Postburn lithology and mineralogy at Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company's Tract C-a retort 1, Rio Blanco County, Colorado. [Core samples from near the in-situ retort]

Technical Report · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:6735747

Trudell, L G; Mason, G M; Fahy, L J

An investigation was conducted to provide basic data on some of the characteristics of a modified in situ (MIS) oil shale retort after processing. Samples of retort contents and overburden were obtained from three core holes drilled into Rio Blanco's Tract C-a retort 1 in the western part of the Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado. The retort operation had been completed nearly four years before the coring, and the cavity and mine workings had been flooded by groundwater for almost one year. Cores were characterized by lithologic description, x-ray diffraction, and optical microscopy. Drilling and logging records indicate as much as 35 to 40 feet of roof rock has collapsed into the retort since the burn was terminated. A water-filled attic cavity 46 to 62 feet high exists at the top of the retort. One core hole penetrated 377 feet of rubble in the retort and floor rock with numerous fractures below the retort. Most of the material recovered from the retort consisted of highly altered, fused and vesicular rock. Lesser amounts of carbonized, oxidized and moderately heated-altered oil shale were recovered from the upper and lower parts. Raw shale roof fall at the top and unretorted oil shale rubble at the bottom are also present. Thermal alteration has produced high-temperature silicate minerals from the original mixtures of carbonate and silicate minerals in the raw oil shale. Adequate material was recovered from the retort contents to provide valuable data on the lithologic, mineralogic, and physical characteristics of the MIS retort. 19 refs., 12 figs., 17 tabs.

• Research Organization: Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FC21-83FE60177
• OSTI ID: 6735747
• Report Number(s): DOE/FE/60177-2295; ON: DE87007117
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040201 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Site Geology-- (-1989)
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CAVITIES
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COHERENT SCATTERING
COLORADO
DATA
DIFFRACTION
DISASTERS
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
DRILL CORES
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FLOODS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LITHOLOGY
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINERALOGY
MODIFIED IN-SITU PROCESSES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SHALE DEPOSITS
OIL SHALES
OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
OVERBURDEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
RESOURCES
RETORTS
RIO BLANCO OIL SHALE PROJECT
SCATTERING
USA
WATER
X-RAY DIFFRACTION