Occidental Oil Shale, Inc.

Occidental Petroleum

Science Applications Incorporated Corporation

Harry E McCarthy

Gordon B French

Chang Y Cha

Allan S Sass

Melvin A Cook

Paul R Kaufman

Clement S Finney

A portion of crude shale oil produced from an in situ oil shale retort is blended with shale oil produced from a Tosco II retorting process to produce a blended shale oil composition having a pour point lower than the pour point of the shale oil produced from the Tosco II retorting process.

Reduction of shale oil pour point

A method of pyrolyzing and desulfurizing coal in a transport reactor to recover volatile fuel values and hydrogen by heating particulate coal entrained in a carrier gas substantially free of oxygen to a pyrolysis temperature in a zone within three seconds.

Process for the production and recovery of fuel values from coal

A subterranean formation containing oil shale is prepared for in situ retorting by initially excavating a plurality of vertically spaced apart voids within a retort site, leaving an intervening zone of unfragmented formation between an adjacent pair of such voids. The intervening zone has substantially parallel upper and lower horizontal free faces adjoining the voids. At least one pancake-shaped load of explosive is placed in the intervening zone. The pancake-shaped explosive load has faces which are substantially parallel to the upper and lower free faces, and the length of the axis of the explosive load is less than the radius of the load. The explosive load is detonated for explosively expanding formation toward the upper and lower free faces for forming an in situ retort containing a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles. In one embodiment, a plurality of such pancake-shaped explosive charges are placed at horizontally spaced apart locations at substantially the same level and approximately in the middle of the intervening zone, and the explosive charges are detonated in a single round of explosions for forming the fragmented mass.

Placement of explosive for forming in situ oil shale retort

The present method involves the initial mining of horizontally extending layers of oil-rich or 'kerogen phase continuous' shale. The oil-rich shale is brought to the surface where it is retorted in above-ground retorts of one of the known types. The leaner oil shale which is still 'in situ' is then explosively fragmented into the voids created when the oil-rich shale was mined, and oil is obtained as the fragmented shale is ignited, in accordance with known horizontal type modified in situ oil shale retorting techniques.

Method of obtaining oil from oil shale deposits

A subterranean formation containing oil shale is prepared for in situ retorting by initially excavating at least one void adjacent a zone of unfragmented formation to be expanded. The zone of unfragmented formation has a substantially horizontal free face adjoining the void. At least one support pillar of unfragmented formation is left in the void for supporting overlying formation. Explosive is placed in the zone of unfragmented formation, and in such a support pillar. Explosive in such a pillar and in the zone of unfragmented formation is detonated in a single round of explosions with a time delay between detonation of explosive in such a pillar and detonation of explosive in the zone of unfragmented formation for first expanding such a pillar toward the void and then expanding unfragmented formation toward the void. The time delay is sufficient for creation of free face at the juncture of such a pillar and the zone of unfragmented formation. The time delay is preferably short enough that explosive in the zone of unfragmented formation is detonated before particles formed by explosive expansion of the pillars have come to rest on the floor of the void. The fragmented permeable mass of formation particles so formed in an in situ oil shale retort is then retorted to recover shale oil from oil shale in the fragmented mass.

Growing community of inventors

Golden, CO, United States of America

Harry E McCarthy