Pressurized Fluidized-bed Hydroretorting Process Research Articles

Environmental data from bench-scale pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting of Eastern oil shales

As part of a three year programme to develop the pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting (PFH) process for Eastern oil shales, tests were conducted in laboratory-scale batch and continuous units as well as a bench-scale unit (45 kg h −1) to generate a data base for six Eastern shales. Data were collected during PFH processing of raw Alabama and Indiana shales and a beneficiated Indiana shale for environmental mitigation analyses. The data generated include trace element analyses of the raw feeds and spent shales, product oils and sour waters. The sulphur compounds present in the product gas and trace components in the sour water were also determined. In addition, the leaching characteristics of the feed and residue solids were determined. The data obtained were used to evaluate the environmental impact of a shale processing plant based on the PFH process. This paper presents the environmental data obtained from bench-scale tests conducted during the programme.

Activated sludge studies of selected contaminants in pressurized fluidized-bed hydroretorting wastewater

Acetone, propionitrile, pyrrole, and thiocyanate were selected as representative compounds of wastewater expected from pressurized, fluidized-bed hydroretorting (PFH) of Eastern oil shales. The PFH process has been the subject of investigation for the purpose of obtaining higher oil yields from Eastern shales than has been possible using conventional retorting methods. Preliminary batch experiments illustrated that acetone, propionitrile, pyrrole, and thiocyanate are aerobically biodegradable by heterogeneous microbiological cultures. The use of three continuous-flow activated sludge reactors to further evaluate the biological treatability of the synthetic waste revealed that the compounds could be removed at hydraulic residence times of as low as 1 day. Three 1 day experiments demonstrated the biological system's capability to accept organic shock loadings without a change in effluent quality. A no-recycle reactor illustrated that the flocculent microbiological population had a high resistance to solids washout. Because a supplementary nitrogen source was not included in synthetic waste treated by the no-recycle unit, it was shown that propionitrile, pyrrole, and/or thiocyanate supplied the nitrogen necessary for biological activity.

Project targets advances in oil shale processing

A $6.5 million project to apply recent advances in fluidized-bed processing to the hydroretorting of eastern oil shale is getting under way. The project, which is to be directed by the Institute for Gas Technology (IGT) under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, will involve subcontracts with a number of universities and companies and will continue for three years. Although proceeding with little fanfare, the project is but one example of recent attempts to develop needed alternative energy technologies for the future. At the core of the program is development of a pressurized fluidizedbed hydroretorting (PFH) process designed by IGT. The proposed PFH process combines IGT's experience in both fluidization and shale retorting. IGT has been active for many years in developing coal gasification processes and, more recently, in developing processes for the utilization of eastern oil shale as an alternative energy source. The principal product of the project will be data for ...