Application of laboratory results to the design of a high yield VMIS oil shale retort

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6431951

Bickel, T C; Ricketts, T E

In situ oil shale retorts have typically been designed to process a rubble bed having uniform cross-sectional rubble properties. Edge effects during rock fragmentation commonly produce increased void at the perimeter of these low-void retorts. Previous laboratory and field results have demonstrated this void variation normal to the direction of flow causes non-uniform retort front velocities that result in significantly lower oil yield. It is unlikely that process control parameters (e.g. multiple injection points, steam, etc.) can provide any significant yield improvement in these non uniform retorts. Any large improvement would come from modified rubblization concepts. This paper describes a modification to the retort blast design to achieve a uniform retorting front velocity in rubble with non-uniform properties (void fraction and particle size).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs.
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6431951
• Report Number(s): CONF-861146-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMBUSTION
COMMINUTION
CONTROL
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINEERING
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
IN-SITU COMBUSTION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
OIL SHALES
OXIDATION
PARTICLE SIZE
PRESSURE DROP
PROCESS CONTROL
PROCESSING
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
RETORTING
RETORTS
ROCK MECHANICS
SIZE
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
VOID FRACTION