Blasting to a horizontal free face with mixing of fragments

Patent · Tue Apr 27 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5141293

Ricketts, T E

An in situ oil shale retort is formed in a subterranean formation wherein the oil shale retort contains a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale. A limited void is formed in the subterranean formation and zones of unfragmented formation are left above and below the void and are loaded with explosive for explosively expanding unfragmented formation toward the void. The explosive is placed into the zones of unfragmented formation for forming a substantially horizontal array of main explosive charges and at least one substantially horizontal array of satellite explosive charges. Each of the satellite explosive charges has a scaled point charge depth of burial substantially equal to the scaled point charge depth of burial of each of the main explosive charges and the actual depth of burial of each of the satellite explosive charges is less than the actual depth of burial of each of the main explosive charges. Explosive is detonated in the blastholes in a single round of explosions for explosively expanding at least one of the zones of unfragmented formation toward the void to form a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale in the oil shale retort.

• Assignee: Occidental Oil Shale Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 4326751
• OSTI ID: 5141293
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RETORTING
SHALE OIL
VOIDS
ZONES