AN ADVANCED OIL SHALE RETORTING TECHNOLOGY FOR SYNCRUDE OIL

SYNCRUDE OIL OBTAINED BY RETORTING OIL SHALE REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUEL AND CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCK. THE EXTENT OF TOTAL U.S. RESOURCES GREATER THAN 15 GALLONS OF SYNCRUDE OIL PER TON OF OIL SHALE IS ESTIMATED TO BE 2.5 TRILLION BBL. THE STATE-OF-THE-ART OIL SHALE RETORTING TECHNOLOGY IS NOT ECONOMIC BECAUSE OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THE LACK OF A VIABLE ABOVE-GROUND RETORTING PROCESS. LABORATORY-SCALE RESEARCH ON SURFACE CONVERSION INDICATES THAT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RETORT DESIGN AND EFFICIENCY ARE POSSIBLE. THE PROJECTED TECHNOLOGY USES A COMPACT, INDIRECTLY HEATED FLUIDIZED BED SYSTEM TO PROVIDEHIGH HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER RATES IN A WELL-CONTROLLED, LOW TEMPERATURE, (<600 DEGREES CENTIGRADE) REACTOR ENVIRONMENT AT SHORT RESIDENCE TIMES AND HIGH HEATING RATES. BECAUSE THIS RETORTING PROCESS CAN BE CARRIED OUT RAPIDLY AND IN A CONTINUOUS MODE, IT PROVIDES AN ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE BY REDUCING THE CAPITAL COST AND MAXIMIZING THE SYNCRUDE OIL YIELD. IN ADDITION, THIS TECHNOLOGY CAN BURN RAW OIL SHALE,RETORTED OIL SHALE, AND RETORT GASES IN A PULSED-TUBE-ASSISTED FLUIDIZED BED, THEREBY PROVIDING FOR TOTAL UTILIZATION OF THE SHALE AND ENHANCEMENT OF THE OVERALL PROCESS ECONOMICS. THE PHASE I WORK IS DIRECTED TOWARD ESTABLISHING (1) THE FEASIBILITY OF RETORTING OIL SHALE IN A COMPACT, INDIRECTLY HEATED FLUIDIZED BED AND (2) THE ABILITY OF THE PULSED-TUBE COMBUSTOR TO BURN OIL SHALE, RETORTED OIL SHALE, AND RETORT OFF-GAS EFFICIENTLY.