US3586377A - Method of retorting oil shale in situ - Google Patents
Method of retorting oil shale in situ Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3586377A US3586377A US831945A US3586377DA US3586377A US 3586377 A US3586377 A US 3586377A US 831945 A US831945 A US 831945A US 3586377D A US3586377D A US 3586377DA US 3586377 A US3586377 A US 3586377A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- shale
- oil
- oil shale
- communication
- zone
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 239000004058 oil shale Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 47
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 42
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 title description 12
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- VCNTUJWBXWAWEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-J aluminum;sodium;dicarbonate Chemical compound [Na+].[Al+3].[O-]C([O-])=O.[O-]C([O-])=O VCNTUJWBXWAWEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-J 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910001647 dawsonite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052500 inorganic mineral Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000011707 mineral Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000012670 alkaline solution Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 5
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon dioxide Inorganic materials O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000007864 aqueous solution Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002360 explosive Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000001556 precipitation Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910000514 dolomite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010459 dolomite Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010453 quartz Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012239 silicon dioxide Nutrition 0.000 claims 2
- 229910052681 coesite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052906 cristobalite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052682 stishovite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052905 tridymite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 abstract description 16
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 14
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000003079 shale oil Substances 0.000 description 9
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 241000196324 Embryophyta Species 0.000 description 7
- 238000005065 mining Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 6
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000010880 spent shale Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000000197 pyrolysis Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 3
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000015076 Shorea robusta Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 244000166071 Shorea robusta Species 0.000 description 2
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000002386 leaching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000003245 working effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 241000364021 Tulsa Species 0.000 description 1
- AZDRQVAHHNSJOQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N alumane Chemical class [AlH3] AZDRQVAHHNSJOQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- PCRDIRUKXOTDNN-UHFFFAOYSA-K aluminum;sodium;carbonate;hydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[Na+].[Al+3].[O-]C([O-])=O PCRDIRUKXOTDNN-UHFFFAOYSA-K 0.000 description 1
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003575 carbonaceous material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005465 channeling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000567 combustion gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012634 fragment Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000013467 fragmentation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006062 fragmentation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004927 fusion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003673 groundwater Substances 0.000 description 1
- -1 hydraulic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 1
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000011261 inert gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011068 loading method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005007 materials handling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010791 quenching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002285 radioactive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 159000000000 sodium salts Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000003068 static effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007669 thermal treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
- E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
- E21B43/243—Combustion in situ
- E21B43/247—Combustion in situ in association with fracturing processes or crevice forming processes
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
- E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
- E21B43/2405—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection in association with fracturing or crevice forming processes
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/25—Methods for stimulating production
- E21B43/26—Methods for stimulating production by forming crevices or fractures
Definitions
- the heat of retorting is supplied through one of the access means, as by a gas, and the pyrolyzed oil is recovered from the other access means.
- the second such recovery method is the retorting of the oil shale in situ, or in place, which eliminates the need for a retorting plant and its attendant apparatus.
- the in situ method has used conventional injection and producing wells in naturally fractioned zones in the shale body, or the use of communication paths established between the wells by explosive, hydraulic, chemical or electric fractioning means.
- nuclear devices have been considered to create a chimney of broken shale with which communication could be established for pyrolysis.
- Retorting oil shale in situ as shown by the prior art has certain disadvantages. Operation through wells in naturally fractioned zones has the disadvantage that fracture patterns may not be known and the effective porosity and penneability of the formation may not represent desirable values. In addition, all the oil that is developed may not be carried to the producing well because of it banking up ahead of the driving gas. In technical terms, the displacement efficiencies and the sweep efficiency may thus be so low as to render the process uneconomic. Also, if the natural fracturing does not expose sufficient surface area, it may not be possible to pass sufficient heat into the shale body to develop sufficient oil in a given period of time to make the process profitable.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,257 discloses the utilization of nuclear devices to fragment shale to recovery of the hydrocarbons in situ.
- the chimney may, however, fill with water and require operating at pressures too high to be profitable.
- the hazards of such a process are apparent.
- the broken shale may also be distributed nonuniformly as to size and give rise to channeling of combustion gases and result in technical and economic failure.
- Massive walls will also have to be left between successive shots to prevent breakthrough and these will remain largely unretorted resulting in a waste of natural resources.
- this method cannot be used in shallow or thin beds near outcrops, or near mine workings.
- the first oil and gas produced from nuclear chimney retorting may be contaminated with radioactive products and be unuseable. Ground water may be contaminated. Further, nuclear chimneys may be so tall that the loading of material above retorting zones in the lower part of the chimney may exceed the strength of the oil shale at high temperatures and cause local collapse with resulting shutoff of flows.
- the present invention is a process for breaking up and pyrolyzing oil shale in situ in a wide variety of areas, such as near outcrops, above and below mine workings, under close control, thereby eliminating the need for a crushing plant, conventional materials handling, retorting plant, and spent shale disposal.
- This invention can also be used in the production of raw shale oil underground by the thermal treatment of the solid carbonaceous material in outcrop zones which may be too incompetent or too lean for mining.
- the present invention also creates relatively small chimneys of broken oil shale for pyrolysis under closely controlled conditions so that fragmentation is optimized.
- the present invention also provides for control of the rate of pyrolysis not possible with current in situ methods by generating and distributing porosity in the body.
- the present invention also produces raw shale oil underground by means which do not require transport of a major amount of the shale to the surface and do not require construction of a surface retorting plant, although such may be desirable for optimum utilization. Further, the present invention provides an inexpensive method of processing essentially in situ zones of oil shale too lean for profitable recovery by other means.
- An object of this invention is to minimize residence times at temperatures above about l,500 F. to minimize solubility of secondary minerals in order to facilitate their recovery.
- a further object is to follow the retorting operation with leaching of the shale ash with water or specific solutions to leach out and recover mineral values as taught in copending application Ser. No. 571,649, filed Aug. 10, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,787.
- oil shale contains quartz, dolomite and dawsonite (sodium aluminum carbonate hydroxide). The above application discloses a method to recover aluminum values from a mixture of this type without substantial precipitation of SiO,,. 7
- the present invention comprises establishing access means at at least two points in a zone of unmined oil shale, establishing communication between these access means through the zone, fragmenting at least part of the oil shale in the zone in the area of the communication to produce a porous means of fragmented oil shale, supplying heating means to said fragmented oil shale through one of said access means to pyrolyze shale oil in the oil shale and collecting the said shale oil through other of said access means.
- FIGS. la, lb and 1c are a graphic representation of one embodiment of this invention.
- FIG. 2 is a representation of another embodiment of this invention using two contiguous zones
- FIG. 3 is a representation of another embodiment of this invention particularly applicable to zones of great height.
- FIG. la shows a side view of a section of an oil shale zone, generally designated as a.
- Two access means such as tunnels or drifts l and 2 are cut into the zone. If the oil shale zone is relatively shallow, these'points can be substantially near the top and bottom of the zone, respectively.
- a short communication lateral 3 is formed in the zone at a point above tunnel 2 and a cavity 4 is excavated at a point in the zone intermediate access means 1 and 2 but generally in proximity to one or the other of the access means. Any of a number of conventional methods can be used to form the cavity such as by drilling.
- a communicating hole or pattern of holes 5 is formed from the other of said access means to the cavity 4.
- the hole (or holes) 5 is loaded with explosive and detonated in such a manner as to result in a chimney 6 filled with fragmented oil shale indicated generally as b in FIG. 1c.
- the mass of fragmented oil shale b is a porous mass.
- Heating means can then be supplied through one 'of the access means to heat the fragmented oil shale to pyrolyze the oil contained therein.
- the pyrolyzed oil can then be collected by means located in or attached to the other access means.
- the heating means can be, for example, a heated gas, which can be noncombustion supporting, such as natural gas or a mixture of natural gas and up to about 20 volume percent carbon dioxide, or it can be combustion supporting, such as oxygen or air.
- the gas can further be a mixture of natural gas and air.
- a combustion supporting gas is preferred, such as air or a mixture of natural gas and air.
- the fragmented mass of oil shale be subjected to retorting at a temperature of from about 500 to 1,200 F. to drive off the oil contained therein, followed by a substantially complete combustion of shale.
- the spent shale can then be treated with an alkaline solution, at atemperature of up to about 220 F. to dissolve any aluminum values present, as in dawsonite, without substantial precipitation of SiO: and the aluminum values can be recovered from the alkaline solution.
- the leaching and recovery steps are more fully explained in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 571,649, filed Aug. 10, 1966, now US. Pat. No. 3,5 [6,787.
- HO. 2 shows another embodiment of this invention in which two contiguous zones or two contiguous chimneys in one zone are treated simultaneously although the operation in each zone or chimney at any given moment may be somewhat different as is explained more fully below.
- Chimneys 6' and 6 contain porous masses of fragmented oil shale indicated as b' and b, formed as porous mass 6 explained above.
- Air from compressor 7 flows through headworks 8 which contain an ignition system and is ignited therein. The air then flows through the shale mass to offtake duct 9 to the oil recovery system 10, which can be any known oil separation system.
- the oil contained in the shale is retorted during the airflow and also flows into oil recovery system 10.
- the gas 11 which has been denuded of oil in recovery system 110 is returned, mixed with air from compressor 13 and is passed to the bottom of the second chimney 6".
- the gas 11 contains primarily combustion products from the air burning and the other noncombustible air compounds.
- the gas-air mixture is ignited at the bottom of the chimney and preheats the shale mass in chimney 6" in its passage therethrough to a temperature of about 200 to 400 F.
- the mixture of combustion products and recycle gas passes out through headworks l4 and recycle compressor 15 and can be combined with the air in the headworks 8.
- the recycle gas has the effect of recovering heat from the spent shale indicated as 16 above the combustion zone 17, of reducing peak temperature in the combustion zone to minimize fusion and clinkering and of increasing the length of the zone above any given temperature up to the maximum.
- This invention may be applied in many ways. in very thick oil shales sections there may be zones which are rich enough for profitable mining and above ground retorting. Such a zone would provide a natural access to the top or bottom of a section in which chimneys are to be developed.
- the process of the instant invention can be combined with a known above ground retorting process.
- three access tunnels can be originally formed and chimneys developed above and below the middle tunnel.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the instant invention in which a chimney of great height can be developed in sections with choke points 18 left in the oil shale structure. At this smaller opening on choke point 18 the oil shale will bridge the opening as it is fragmented and limit the static load of the broken shale at any point in the chimney while still allowing a steady flow of gas and oil.
- the communication tunnels and drifts although shown essentially round, can have many shapes.
- the advantage of the process is that a large proportion of the oil shale in a given section or bed can be pyrolyzed in situ. This can be done at a fraction of the usual costs per ton for mining, hauling, crushing, handling to retort and spent shale disposal, investment in supply, ignition and recovery systems of the usual above ground retorting plant.
- the invention is further advantageous for processing leaner shales, operating in areas where disposal and other such problems would preclude surface or subsurface mining and utility and/or more efficiency in areas precluded for other in situ methods.
- a method of obtaining shale oil from a zone of unmined oil shale which comprises establishing access means at at least two points in said zone, establishing communication between these access means through the zone, fragmenting at least part of the oil shale in the zone in the area of the communication to produce a porous mass of fragmented oil shale, supplying heating means to said fragmented oil shale through one of said access points to pyrolyze shale oil in the oil shale and collecting said shale oil through the other of said access means.
- the establishing of communication between said access means includes establishing a cavity in the zone intermediate the access means and proximate to one of said access means in which it is in communication and establishing communication between said cavity and the other of said access means.
- the mineral values include quartz, dolomite and dawsonite
- the aqueous solution is an alkaline solution
- the pyrolyzed shale is treated with the alkaline solution at a temperature of up to about 220 F. to dissolve aluminum values in said dawsonite without substantial precipitation of SiO,.
Abstract
This invention relates to a process for the recovery of oil from an underground, unmined zone of oil shale. Access is obtained at at least two points in the zone, which can be, for example, in a shallow zone, near the top and bottom of the zone, communication is established between the access means, and at least part of the oil shale zone is fragmented. The heat of retorting is supplied through one of the access means, as by a gas, and the pyrolyzed oil is recovered from the other access means.
Description
United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor Rex'LEllington Tulsa, Okla.
fin 9 9 9R9 262 6 n w n Pd m gm r. VVP 60 667 999 111 //l 923 672 767 42 90 333 W m o C 0 1m 67 99k 1R 0 2 M12! mm B JA 0 e N mm L n w Ha AFPA .lIlltl. I253 2247 [till Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser New York, N.Y.
AnorneyMcLean, Morton and Boustead [54] METHOD OF RETORTING OIL SHALE IN SITU e. 8 m n f0 [02 cmnvnv m m we m..m.m amm. u w,m m wum h eg nd On m n 2 1mm .mmw f T E n r C w WA mm e W ms 9Clalms, 5 Drawing Figs.
ple, in a shallow zone, near the top and mmunication is established between the 299/4, which can be, for exam bottom of the zone, co
[Sl] Int. 2lb43/26. access means, and at least part of the oil shale zone is frag- E2lc 43/00 299/2, 4, 5; 166/259, 272
mented. The heat of retorting is supplied through one of the access means, as by a gas, and the pyrolyzed oil is recovered from the other access means.
[50] Field AIR METHOD OF RETORTING OIL SHALE IN SITU The recovery of oil from oil shale has heretofore generally been accomplished by one of two methods. The first such method includes mining the oil shale out of the ground, crushing and then retorting or pyrolyzing the crushed oil shale in a fixed retorting plant or structure to retort the oil contained therein. The predominant processes of retorting oil shale are the downflow and upflow gas combustion retorts processes and the hot pebble solid-solid heat transfer process. The second such recovery method is the retorting of the oil shale in situ, or in place, which eliminates the need for a retorting plant and its attendant apparatus. Generally, the in situ method has used conventional injection and producing wells in naturally fractioned zones in the shale body, or the use of communication paths established between the wells by explosive, hydraulic, chemical or electric fractioning means. Recently, nuclear devices have been considered to create a chimney of broken shale with which communication could be established for pyrolysis.
The above ground retorting operations employed generally are cumbersome and expensive, involving large equipment and high operating costs per unit of shale processed. Important factors contributing to these economic burdens have been poor heat heat recovery in the retorting system and the expense, equipment and time consumed in mining and crushing the shale, and in subsequently recovering the products of retorting. These conditions have led to many efforts to process the oil shale in place to eliminate the expense of a crushing and retorting plant.
Retorting oil shale in situ as shown by the prior art has certain disadvantages. Operation through wells in naturally fractioned zones has the disadvantage that fracture patterns may not be known and the effective porosity and penneability of the formation may not represent desirable values. In addition, all the oil that is developed may not be carried to the producing well because of it banking up ahead of the driving gas. In technical terms, the displacement efficiencies and the sweep efficiency may thus be so low as to render the process uneconomic. Also, if the natural fracturing does not expose sufficient surface area, it may not be possible to pass sufficient heat into the shale body to develop sufficient oil in a given period of time to make the process profitable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,257 discloses the utilization of nuclear devices to fragment shale to recovery of the hydrocarbons in situ. The chimney may, however, fill with water and require operating at pressures too high to be profitable. Furthermore, the hazards of such a process are apparent. The broken shale may also be distributed nonuniformly as to size and give rise to channeling of combustion gases and result in technical and economic failure. Massive walls will also have to be left between successive shots to prevent breakthrough and these will remain largely unretorted resulting in a waste of natural resources. Furthermore, this method cannot be used in shallow or thin beds near outcrops, or near mine workings.
It is also known that the first oil and gas produced from nuclear chimney retorting may be contaminated with radioactive products and be unuseable. Ground water may be contaminated. Further, nuclear chimneys may be so tall that the loading of material above retorting zones in the lower part of the chimney may exceed the strength of the oil shale at high temperatures and cause local collapse with resulting shutoff of flows.
The present invention is a process for breaking up and pyrolyzing oil shale in situ in a wide variety of areas, such as near outcrops, above and below mine workings, under close control, thereby eliminating the need for a crushing plant, conventional materials handling, retorting plant, and spent shale disposal. This invention can also be used in the production of raw shale oil underground by the thermal treatment of the solid carbonaceous material in outcrop zones which may be too incompetent or too lean for mining. The present invention also creates relatively small chimneys of broken oil shale for pyrolysis under closely controlled conditions so that fragmentation is optimized. The present invention also provides for control of the rate of pyrolysis not possible with current in situ methods by generating and distributing porosity in the body. The present invention also produces raw shale oil underground by means which do not require transport of a major amount of the shale to the surface and do not require construction of a surface retorting plant, although such may be desirable for optimum utilization. Further, the present invention provides an inexpensive method of processing essentially in situ zones of oil shale too lean for profitable recovery by other means.
An object of this invention is to minimize residence times at temperatures above about l,500 F. to minimize solubility of secondary minerals in order to facilitate their recovery. A further object is to follow the retorting operation with leaching of the shale ash with water or specific solutions to leach out and recover mineral values as taught in copending application Ser. No. 571,649, filed Aug. 10, 1966, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,787. Frequently, oil shale contains quartz, dolomite and dawsonite (sodium aluminum carbonate hydroxide). The above application discloses a method to recover aluminum values from a mixture of this type without substantial precipitation of SiO,,. 7
The present invention comprises establishing access means at at least two points in a zone of unmined oil shale, establishing communication between these access means through the zone, fragmenting at least part of the oil shale in the zone in the area of the communication to produce a porous means of fragmented oil shale, supplying heating means to said fragmented oil shale through one of said access means to pyrolyze shale oil in the oil shale and collecting the said shale oil through other of said access means.
The invention will be further illustrated with reference to the appended drawings in which:
FIGS. la, lb and 1c are a graphic representation of one embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a representation of another embodiment of this invention using two contiguous zones;
FIG. 3 is a representation of another embodiment of this invention particularly applicable to zones of great height.
FIG. la shows a side view of a section of an oil shale zone, generally designated as a. Two access means such as tunnels or drifts l and 2 are cut into the zone. If the oil shale zone is relatively shallow, these'points can be substantially near the top and bottom of the zone, respectively. A short communication lateral 3 is formed in the zone at a point above tunnel 2 and a cavity 4 is excavated at a point in the zone intermediate access means 1 and 2 but generally in proximity to one or the other of the access means. Any of a number of conventional methods can be used to form the cavity such as by drilling. A communicating hole or pattern of holes 5 is formed from the other of said access means to the cavity 4. The hole (or holes) 5 is loaded with explosive and detonated in such a manner as to result in a chimney 6 filled with fragmented oil shale indicated generally as b in FIG. 1c. The mass of fragmented oil shale b is a porous mass. Heating means can then be supplied through one 'of the access means to heat the fragmented oil shale to pyrolyze the oil contained therein. The pyrolyzed oil can then be collected by means located in or attached to the other access means. The heating means can be, for example, a heated gas, which can be noncombustion supporting, such as natural gas or a mixture of natural gas and up to about 20 volume percent carbon dioxide, or it can be combustion supporting, such as oxygen or air. The gas can further be a mixture of natural gas and air. A combustion supporting gas is preferred, such as air or a mixture of natural gas and air. In operation, it is preferred that the fragmented mass of oil shale be subjected to retorting at a temperature of from about 500 to 1,200 F. to drive off the oil contained therein, followed by a substantially complete combustion of shale. The spent shale can then be treated with an alkaline solution, at atemperature of up to about 220 F. to dissolve any aluminum values present, as in dawsonite, without substantial precipitation of SiO: and the aluminum values can be recovered from the alkaline solution. The leaching and recovery steps are more fully explained in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 571,649, filed Aug. 10, 1966, now US. Pat. No. 3,5 [6,787.
HO. 2 shows another embodiment of this invention in which two contiguous zones or two contiguous chimneys in one zone are treated simultaneously although the operation in each zone or chimney at any given moment may be somewhat different as is explained more fully below. Chimneys 6' and 6 contain porous masses of fragmented oil shale indicated as b' and b, formed as porous mass 6 explained above. Air from compressor 7 flows through headworks 8 which contain an ignition system and is ignited therein. The air then flows through the shale mass to offtake duct 9 to the oil recovery system 10, which can be any known oil separation system. The oil contained in the shale is retorted during the airflow and also flows into oil recovery system 10. Preferably, the gas 11 which has been denuded of oil in recovery system 110 is returned, mixed with air from compressor 13 and is passed to the bottom of the second chimney 6". The gas 11 contains primarily combustion products from the air burning and the other noncombustible air compounds. The gas-air mixture is ignited at the bottom of the chimney and preheats the shale mass in chimney 6" in its passage therethrough to a temperature of about 200 to 400 F. The mixture of combustion products and recycle gas passes out through headworks l4 and recycle compressor 15 and can be combined with the air in the headworks 8. The recycle gas has the effect of recovering heat from the spent shale indicated as 16 above the combustion zone 17, of reducing peak temperature in the combustion zone to minimize fusion and clinkering and of increasing the length of the zone above any given temperature up to the maximum.
This control of temperature and time is especially useful in converting minerals which may be contained in the shale oil such as dawsonite to a soluble for ultimate recovery as is more fully explained in the aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 571,649, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,787.
When the oil shale in chimney 6 is completely retorted and the combustion zone reaches the bottom of the chimney, air injection can be ceased and an inert gas injected to quench burning. Suitable connections can be made to start ignition in chimney 6" thus beginning retorting while another contiguous chimney (not shown) can be preheated in the same manner as has been previously described.
This invention may be applied in many ways. in very thick oil shales sections there may be zones which are rich enough for profitable mining and above ground retorting. Such a zone would provide a natural access to the top or bottom of a section in which chimneys are to be developed. Thus, the process of the instant invention can be combined with a known above ground retorting process. In sections of lean shale which are too thick to be retorted in a single chimney without the shapes of the chimney, three access tunnels can be originally formed and chimneys developed above and below the middle tunnel.
FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the instant invention in which a chimney of great height can be developed in sections with choke points 18 left in the oil shale structure. At this smaller opening on choke point 18 the oil shale will bridge the opening as it is fragmented and limit the static load of the broken shale at any point in the chimney while still allowing a steady flow of gas and oil. The communication tunnels and drifts, although shown essentially round, can have many shapes.
The advantage of the process is that a large proportion of the oil shale in a given section or bed can be pyrolyzed in situ. This can be done at a fraction of the usual costs per ton for mining, hauling, crushing, handling to retort and spent shale disposal, investment in supply, ignition and recovery systems of the usual above ground retorting plant. The invention is further advantageous for processing leaner shales, operating in areas where disposal and other such problems would preclude surface or subsurface mining and utility and/or more efficiency in areas precluded for other in situ methods.
Also, if mineral dawsonite exists in the oil shale, it will be converted to soluble form by the temperatures of retorting and combustion. Thus, after retorting is completed, water or special solutions may be injected into the chimney to leach out the aluminum salt and soluble sodium salts as is more fully explained in the aforesaid Ser. No. 571,649. The liquor from this operation would be sent to recovery systems designed for this purpose.
While the process described herein has been directed particularly to the recovery of shale oil from oil shale, the present invention may be adopted for the recovery of oil from any subterranean oil-containing or oil-producing solid substance. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention, of which many variations may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit thereof.
The embodiments of the invention in which I claim an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:
1. A method of obtaining shale oil from a zone of unmined oil shale which comprises establishing access means at at least two points in said zone, establishing communication between these access means through the zone, fragmenting at least part of the oil shale in the zone in the area of the communication to produce a porous mass of fragmented oil shale, supplying heating means to said fragmented oil shale through one of said access points to pyrolyze shale oil in the oil shale and collecting said shale oil through the other of said access means.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing of communication between said access means includes establishing a cavity in the zone intermediate the access means and proximate to one of said access means in which it is in communication and establishing communication between said cavity and the other of said access means.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said fragmenting is performed using explosives.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating means is a gas.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein a second porous mass of fragmented oil shale is formed in another area of communication contiguous to the first porous mass and the gas from the first mass is transferred through the second porous mass to thereby preheat the second porous mass.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first porous mass is heated to a retorting temperature of from about 500 F. to 1,200 F. and the second porous mass is preheated to a temperature of from about 200 to 400 F.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil shale in the zone is fragmented with two porous masses in the area of the communication separated by an unfragmented area of the communication.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the pyrolyzed oil shale is treated with an aqueous solution to recover soluble mineral values contained in the pyrolyzed shale.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the mineral values include quartz, dolomite and dawsonite, the aqueous solution is an alkaline solution, and the pyrolyzed shale is treated with the alkaline solution at a temperature of up to about 220 F. to dissolve aluminum values in said dawsonite without substantial precipitation of SiO,.
Claims (8)
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the establishing of communication between said access means includes establishing a cavity in the zone intermediate the access means and proximate to one of said access meaNs in which it is in communication and establishing communication between said cavity and the other of said access means.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said fragmenting is performed using explosives.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the heating means is a gas.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein a second porous mass of fragmented oil shale is formed in another area of communication contiguous to the first porous mass and the gas from the first mass is transferred through the second porous mass to thereby preheat the second porous mass.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first porous mass is heated to a retorting temperature of from about 500* F. to 1,200* F. and the second porous mass is preheated to a temperature of from about 200* to 400* F.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil shale in the zone is fragmented with two porous masses in the area of the communication separated by an unfragmented area of the communication.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the pyrolyzed oil shale is treated with an aqueous solution to recover soluble mineral values contained in the pyrolyzed shale.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the mineral values include quartz, dolomite and dawsonite, the aqueous solution is an alkaline solution, and the pyrolyzed shale is treated with the alkaline solution at a temperature of up to about 220* F. to dissolve aluminum values in said dawsonite without substantial precipitation of SiO2.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US83194569A | 1969-06-10 | 1969-06-10 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3586377A true US3586377A (en) | 1971-06-22 |
Family
ID=25260263
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US831945A Expired - Lifetime US3586377A (en) | 1969-06-10 | 1969-06-10 | Method of retorting oil shale in situ |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US3586377A (en) |
Cited By (37)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3675715A (en) * | 1970-12-30 | 1972-07-11 | Forrester A Clark | Processes for secondarily recovering oil |
US3765722A (en) * | 1971-08-02 | 1973-10-16 | Continental Oil Co | Method for recovering petroleum products or the like from subterranean mineral deposits |
US3951456A (en) * | 1973-08-03 | 1976-04-20 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Process for effecting even retort working fluid flow throughout an in situ retort containing carbonaceous deposits |
US3957305A (en) * | 1974-02-11 | 1976-05-18 | Rapidex, Inc. | In situ values extraction |
US3987851A (en) * | 1975-06-02 | 1976-10-26 | Shell Oil Company | Serially burning and pyrolyzing to produce shale oil from a subterranean oil shale |
US3994343A (en) * | 1974-03-04 | 1976-11-30 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Process for in situ oil shale retorting with off gas recycling |
US4005752A (en) * | 1974-07-26 | 1977-02-01 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Method of igniting in situ oil shale retort with fuel rich flue gas |
US4045085A (en) * | 1975-04-14 | 1977-08-30 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Fracturing of pillars for enhancing recovery of oil from in situ oil shale retort |
US4065183A (en) * | 1976-11-15 | 1977-12-27 | Trw Inc. | Recovery system for oil shale deposits |
US4082145A (en) * | 1977-05-18 | 1978-04-04 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an in situ oil shale retort by sound monitoring |
US4084640A (en) * | 1976-11-04 | 1978-04-18 | Marathon Oil Company | Combined combustion for in-situ retorting of oil shales |
US4089375A (en) * | 1976-10-04 | 1978-05-16 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | In situ retorting with water vaporized in situ |
US4093026A (en) * | 1977-01-17 | 1978-06-06 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Removal of sulfur dioxide from process gas using treated oil shale and water |
US4105072A (en) * | 1976-11-29 | 1978-08-08 | Occidental Oil Shale | Process for recovering carbonaceous values from post in situ oil shale retorting |
US4109964A (en) * | 1976-01-22 | 1978-08-29 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for preconditioning oil shale preliminary to explosive expansion and in situ retorting thereof |
US4120354A (en) * | 1977-06-03 | 1978-10-17 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an in situ oil shale retort by pressure monitoring |
US4126180A (en) * | 1976-08-16 | 1978-11-21 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method of enhancing yield from an in situ oil shale retort |
US4147389A (en) * | 1977-02-22 | 1979-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for establishing a combustion zone in an in situ oil shale retort |
US4147388A (en) * | 1976-08-23 | 1979-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for in situ recovery of liquid and gaseous products from oil shale deposits |
US4150722A (en) * | 1978-03-10 | 1979-04-24 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a retorting zone in an oil shale retort by rate of shale oil production |
US4162706A (en) * | 1978-01-12 | 1979-07-31 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an oil shale retort by monitoring pressure drop across the retort |
US4171146A (en) * | 1978-01-23 | 1979-10-16 | Occidental Research Corporation | Recovery of shale oil and magnesia from oil shale |
US4191251A (en) * | 1974-04-29 | 1980-03-04 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Process for recovering carbonaceous values from in situ oil shale retorting |
US4202412A (en) * | 1978-06-29 | 1980-05-13 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Thermally metamorphosing oil shale to inhibit leaching |
US4246965A (en) * | 1979-09-04 | 1981-01-27 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for operating an in situ oil shale retort having channelling |
US4260192A (en) * | 1979-02-21 | 1981-04-07 | Occidental Research Corporation | Recovery of magnesia from oil shale |
US4263970A (en) * | 1977-01-27 | 1981-04-28 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for assuring uniform combustion in an in situ oil shale retort |
US4265307A (en) * | 1978-12-20 | 1981-05-05 | Standard Oil Company | Shale oil recovery |
US4285547A (en) * | 1980-02-01 | 1981-08-25 | Multi Mineral Corporation | Integrated in situ shale oil and mineral recovery process |
US4328863A (en) * | 1980-03-14 | 1982-05-11 | Standard Oil Company (Indiana) | In situ retorting of oil shale |
US4378949A (en) * | 1979-07-20 | 1983-04-05 | Gulf Oil Corporation | Production of shale oil by in-situ retorting of oil shale |
US4379590A (en) * | 1979-03-27 | 1983-04-12 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Ventilation air and process air distribution for in situ oil shale retorts |
US4440444A (en) * | 1981-06-15 | 1984-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for controlling void in an in situ oil shale retort |
US4458948A (en) * | 1981-01-23 | 1984-07-10 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Horizontal free face blasting for minimizing channeling and mounding in situ retort with cusp at intermediate elevation |
US4611856A (en) * | 1981-03-23 | 1986-09-16 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Two-level, horizontal free face mining system for in situ oil shale retorts |
US20160215604A1 (en) * | 2015-01-28 | 2016-07-28 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Well treatment |
WO2022225569A1 (en) * | 2021-04-19 | 2022-10-27 | Red Leaf Resources, Inc. | Low temperature homogeneous charge continuous oxidation pyrolysis of carbon ores |
-
1969
- 1969-06-10 US US831945A patent/US3586377A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (39)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3675715A (en) * | 1970-12-30 | 1972-07-11 | Forrester A Clark | Processes for secondarily recovering oil |
US3765722A (en) * | 1971-08-02 | 1973-10-16 | Continental Oil Co | Method for recovering petroleum products or the like from subterranean mineral deposits |
US3951456A (en) * | 1973-08-03 | 1976-04-20 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Process for effecting even retort working fluid flow throughout an in situ retort containing carbonaceous deposits |
US3957305A (en) * | 1974-02-11 | 1976-05-18 | Rapidex, Inc. | In situ values extraction |
US3994343A (en) * | 1974-03-04 | 1976-11-30 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Process for in situ oil shale retorting with off gas recycling |
US4191251A (en) * | 1974-04-29 | 1980-03-04 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Process for recovering carbonaceous values from in situ oil shale retorting |
US4005752A (en) * | 1974-07-26 | 1977-02-01 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | Method of igniting in situ oil shale retort with fuel rich flue gas |
US4045085A (en) * | 1975-04-14 | 1977-08-30 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Fracturing of pillars for enhancing recovery of oil from in situ oil shale retort |
US3987851A (en) * | 1975-06-02 | 1976-10-26 | Shell Oil Company | Serially burning and pyrolyzing to produce shale oil from a subterranean oil shale |
US4109964A (en) * | 1976-01-22 | 1978-08-29 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for preconditioning oil shale preliminary to explosive expansion and in situ retorting thereof |
US4126180A (en) * | 1976-08-16 | 1978-11-21 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method of enhancing yield from an in situ oil shale retort |
US4147388A (en) * | 1976-08-23 | 1979-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for in situ recovery of liquid and gaseous products from oil shale deposits |
US4089375A (en) * | 1976-10-04 | 1978-05-16 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | In situ retorting with water vaporized in situ |
US4084640A (en) * | 1976-11-04 | 1978-04-18 | Marathon Oil Company | Combined combustion for in-situ retorting of oil shales |
US4065183A (en) * | 1976-11-15 | 1977-12-27 | Trw Inc. | Recovery system for oil shale deposits |
US4105072A (en) * | 1976-11-29 | 1978-08-08 | Occidental Oil Shale | Process for recovering carbonaceous values from post in situ oil shale retorting |
US4093026A (en) * | 1977-01-17 | 1978-06-06 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Removal of sulfur dioxide from process gas using treated oil shale and water |
US4140181A (en) * | 1977-01-17 | 1979-02-20 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Two-stage removal of sulfur dioxide from process gas using treated oil shale |
US4263970A (en) * | 1977-01-27 | 1981-04-28 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for assuring uniform combustion in an in situ oil shale retort |
US4147389A (en) * | 1977-02-22 | 1979-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for establishing a combustion zone in an in situ oil shale retort |
US4082145A (en) * | 1977-05-18 | 1978-04-04 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an in situ oil shale retort by sound monitoring |
US4120354A (en) * | 1977-06-03 | 1978-10-17 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an in situ oil shale retort by pressure monitoring |
US4162706A (en) * | 1978-01-12 | 1979-07-31 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a processing zone in an oil shale retort by monitoring pressure drop across the retort |
US4171146A (en) * | 1978-01-23 | 1979-10-16 | Occidental Research Corporation | Recovery of shale oil and magnesia from oil shale |
US4150722A (en) * | 1978-03-10 | 1979-04-24 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Determining the locus of a retorting zone in an oil shale retort by rate of shale oil production |
US4202412A (en) * | 1978-06-29 | 1980-05-13 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Thermally metamorphosing oil shale to inhibit leaching |
US4265307A (en) * | 1978-12-20 | 1981-05-05 | Standard Oil Company | Shale oil recovery |
US4260192A (en) * | 1979-02-21 | 1981-04-07 | Occidental Research Corporation | Recovery of magnesia from oil shale |
US4379590A (en) * | 1979-03-27 | 1983-04-12 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Ventilation air and process air distribution for in situ oil shale retorts |
US4378949A (en) * | 1979-07-20 | 1983-04-05 | Gulf Oil Corporation | Production of shale oil by in-situ retorting of oil shale |
US4246965A (en) * | 1979-09-04 | 1981-01-27 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for operating an in situ oil shale retort having channelling |
US4285547A (en) * | 1980-02-01 | 1981-08-25 | Multi Mineral Corporation | Integrated in situ shale oil and mineral recovery process |
US4328863A (en) * | 1980-03-14 | 1982-05-11 | Standard Oil Company (Indiana) | In situ retorting of oil shale |
US4458948A (en) * | 1981-01-23 | 1984-07-10 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Horizontal free face blasting for minimizing channeling and mounding in situ retort with cusp at intermediate elevation |
US4611856A (en) * | 1981-03-23 | 1986-09-16 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Two-level, horizontal free face mining system for in situ oil shale retorts |
US4440444A (en) * | 1981-06-15 | 1984-04-03 | Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. | Method for controlling void in an in situ oil shale retort |
US20160215604A1 (en) * | 2015-01-28 | 2016-07-28 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Well treatment |
WO2022225569A1 (en) * | 2021-04-19 | 2022-10-27 | Red Leaf Resources, Inc. | Low temperature homogeneous charge continuous oxidation pyrolysis of carbon ores |
US11920088B2 (en) | 2021-04-19 | 2024-03-05 | Red Leaf Resources, Inc. | Low temperature homogeneous charge continuous oxidation pyrolysis of carbon ores |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US3586377A (en) | Method of retorting oil shale in situ | |
US3572838A (en) | Recovery of aluminum compounds and oil from oil shale formations | |
US3113620A (en) | Process for producing viscous oil | |
US3516495A (en) | Recovery of shale oil | |
US4483398A (en) | In-situ retorting of oil shale | |
US4091869A (en) | In situ process for recovery of carbonaceous materials from subterranean deposits | |
US3537528A (en) | Method for producing shale oil from an exfoliated oil shale formation | |
US3987851A (en) | Serially burning and pyrolyzing to produce shale oil from a subterranean oil shale | |
US3513913A (en) | Oil recovery from oil shales by transverse combustion | |
US4444258A (en) | In situ recovery of oil from oil shale | |
US3513914A (en) | Method for producing shale oil from an oil shale formation | |
US3618663A (en) | Shale oil production | |
US4366864A (en) | Method for recovery of hydrocarbons from oil-bearing limestone or dolomite | |
US3759574A (en) | Method of producing hydrocarbons from an oil shale formation | |
US3734184A (en) | Method of in situ coal gasification | |
US3434757A (en) | Shale oil-producing process | |
US4241952A (en) | Surface and subsurface hydrocarbon recovery | |
CN112096380A (en) | High-strength mining rock stratum migration grouting control and grouting amount calculation method | |
US3001775A (en) | Vertical flow process for in situ retorting of oil shale | |
US3303881A (en) | Underground nuclear detonations for treatment and production of hydrocarbons in situ | |
US4043597A (en) | Multiple level preparation of oil shale retort | |
US4117886A (en) | Oil shale retorting and off-gas purification | |
US4096912A (en) | Methods for minimizing plastic flow of oil shale during in situ retorting | |
US3734180A (en) | In-situ gasification of coal utilizing nonhypersensitive explosives | |
US3465818A (en) | Undercutting of nuclearly detonated formations by subsequent nuclear detonations at greater depth and uses thereof in the recovery of various minerals |