional Resources (Shale Gas or Shale Oil, Coal Bed methane and Gas Hydrate)
2) Offshore Exploration: Source Rocks & Petroleum Systems
3) Clean Coal Technology... |
Sunday, March 20, 2011 Type: Conference
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Overview
Background The Geochemistry Laboratory supports Energy Program needs for inorganic and organic analysis and maintains a laboratory information system (LIMS) for geochemical data tracking and sample storage. The lab provides geochemical expertise and analytical support to Federal, State and County agencies, universities and foreign research organizations. The laboratory is located in Building 20 of the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, CO, and is administered by the Central Energy Science Center, Energy Resources Program. Mission The laboratories methodologies and instrumentation focus on coal and petroleum systems geochemistry as applied to national and global energy resource assessment projects, geologic framework, and petroleum processes studies. The geochemistry lab project supports petroleum processes research project, geochemistry of solid fuels, coal research assessment methodology project, and fossil fuel environmental issues including the evaluation of natural sources of greenhouse gases, prediction and monitoring of fossil-fuel quality and baseline studies of fossil fuel in the environment. The laboratories are on the cutting edge of new methodology and method development to achieve these goals. The labs also have a large focus on data preservation and data management. A proactive approach to data management will assure data quality and accuracy for the future. Brian Marshall
Lab Manager
Data
Quality Control
The Energy Geochemistry Laboratory (EGL) implements a Quality Management System that emphasizes a continuous commitment to improve quality and efficiency. Quality Assurance is an integral part of routine laboratory analysis and the EGL has a system in place to identify problems and prevent their recurrence. The Energy Geochemistry Laboratory Quality Management System is implemented in the QA Manual, which is written to embody the USGS Fundamental Science Practices.
Quality Assurance Update
A quality control issue was identified with some geochemical data produced by the Denver Energy Geochemical Laboratory from 1996-2008.
The USGS Energy Resources Program Geochemistry Laboratory initiated a review of its quality assurance practices in 2008, covering quality control and methodology used in inorganic chemical analyses of coal, coal power plant ash, water and sediment samples.
This quality control review found that inorganic chemical analyses by the USGS ERP Geochmistry Laboratory from 1996 through 2008 incorporated quality practices that did not meet standards commonly in use at the time. The most serious shortcoming was the adjustment of raw data to a standard when the instrument reading for the standard was beyond acceptable limits, or when the frequency of repeat analyses of standards was insufficient. In general, adjustment of raw data to account for instrument drift is acceptable practice within strictly defined limits. During the period in question, the maximum adjustment of instrument readings, guided by calibration standards, was not allowed to exceed 10%. However, in some cases the adjustment exceeded 10% and/or was not constrained by an adequate number of control standards. Original instrument readings no longer exist for about 80% of the analyses in question and we are unable to determine the acceptability of drift corrections for most of the samples analyzed during this period. For these reasons, 1996-2008 data from the USGS ERP Inorganic Geochemistry Laboratory should be described as "semi-quantitative" and should be used with care.
Data Review Summary related to data produced by the Denver Energy Geochemical Laboratory from 1996-2008
The review showed that in 25-30 percent of the samples, some analysis had standard deviations greater than 20 percent due to normalization including ICP, ICPMS, Cl, Hg, Se, and S analysis. Updated values will be in future public database releases found on
http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/prov/og/
For specific questions please e-mail energylabs@usgs.gov
Download the table of affected jobs directly.
Version Control
Previous Verson: Archived QA/QC Manual
Page Last Modified: Friday, October 05, 2012
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