Method for rubblizing an oil shale deposit for in situ retorting

Patent · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:862800

Lewis, Arthur E ^[1]

---

1. Los Altos, CA

A method for rubblizing an oil shale deposit that has been formed in alternate horizontal layers of rich and lean shale, including the steps of driving a horizontal tunnel along the lower edge of a rich shale layer of the deposit, sublevel caving by fan drilling and blasting of both rich and lean overlying shale layers at the distal end of the tunnel to rubblize the layers, removing a substantial amount of the accessible rubblized rich shale to permit the overlying rubblized lean shale to drop to tunnel floor level to form a column of lean shale, performing additional sublevel caving of rich and lean shale towards the proximate end of the tunnel, removal of a substantial amount of the additionally rubblized rich shale to allow the overlying rubblized lean shale to drop to tunnel floor level to form another column of rubblized lean shale, similarly performing additional steps of sublevel caving and removal of rich rubble to form additional columns of lean shale rubble in the rich shale rubble in the tunnel, and driving additional horizontal tunnels in the deposit and similarly rubblizing the overlying layers of rich and lean shale and forming columns of rubblized lean shale in the rich, thereby forming an in situ oil shale retort having zones of lean shale that remain permeable to hot retorting fluids in the presence of high rubble pile pressures and high retorting temperatures.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4017119
• OSTI ID: 862800
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/299/
accessible
additional
additional step
additional steps
additionally
allow
alternate
amount
blasting
caving
column
columns
deposit
distal
drilling
driving
drop
edge
fan
floor
fluids
form
form additional
formed
forming
horizontal
horizontal layers
hot
including
layer
layers
lean
level
method
oil
oil shale
overlying
performing
permeable
permit
pile
presence
pressures
proximate
remain
removal
removing
retort
retorting
rich
rubble
rubblize
rubblized
rubblizing
shale
shale deposit
shale retort
similarly
situ
situ oil
situ retort
situ retorting
steps
sublevel
sublevel caving
substantial
substantial amount
temperatures
towards
tunnel
tunnels
zones