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Title: Beneficiation and hydroretorting of low grade oil shale

Conference · · Proceedings, Eastern Oil Shale Symposium; (United States)
OSTI ID:6205035

A new approach to oil recovery from low grade oil shales has been developed jointly by the Mineral Resources Institute (MRI) of The University of Alabama and the HYCRUDE Corporation. The approach is based on the HYTORT process, which utilized hydrogen gas during the retorting process to enhance oil yields from many types of oil shales. The performance of the HYTORT process is further improved by combining it with MRI's froth flotation process. Taking advantage of differences in the surface properties of the kerogen and the inorganic mineral constituents of the oil shales, the MRI process can reject up to three quarters by weight of relatively kerogen-free inorganic fractions of the oil shale before HYTORT processing. The HYTORT and MRI processes are discussed. Results of tests by each process on oil shales of low to moderate inherent kerogen content are presented. Also discussed are the results of the combined processes on an Indiana New Albany oil shale. By combining the two processes, the raw shale which yielded 12 gallons of oil per ton by Fischer Assay was upgraded by flotation to a product yielding 27 gallons of Fischer Assay oil per ton. HYTORT processing of the beneficiated product recovered 54 gallons of oil per ton, an improvement in oil yield by a factor of 4.5 over the raw shale Fischer Assay.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
OSTI ID:
6205035
Report Number(s):
CONF-8411130-
Journal Information:
Proceedings, Eastern Oil Shale Symposium; (United States), Vol. IMMR84/124; Conference: Eastern oil shale symposium, Lexington, KY, USA, 27 Nov 1984
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English