Staggered array of explosives for fragmented oil shale formation toward a vertical free face

Patent · Tue Mar 25 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5537492

Hutchins, N M; Studebaker, I G

Oil shale formation is explosively expanded toward a limited void volume for forming an in situ oil shale retort in a subterranean formation containing oil shale. In one embodiment, a void in the form of a vertical slot is excavated within a retort site, leaving at least one portion of unfragmented formation within the retort site adjacent to a vertical free face of the slot. Explosive is placed in at least two rows of vertical blasting holes in the remaining portion of unfragmented formation adjacent the vertical free face. The blasting holes in each row are mutually spaced apart along the length of the slot and longitudinally offset from blasting holes in the next adjacent row, and the row of blasting holes extends generally parallel to the vertical free face. Explosive in the blasting holes is detonated in a time delay sequence starting near one end of the slot and progressing along the length of the slot for explosively expanding formation in the remaining portion of unfragmented formation toward the vertical free face for forming a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale in an in situ oil shale retort.

• Assignee: Occidental Oil Shale Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 4194789
• OSTI ID: 5537492
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040300 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Drilling
Fracturing & Mining
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FRAGMENTATION
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
MATERIALS
OIL SHALES
PERMEABILITY
PROCESSING
RETORTING