Eastern oil shale: a new resource for clean fuels
THe Devonian shales of the Eastern US can be processed to yield more than twice as much oil as had been thought possible. The new IGT process termed HYTORT (an acronym for hydroretorting) is based on the controlled heating of the oil shale in a hydrogen atmosphere. The HYTORT Process can be used to produce oil or pipeline-quality gas. Economic analyses indicate that Devonian shales containing 10 or more weight percent organic carbon can be commercially attractive. High-grade synthetic oil can be produced from Eastern shale at a cost equal to or lower than the cost of refined shale oil produced from Western shale by conventional thermal retorting. It is estimated that the quantity of oil that could be recovered from Eastern oil shale by aboveground hydroretorting is 423 billion barrels - more than three times the total US recoverable crude oil reserves. Devonian shales can be mined along an extensive outcrop line in many Eastern states. An accelerated program is suggested that will allow design of a commercial-scale plant.
- OSTI ID:
- 6363816
- Report Number(s):
- NP-23863
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BLACK SHALES
RETORTING
HYDROTORTING PROCESS
GASIFICATION
HYDROGEN
MINING
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
SHALE GAS
SHALE OIL
USA
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASES
MINERAL OILS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
SYNTHETIC PETROLEUM
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
040402* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Surface Methods