Retorting of oil shale
Oil shale can be thermally distilled at a shale rate above 300 lb/hr/sq ft by a method which includes passing crushed oil shale material downward through a gas combustion retort as a relatively dense moving mass of material through a shale preheat zone, a retorting zone, a combustion zone, and shale cooling zone. Recycled shale gases are passed upward through the retort in direct heat exchange with the downward-moving shale. A combustion-supporting gas is introduced to the retort combustion zone and the gas temperatures within the retort are controlled to not exceed about 1,800$F, by supplying a major portion of the heat of retorting through preheating of the introduced combustion supporting gas external to the retort. Advantages of the system are its simplicity, potential large capacity, and relatively efficient utilization of heat. (10 claims)
- Assignee:
- Mobil Oil Co.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3318798
- OSTI ID:
- 6157400
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
CONTROL
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT TRANSFER
MATERIALS
OIL SHALES
OXIDATION
RETORTING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES