Aufgaben Und Probleme Des Instituts Fur Kohleforschung in Frankreich, Anforderungen an Den Wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs in Der Forschung Und Seine Aus

The "Charbonnages de France", a holding organization of the nationaliz­ ed French hard coal mining industry carries out its scientific and technical research work at several places, however, to the greatest extent at a central research station where 420 people among them 90 research scientists are employed. Besides that research is being carried out at a pilot coke oven plant and a pilot briquetting plant. In view of the continuously intensified competition on the part of other sources of power, the number of personnel is to be increased in the year 1961 by 15 per cent. In this research service with the official name "Cerchar" eight groups are working in the various comprehensive fields of the mining sector namely: explosives and fight against fire damp and coal dust-explosions - coking - coal chemistry - fuel utilization - coal dressing - briquetting - mining equipment - fight against silicosis. In the activities of most of the research groups concerned, fundamental research and highly scientific work are jointly carried out with more empirical research operations. In addition to that, so to say as an extension of the research work, tests are undertaken in the various French district fields. On the sector of mining practice underground "Cerchar" is above all trying to apply the latest scientific achievements such as electronics, gamma rays etc. for the perfection of the material.