Thermal solvent extraction of a Sunbury oil shale kerogen

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6710269

Leavitt, D R

Thermal solution of an aromatic Sunbury oil shale kerogen was studied using three solvents: toluene above its critical temperature, methylcyclohexane above its critical temperature, and tetralin at subcritical temperatures. 66 thermal solutions tests were conducted which included 29 isothermal tests using all 3 solvents and 37 linear-heating tests using tetralin. Maximum kerogen conversions to soluble products, as determined by low temperature ash analyses, were 49% for extraction with toluene, 58% for extraction with methylcyclohexane, and 80% for extraction with tetralin. The bulk of the product recovery by solvent extraction was observed to occur between 325 and 375/sup 0/C. In this region the yield increased from between 9% to 22% of maximum yield up to 91% to 100% of maximum yield. Analyses of the yields and elemental composition of the spent shale residues from the linear-heating tests suggested a two-step kerogen-to-bitumen decomposition mechanism. This mechanism consists of parent kerogen decomposing to a single intermediate with the release of water, sulfur compounds, and minor amounts of hydrocarbons, followed by decomposition of the intermediate to a final insoluble residue with the accompanying formation of soluble bitumen. Kinetic rate analyses of the test data based on this mechanism permitted determination of rate parameters which successfully predicted the experimental yields from the linear-heating tests and some of the isothermal tests. The value for the activation energy was determined to be 53.9 Kcal/mole with an associated pre-exponential factor of 2.6 x 10/sup 16/ min./sup -1/. Stoichiometric conversion to the intermediate was determined to be 93% of the parent kerogen, while stoichiometric conversion to the final residue was determined to be 25% of the parent kerogen.

• Research Organization: Utah Univ., Salt Lake City (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6710269
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
ACTIVATION ENERGY
ALKANES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
CYCLOALKANES
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
EXTRACTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
KEROGEN
KINETICS
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MATTER
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
REACTION INTERMEDIATES
REACTION KINETICS
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SHALE OIL
SHALE OIL FRACTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TAR
TESTING
TETRALIN
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TOLUENE
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
YIELDS