Method and apparatus for retorting oil shale

Patent · Tue Jun 13 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6644752

Brown, H

In a method and apparatus for recovering oil products from oil shale and like materials, controlled amounts of raw oil shale are delivered into an upper inlet of a downwardly sloping retort chamber that is constructed as readily portable. The raw oil shale is first moved in a direction countercurrent to gravity flow and crushed in the retort chamber by means of a rotating member that also serves to retain the oil shale in the retort chamber until a satisfactory recovery is completed. The crushed oil shale is confined to a relatively thin, downwardly moving layer in contact with a heated, inner, annular wall surface and moves by gravity flow between the inlet and a lower outlet to produce oil product vapors that rise to an upper portion of the retort chamber. The moving layer of the oil shale becomes spent as it passes through the retort chamber and finally is selectively discharged through the lower outlet. The oil product vapors are removed from the retort chamber into a condensing tube in which the vapors are condensed to a liquid form. The oil products are removed from the condenser by weight or are further refined in an adjacent refinery.

• Assignee: Mineral Concentrates and Chemical Co., Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4094769
• OSTI ID: 6644752
• 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
COMMINUTION
CONDENSERS
CRUSHING
DESIGN
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASES
HEATING
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
REMOVAL
RETORTING
ROCKS
SHALE OIL
SHALES
SPENT SHALES
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
VAPOR CONDENSERS
VAPORS