Shell Oil Comapny

Min Jack Tham

Philip J Closmann

Charles C Templeton

Gary Drinkard

Evan H Street, Jr

A process for producing shale oil by circulating hot fluid through a rubble-containing cavern within a subterranean oil shale which contains water-soluble mineral is improved by burning a carbonaceous residue left within one cavity to produce hot fluid for operating power devices and also pyrolyzing the oil shale in a different cavity.

Serially burning and pyrolyzing to produce shale oil from a subterranean

In producing shale oil by circulating hot fluid into and out of void spaces within a subterranean oil shale, a plurality of cavities are formed around a central well, the cavities and the well are interconnected by leaching an areally extensive void space within a layer of water-soluble mineral, and hot fluid is circulated in through the cavities and out through the central well.

Producing shale oil from a cavity-surrounded central well

In producing shale oil by circulating hot fluid into and out of a rubble-containing cavern within a subterranean oil shale, plugging is avoided by permeating a portion of oil shale, consolidating a permeated portion, inflowing fluid outside the consolidated portion, and outflowing fluid from within the consolidated portion so the fluid is filtered through the consolidated portion.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Min Jack Tham