Application of laboratory results to the design of a high yield VMIS oil shale retort

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7003924

Bickel, T C; Ricketts, T E

In situ oil shale retorts have typically been designed to process a rubble bed having uniform cross-sectional rubble properties. Edge effects during rock fragmentation commonly produce increased void at the perimeter of these low-void retorts. Previous laboratory and field results have demonstrated this void variation normal to the direction of flow causes non-uniform retort front velocities that result in significantly lower oil yield. It is unlikely that process control parameters (e.g., multiple injection points, steam, etc.) can provide any significant yield improvement in these non-uniform retorts. Any large improvement would come from modified rubblization concepts. This paper describes a modification to the retort blast design to achieve a uniform retorting front velocity in rubble with non-uniform properties (void fraction and particle size). This concept requires the creation of an anisotropic rubble bed with varying particle size and void fraction normal to the direction of flow. The unavoidable increased void at the retort perimeter is offset by modifying the ratio of the effective particle size of the rubble in the central to the perimeter regions of the retort. The results of laboratory-scale pressure drop and retorting experiments with an empirical blast design technique are used to describe how a high-yield, second generation in situ retort would be designed. 12 refs., 7 figs.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Science Applications International Corp., La Jolla, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 7003924
• Report Number(s): SAND-86-1608C; CONF-861146-7; ON: DE87001738
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040401* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- In Situ Methods
True & Modified
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DESIGN
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FRAGMENTATION
FUELS
MATERIALS
MODIFICATIONS
MODIFIED IN-SITU PROCESSES
OIL SHALES
PARTICLE SIZE
PRESSURE DROP
RETORTS
SIZE