The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 12, 1984
Filed:
Feb. 18, 1982
Thomas E Ricketts, Grand Junction, CO (US);
Robert S Burton, Mesa, CO (US);
Occidental Oil Shale, Inc., Grand Junction, CO (US);
Abstract
An in situ oil shale retort is formed in a subterranean formation containing oil shale by excavating one or more horizontally extending voids across a retort site, leaving a zone of unfragmented formation having a horizontal free face adjacent such a horizontal void. In one embodiment, such a horizontal void is excavated across less than the entire width of the retort site, leaving 'side pillars' of unfragmented formation spaced inwardly from adjacent side boundaries of the retort site at opposite sides of such a horizontal void. This reduces the maximum span of the horizontal void, when compared with supporting overburden above the void with one or more interior isolated pillars spaced inwardly from the side boundaries of the retort. The side pillars are explosively expanded. Then such a zone of unfragmented formation is explosively expanded toward such a horizontal void for forming a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale in the retort. The resulting fragmented mass can have a slightly narrowed region along the sides where the side pillars were present.