Oil shale mining cost analysis. Volume I. Surface retorting process. Final report

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6888348· OSTI ID:6888348

Resnick, B S; English, L M; Metz, R D; Lewis, A G

An Oil Shale Mining Economic Model (OSMEM) was developed and executed for mining scenarios representative of commercially feasible mining operations. Mining systems were evaluated for candidate sites in the Piceance Creek Basin. Mining methods selected included: (1) room-and-pillar; (2) chamber-and-pillar, with spent shale backfilling; (3) sublevel stopping; and (4) sublevel stopping, with spent shale backfilling. Mines were designed to extract oil shale resources to support a 50,000 barrels-per-day surface processing facility. Costs developed for each mining scenario included all capital and operating expenses associated with the underground mining methods. Parametric and sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the sensitivity of mining cost to changes in capital cost, operating cost, return on investment, and cost escalation.

• Research Organization: Ketron, Inc., Wayne, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AM01-77ET12532
• OSTI ID: 6888348
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/12532-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040300* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Drilling
Fracturing & Mining
040402 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
BACKFILLING
CAPITAL
COST
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
OIL SHALE DEPOSITS
OIL SHALE MINING
OPERATION
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
RESOURCES
ROOM AND PILLAR MINING
UNDERGROUND MINING