Hydrotorting of shale to produce shale oil

Patent · Tue Nov 02 04:00:00 EST 1971

OSTI ID:6280800

Schlinger, W C; Jesse, D R; Tassoney, J P

A continuous process for recovering shale oil from a slurry of raw oil shale in shale oil is discussed. In a contacting zone, water and hydrogen gas are injected under pressure into the raw oil-shale-shale oil slurry and the mixture is immediately introduced into a tubular retort maintained at a temperature in the range of about 850$ to 950$F and at a pressure in the range of about 300 to 1,000 psig, and preferably at 500 psig, for maximum yields of shale oil having a minimum nitrogen content. Under conditions of turbulent flow, in the tubular retort, the raw shale is completely stripped of kerogen in about one-fourth to 3 min (preferably less than a minute), and by simultaneous pyrolysis and hydrogenation the kerogen is converted to a gaseous effluent from which shale oil is separated having a substantially reduced nitrogen and sulfur content. Essentially, all of the spent shale is removed from the gaseous stream by means of a unique centrifugal separator and recovered without the loss of hydrogen or the reduction in line pressure. (11 claims)

• Assignee: TUL; EDB-81-109360
• Patent Number(s): US 3617470
• OSTI ID: 6280800
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENTRIFUGATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAS INJECTION
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGENATION
HYDROTORTING PROCESS
KEROGEN
MATERIALS
MEDIUM PRESSURE
MINERAL OILS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MATTER
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRODUCTION
PYROLYSIS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SHALE OIL
SULFUR
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WATER