Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale, Phase 2. Construction, operation, testing, and environmental impact. Final report, August 1981-December 1982. Volume 1

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5399360· OSTI ID:5399360

Stevens, A L; Zahradnik, R L; Kaleel, R J

Occidential Oil Shale, Inc. (OOSI) recently completed the demonstration of mining, rubblization, ignition, and simulataneous processing of two commericalized modified in situ (MIS) retorts at the Logas Wash facility near DeBeque, Colorado. Upon completion of Retort 6 in 1978, Occidential began incorporating all of the knowledge previously acquired in an effort to design two more commercial-sized MIS retorts. Any commercial venture of the future would require the ability to operate simultaneously more than one retort. Thus, Retorts 7 and 8 were developed during 1980 and 1981 through joint funding of the DOE and OOSI in Phase II. Rubblization of the retorts produced an average rubble void of 18.5% in the low grade shale (17 gallons per ton) at the Logan Wash site. After rubblization, bulkheads were constructed, inlet and offgas pipes were installed and connected to surface processing facilities and liquid product handling systems were connected to the retorts. Extensive instrumentation was installed in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories for monitoring the complete operation of the retorts. After pre-ignition testing, Retort 8 was ignited in December of 1981 and Retort 7 was ignited in January of 1982. The retorts were operated without interruption from ignition until mid- November of 1982 at which time inlet gas injection was terminated and water quenching was begun. Total product yield from the two retorts was approximately 200,000 barrels of oil, or 70% of the Fischer Assay oil-in-place in the rubblized rock in the two retrots. Water quenching studies were conducted over a period of several months, with the objective of determining the rate of heat extraction from the retorts as well as determining the quantity and quality of offgas and water coming out from the quenching process. Data from these studies are also included in this Summary Report. 62 figs., 18 tabs.

• Research Organization: Occidental Oil Shale, Inc., Grand Junction, CO (USA); TRC Environmental Consultants, Inc., Englewood, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FC20-79LC10036
• OSTI ID: 5399360
• Report Number(s): DOE/LC/10036-2009-Vol.1; ON: DE86006610
• 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
041000 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
AIR QUALITY
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COLORADO
CONSTRUCTION
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MODIFIED IN-SITU PROCESSES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SHALES
OIL YIELDS
OPERATION
PROCESSING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RETORTING
RETORTS
TESTING
USA
WATER QUALITY
YIELDS