Standard Oil Company (indiana)

Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

Amoco Corporation

Gulf Oil Corporation

George H Watson

Adrian Brown

David B McWhorter

Thomas L Speer

An environmentally acceptable disposal site has at least one vapor break extending through a pile of synthetic fuel tailings, spent catalyst, spent ore, and/or other waste material. The vapor breaks can be permeable seams or columns of porous rocky overburden and/or a pneumatic pipeline. Circulation of air through the vapor breaks can be enhanced by air blowers, fans, or other force air inducers. The top and sides of the pile are covered with top soil and vegetated with trees, shrubbery, and grass to minimize erosion and blowing of the tailings as well as to provide a pleasing aesthetic appearance. The tailings preferably comprise spent oil shale which has been combusted, cooled, and moisturized. Desirably, the disposal site is built and operated in conjunction with a surface retort, combustor, heat recovery unit (cooler), and associated equipment.

Retorting system and disposal site

A process is provided for retorting synthetic fuels, such as oil shale, and disposing of the tailings in an environmentally acceptable manner. In the process, raw synthetic fuels are retorted in a surface retort to produce synthetic oil. The synthetic oil is dedusted and upgraded. The retorted synthetic fuels can be combusted and moisturized to generate heat for the retort, produce steam, and facilitate handling of the residual waste material (tailings). A disposal site of spent synthetic fuels, spent upgrading catalyst, dust, and/or other material is formed with vapor breaks at one or more levels in the pile. Air is passed through the vapor breaks to evaporate leachate rather than permitting the leachate to carry pollutants from the pile into the ground and surrounding bodies of water.

Disposal of spent oil shale and other materials

Disclosed is a process for the slurry backfilling of subterranean in situ oil shale retorts, especially the improvement comprising introducing a slurry of sand and water into the subterranean retort so as to form drainage paths for the removal of water from the slurry of spent shale and water. Disclosed is a process for the subterranean in situ retorting of oil shale and disposal of spent shale from surface retorting comprising forming a subterranean in situ retort so that the subterranean retort contains a mass of rubblized oil shale; passing a retorting fluid through said rubblized mass so as to substantially retort said mass and recover hydrocarbons; cooling the subterranean retort; introducing a slurry comprising water and spent oil shale from surface retorting into said subterranean retort; and introducing a slurry comprising water and a material capable of forming a porous structure at one or more points in the subterranean retort so as to form one or more drainage paths for the removal of water from the slurry of water and spent shale from surface retorting; so that the spent shale from surface retorting is effectively disposed of and a mechanically and environmentally suitable underground formation is established.

Growing community of inventors

Naperville, IL, United States of America

George H Watson