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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Enhanced recovery of hydrocarbonaceous fluids oil shale

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5769288

This patent describes a hydrogen transfer extraction process for recovering hydrocarbonaceous fluids from oil shale containing kerogen. A mixture of the oil shale and a normally liquid hydrocarbon is reacted under substantially autogeneous pressure and a temperature under the retorting temperature of the oil shale for a period of time sufficient to recover hydrocarbonaceous fluids from the shale wherein the amount of liquid hydrocarbon in the mixture does not exceed 25 percent by weight of the shale. The improvement comprises: (a) cooling the reactants and recovering by distillation the hydrocarbonaceous fluids from the shale; (b) extracting the reacted shale with a solvent selected from a member of the group consisting of heptane, pyridine, tetrahydrofuran and mixtures thereof, which extract contains substantially increased amounts of hydrocarbonaceous fluids, which fluids contain substantially reduced amounts of hydrocabonaceous gases and substantially increased amounts of hydrocarbonaceous liquids; and (c) stripping the solvent from the extract and recovering the extract.

Assignee:
Mobil Oil Corp., New York, NY
Patent Number(s):
US 4698149
OSTI ID:
5769288
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English