Method of forming an in-situ oil shale retort in formation with joints

Patent · Tue Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6155863

Ricketts,

A method for forming an in situ oil shale retort in a retort site in a subterranean formation containing oil shale and having at least one set of naturally occurring cleavage planes is provided. The in situ oil shale retort contains a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles formed within top, bottom, and side boundaries of unfragmented formation. A void is excavated in the subterranean formation within the boundaries of the retort site, while a zone of unfragmented formation is left within the retort boundaries adjacent the void. A plurality of rows of horizontally spaced apart explosive charges is formed in the zone of unfragmented formation where each such row is in a line about perpendicular to the strike of the major cleavage plane set in the formation. The rows of explosive charges are detonated in a selected sequence with the charges in each such row detonated about simultaneously for explosively expanding the zone of unfragmented formation toward the void for forming the fragmented permeable mass of formation particles in the retort.

• Assignee: Occidental Oil Shale, Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4466668
• OSTI ID: 6155863
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 28 Mar 1983; Other Information: PAT-APPL-479483
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
OIL SHALES
IN-SITU RETORTING
RETORTS
CONSTRUCTION
DESIGN
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
DISTILLATION EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
PROCESSING
RETORTING
040401* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- In Situ Methods
True & Modified