Cyclone oil shale retorting concept. [Use it all retorting process]

Technical Report · Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6861699· OSTI ID:6861699

Harak, A. E.; Little, W. E.; Faulders, C. R.

A new concept for above-ground retorting of oil shale was disclosed by A.E. Harak in US Patent No. 4,340,463, dated July 20, 1982, and assigned to the US Department of Energy. This patent titled System for Utilizing Oil Shale Fines, describes a process wherein oil shale fines of one-half inch diameter and less are pyrolyzed in an entrained-flow reactor using hot gas from a cyclone combustor. Spent shale and supplemental fuel are burned at slagging conditions in this combustor. Because of fines utilization, the designation Use It All Retorting Process (UIARP) has been adopted. A preliminary process engineering design of the UIARP, analytical tests on six samples of raw oil shale, and a preliminary technical and economic evaluation of the process were performed. The results of these investigations are summarized in this report. The patent description is included. It was concluded that such changes as deleting air preheating in the slag quench and replacing the condenser with a quench-oil scrubber are recognized as being essential. The addition of an entrained flow raw shale preheater ahead of the cyclone retort is probably required, but final acceptance is felt to be contingent on some verification that adequate reaction time cannot be obtained with only the cyclone, or possibly some other twin-cyclone configuration. Sufficient raw shale preheating could probably be done more simply in another manner, perhaps in a screw conveyor shale transporting system. Results of the technical and economic evaluations of Jacobs Engineering indicate that further investigation of the UIARP is definitely worthwhile. The projected capital and operating costs are competitive with costs of other processes as long as electric power generation and sales are part of the processing facility.

• Research Organization: USDOE Laramie Project Office, WY
• OSTI ID: 6861699
• Report Number(s): DOE/METC-84-20; ON: DE84009281
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
OIL SHALE FINES
RETORTING
OIL SHALES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CYCLONE COMBUSTORS
ECONOMICS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
SHALE OIL
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTORS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
040402* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Surface Methods