Method of enhancing recovery of oil from pillars adjacent in situ oil shaft retort

Patent · Tue May 24 04:00:00 EDT 1977

OSTI ID:7219267

French, G B; Ridley, R D

An underground in situ oil shale retort is described which contains a bed of fragmented oil shale particles having an appreciable void volume. Air or other retorting gas passed through this bed of fragmented oil shale supports combustion of some of the carbonaceous material in the oil shale and provides heat for retorting the oil. A number of such retorts may be formed in an area and pillars are left to support the overburden. Pillars forming walls between adjacent retorts also prevent gas leakage. Oil recovery from intact oil shale pillars between retorts is enhanced by fracturing the pillars as well as fragmenting the shale in the retort. The pillars are fractured by detonating explosives in bore holes in the region between the retort and pillars, preferably a fraction of a second after explosive fragmentation of the oil shale in the retort. 24 claims, 4 figures.

• Assignee: Occidental Petroleum Corp.
• Patent Number(s): US 4025115
• OSTI ID: 7219267
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040400* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Oil Production
Recovery
& Refining
AIR
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COMMINUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
GASES
IN-SITU COMBUSTION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
MINERAL OILS
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RETORTING
SHALE OIL
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES