In situ retorting of oil shale with pulsed water purge

Patent · Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6821091

Forgac, J M; Hoekstra, G R

A process is described for retorting oil shale, comprising the steps of: heating a portion of a rubblized mass of oil shale in a retorting zone of an underground retort to a retorting temperature to liberate shale oil and retort water from the oil shale leaving retorted shale containing residual carbon; combusting the residual carbon in the oil shale in a combustion zone behind the retorting zone in the underground retort with a flame front fed by an oxygen-containing, combustion-sustaining, feed gas to provide a substantial portion of the heating, the flame front advancing generally in the direction of flow of the feed gas; injecting a purge liquid comprising retort water in the absence of the oxygen-containing, combustion-sustaining, feed gas into the underground retort to quench the flame front while substantially stopping and blocking the flow of the oxygen-containing, combustion-sustaining, feed gas into the retort while simultaneously continuing to liberate shale oil and retort water in the underground retort; the retort water liberated from the retort and injected into the underground retort as the purge liquid, comprising raw, retorted and spent oil shale particulates ranging in size from less than 1 micron to 1000 microns, water, shale oil, phenols, organic carbon, ammonia, sodium, iron, sulfur, magnesium, calcium, nitrogen, nickel, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and arsenic; reigniting the flame front with the oxygen-containing, combustion-sustaining, feed gas by feeding the oxygen-containing feed gas into the retort in the absence of the retort water purge liquid while simultaneously substantially stopping and preventing the flow of the retort water purge liquid into the retort; and withdrawing the liberated shale oil and retort water from the underground retort.

• Assignee: Amoco Corp., Chicago, IL
• Patent Number(s): US 4637464
• OSTI ID: 6821091
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 22 Mar 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
OIL SHALES
IN-SITU RETORTING
AMMONIA
ARSENIC
CALCIUM
CARBON
COMBUSTION
COPPER
FLAME PROPAGATION
GAS FLOW
IRON
MAGNESIUM
NICKEL
NITROGEN
OXYGEN
PARTICULATES
PHENOLS
PHOSPHORUS
PULSE TECHNIQUES
RETORTS
SHALE OIL
SODIUM
SPENT SHALES
SULFUR
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
WATER
ZINC
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AROMATICS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
METALS
MINERAL OILS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PROCESSING
RETORTING
SEMIMETALS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
040401* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- In Situ Methods
True & Modified