Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Process for retorting oil shale with fluidized retorting of shale fines

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6226508

Hot particles removed from a retort, preferably retort-sized particles of oil shale removed from a retort operating at superatmospheric pressure, are crushed and fed to a fluidized surge zone maintained under non-oxidizing conditions at substantially the pressure of the retort to forestall escape of retort gases. Raw fines are introduced into the surge zone and retorted without agglomeration by heat transferred from the hot retorted particles and/or a heated fluidizing gas stream to educe hydrocarbonaceous vapors. Educed vapors are scrubbed, condensed and separated into liquid and gaseous product streams, a portion of the latter being recycled to provide fluidizing process gas streams.

Assignee:
Union Oil Company of California
Patent Number(s):
US 4515679
OSTI ID:
6226508
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English