Pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting of six eastern shales in batch and continuous laboratory-scale reactors

Abstract

The Institute of Gas Technology has conducted pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting (PFH) tests of six Eastern US oil shales in batch and continuous laboratory-scale reactors. Batch tests were conducted to determine the effects of temperature (from 480 to 590 °C) and pressure (from 2.8 to 7.0 MPa) on oil yield and carbon conversions for shales from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Continuous laboratory-scale unit tests were conducted with Indiana shale at similar temperatures and at pressures of 2.8 and 4.2 MPa. Carbon conversion to oil was found to increase significantly with increasing hydrogen pressure for all six shales while the relationship between temperature and oil yield was different for each shale. Carbon conversion to gas increased with increasing temperature but was generally unaffected by changes in pressure. The highest oil yield for each shale was obtained at the highest pressure tested of 7.0 MPa. PFH processing has been shown to produce in excess of 200% of the Fischer Assay oil yield for all six shales and up to 268% for one of the shales.