Method of recovering hydrocarbon from oil shale

Patent · Tue Sep 08 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5918969

Friedman, R H

This patent describes a method for recovering hydrocarbons from oil shale comprising mineral rock and kerogen materials comprising: (a) crushing the oil shale to a coarse texture including chunks of one inch or more; (b) exposing the crushed oil shale to a hydrogen doning solvent including tetralin for at least 3 days sufficient to accomplish at least partial disintegration of the oil shale mineral; (c) exposing the oil shale material to an oxidative environment comprising a free oxygen-containing gas at a temperature of at least 60/sup 0/C for sufficient time to cause oxidative scission of a portion of the kerogen which produces organic fragments removed from the kerogen, the oxidative environment also including a liquid solvent for the organic fragments; (d) separating the solvent and organic fragments from the residual solids; and (e) separating the organic fragments from the solvent.

• Assignee: Texaco Inc., White Plains, NY
• Patent Number(s): US 4692239
• OSTI ID: 5918969
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
AROMATICS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMMINUTION
DISSOLUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXTRACTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
KEROGEN
MATERIALS
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MATTER
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PARTICLE SIZE
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SHALE OIL
SIZE
SOLUTES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENTS
TETRALIN