Method for explosive expansion toward horizontal free faces for forming an in situ oil shale retort
Abstract
Formation is excavated from within a retort site in formation containing oil shale for forming a plurality of vertically spaced apart voids extending horizontally across different levels of the retort site, leaving a separate zone of unfragmented formation between each pair of adjacent voids. Explosive is placed in each zone, and such explosive is detonated in a single round for forming an in situ retort containing a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale. The same amount of formation is explosively expanded upwardly and downwardly toward each void. A horizontal void excavated at a production level has a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than a void excavated at a lower level of the retort site immediately above the production level void. Explosive in a first group of vertical blast holes is detonated for explosively expanding formation downwardly toward the lower void, and explosive in a second group of vertical blast holes is detonated in the same round for explosively expanding formation upwardly toward the lower void and downwardly toward the production level void for forming a generally T-shaped bottom of the fragmented mass.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Occidental Oil Shale, Inc., Grand Junction, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 863523
- Patent Number(s):
- 4192554
- Application Number:
- 05/929250
- Assignee:
- Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (Grand Junction, CO)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
E - FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS E21 - EARTH DRILLING E21B - EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING
E - FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS E21 - EARTH DRILLING E21C - MINING OR QUARRYING
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC20-78LC10036
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 1978 Jul 31
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- method; explosive; expansion; horizontal; free; forming; situ; oil; shale; retort; formation; excavated; site; containing; plurality; vertically; spaced; apart; voids; extending; horizontally; levels; leaving; separate; zone; unfragmented; pair; adjacent; placed; detonated; single; fragmented; permeable; mass; particles; amount; explosively; expanded; upwardly; downwardly; void; production; level; cross-sectional; immediately; vertical; blast; holes; expanding; t-shaped; bottom; explosively expanding; expanding formation; permeable mass; formation particles; fragmented permeable; production level; particles containing; containing oil; retort site; fragmented mass; situ oil; shale retort; oil shale; spaced apart; unfragmented formation; level void; formation containing; vertically spaced; extending horizontally; separate zone; situ retort; horizontal free; particles contain; horizontal cross-section; /299/102/
Citation Formats
Ricketts, Thomas E. Method for explosive expansion toward horizontal free faces for forming an in situ oil shale retort. United States: N. p., 1980.
Web.
Ricketts, Thomas E. Method for explosive expansion toward horizontal free faces for forming an in situ oil shale retort. United States.
Ricketts, Thomas E. Tue .
"Method for explosive expansion toward horizontal free faces for forming an in situ oil shale retort". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/863523.
@article{osti_863523,
title = {Method for explosive expansion toward horizontal free faces for forming an in situ oil shale retort},
author = {Ricketts, Thomas E.},
abstractNote = {Formation is excavated from within a retort site in formation containing oil shale for forming a plurality of vertically spaced apart voids extending horizontally across different levels of the retort site, leaving a separate zone of unfragmented formation between each pair of adjacent voids. Explosive is placed in each zone, and such explosive is detonated in a single round for forming an in situ retort containing a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale. The same amount of formation is explosively expanded upwardly and downwardly toward each void. A horizontal void excavated at a production level has a smaller horizontal cross-sectional area than a void excavated at a lower level of the retort site immediately above the production level void. Explosive in a first group of vertical blast holes is detonated for explosively expanding formation downwardly toward the lower void, and explosive in a second group of vertical blast holes is detonated in the same round for explosively expanding formation upwardly toward the lower void and downwardly toward the production level void for forming a generally T-shaped bottom of the fragmented mass.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980}
}