AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Oil shale resources of the Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 1, Colorado

The resource of potential oil represented by Green River Formation oil shale on Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 1 (NOSR No. 1) in the southeast corner of Colorado's Piceance Creek Basin is evaluated in detail. NOSR No. 1 is the site of intensive long-term oil-shale development studies and is the source of innumerable oil-shale samples for all manner of testing. A brief history of these studies is presented. This oil-shale resource is defined from oil-yield assay data on 33 cores plotted as histograms and correlated into cross sections. Contour maps of thickness, richness and oil resource in place are presented for the Mahogany Zone, the rich zone in the Mahogany zone, and for 2 units beneath and 5 units above the Mahogany zone. Total oil shale resource on NOSR No. 1 is 20.4 billion barrels of which 17.4 billion barrels are particularly suitable for development by vertical modified in-place processes. A previously unknown Mahogany zone outcrop providing much additional development access is described. Now under sole control of the US Department of Energy (DOE), NOSR No. 1 offers DOE a unique site for oil shale testing and development.

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Instrumentation for the cornering water-jet drill

A cornering drilling system is being developed which utilizes rotating high-pressure water jets to drill horizontal holes from a vertical borehole. Aboveground tests of the full-scale system are underway. A key feature of the system is the ability to monitor the performance of the drilling equipment and the location of the drill string underground at all times. To do this, the drill utilizes on-board directional transducers, a computerized data acquisition and processing subsystem, and a driller's control station. The instrumentation system has worked satisfactorily in the two holes drilled at the Sandia National Laboratories testing facility. This report summarizes the design and evaluation of that instrumentation system to date. 10 figures.

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Fracturing oil shale with explosives for in situ oil recovery. [Summary of 8 years of research performed in laboratory and on-site at Rock Springs, Wyo. , and Green River, Wyo]

"This report presents results of Bureau of Mines  preliminary research and the field application of explosive fracturing techniques to prepare oil shale for in situ recovery of shale oil. Small-scale surface tests were conducted to determine the feasibility of using a nitroglycerin-base explosive for creating rock fractures.  Surface and near-surface tests with liquid explosives showed that explosions in sheetlike layers simulating underground fractures would propagate effectively. Explosive fracturing tests were performed in oil shale formations on seven sites. The procedures included: displacing and detonating nitroglycerin in natural or hydraulically induced fracture systems; detonating nitroglycerin in wellbore shots; displacing and detonating nitroglycerin in induced fractures followed by wellbore shots  using pelletized TNT; and detonating wellbore charges using pelletized TNT.  The research on oil shale formations demonstrated that nitroglycerin displaced in a natural or hydraulically induced fracture would detonate and the explosion would propagate through the explosive-filled fracture. Fourteen methods used to evaluate the extent of fragmentation in the explosively fractured oil shale are discussed."

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Recent trends in oil shale. II. Mining and shale oil extraction processes. [In-depth review article]

In this article, we discuss technical aspects of oil shale mining and describe a few of the many processes available for extracting hydrocarbon fuels by thermal treatment of oil shale. In the final article in the next issue, we will discuss refining of shale oil and will touch upon some of the economic, social, and political problems that affect the rate of oil shale development.

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Oil shale and the environment

An evaluation of oil shale perspectives in the Colorado-Utah-Wyoming areas is presented. Environmental aspects are examined along with research efforts. It is concluded that the outlook for oil shale is uncertain. The costs of production are uncertain, the sources for the large capital investments required are uncertain, the competition from foreign oil and even from new domestic supply is uncertain, and new energy sources may capture a significant share of the market. Moreover, the costs of protecting the environment are uncertain, there are uncertain front-end costs the industry may have to absorb to reduce social impacts in oil shale regions, and government's future role is also uncertain. The growth of an oil shale industry may not be as explosive as past oil booms. The approach is now more cautious; the gains and gambles being weighed more carefully. Nevertheless, oil shale development is not stagnant. Research into better and more efficient production processes is progressing, studies of environmental effects are underway, and, in general, there is guarded optimism in much of the industry.

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Thermomechanical cavity-growth modeling

The results of recent field tests, laboratory studies, and modeling efforts in UCG have indicated that the thermal and mechanical properties of coal may be the controlling parameters in determining initial cavity shape. In examining this possibility, laboratory efforts have been directed at determining temperature and bedding plane dependent properties of coal. A thermomechanical model which uses these properties has indicated that the cavity shapes seen at both the Hanna and Hoe Creek test sites result from the temperature dependent properties of the coal such as the coefficients of thermal expansion and the elastic moduli. The model determines stress levels and uses a simple bedding plane dependent stress failure mechanism to determine cavity growth.

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Oil-shale processing. [Progress reprt; discussion of problems involved in refining shale oil into usable products]

"The work now under way at Rifle was begun in July 1944 under the provisions of the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act, which was passed in the spring, of that year under the sponsorship of Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney of Wyoming and Congressman Jennings Randolph of West  Virginia, aided by Michael W. Straus, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior, and others. The oil-shale plant is but a part of the Office of Synthetic Liquid Fuels, Bureau of Mines, which has under way projects to develop synthetic liquid fuel from coal and other solid materials at Pittsburgh and Bruceton, Pa., Morgantown, W. Va.,  Louisiana, Mo., as well as the oil-shale research  laboratories at Laramie, Wyoming, and the oil-shale demonstration plant at Rifle The oil-shale program is entirely experimental. It is not intended that oil will be produced in great quantities. Production will be limited to the volume obtained from plant - scale experimental  operations, which will be kept to the minimum size needed to develop techniques and processes and demonstrate costs."

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Laboratory studies of forward combustion in the Tar Sand Triangle resource

The in situ forward combustion process in a Utah tar sand was evaluated at alternative operating conditions. Five bench-scale tube reactor experiments were conducted to study the effects of the injected air flux on the oil yield, product oil quality, and process efficiency. Air injection fluxes ranged from 16 to 111 scfh/ft/sup 2/ and one test was conducted using steam dilution of the injected air. Regardless of the injected air flux, the oxygen consumption approached 100% and the combustion process became self-sustaining at ignition temperatures around 650 to 750/sup 0/F (343 to 399/sup 0/C). After ignition, all of the oxygen reacted with residual coke and the combustion temperatures increased to 1500 to 1900/sup 0/F (815 to 1035/sup 0/C). Residual coke was the principal source of fuel for the combustion tests since the available coke, as determined by Fischer assay (36 to 39 wt.% initial bitumen), exceeded the fuel required for combustion. Other factors also indicated residual coke was the principal fuel: (1) oil production ceased before oxygen breakthrough, (2) unburned coke was measured on the lowermost spent sand, and (3) the calculated equivalent H/C ratio of the fuel burned was low. Although there was only a small increase in the weight yield of the product oils (38 to 43 wt.%), the volumetric oil yields (40 to 49 vol.%) increased with decreasing gas fluxes largely because of product oil upgrading. The product oil quality improved with decreasing gas flux probably because of the increased residence time for the pyrolysis of undistilled bitumen. At low gas fluxes, the bitumen distillation rate was limited by vapor-liquid equilibrium and more undistilled bitumen was pyrolyzed. Increased pyrolysis of this bitumen reduced the molecular weight of the product oil. 10 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

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Isothermal decomposition of New Albany shale from Kentucky

The isothermal decomposition of a New Albany oil shale has been studied in the temperature range of 375/sup 0/C to 425/sup 0/C. The amount of conversion of kerogen to bitumen, oil, gas and residue products was obtained for different reaction times in this temperature range. Elemental analyses were obtained on the bitumen, oil, and solid reaction products. Molecular weights and /sup 13/C NMR measurements of the aliphatic and aromatic carbon fractions in the solid products were made to complete the analyses. The results show that the thermal decomposition of the New Albany oil shale exhibits complex behavior. None of the data fit a simple first-order kinetic expression with respect to kerogen concentration for all temperatures, indicating that multiple parallel reactions occur during the decomposition. However, by fitting the initial slopes of the oil conversion data, it was possible to obtain the weighted average rate constants at each temperature. These data gave a good fit to the Arrhenius equation with the frequency factor equal to 6.38 x 10/sup 15/ min/sup -1/, and the activation energy equal to 207.5 k.j mol/sup -1/ for the kerogen decomposition. The maximum bitumen concentration was 10% or less of the original kerogen at any temperature, indicating that direct conversion of kerogen to oil, gas and residue occurs during heating. Since the highly aliphatic Green River oil shale forms large amounts of bitumen whereas the more aromatic New Albany shale forms only small amounts, the formation of bitumen may be related to the aromatic nature of the kerogen. In general, the chemical properties of the oil were fairly constant at all reaction times and temperatures studied. Hydrogen sulfide was the dominant species in the gas phase. The solid and liquid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data show that the net increase of total aromatic carbon in the products was about 30% of the raw shale value. 37 refs., 14 figs., 4 tabs.

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Industrial hygiene sampling at Rio Blanco oil shale facility

The Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company facility, in its early stages of development, provided the unique opportunity to sample a modified in-situ operation during the preparation phase of the first retort, during pyrolysis, and during preparation of a subsequent retort. Industrial hygiene measurements were made in the lowest level of the mine, prior to and during the first 30 days of the Retort Zero burn. These measurements were designed to define and characterize potential inhalation exposures associated with the MIS shale oil recovery process. This information, along with bulk samples of oil shale materials and products, was provided for use in laboratory toxicological studies.

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Environmental impact assessment for steeply dipping coal beds:  North Knobs site

The U. S. Department of Energy is funding an underground coal gasification project in steeply dipping coal beds, at North Knobs, about 8 miles wets of Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming. The project is beirg conducted by Gulf Research and Development Company and TRW Energy Systems, to determine the technical, economic and environmental viability of such a technology.

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Bowie--Gavin process:  its application to the cracking of tars and heavy oils, also to the recovery of oil from oil-soaked sands or shales, or from oil shales

Petroleum engineers estimate that, under present methods of production, when an oil field is at the point of abandonment the sands still hold 80 to 85 percent of the oil they originally contained. The total production of the world from 1857 to 1925 was approximately 12,384,473,000 barrels of oil. On this basis, when the oil fields that have produced in the past and are now producing have reached the point of abandonment, the sands will retain nearly 50,000,000,000 barrels of oil.

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Upgrading of heavy crudes: probable reactions of problem components during hydrotreating

The trend in increasing use of heavy crudes is expected to continue as is the need to increase the production of distillates from these heavy crudes. Hydrotreating is widely used as a pretreatment of heavy crude to allow more profitable and efficient downstream processing. This report addresses the problem components in heavy crude and their probable reactions during hydrotreating. It was found that there is a significant gap between model compound studies and kinetic studies of heteroatom removal for process design. This gap is in the understanding of the actual chemistry involved in the hydrotreating of heavy crude feedstocks. Problem compounds addressed include nitrogen compounds, organometallics, sulfur compounds, oxygen compounds, polynuclear aromatics, and asphaltenes. Recommendations for further research are made. 45 refs., 10 figs., 7 tabs.

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Experimental shale-oil refinery. [Removal of S and N compounds from gasoline, diesel fuel, and residual gas oil]

On March 3, the U.S. Department of the Interior marked its 100th anniversary with the slogan "A Century of Conservation."  One of the latest projects to get completed within that century by the Interior Department was the construction of the shale-oil refinery at the Bureau of Mines oil-shale demonstration plant at Rifle, Colorado.

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Separation of nitrogen compounds by adsorption from shale oil. [Mg silicate sorbent used; pentane elutes hydrocarbon fraction, methanol nonhydrocarbon fraction containing 95 percent of N]

One of the complicating factors in elucidating the composition of distillates from Colorado shale oil is the presence of large quantities of nitrogen compounds.  The content of these compounds may be as much as 50 weight % on some fractions.  A procedure is described for separating shale-oil distillates into two fractions-- one containing primarily hydrocarbons and the other primarily nitrogen and other heterocyclic compounds.  This separation is based on adsorption and employs Florisil, a synthetic magnesium silicate, as the adsorbent.  Factors investigated in selecting optimum conditions for the process are discussed.  Results obtained on several shale-oil distillates are presented.

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Water pollution potential of snowfall on spent oil shale residues. [Properties of shale before and after application of snow; composition of runoff following snow melt]

Concentration and composition of total dissolved solids were determined in both surface runoff water and in water which had percolated through a bed of the residue. An empirical equation was developed to predict the concentration of the runoff water as a function of independent parameters. A tendency for saturation of the residue to occur during a period of snowmelt was revealed. The effects of this saturation on the residue were also considered. An overland flow water quality model was developed and successfully applied to runoff resulting from rainfall and snowfall oil shale retorting residue. The surface water runoff from snowfall on oil shale residue has less water pollution potential than the runoff from rainfall. The concentration of dissolved solids in the runoff was a function of the cumulative volume if runoff per unit width, the porosity of the oil shale retorting residue, the soil moisture content, the snowmelt rate, and the reaction of the snowmelt water that is runoff.

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Petroleum industry has definite role in synthetic development. [Survey article]

"THE STRENGTH of our economy in war and its continued  progress in peace both depend fundamentally on the  availability in the future, as in the past. of adequate supplies of low cost energy to power our vast industrial machine. Increasing demand for liquid fuels during the last  two decades has led to research and development. by  both industry and government on processes for the  manufacture of synthetic fuels. Many authorities believe  that a new industry based on the conversion of coal and oil shale to gasoline and other liquid fuels must be started soon. In addition to providing a dependable source of gasoline. diesel fuel and other products for centuries, a synthetic fuel industry would create a new and steady market for coal. The petroleum industry because of its long experience in refining and marketing, would play a major role in the construction and operation of this new industry. Original presentation was before a Divisions of Refining and Marketing session."

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Evaluation of in situ oil shale experiments by hot-film logging

"The hot-film sensor technique of fluid flow measurement has been developed and is being applied to well logging for evaluating in situ fracturing and retorting experiments in the Green River Formation oil shale of Wyoming.  Natural, hydraulic, and/or explosive fractures in oil shale have been evaluated by air injection and production flow logging techniques. Fracture depths, types (horizontal or vertical), and flow characteristics within a system of wells designed for an in situ combustion test have been determined before and after fracturing. Gas flow profiles were also determined before ignition, during combustion, and after combustion termination."

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Characteristics and utilization of oil shale and shale oil. [Includes discussion of research at Laramie, Wyoming facility]

This paper presents a general discussion of the properties and characteristics of oil shales, shale oils, and their products and presents briefly the results of major phases of the research and process development work now in progress at the Laramie, Wyo. station of the Bureau of Mines. For the most part, the experimental work pertains to oil shale of the Green River formation in Colorado.  The properties of products obtained by retorting the oil shale and refining its shale oil by several different processes are given.  The properties of Green River Shale oil shale and it products are also compared with those determined for several foreign oil shales.

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Refining of Colorado shale oil. Review of work by the Bureau of Mines, US Department of Interior. [Design and operation of Rifle, CO refinery]

Shale oil refining work to date indicates that satisfactory gasoline and diesel fuel meeting most of the petroleum specifications can be produced by thermal cracking of shale oil and low temperature treatment of the distillates.  Treating losses are high because of tar acids and bases and olefins.  A promising processing scherae has been developed by laboratory and pilot plant work for hydrogenating under mild conditions a shale-oil coker distillate which would produce high yields of premium quality products and at the same time remove sulphur and nitrogen as useful by-products.  Because of its flexibility, thermal cracking offers an excellent processing step for preparing final or intermediate products and it fits well into the coker distillate hydrogenation scheme.  Data presented cover exploratory refining operations and may indicate trends, but do not show optimum  processing conditions, yields or products.

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High-pressure hydrogenation of crude shale oil. [At 800 to 900/sup 0/F; use of several catalysts including W or Co molybdates]

Crude shale oil, obtained by the retorting of Colorado oil shale in a gas-flow retort, was hydrogenated over several solid catalysts in a continuous high-pressure unit on a once-through basis. At 9000 lb./sq.in.. gage hydrogen pressure and at temperatures of 800 'to 900'F ., a product oil essentially free of sulfur and nitrogen and suitable for further processing by standard petroleum methods can be produced. Using tungsten or cobalt molybdate catalysts. 40 to 50 vol. % of the product oil obtained by hydrogenation can be utilized as high-quality diesel fuel (octane ratings of 50 to 60). Depending on the type of catalyst used and the temperature of operation, hydrogen consumption varied from 2000 to 2800 cu.ft../ bbl. of shale-oil feed.

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Separating and characterizing high-boiling petroleum distillates:  the USBM-API procedure. [350 to 700/sup 0/C distillates]

"The Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute has developed a systematic procedure for separating and characterizing high-boiling (3500 to 7000 C) distillates (heavy ends) of crude oils. The procedure described separates the distillates into  acid, base, neutral nitrogen, saturate, monoaromatic, diaromatic, and polyaromatic-polar fractions. These seven fractions are analytically significant in themselves but if more detailed analyses are required, each of the fractions may be further characterized using the procedure  outlined. Information about the composition of the heavy ends of petroleum is needed because of the increasing use of this material as an energy source. The complexity of the heavy ends requires extensive separation to provide fractions that are amenable to subsequent composition studies. The increased knowledge of petroleum composition obtained from the application of this method to crude oils will contribute to improved  petroleum processing and utilization and to energy conservation."

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Toxicity of chemical compounds used for enhanced oil recovery. Final report

The intent of this report is to assess the toxicological nature of compounds used in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies so that the Department of Energy (DOE) can delineate the possible constraints to EOR commercialization that the toxicity of these substances could pose. In addition, research priorities are recommended to the DOE so that these constraints can be overcome in as safe and expedient manner as possible. In evaluating the toxicity of EOR chemicals, priority is given to the many chemicals which are now available commercially and are being used in a significant fashion in current EOR field tests. Specific attention has been paid to those chemicals which are used most extensively and to the human health effects data that are associated with them. These data are presented in Chapter Two. Information on toxicological concepts and a glossary of terms is presented in a separate appendix. Long-term environmental effects are not addressed in this document, but the possibility of impacts due to the toxic properties of certain chemicals is discussed briefly in the research recommendations. A table of aquatic toxicity data is included as Appendix C. The toxicity of EOR chemicals used is given for each of the following major secondary and tertiary recovery methods: micellar/polymer flooding technology; miscible carbon dioxide technology; in situ combustion technology; alkaline flooding and preflush technologies; and steam soak and steam drive technologies.

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