Oil Shale Technology Research Articles

Research on Electric Heating Technology In-situ Oil Shale Mining

The oil shale resources are very abundant with its reserve three times as much as world's proven oil reserve. However, by the limitations of traditional technology and mining methods, the development of oil shale technology is restricted to a great extent. Now researchers are studying the in-situ retorting technology through heating the underground oil shale directly. Then the released oil and gas will be collected on the ground. Among them, electric heating technology is more mature compared with others. In this paper, the oil shale's physical properties are presented in detail. At a high temperature, the oil shale will be cracked as the generation of lots of pores and fractures, which improves the permeability of oil shale fundamentally and creates good conditions for the output of oil and gas. Meanwhile, some of the most advanced technologies of electric heating process around the world will be discussed as well. By contrast, ICP has greater advantages over other technologies in environment protecting, cost and product. After comprehensive analysis, the development trend of future electric heating technology will be forcasted in this paper. Keywords: - oil shale, shale oil, ICP technology, electric heating, in-situ retorting

The Tantalizing Promise of Oil Shale

Oil Shale A vast energy treasure lies within an 18,963-sq-mile area of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming: an estimated 4.28 trillion BOE of in-place resources of oil shale, according to US Geological Survey (USGS) research geologist Ronald Johnson. He presented the new assessment at the 31st Oil Shale Symposium, held mid-October 2011 at the Colorado School of Mines. In other countries, while far fewer oil shale resources are thought to exist, their presence is nonetheless formidable. China contains an estimated 333 billion BOE; Russia, 248 billion BOE; Democratic Republic of Congo, 100 billion BOE; Jordan, 90 billion BOE; Brazil, 82 billion BOE; Italy, 73 billion BOE; Morocco, 53 billion BOE; Australia, 32 billion BOE; and Estonia, 16 billion BOE. Israel indicated at the 30th Oil Shale Symposium that its resources may be as much as 250 billion BOE. The CIA World Factbook estimates 2011 world proved reserves of crude oil at 1.47 trillion bbl. Total annual production of oil shale in the only three countries today where it is exploited for commercial use is 73% less than daily worldwide crude oil production of approximately 86.74 million B/D. With oil shale estimates vastly overshadowing those for crude oil, why does oil shale remain a scarcely touched resource? The Bottom Line “In-place resources” and “proved reserves” have markedly different meanings. The former speaks of potential; only the latter indicates the existence of hydrocarbons that can be exploited economically. “No attempt was made to estimate the amount of oil that is economically recoverable,” explains the USGS in the introduction to its 2011 assessment of US Greater Green River Basin oil shale resources, “because there has not yet been an economic method developed to recover the oil from … oil shale.” This statement might be amended, says Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research (COSTAR) director Jeremy Boak, to reflect a view that current producers might suggest, ’whereby, while methods have been developed to recover the oil from oil shale, none has yet demonstrated commercial production of Green River formation shale oil.”

Oil Shale: The Rock That Burns

The term “oil shale” refers generally to fine-grained sedimentary rock that contains solid bituminous materials, called kerogen, which can be converted into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons (petroleum liquids, natural gas liquids, and methane) when the rock is heated in the chemical process of destructive distillation known as pyrolysis. Oil shale is found in a variety of depositional environments, including fresh water to highly saline lakes, epicontinental marine basins and subtidal shelves, and in limnic and coastal swamps, commonly in association with deposits of coal. Unlike crude oil or even tar sands, oil shale has not been subject to high enough heat over a long enough period of time to break the complex solid hydrocarbons down into lighter, liquid and gaseous compounds. One of its defining characteristics, however, is that it contains enough oil to burn without further processing, giving rise to its Ute Indian name, “the rock that burns.” According to Jeremy Boak, director of the Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research, “oil shale” is not a misnomer, as is commonly held. “If oil shale is not shale,” he said, “then neither is the Barnett, the Haynesville, the Niobrara, or the Eagle Ford.” The difference is that shale oil, as currently used for plays like the Bakken and Eagle Ford, refers to rock that contains liquid hydrocarbons, and oil shale refers to rock that yields hydrocarbons upon heating under appropriate conditions. Many names have been used for oil shale over the centuries, such as albertite, algal coal, alum shale, bituminite, boghead coal, cannel coal, gas coal, kerosene shale, kukersite, schistes bitumineux, stellarite, tasmanite, torbanite, and wollongongite. Some of these names are still in use. The organic matter in oil shale—composed chiefly of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and small amounts of sufur and nitrogen—is predominantly kerogen, which by definition is an organic material that is typically insoluble in ordinary organic solvents. The mineral and elemental content of oil shale differs distinctly from coal. The ash (or mineral) content of coal is generally less than 40 weight percent (wt%), whereas oil shale commonly has an ash content greater than 60 wt%. The organic matter of oil shale typically has a higher hydrogen and lower oxygen content than that of lignite and bituminous coal.

CHEMISTRY ENERGIZES CHINA

WHEN IT COMES TO energy generation, China welcomes new approaches. Philip Liu, an entrepreneur from Arizona, has raised $60 million, largely from Chinese investors, for a large-scale demonstration plant he is building in southern China that will turn oil shale into fuel for the local chemical industry. The carbon-rich waste from the plant will feed into an adjacent facility that will produce a low-cost fuel for power and gasification plants. “I don’t think I could have implemented this project in the U.S.,” says the Chinese-born Arizonan. “But in China, when they trust the management team, the investors will put the money down—and quickly.” AuraSource, the U.S.-based company that Liu founded, developed the oil shale technology at R&D facilities in Shanghai after licensing the basic processes from Chinese research centers. AuraSource’s experience is just one illustration of the opportunities that exist in China in the alternative energy field. China has become a magnet for all ...

00/00116 Study of structure analysis of oil shale and fuel-manufacturing technology

00/00116 Study of structure analysis of oil shale and fuel-manufacturing technology

99/02865 Study of structure analysis of oil shale and fuel-manufacturing technology. 5

99/02865 Study of structure analysis of oil shale and fuel-manufacturing technology. 5

DEMONSTRATION CONCEPTS FOR WESTERN UNITED STATES OIL SHALES

ABSTRACT A logical next step in verifying the viability of emerging oil shale technologies in the United States is an engineering-scale demonstration. A joint industry-government study recently completed for a proof-of-concept demonstration at Colorado Tract C-b revealed the cost and benefits of such a demonstration using modified in situ (MIS), circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) and above ground retorting (AGR) processes. A partnership between industry and local, state, and federal governments is being proposed to carry out the program. An array of surface retorting technologies are potential candidates for demonstration. The MIS technology is one of very few in situ technologies ready for demonstration, and it is uniquely suited for the deep thick oil shale in the center of Colorado's Picear.ce Basin. The proof-of-concept demonstration approach provides distinct advantages over proceeding directly to commercial scale.

Application of dielectric spectroscopy to chemical characterization of oil shales

Simple models to predict the variation of dielectric parameters for Green River oil shale with selected variables, are presented. The relative dielectric constant, ε′, was chosen as a representative parameter for these computations. A composite ε′ value was derived for the shale matrix while simultaneously varying shale organic content, moisture content, porosity and mineral composition. Both linear and logarithmic averaging methods were utilized to arrive at these composite ε′ values. In addition, the influence of organic pyrolysis and thermal alterations in the mineral matrix on the composite ε′ value for the shale matrix, were considered. Comparison with experimental results are presented where possible. The utility of these model predictions for assay and diagnostic applications in oil shale technology is described.

オイルシェール開発の現状と将来

オイルシェールの開発には,広い分野の総合的な技術力が必要とされる.Fig.13は,ベクテルが整理したもので,オイルシェール開発技術の展望を示している.オイルシェールは他のエネルギー源に比して品位が低く,1barrelのオイルをとるために約2tの鉱石を処理しなくてはならないというのが最大の悩みである.量との闘いであり,1日に5万barrelの油を生産するためには1日10万tの鉱石を処理しなくてはならない.年間に直すと3650万tということになつて,これは最大級の褐炭鉱山あるいは鉄または銅鉱山にほぼ匹敵するわけで,しかも同時にほぼ同量のスペント・シェールが排出される.従つて,環境破壊に気をつけながら開発を進めていくという極めて困難な問題があり,コスト的にも量をいかにうまくこなすかということが重要な問題となる.オイルシェールの開発は,多方面の技術開発ばかりでなく,ソーシャル・インパクトへの対策まで含めて広範な研究を必要とするビッグ・プロジェクトである.

Practical Applications of Thermophysical Property Measurements in Oil Shale Technology

Abstract The dependence of thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and dielectric constant on organic content is discussed for oil shales of the Green River Formation. The applicability of thermophysical measurements for assaying and retort diagnostic purposes is also discussed in the light of methods that are currently in use in oil shale science and technology.

Thermophysical properties of Devonian shales

A detailed study of the thermophysical properties of Devonian shales from the central and eastern United States has been carried out. Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat and dielectric constant data are presented. A Michigan shale sample with an oil yield of 28 litres per metric ton (1 t −1) and a Kentucky shale (oil yield: 52 l t −1) were selected. The specific heats of these shales are in the range 0.20–0.30 cal gm −1 °C −1, and increase with increasing temperature. The thermal conductivity (κ) of the two shale samples are comparable ( ca. 1 W m −1 °C −1). The κ values show only a weak temperature dependance. The thermal diffusivity (α) of these shales range from 0.3–0.5 × 10 −2 cm 2 s −1 and tend to decrease with increasing temperature. The dielectric constants show anomalously high values at temperatures above 200 °C. This effect is indicative of interfacial polarization mechanisms presumably arising from loss of water and onset of pyrolysis of the shale organic matter. Comparison of the trends in thermophysical behaviour of Devonian shales with data obtained previously on Green River oil shales is presented. The importance of thermophysical measurements in on-field applications in oil shale technology is highlighted.

Evaluation of Feasibility of Mutagenic Testing of Shale Oil Products and Effluents

In an effort to gather preliminary information on the potential genetic hazards of proposed or existing oil shale technologies, we have begun a correlated analytical and genetic analysis of a number of test materials. The work is divided into two phases: one deals with known compounds expected to occur in the environment through shale oil production or use; the other deals with actual samples from existing or experimental processes. A fractionation procedure has been applied to crude product and aqueous product material from an oil shale process. Mutagenicity of the various fractions was assayed by using reversion of histidine-requiring auxotrophs of Salmonella typhimurium (strain TA100, base-substitution mutant; TA98 and TA1537, frameshift mutants). In order to incorporate metabolic activation of these fractions and compounds, we used liver homogenates (S-9) from rats induced with Aroclor 1254 in the standard plate assay. Preliminary results implicate chemical constituents of these fractions (identified or predicted) were tested individually for their mutagenic activity and correlated with the genetic monitoring.

Evaluation of feasibility of mutagenic testing of shale oil products and effluents.

In an effort to gather preliminary information on the potential genetic hazards of proposed or existing oil shale technologies, we have begun a correlated analytical and genetic analysis of a number of test materials. The work is divided into two phases: one deals with known compounds expected to occur in the environment through shale oil production or use; the other deals with actual samples from existing or experimental processes. A fractionation procedure has been applied to crude product and aqueous product material from an oil shale process. Mutagenicity of the various fractions was assayed by using reversion of histidine-requiring auxotrophs of Salmonella typhimurium (strain TA100, base-substitution mutant; TA98 and TA1537, frameshift mutants). In order to incorporate metabolic activation of these fractions and compounds, we used liver homogenates (S-9) from rats induced with Aroclor 1254 in the standard plate assay. Preliminary results implicate chemical constituents of these fractions (identified or predicted) were tested individually for their mutagenic activity and correlated with the genetic monitoring.

Biological effects of raw and processed oil shale particles in the lungs of laboratory animals.

Environmental and occupational health concerns will have an effect on the developing oil shale technologies. The mining and crushing of large volumes of rock will be a characteristic of at least some of these technologies, and above ground disposal of proceessed shale will require adequate control measures. Exposure by inhalation to the dusts that may arise from shale oil technologies may present a hazard both in the work force and in the local population. Animal studies dealing with the effects of oil shale-related materials in the lung are in progress. Experiments involving Syrian hamsters exposed by inhalation and by intratracheal instillation are described.

Oil-shale technology in the USA

Oil-shale technology in the USA

Shale Oil Nears Competitive Level with Domestic Petroleum

Introduction Advancements in oil shale technology, coupled with the sharply rising expense of finding and producing petroleum in the United States, have closed the economic gap between the two fuels. A realistic comparison of shale oil and petroleum costs presents certain problems, for the real meaning of posted crude prices is difficult to ascertain. Marginal crude-producing areas, discovered before the steep rise in exploration and producing costs of the past dozen years, are now being exploited. This report briefly reviews technical activities in oil shale and presents discussion and comparisons of shale oil production economics with crude petroleum prices. Review of Technical Activities Production of oil from shale has been an art and science in various parts of the world for more than a century. In the United States, prophecies of acute domestic petroleum shortages have been made periodically throughout this century. Previous flurries of activity in shale have soon diminished because of economic facts of life. Present efforts in shale development are the most significant to date and may finally indicate serious entry into the field - again because of economic facts. Foremost among current and recent publicized oil-shale activity have been the multimillion-dollar project of the Union Oil Co. of California at Grand Valley, Colo.; the U. S. Bureau of Mines installation at Rifle, Colo., from 1944 to termination of that program in 1955; and the pilot plant retorting work being carried out by the Denver Research Institute (DRI) for the past several years. Most major oil companies hold oil shale land and represent varying degrees of interest and effort within their own organizations. Brazil has vast shale deposits and produces only 30 to 40,000 B/D of petroleum within her own borders - about 20 per cent of present controlled requirements. Most current development work is directed toward the retorting phase of oil shale processing. USBM's mining work at Rifle is generally accepted as having adequately demonstrated that step to furnish basic information. Modern refining technology is such that shale oil can be processed to desired end products using processes with results and costs that are reasonably predictable.