AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
In situ oil shale fracturing experiment:  some preliminary results

A series of field experiments was jointly undertaken aimed at developing techniques for producing and characterizing the extent and degree of fracturing in an oil shale formation. The first field experiment in this series is essentially completed. A description is given of the experiment and the instrumentation and analysis techniques for assessing the degree and extent of fracture and permeability produced. Preliminary results of the experiment indicate that an extensive degree of fracturing has been achieved but the resulting permeability is low. 9 figures, 1 table.

Tags: kmd
Bronco oil shale study. Project Bronco

"The study was prepared cooperatively as part of the  AEC's Plowshare Program by the San Francisco Opcrations  Office of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission.  the U. S. Bareau of Mines, the University of California's  Lawrence Radiation Laboratory and the CER Geonuclear  Corporation, the latter acting for approximately a score of oil companies. Part I of the study examines the feasibility of using deeply buried underground nuclear explosions to break oil shale deposits for in situ retorting, and recommends that a nuclear explosion experiment be designed to test the concept. Part II of the study describes Project Bronco, a proposed 50-kiloton nuclear explosion experiment. The detonation will fragment and fracture a deep, thick oil shale deposit which will subsequently be retorted in place. Bronco will provide information related to: the technical and economic feasibility of the basic concept, a predictive capability for the physical effects of nuclear explosions, and the distribution of radioactivity and its behavior during retorting."

Tags: kmd
Refining properties of new crudes. VI. Crude oils from the Julesburg Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming

"Thirty-two crude oils from new fields in the Julesburg Basin of Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, have been studied at the Laramie Station. They were analyzed by the Bureau of Mines method, and the pertinent data  were tabulated. An additional 10 crude oils representing discoveries before 1949 were analyzed, and the results are included in the discussion.  The oils are shown to be similar to those from the Powder River Basin, Wyo. General properties and possible utilization are discussed. Only one of the oils can be classified as a typical high-sulfur black."

Tags: kmd
Direct evidence of ketones in oxidized asphalts

Various researchers have used infrared analysis to show that carbonyl compounds are produced during oxidation of asphalts (I-8). A controversy has developed about which functional types predominate.  Knotserus (I-3) suggested that esters are the main type of oxygen containing products formed on oxidation of asphalts and that ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids are also produced, but to lesser extent.  Campbell and Wright (5) disputed this conclusion and offered evidence based on the addition of model compounds to asphalts that carbonyl components in oxidized asphalts are mainly ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids.  Knotnerus (1) estimated the amounts of carbonyl compounds in oxidized asphalt by oxime formation.  The method was based on titration of the HCl liberated from hydroxylamine hydrochloride used to derivatize the carbonyl compounds.  The method was complicated by the possible decomposition of hydroxylamine by metallic oxides and salts present in asphalts and by possible reaction with unknown functional groups.  Peterson and coworkers in extensive research on carbonyl components in asphalts before and after oxidation (9-15) concluded that carboxylic acids, ketones, and dicarboxylic anhydrides were produced on oxidation via in-use or simulated aging.  This article provides direct evidence for the formation of significant amounts of ketones on aging of asphalts.  The presence of detectable amounts of aldehydes is discounted.  The conclusions are based upon interpretation of infrared spectra of oxidized asphalts and their products resulting from sodium borohydride reduction and oxime formation.

Tags: kmd
Vapor-pressure detector for liquid elution chromatography. Its potential use in shale-oil characterization

"A continuous, wet-wick, thermistor-type, differential  vapor pressure detector was studied for use in liquid  elution chromatography. When thermistors matched  to 14-ppm resistance per degree were used, the observed detection limit was 0.8 X 10- 1 mole kg - 1 with  cyclohexane solvent. The effective sensing volume  of the detector was 90 uL at a flow rate of 2.0 ml/hour  decreasing at lower flow rates. An alkane-alkene type analysis on a shale-oil middle distillate is demonstrated  on a small silica gel column. A post -column stream splitter to increase system throughput is described. Available resolution is presented for typical, 0.Z54-cm i.d., adsorbent-packed columns of various lengths. The resolution was evaluated for columns operated with O.2-cm HETP in the presence of a 90-uL  detector-volume effect relative to the zero extra-column volume case. The observable resolution with detector broadening for a 4-m column is 90% of the available for bands eluting in 3 column-void volumes. The capability of this type of small-column system is compared with the capability of TLC. The small column system can generate as much resolution as a TLC system in appreciably less  time."

Tags: kmd
Identification of carbazole in Wilmington petroleum through use of gas-liquid chromatography and spectroscopy

"Carbazole has been identified in Wilmington, Calif., petroleum-the first nonbasic nitrogen compound isolated  from virgin petroleum. A fraction of the appropriate boiling range reacted with sodium amide in liquid ammonia  to give a concentrate of nitrogen compounds which was further resolved by gas liquid chromatography. The  material under one of the peaks gave mass, infrared, and ultraviolet spectra which confirmed its identity as carbazole.  Similar procedures on a concentrate of nitrogen compounds prepared by techniques designed to prevent thermal decomposition confirmed the presence  of carbazole in at least 2 p.p.m.  concentration."

Tags: kmd
Characteristics of petroleum from Williston Basin fields

"An important oil find was made in North Dakota in the Williston structural basin in 1951 when the Beaver Lodge field was discovered. It is important because of its size and because it is the forerunner of development of a large new oil-producing area. The basin is in western North Dakota, eastern Montana, northwestern South  Dakota, and southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada. The arbitrary boundaries of the basin are shown in Fig. I. The discovery at Beaver Lodge, the first oil found in North Dakota, was antedated by showing of oil in wells drilled in eastern Montana and by the discovery of the Daly (Virden) field in Manitoba. Gas was discovered in the Ceda - Creek gas field many years ago. The discovery of other new fields in the basin since 1951 clearly indicates the possibility of large production for the  area."

Tags: kmd
Development of a geotechnical stabilization plan for the existing retorted shale pile, Anvil Points, Colorado. Final report

The study was intended to estimate the stability of the retorted shale pile, describe the ground-water conditions within and beneath the pile and to develop a recommended stabilization program. Ten test holes were bored through the pile. The pile materials were sampled and tested. Each of the test holes was to be used as an observation well. Chemical testing was not within the scope of work. Novel techniques were required to sample and test the hot waste shale. The pile is marginally stable, and stability may be decreasing due to combustion. The retorted shale is decomposing by combustion at temperatures of 300 to 500/sup 0/C. The retorted shale will become a fine grained ash if combustion is complete. The combusting retorted shale is losing mass as a result of combustion. The retorted shale is highly erodable. The high temperatures within the pile have influenced ground-water temperatures. The ground-water regime is complex due in part to a channel realignment made in 1948 and in part to the presence of the hot pile. Three courses of action or alternatives are discussed: permit the pile to mass waste under controlled conditions; stabilize the pile in place; or move the pile to a new location.

Tags: kmd
Physical structure of Green River oil shale

"Oil shale, a major potential source of liquid fuel, and a complex mixture of organic and inorganic constituents  in variable proportions. The understanding of its fundamental properties and structure may aid in designing new methods and improving existing ones (4, 7, 10) for converting the organic matter into useful liquid and gaseous products.  This , paper presents information concerning particle  size and particle-size distribution of the inorganic  constituents in oil shale; surface area, pore structure, and pore volume of both oil shale and its inorganic consituents; the manner in which the organic matter is distributed within oil shale; and an estimate of the amount of organic matter in direct contact with the surface of the mineral constituents. Photomicrographs show the geometric form of some of the inorganic particles."

Tags: kmd
Plan for addressing issues relating to oil shale plant siting

The Western Research Institute plan for addressing oil shale plant sitting methodology calls for identifying the available resources such as oil shale, water, topography and transportation, and human resources. Restrictions on development are addressed: land ownership, land use, water rights, environment, socioeconomics, culture, health and safety, and other institutional restrictions. Descriptions of the technologies for development of oil shale resources are included. The impacts of oil shale development on the environment, socioeconomic structure, water availability, and other conditions are discussed. Finally, the Western Research Institute plan proposes to integrate these topics to develop a flow chart for oil shale plant sitting.

Tags: kmd
Economic analysis of oil shale operations featuring gas combustion retorting

This report is primarily involved with the economics of producing a high-quality, semirefined shale oil (Syncrude) from oil shale. The study envisions two options for Syncrude production, 50,000 and 100,000 barrels per calendar day, with an integrated system of underground mining, aboveground processing, and waste handling. The 50,000 barrel per day complex will require a capital investment of $279,450,100 (excluding land cost) and will provide a discounted cash flow (DCF) rate of 12% at a Syncrude selling price of $5.66 per barrel. The larger complex will require a capital investment of $522,375,400, but the Syncrude selling price declines to $5.15 per barrel to yield the 12% DCF.

Tags: kmd
Anhydrous alumina as adsorbent in constituent analysis of asphalt

"Anhydrous aluminum oxide has been used as an adsorbent  in constituent analyses of several hundred samples of asphalts from petroleum (112), shale oil l (8), native bitumen, and bituminous sandstone (5) by the method of Hubbard and Stanfield (4). This method involved removing pentane-insoluble asphaltenes  from approximately 1.5 gram of asphalt, then dispersing the petrobenes on 25 grams of alumina to adsorb the resins and leave an oil fraction. The three different batches of alumina used in the analysis had similar adsorption properties, presumably owing to the same method of preparation and to comparable contents  of alpha-and gamma-alumina."

Tags: kmd
Oil shale:  its role in solving the energy problem. [Discussion of resources, properties, and retorting methods]

The discussion is presented under the following subject headings: oil shale resource; oil shale characteristics; technology, including descriptions of gas combustion and the Union Oil Company retorts, the TOSCO II and Paraho processes and in-situ retorting methods. Refining crude shale oil, environmental impact of a shale oil industry, economics of shale oil production, and the future of oil shale are also discussed. (JGB)

Tags: kmd
Solid fuels:  their suitability for production of liquid and gaseous fuels

"The United States has large reserves of all the mineral fuels. In round numbers. the geologically inferred coal reserves in the United Slates are estimated at 3.1 trillion tons. This amount is probably 40 percent of the worlds reserves of all ranks of coal. As of December 31, 1947 the  proved reserves of crude oil (21.5 billion barrels) plus natural-gas liquids (3 .2 billion barrels) were estimated at  24 billion barrels and of natural gas a 166 trillion cubic feet. The United States petroleum reserves are about 1/3/of all the worlds reserves.  No data are available on world natural gas reserves. The estimate of recoverable oil from oil shale in the United States has recently been increased to about 200 billon barrels."

Tags: kmd
Method for calculating m/e's of peaks from time-of-flight mass spectra

This study has shown that m/e's can be determined to the nearest unit mass from TOF spectra by using a single equation in conjunction with a calibration curve. The calibration curves are unique for individual analog scanners, are stable within 0.3 amu over a 3-week time span, and are independent of scan rate within 0.3 amu even when the scan rate is varied by a factor of 4. A 25-cm record for 200 mass units is minimal, and any shorter record would introduce significant measuring errors. Where the analyst has been using an internal standard he can now make a single run on the marker compound and construct a calibration curve to be used over a period of time.

Tags: kmd
Characteristics of crude oils from Big Horn Basin fields

"Analyses of 103 crude oils from Big Horn Basin fields have been compiled and tabulated in an abridged form according to the geological time periods of productive formations. The analyses, made by the Bureau of Mines routine method at the petroleum and oil-shale experiment station at Laramie, Wyoming, represent most of the fields and productive formations within the basin. All low-sulfur oils were produced from Cretaceous formations while all  oils with more than 0.5 percent sulfur were produced from formations older than Cretaceous. Further correlations  between type of oil and geological source are suggested. Similar correlations have been made in neighboring  areas in the Rocky Mountains. The information presented is useful from the standpoint of the geologist in predicting types of oils to be found and in correlating geological information, and from the standpoint of the production man and refinery man in judging value and utilization."

Tags: kmd
Crude oils in Wyoming

Wyoming crude oils generally are divided by practical oil men into two groups, the "green oils" and the "black oils."  The former term refers to oil which is generally green , has a low sulfur content, is rather paraffinic, and yields appreciably higher amounts of straight run gasoline.  The "black oils", on the other hand, are black, have  high sulfur content, are asphaltic, and yields lesser quantities of straight run gasoline.  While this division is useful, additional information may be gained by further classification, especially with regard to the geologic age of the formation in which the oil is found.

Tags: kmd
Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale. Phase II. Quarterly progress report, December 1, 1980-February 28, 1981

Progress presented in this report covers the period December 1, 1980, through February 28, 1981, under the work scope for Phase 2 of the DOE/Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (OOSI) Cooperative Agreement.

Tags: kmd
Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale. Phase II. Quarterly progress report, September 1, 1980-November 30, 1980

The major activities at OOSI's Logan Wash site during the quarter were: mining the voids at all levels for retorts 7 and 8; blast hole drilling; tracer testing MR4; conducting the start-up and burner testes on MR3; continuing the surface facility construction, and conduction retorts 7 and 8 related Rock Fragmentation tests.

Tags: kmd
Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale. Phase II. Annual progress report, June 1, 1979-May 31, 1980

In July, 1979, a work scope for Phase 2 of the Department of Energy (DOE)/Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (OOSI) Cooperative Agreement (No. DE-FC20-78LC10036) was approved, and funding for the period June 1 through October 31, 1979 was received. The phase 2 interim approval was extended and in December, 1979, Modification A007 was fully executed. Phase 2 covers a 41 month program which began in June, 1979.

Tags: kmd
Uses of water in the oil-shale industry, with particular reference to engineering requirements. With a chapter on the sanitation of oil-shale camps

The purpose of this paper is to point out the uses of water and to estimate the water requirements in the production of shale oil. Because of the infancy of the oil shale industry in this country, attention  has been directed, in the latter part of the paper, to community and camp sanitation; also effort has been made to prevent, as far as possible, a repetition of some of the errors made in large industrial communities in the past.

Tags: kmd
Meteorological and climatological investigation:  review of July-December 1979 investigative period

The specific goals of the meteorological and climatological investigations on the Geokinetics Incorporated (GKI) field research site (Section 2, T14S, R22E) in Uintah County, Utah, are to collect, reduce and analyze meteorological and microclimatological data for the purpose of: (1) obtaining knowledge of the structure and flexibility of the local microclimate; (2) evaluating any trends associated with the locale; and (3) monitoring for project induced changes in the local microclimate. The findings presented herein reflect the results of the collection, reduction and analysis of raw data acquired during the investigative period from July 1, 1979 through December 31, 1979. In addition, a composite profile summary of findings for the entire year (1979) are presented as an addendum to the report. During the latter six-months of 1979, the results were found to be consistent with those gathered during the same period the previous year.

Tags: kmd
Developing the Geokinetics/Department of Energy horizontal in situ retorting process. Final report

This report summarizes work performed under a cooperative agreement between Geokinetics Inc., and the US Department of Energy, spanning on eight year period. A large body of experimental data was generated which has been previously reported in a series of published and unpublished reports, as indicated in Chapter VII. The report summarizes research work performed from April of 1975 to August 15, 1985, but emphasizes data generated during the final three years of the project, when five large retorts were tested. The report draws conclusions based upon the total program, including work performed by Geokinetics prior to entering into the Cooperative Agreement, and presents the initial parameters useful for scaleup and design of a commercial scale operation, including data useful for assessing the environmental impacts and criteria for mitigation of such impacts. Specific details concerning the various aspects of the program may be obtained from the many previous reports that have been generated from the date of project initiation. A list of these reports is presented in Chapter VII. 28 refs., 11 figs., 10 tabs.

Tags: kmd
Paraho - new prospects for oil shale. [Report on plans for demonstration of Paraho process]

February, 1976 is the scheduled completion target for the privately financed, 30 month research and development project- the Paraho Oil Shale Demonstration-currently underway at the Anvil Points Oil Shale Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines near Rifle, Colorado. Its objectives are to demonstrate the use of the Paraho processes and hardware in retorting oil and gas from oil shale, to obtain data, and to prepare a preliminary feasibility study of a commercial plant.

Tags: kmd
Kinetics of decomposition of Colorado oil shale. I. Oil generation. [Use of isothermal and nonisothermal methods]

Isothermal and nonisothermal methods were used to investigate the kinetics of oil generation during decomposition of 91.7 l/tonne (22-gal/ton) Colorado oil shale. The average of the results from these two methods gives an activation energy of 52.0 kcal/mole and a frequency factor of 3 x 10/sup 13/s/sup -1/. The process is found to be first order to within experimental error. These results compare favorably with data reported in the literature. The reliability and ease of carrying out nonisothermal kinetic experiments to study solid decomposition reactions is demonstrated. Moreover, nonisothermal experiments more accurately simulate actual in situ processing conditions.

Tags: kmd
Effect of Raw Oil Shale Grade on the Kinetics of Oxidation of Carbonaceous Residue in Retorted Shale

The effect of the grade of raw oil shale on the intrinsic kinetics of oxidation of carbonaceous residue formed during retorting was investigated. The results indicate that, within the experimental uncertainty, the intrinsic reactivity of the carbonaceous residue of Colorado oil shale is independent of original grade.

Tags: kmd
Developments in oil shale in 1983

Oil shale development activities continued at a somewhat restricted pace during 1983. The activities reflect the continued soft economic environment in the petroleum industry. A limited number of projects are active, and research is continuing on processes, materials handling, mining techniques, and resource evaluation. Past oil shale development papers have highlighted resources and activities in several states in the eastern and western portions of the United States. This paper highlights Australian oil shale geology and developments and Canadian oil shale geology and developments. 5 figures, 1 table.

Tags: kmd
The effect of in situ retorting on oil shale pillars. Open file report 28 Jun 76-31 May 81

An investigation was made to determine the mechanical properties of oil shale at elevated temperatures and confining pressures, the thermal properties at elevated temperatures, and to provide mathematical models for mine design for in situ oil shale retorting. A review of current activity in in situ retorting is included with a comprehensive list of references. Tests were run at temperature from 20 to 500 degrees C and confining pressures to 1500 psi with shale of 10 to 10 gallons per ton. A major loss of strength occurred in heating 140 degrees C with a partial regain from 380 to 500 degrees C. Higher grade shale had lower compressive strength. Elastic properties showed large variations. Brazilian tensile strength showed a similar temperature sensitivity as the compressive strength. Equations were developed for each property in terms of grade, temperature and pressure. Thermal, electrical and acoustical properties showed anomalies through the temperature range. Creep is a major factor in overall deformation of heated shale. Oil shale was found to be an excellent insulator. Loss of pillar support area at 800 hours of heating would be about 10 percent. Good correlation was found between a finite element model using the developed properties and an in situ heater test.

Tags: kmd