Method for in situ shale oil recovery

Patent · Tue Mar 25 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5782509

McKee, J M; Horton, R L

A method is described of in situ processing of oil shale in a subterranean formation. The method consists of: rubblizing a section of oil shale in the subterranean formation, wherein the section has boundaries which form a retort chamber having a top end and a bottom end; removing the rubblized shale from the retort chamber; crushing the rubblized shale so as to produce shale particles of various sizes within a certain overall size range; separating the shale particles according to size into a plurality of shale particle groups, wherein each group includes shale particles within a predetermined group size range, and wherein each group size range makes up a portion of the overall size range; sequentially reloading substantially all of the shale particle groups into the retort chamber so that the shale particle groups are graded according to particle size within the chamber, wherein the largest shale particles are at the bottom end of the retort chamber and the smallest shale particles are at the top end of the retort chamber, the particles being evenly distributed throughout the retort chamber during reloading; retorting the reloaded shale particles such that liquid hydrocarbon products are produced; removing the liquid hydrocarbon products from the retort chamber.

• Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, OK
• Patent Number(s): US 4577908
• OSTI ID: 5782509
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 19 Sep 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
OIL SHALES
IN-SITU RETORTING
CRUSHING
HYDROCARBONS
LOADING
OIL YIELDS
PARTICLE SIZE
RETORTS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RETORTING
SIZE
YIELDS
040401* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- In Situ Methods
True & Modified