Method for closing a drift between adjacent in-situ oil shale retorts
A row of horizontally spaced-apart in situ oil shale retorts is formed in a subterranean formation containing oil shale. Each row of retorts is formed by excavating development drifts at different elevations through opposite side boundaries of a plurality of retorts in the row of retorts. Each retort is formed by explosively expanding formation toward one or more voids within the boundaries of the retort site to form a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale in each retort. Following formation of each retort, the retort development drifts on the advancing side of the retort are closed off by covering formation particles within the development drift with a layer of crushed oil shale particles having a particle size smaller than the average particle size of oil shale particles in the adjacent retort. In one embodiment, the crushed oil shale particles are pneumatically loaded into the development drift to pack the particles tightly all the way to the top of the drift and throughout the entire cross section of the drift. The closure between adjacent retorts provided by the finely divided oil shale provides sufficient resistance to gas flow through the development drift to effectively inhibit gas flow through the drift during subsequent retorting operations.
- Assignee:
- Occidental Oil Shale Inc.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4441760
- OSTI ID:
- 6155812
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 4 Jan 1982; Other Information: PAT-APPL-336914
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
OIL SHALES
IN-SITU RETORTING
RETORTS
CONSTRUCTION
EXCAVATION
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
GAS FLOW
OIL SHALE MINING
PARTICLE SIZE
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
MINING
PROCESSING
RETORTING
SIZE
040401* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- In Situ Methods
True & Modified