AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Analysis of multiple gas-solid reactions during the gasification of char in oil-shale blocks

In combustion retorting of oil shale, the required process energy is largely supplied by the combustion of char. Efficient use of this char is required in avoiding excessive combustion of oil. Accurate prediction of oil yield requires a good understanding of the important reactions of carbon with O2, CO2 and H2O. In this paper we focus on the latter two gasification reactions.

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Progress report on computer model for in situ oil shale retorting

A one-dimensional mathematical model has been developed for simulating the chemical-physical processes involved in the concurrent, vertical retorting of a rubblized bed of oil shale. Included in the present model are those processes believed to have the greatest effects in either the hot-gas retorting mode or the combustion retorting mode. The physical processes are: axial convective transport of heat, heat transfer between the gas stream and the shale particles, and water evaporation and condensation. The chemical reactions in the shale particles are: decomposition of kerogen and carbonate minerals, reaction of carbon with CO2 and O2, thermal degradation of oil, and release of fixed water. The chemical reactions in the gas stream are: ;combustion of CO produced from the reaction of carbon with CO2, combustion of the fuel components in recycle gas, and oil combustion.

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Preliminary analysis of a shale oil class separation procedure

The results of the class separation of Kentucky and Colorado shale oils indicate that the separation scheme developed is effective in separating whole shale oils into their component saturate, olefinic, aromatic, and polar fractions. The effectiveness of the separation is indicated by the proton NMR and FTIR analysis of the fractions, while the reproducibility is given by the agreement of duplicate runs. The types of problems encountered, such as column channeling, solvent schemes, elution rates, elution volumes, sample transfer, and adsorbent preparation were corrected and/or modified to provide maximum separation while at the same time minimizing separation time. Nuclear magnetic resonance has proved valuable in analyzing the distribution of hydrogen in the individual fractions. This will allow optimization of operating conditions to yield the desired products. Carbon (/sup 13/C) NMR of the fractions will provide additional structural information on the fractions, such as average carbon chain lengths, branched/straight chain and aliphatic/aromatic ratios, which will complement the information gained through proton NMR. 3 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

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Environmental analysis of the eastern shale hydroretorting data base

The purpose of this study is to perform a preliminary environmental analysis of certain chemical aspects of Eastern shale hydroretorting utilizing the data from the twenty-one (21) bench scale unit runs conducted during the HYTORT Feasibility Study. The report contained herein primarily addresses the potential types and quantities of pollutants emanating directly from the hydroretorting of oil shale (i.e., the retort paper). The following areas are discussed in detail: nitrogen distribution; sulfur distribution; gas trace constituents; sour water constituents; and shale leachates. The results of the analysis have not identified any potential pollutants or quantities which cannot be brought to conformance with currently promulgated environmental standards using existing technology. Additional analysis of the process chemistry portion of the HYTORT data base, coupled with the process and mechanical design information, can provide a methodology for dealing with the identified environmental concerns as they pertain to a commercial facility. Section 5.0 of the report delineates the areas which should be addressed in a continuing analysis of environmental concerns. The suggested program divides naturally into three phases, of which Phase 1 has been completed: Phase 1 - Environmental Analysis of the Eastern Shale Hydroretorting Data Base; Phase 2 - Generic (non-site-specific) Environmental Analysis; and Phase 3 - Site-Specific Environmental Analysis. Phase 2 details the anticipated emissions from all areas of a commercial HYTORT facility operating on a typical Eastern shale using the results of this Phase 1 effort and the HYTORT data base. Phase 3 utilizes this information to assess the effects of plant emissions on chosen sites in the context of applicable laws and regulations. 7 references, 18 figures, 2 tables.

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Pipeline gas from oil shale

A report is given on the volume and calorific value of gas produced using various combinations of pressure and CO/sub 2/ and O/sub 2/ injection, while holding oil shale grade, water injection, and flux constant. Calorific value of produced gases ranged up to 1,300 Btu/ft/sup 3/. Oil recoveries of up to 70 percent of Fischer assay were observed, concurrent with the production of 476 Btu/ft/sup 3/ gas. Production of pipeline quality gas at low pressures, concurrent with shale oil production, appears technically feasible.

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Effects of oil shale-related effluents on some benthic freshwater organisms

Laboratory scale model streams were developed to assess the effects of oil shale-related effluents on lotic freshwater aufwuchs and caddisfly larvae. A major impact of oil shale development in the headwaters of the Colorado River System may be on aquatic organisms in small streams. Colonization and development of aufwuchs were monitored over the course of the 9-day experimental runs. Model stream design allowed variation of water temperature, chemical composition, flow rate and illumination intensity and periodicity. Chemical constancy of the stream water was provided by continuously metering new water to the streams with doses of test effluents. Experimental runs tested Omega-9 water (groundwater diluted, in situ retort water) at dilutions between 0.013% and 2.12%; Unfiltered Omega-9 water at dilutions between 0.27% and 1.06%; 150 ton retort water (retort water from an above-ground, in situ simulator) at dilutions between 0.084% and 0.67%; and ammonium carbonate solutions of 0.56 mM to 4.52 mM. The aufwuchs'response to the effluents was monitored macroscopically, microscopically, and through measurement of biomass, ATP, chlorophyll a, respiration rate and photosynthetic rate. Readily measurable effects in the aufwuchs was produced by exposure to Omega-9 water and Unfiltered Omega-9 water at 1% and higher and 150 ton retort water at 0.34% and higher. High effluent concentrations reduced the percentage of diatoms in the aufwuchs population, increased heterotrophy and promoted sloughing of the aufwuchs mat. Very dilute effluent exposure stimulated aufwuchs productivity. Larvae of the caddisfly Gumaga nigracula were not measurably affected by the Omega-9 water and Unfiltered Omega-9 water concentrations tested, nor by the ammonium carbonate solution. Larvae of the caddisfly Dicosmoecus gilvipes were noticeably affected by concentrations of ammonium carbonate greater than 2mM.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory oil shale project. Quarterly report, October-December 1980

In this report, simulated modified in-situ (MIS) operations, chemical reaction studies and retort modelling are covered in detail. The MIS pilot retort studies include: runs S-23 and S-21; retort analysis by offgas data; estimated retorting rate based on inlet composition and flow rate; and carbon and sulfur balances. Chemical reaction studies cover gas-phase reactions where the rates of the water-gas shift reaction and combustion of CO and hydrocarbons were measured to develop simple kinetic schemes for gas-phase reactions in a combustion retort. Under the studies on heat of combustion, an equation was developed which relates the heat of combustion of Fischer assay spent shale to its composition. Field retort operation of Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company's (RBOSC) Retort 0 run has been completed, and data are being analyzed.

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Coal humic substances and their application to pollution control in the synthetic fuels industry. I. Review. II. By-product water treatment

Coal humic acid is a fraction of coal humic substances prepared by the partial oxidation of coal and has a number of properties that make it attractive as a material to treat pollutants in water, stack gas, and other pollutant sources. Among these properties are acid-base functionality, chelation, precipitation with hydrogen ions or divalent metal ions, sorption of organic compounds, foaming, and ability to act as a flocculant. The research reported in this work deals with selected applications of coal humic substances for the treatment of water pollutants produced as byproducts from synthetic fuels manufacture. The first section of this paper is a review of humic substances in general, coal humic substances in particular, and the uses of coal humic substances for wastewater treatment. The second section of this work describes the preparation and properties of coal humic substances and their applications to wastewater treatment. Two main aspects are emphasized. The first of these is the removal of organic pollutants labelled with carbon-14 from oil shale retort by-product water by treatment with lime and lime plus coal humic acid. In general, the removal of organic compounds is enhanced by the addition of coal humic acid. The lowest removal was zero for removal of benzoic acid by lime treatment, alone, (3.99% removal in the presence of coal humic substance). The highest removal efficiency was 99.2% removal of benz(a)pyrene with lime plus coal humic acid (97.5% with lime, alone). The interaction of coal humic acid and fly ash is described. Certain kinds of fly ash are possible sources of base for the conversion of coal humic acid to coal humates. The interaction of coal humic acid with fly ash is compared to that between fly ash and salicylic acid, a low molecular weight analog of one of the major structural entities in coal humic substances.

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Combustion retorting of oil shale at low void volumes

Stacked oil shale bricks, with overall voids from 8% to 18%, were combustion retorted in a batch, pilot scale sized reactor. Experimental parameters were total void volume, oil shale grade, particle size, and retorting gas flow rate and composition. A hypothetical "base case'of experimental conditions was chosen to be in the region of commercial intrest and the experimental parameters were varied one at a time from that base case. Oil yield was the dependent variable. Results indicate retorting of oil shale at very low voids is possible and efficient but pressure drops would be relatively high. Decreasing particle size, and interstitial velocity and adding steam increased oil yileds. Oil yields varied from 70% to 83% to Fischer Assay. Cracking and combustion account for most of the oil losses.

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Sweep efficiency modeling of modified in-situ retorts

A simple two-dimensional flow model is used to illustrate the effects of different porosity and permeability distributions and retort geometries on sweep efficiency during modified in-situ oil shale retorting. Results of these case studies, two emphasizing different retort geometries and porosity distributions and one a study of nonuniform flow around a single, large block, are presented. The most interesting is a simulation of the flow field and resultant retort front movement for Occidental Petroleum Company Retort 5. A porosity/permeability distribution was chosen based on reported tracer data. The results of the model calculation indicate a sweep efficiency of about 55%. From these data an estimate can be made of the amount of oil degradation from burning, cracking, and coking. 17 figures.

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Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale, Phase II. Quarterly progress report, December 1, 1979-February 29, 1980. [Logan Wash]

The progress presented in this report covers the period December 1, 1979 through February 29, 1980 under the work scope for Phase 2 of the DOE/Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (OSSI) Cooperative Agreement.

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LLL progress toward process control of commercial modified in-situ retort operations for high yield

Recent results from experiments on the LLL 1/8-and 6-Mg pilot-scale oil-shale retorts have provided new insight into the key oil-loss mechanisms and have suggested a number of practical process-control means for maximizing in situ retort yields. Steam or water mist, total flow, and oxygen flux are valuable process handles in controlling the maximum bed temperatures below 950/sup 0/C. Shale beds containing a broad size range (i.e., 30-cm to 10--m particles) were found to retort with lower yields than beds with smaller particles in narrow size ranges. The lower yield is dominated by the larger shale blocks through coking and cracking within the block and oxidation and cracking of the oil vapor released outside the block. The oxidation loss results from nonuniform flow that lets oxygen penetrate into the retorting zone. Oxidation and cracking outside blocks appeared to be the dominant loss mechanisms. These may possible be controlled by adding steam, water mist, or recycled exhaust gases to the input air. Process control concepts such as stepwise inert-gas injection and thermal-conduction calming are also discussed. Amont the process indicators considered are low-molecular-weight gases, alkene/alkane ratios, and the roughness (i.e., peaks) of the retorting or steam front. 15 figures.

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Occidental vertical modified in-situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale:  Phase II. Final report, June 1, 1979-August 31, 1981

In July, 1979, a work scope for Phase 2 under the Department of Energy (DOE)/Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (OOSI) Cooperative Agreement (No. DE-FC20-78LC10036), a 41 month program, was approved, and funding for the period June 1 through October 31, 1979 was received.

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Scoping of fusion-driven retorting of oil shale

In the time frame beyond 2005, fusion reactors are likely to make their first appearance when the oil shale industry will probably be operating with 20% of the production derived from surface retorts operating on deep mined shale from in situ retorts and 80% from shale retorted within these in situ retorts using relatively fine shale uniformly rubblized by expensive mining methods. A process was developed where fusion reactors supply a 600/sup 0/C mixture of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor to both surface and in situ retorts. The in situ production is accomplished by inert gas retorting, without oxygen, avoiding the burning of oil released from the larger shale particles produced in a simpler mining method. These fusion reactor-heated gases retort the oil from four 50x50x200m in-situ rubble beds at high rate of 40m/d and high yield (i.e., 95% F.A.), which provided high return on investment around 20% for the syncrude selling at $20/bbl, or 30% if sold as $30/bbl for heating oil. The bed of 600/sup 0/C retorted shale, or char, left behind was then burned by the admission of ambient air in order to recover all of the possible energy from the shale resource. The hot combustion gases, mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor are then heat-exchanged with fusion reactor blanket coolant flow to be sequentially introduced into the next rubble bed ready for retorting. The advantages of this fusion-driven retorting process concept are a cheaper mining method, high yield and higher production rate system, processing with shale grades down to 50 l/mg (12 gpt), improved resource recovery by complete char utilization and low energy losses by leaving behind a cold, spent bed.

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In situ oil shale retorts:  coupling of heat and mass transfer

The coupling between energy and mass transport has been used to develop a diagnostic method, "Thermal Logging," which provides dispersion information and indications of the bed structural character in pilot scale retorts simulating in-situ oil shale rubble beds. This information as to the location and magnitude of flow nonuniformities permits real-time applications of process control techniques to maximize oil production.

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Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale:  Phase I. Summary report, November 1, 1976--October 31, 1977. Volume I

Since early 1973, Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. (OXY) has processed three small-scale modified in situ retorts (Retorts 1E, 2E, and 3E) in their Research Mnine, and is currently processing the second large-sized retort (Retort 5) in their Development Mine, both mines being located on OXY's D. A. Shale property northeast of DeBeque, Colorado.

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Study of costs of producing in situ reports in oil shale by conventional mining methods. [Sub-level caving system of mining used in determining optimum shale deposit thickness and retort size]

Following a meeting held at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, California, between members of the staffs of the Plowshare Group and Laurish Kennedy Associates, Inc., the latter were commissioned to study the costs of producing in-situ retorts in oil shale by conventional mining methods. This study was to be a follow-up of the work previously done in this field by Laurich Kennedy Associates which resulted in a report dated February 1974, and was to use the Sub Level Caving system of mining described therein.

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Shale oil:  potential for electric power fuels. Final report

This paper reviews the status of the oil shale industry and the impact it will have on the electric power industry in the years 1990-2000. The nontechnical problems are not addressed in detail as they have been suitably dealt with elsewhere. The available technologies for producing shale oil are reviewed. The major problem most processes face today is scale-up to commercial size. An industry of nearly 400,000 BPD is anticipated for 1990. The industry could grow to 1,000,000 BPD by the year 2000 with the introduction of second generation processes in the 1990s. The availability of shale oil may have a direct impact on the electric power industry initially. As the refineries improve their ability to handle shale oil, the availability of this fuel to the electric power industry for direct firing will decrease. The offgas from the oil shale industry could be of major importance to the electric power industry. One-quarter to one-third of the energy produced in the retorting process). This will usually be a low BTU gas and therefore likely to be utilized on site to make electricity. The high yield of distillate fuels from shale oil could be important to the utility industry's demand for distillate fuels in peak shaving power generation. In addition to the potential supply implications, a shale oil industry and the people to support it will represent a substantial increase in power generation required in the shale oil region.

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Organometallic complexes in domestic tar sands

The vanadium, nickel, and porphyrin contents of bitumens derived from various American tar sands were determined. These values were compared with sulfur contents of the same bitumens. For a great number of crudes, it is known that those high in sulfur are also high in vanadium and in vanadyl porphyrins. Some of the tar sand bitumens investigated in this study which are of high sulfur content proved to be surprisingly low in vanadium and porphyrin content. The tar sand bitumens were fractionated using gel permeation chromatography and adsorption chromatography; and the metal, prophyrin, and sulfur contents of these fractions were determined. The metals in a produced oil from an in-situ combustion of a Utah tar sand were investigated with respect to the effects upon them of heat and short-distance migration.

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Lawrence Livermore Laboratory oil shale retorts

Two retorts and their supporting systems have been developed at LLL to simulate some aspects of modified in situ retorting of oil shale. This report first describes the retorts, their gas flow and product collection systems, and their instrumentation and process control. Thereafter, it deals with the preparation and characterization of raw shale rubble for retort experiments. The report continues with a discussion of the single dedicated minicomputer that serves both retorts. The retort computer system is multifunctional, providing data acquisition and storag, process monitoring and control, and data reduction and display. Finally, limited experimental results are presented that demonstrate some capabilities of the retort systems and the retort computer system.

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Analytical aspects of the Fossil Energy Waste Sampling and Characterization Project

This report details the results of the Fossil Energy Waste Sampling and Characterization Project, an extensive DOE project to develop a high quality data base on the leaching characteristics of coals and their combustion wastes. During the performance of this work, the EP toxicity test required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was evaluated for overall precision when applied to fossil energy wastes. An additional test using water as a leach medium, was developed and evaluated under the same conditions. The precision of each test was dependent on the metals being determined in the leachates. The EP toxicity test showed coefficients of variation ranging from 15 to 100 percent and the water test (which later became ASTM Method D 3897) gave values of 30 to 120 percent. Both tests were applied to more than 80 coals and wastes in a multi-laboratory study with participation from DOE Energy Technology Centers, National Laboratories, National Bureau of Standards, and numerous commercial laboratories. The results of 2492 different leach tests and attendant analytical results are reported. The comparison of the analytical results with the permissable RCRA limits of 100 times the current drinking water standards shows that no coal or waste exceeds the limit at the 95 percent confidence level. The report also contains a brief summary of the sampling activity carried out at 18 utility sites and 6 emerging energy technology locations. 12 references, 1 figure, 32 tables.

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BX in situ oil shale project. Quarterly technical progress report, March 1, 1980-May 31, 1980

The BX In Situ Oil Shale Project operated continuously during the quarter March 1, 1980 to May 31, 1980. During that time, 105,038 barrels of water as steam were injected at an average wellhead temperature of 515/sup 0/F. and an average wellhead pressure of 1366 psig. The Project superheater which has been a continuing source of Project mechanical problems was placed in continuous service on May 23, 1980, and at the end of the quarter steam was being injected at superheated temperatures. Evidence of continuing formation heatup was recorded in each of the temperature observation wells during the quarter. This heatup was accompanied by failure of some of the thermocouples in two of the three temperature observation wells on March 13, 1980.

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Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale. Phase II. Quarterly progress report, September 1-November 30, 1979

The major activities at OOSI's Logan Wash site during the quarter were: driving the access drifts towards the underground locations for Retorts 7 and 8; manway raise boring; constructing the change house; rubbling the first lift of Mini-Retort (MR)1; preparing the Mini-Retorts for tracer testing; coring of Retort 3E; and beginning the DOE instrumentation program.

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