Analysis of the effectiveness of steam retorting of oil shale

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · AIChE Symp. Ser.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5430180

Jacobs, H R; Pensel, R W; Udell, K S

A numerical model is developed to describe the retorting of oil shale using superheated steam. The model describes not only the temperature history of the shale but predicts the evolution of shale oil from kerogen decomposition and the breakdown of the carbonates existing in the shale matrix. The heat transfer coefficients between the water and the shale are determined from experiments utilizing the model to reduce the data. Similarly the model is used with thermogravimetric analysis experiments to develop an improved kinetics expression for kerogen decomposition in a steam environment. Numerical results are presented which indicate the effect of oil shale particle size and steam temperature on oil production.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
• OSTI ID: 5430180
• Journal Information: AIChE Symp. Ser.; (United States), Vol. 79:225
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
42 ENGINEERING
CARBONATES
DECOMPOSITION
KEROGEN
OIL SHALES
RETORTING
EFFICIENCY
HEAT TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
SHALE OIL
STEAM
THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MATTER
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
THERMAL ANALYSIS
040400* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Oil Production
Recovery
& Refining
420400 - Engineering- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow