Preliminary analysis of surface mining options for Naval Oil Shale Reserve 1

Technical Report · Mon Jul 20 04:00:00 EDT 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6784042· OSTI ID:6784042

The study was undertaken to determine the economic viability of surface mining to exploit the reserves. It is based on resource information already developed for NOSR 1 and conceptual designs of mining systems compatible with this resource. Environmental considerations as they relate to surface mining have been addressed qualitatively. The conclusions on economic viability were based primarily on mining costs projected from other industries using surface mining. An analysis of surface mining for the NOSR 1 resource was performed based on its particular overburden thickness, oil shale thickness, oil shale grade, and topography. This evaluation considered reclamation of the surface as part of its design and cost estimate. The capital costs for mining 25 GPT and 30 GPT shale and the operating costs for mining 25 GPT, 30 GPT, and 35 GPT shale are presented. The relationship between operating cost and stripping ratio, and the break-even stripping ratio (BESR) for surface mining to be competitive with room-and-pillar mining, are shown. Identification of potential environmental impacts shows that environmental control procedures for surface mining are more difficult to implement than those for underground mining. The following three areas are of prime concern: maintenance of air quality standards by disruption, movement, and placement of large quantities of overburden; disruption or cutting of aquifers during the mining process which affect area water supplies; and potential mineral leaching from spent shales into the aquifers. Although it is an operational benefit to place spent shale in the open pit, leaching of the spent shales and contamination of the water is detrimental. It is therefore concluded that surface mining on NOSR 1 currently is neither economically desirable nor environmentally safe. Stringent mitigation measures would have to be implemented to overcome some of the potential environmental hazards.

• Research Organization: TRW Energy Engineering Div., McLean, VA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-78RA32012
• OSTI ID: 6784042
• Report Number(s): DOE/RA/32012-T9; ON: DE84006951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040300 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Drilling
Fracturing & Mining
040800* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
041000 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
AIR QUALITY
AQUIFERS
DESIGN
DISSOLUTION
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXPLOITATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
LEACHING
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
NAVAL OIL SHALE RESERVES
OIL SHALE DEPOSITS
OIL SHALE MINING
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT SHALES
SURFACE MINING