AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
In situ coal gasification model (forward mode) for feasibility studies and design

A linear mathematical model for forward combustion has been developed for underground gasification of coal. Predicted results agree very well with data obtained from a field test conducted by the Laramie Energy Research Center near Hanna, Wyoming. With the aid of the model, field tests can be interpreted quantitatively in terms of known chemical and physical phenomena. This leads to a greater understanding of the process, and establishes a method for determining optimum operating conditions such as air injection rate, air/water ratio, and preheating of injection air. (auth)

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In-situ coal gasification flare:  thermal and flow analysis

Calculations estimate the temperatures and gross flow characteristics of the production-gas flare stack to be used in the Hoe Creek In-situ Coal Gasification Experiment No. 1. The temperatures are lowered somewhat by the expected presence of 10 to 30 mole percent water vapor in the production-gas stream. In the range of heating values typical of wet production gas (2.98 to 5.21 MJ/std m/sup 3/, or 80 to 140 Btu/scf), heat loss is small enough that the gas will sustain combustion if the water is vaporized, and the resulting temperatures are not beyond the stack's endurance. Some carbon-steel phase transitioning is expected to occur near the ends of the refractory hangers, but the problem should not be serious. An analysis of the pressure changes involved shows that the induced airflow is barely enough to ensure complete combustion of the production gases at the high production-gas flow rate of 1.42 std m/sup 3//s (3000 scfm). Since the calculations used to analyze the flare apply to any internal flare design, the calculational details are fully described.

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Identification of thiophene and benzene homologs. Mass spectral correlations. [Mass spectra of shale oil naphtha]

A new method for the identification of unknown organic compounds has been developed, using correlations that relate mass spectra with molecular structure. No prior mass spectral data for the unknown compounds are necessary for identifications. The basis of the method is the use of mass spectral correlations to identify structural groups in unknown compounds. Identifications are completed by the use of supplemental chemical and physical data.

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Laser induced pyrolysis techniques. [For chemical characterization]

The application of laser pyrolysis techniques to the problems of chemical analysis is discussed. The processes occurring during laser pyrolysis are first briefly reviewed. The problems encountered in laser pyrolysis gas chromatography are discussed using the analysis of phenanthrene and binary hydrocarbons. The application of this technique to the characterization of naturally occurring carbonaceous material such as oil shales and coal is illustrated. (JSR)

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Remote electromagnetic sensing of underground coal burns. Quarterly technical progress report, June--August 1976

The main objective of this research project is to develop and field test an induction system and estimator algorithm for remote determination of the location, shape and size of underground coal burn voids. Task 1 is primarily devoted to developing computer programs for generation of induction model responses for several simple shapes of buried conductors. Task 2 is centered around making the field measurements at the Hanna Coal Gasification Site and processing the data to produce 3-dimensional response maps for each traverse. Task 3 entails applying the model responses to the development of a minimum-mean-square-error estimator algorithm for model parameters. Then the algorithm is to be applied to the field data to obtain shape and size information about the underground coal burn. To date, a computer program has been written for generation of induction responses of buried conducting boxes and rectangular plates. Field tests at Hanna of the newly configured induction system and the new receiving loop indicate that the strongest anomalies over these coal burns are obtained with the new loop operated single-ended over a 50 kHz bandwidth and a 120-meter loop separation. A Fourier Analyzer System used to begin processing field data showed several orders of magnitude change at low frequencies as the system was moved over a burn. Current effort on the induction model response computer programs is directed toward more accurate modeling of the actual coal burn sites.

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Ion-exchange, coordination, and adsorption chromatographic separation of heavy-end petroleum distillates

Information about the composition of heavy-end petroleum distillates is needed because of the increased use of this material as an energy source. The complexity of the heavy ends requires extensive separation to give fractions amenable to compositional studies. A separation scheme is described that separates heavy-end petroleum distillates into acid, base, neutral-nitrogen, saturate, and aromatic fractions. The analytical techniques used include anion- and cation-exchange chromatography, coordination chromatography, and adsorption chromatography. The scheme has been applied to heavy-end distillates from a variety of crude oils having different compositional characteristics. Data from mass spectral analysis of the saturate and aromatic fractions are presented.

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Nonbasic nitrogen compounds in petroleum. [Identification in petroleum or its fractions boiling above 400/sup 0/F]

The status of knowledge about the nonbasic nitrogen compounds in petroleum is reviewed. Pyrroles, indoles, carbazoles, benzocarbazoles, phenazines, benzonitriles, and amides have been identified in petroleum or its fractions boiling above 400/sup 0/F. Nonbasic nitrogen can be divided into four subtypes by titration of the crude oil with perchloric acid in acetic anhydride before and after reduction with lithium aluminum hydride. This method requires no prior separation or concentration of the nitrogen, and provides more detailed information than previous methods. Future interest in nonbasic nitrogen lies in identification of classes of compounds in the heavier ends of crude oil.

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Underground coal gasification program. [Overview of ERDA program]

This publication provides a brief overview of the Energy Research and Development Administration's (ERDA) program to develop underground coal gasification (UCG) technology. The UCG program is part of ERDA's overall strategy to create energy choices for the future. Since UCG technology is not widely known, even to the technical community, general descriptions of the concept and its potential applications are included. For the reader interested in more detailed coverage, a three-volume set will be available: (1) Management Plan; (2) Technical Data Book; (3) Resources. The objective of ERDA's UCG program is to develop commercially viable, underground gasification processes for extracting energy from coal. Through government and industry joint participation, the technology will be developed, proved on a large scale, and transferred to the private sector; data will be provided to predict the economics of a commercial operation. ERDA's objectives and its support of national energy goals are shown.

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Two-dimensional modeling of in situ coal gasification. [6 refs]

Predictions of the sweep efficiency of different field processes for in-situ recovery of coal resources are needed to assess the economics of each process. Additionally, the efficient recovery of the total resource requires comparison and evaluation of the processes using these predictions. A preliminary two-dimensional transient computer model that simulates some important features of the in-situ gasification process is described. Simulation results are presented for several example cases of two-well gasifications in heterogeneous medium, which include both forward and reverse combustion modes. The simulation results agree qualitatively with field experiments. Accuracy is currently limited by incomplete representation of physical and chemical phenomena.

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Hot water extraction of bitumen from Utah tar sands

Utah tar sands are distinctly different from Canadian tar sands both with regard to chemical composition and physical properties, specifically viscosity. Flow curves for Utah and Athabasca bitumens were determined as a function of temperature. For all temperatures, both bitumen samples exhibited Newtonian behavior. Utah bitumen is significantly more viscous than Athabasca bitumen by more than an order of magnitude. This difference in viscosity makes phase disengagement more difficult to achieve. As a result of this consideration, a high shear, stirred tank reactor was selected for digestion of the tar sand samples, and wetting agents were added to assist the phase disengagement process. Preliminary results, in which separation coefficients greater than 0.90 were obtained, have encouraged further research in this area.

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Recovery of bitumen from oil-impregnated sandstone deposits in Utah

Characterization of the tar sands from the Uinta Basin is currently underway. Compared with bitumen presently being extracted commercially from Canadian Athabasca tar sands, the bitumen from Utah is considerably lower in sulfur content (typically 0.4 wt. percent compared to 4.2 wt. percent) and higher in nitrogen content (1 wt. percent compared to 0.36 wt. percent). Furthermore, while Athabasca tar sands contain 3 wt. percent water and have a significant clay content, Utah Uinta tar sands contain very little water and virtually no clay. Bitumen content of the Utah tar sands varies considerably but is comparable with the value of 13 wt. percent for the Athabasca tar sands presently being processed commercially. Because of considerable differences in the chemical and physical nature of Utah tar sands as compared with Canadian tar sands, as well as the great differences in geographical and climatic conditions between the two regions, processing of Utah tar sands may require a different procedure from the one currently used commercially in Canada or from the procedures previously demonstrated in laboratory or pilot-plant studies on Canadian tar sands. The status of research underway at the University of Utah to explore methods of extracting bitumen by both low- and high-temperature techniques is presented.

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Analyses of oil produced during in situ reverse combustion of a Utah tar sand

An in situ recovery experiment was conducted in the Northwest Asphalt Ridge deposit near Vernal, Utah. Reverse combustion was used for the recovery of tar sands hydrocarbons. The field experiment produced liquid organic, aqueous, and gaseous materials. This paper describes the detailed characterization of product oils from the experiment and compares the data to those obtained on bitumen extracted from core samples taken prior to the burn. The light oils produced during the reverse combustion were upgraded considerably compared to the original bitumen, and the heavy oils are very similar to the bitumen. (DLC)

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Survey of methods for desulfurizing residual fuel oil. [134 references]

This literature study of methods for desulfurizing residual fuel oil was conducted by the Bureau of Mines at the request of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The sulfur compounds in residual fuels are believed to consist chiefly of condensed thiophenes and other polycyclic sulfur compounds. Hydrodesulfurization appears to be the most promising method for desulfurizing these oils and is the only method applicable to all types of sulfur compounds. There are indications in the literature that hydrodesulfurization without hydrocracking of residual oils may require higher pressures than used in present desulfurization processes, but no cost data and little experimental data are available on the higher pressure operation. Literature proposals for hydrogenating residual oils and heavy crude oils are exclusively for hydrocracking the oils to lower boiling products with accompanying partial desulfurization of the residual fuel fraction. Costs of the hydrocracking operations appear the closest available to probable costs of hydrodesulfurizing the oils, and have been reported (in 1955 to 1957) as $500 to $840 investing cost per daily barrel of capacity, with total operating costs of 70 cents to $1.10 per barrel.

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Geostatistical study of coal and overburden data from the Wasatch Formation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. [R-squared statistics used as measure of correlation between drill cutting samples and core samples]

A statistical analysis was performed with overburden characterization data that was obtained from a U.S. Forest Service study site in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. The drilling and overburden characterization program had been performed during 1977 and 1978 and this information was provided to the Laramie Energy Technology Center by the U.S. Forest Service. There were three basic goals that were accomplished during this study. First, find out how overburden data obtained from drill cuttings compares with overburden data obtained from core samples. Second, determine the basic chemical and physical characteristics of the overburden. Third, determine the minimum drill hole spacing required to adequately characterize the overburden. The R-squared statistic was used as a measure of correlation between drill cutting samples and core samples. Most R-Squared values were less than 50%, therefore, it was concluded that geostatistical structure cannot be predicted accurately during an overburden study when drill cuttings are used. Principal component R-Mode factor analysis with Varimax rotation was used in the factor analysis. The factor analysis yielded twelve distinct factors which explained ninety percent of the total variation. A two stage sequential drilling procedure was developed that moves in a stepwise manner towards the goal of a predetermined level of accuracy until that level is reached. Thus, the desired level of accuracy can be reached without over-drilling an area.

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Composition of heavy ends of a Russian petroleum

"The efficient utilization of petroleum requires processing of the heavy residua remaining after a vacuum distillation of crude oil. The amounts of residue, its physical properties and chemical composition depend upon a crude oil source.  A knowledge of the chemical composition of petroleum residua is still rather limited, although there have been many efforts in the past to develop methods for analyzing these complex mixtures. As a result of the American Petroleum Institute Research Project 60, a separation-characterization scheme for compound-type analysis of high-boiling (375-675 degrees C) distillates was developed with. Very recently, the work done in this laboratory on the compound-type composition of 675 degrees C residua from four crude oils—Recluse (Wyo.), Gach Saran (Iran), South Swan Hills (Alta) and Wilmington (Calif.)—has been published (3, 4, 5).  This paper describes the separation and characterization of 675 degrees C residue of the Russian crude oil that is supplied through a pipeline from Siberian oil fields to Poland and East Germany.  In successive separation steps that include (a) chromatography on ion-exchange resins, (b) coordination chromatography on ferric chloride-Attapuigus clay and (c) chromatography on silica the total 675 degrees C residue is separated into five major compound-class fractions. The emphasis in this study is on polar heteroatom-containing compound types that are generally regarded as being a major problem in conversion of heavy residua to fuels. Compound types having nitrogen and oxygen-containing functional groups were of particular interest. The sulfur-containing groups were not investigated in this study.  The compound-type composition of the 675 degree C residue of the Russian crude oil is comtured with those of 675 degree C residua of crude oils previously investigated."

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Asphaltenes in petroleum asphalts:  composition and formation

Petroleum asphaltenes are commonly viewed as an undesired component of crude oil, which create serious difficulties in upgrading of petroleum heavy ends. However, it is not often recognized that processing of petroleum resides also includes production of asphalts were asphaltenes are not only a very desired component but the component that determines to a great extent the physical properties of an asphalt.

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Oilfields and crude oil characteristics

The first well that produced commercial quantities of oil in the Cook Inlet Basin of Alaska was completed in 1957. Since that time oil production in the basin has increased rapidly and by the end of 1969 had reached an annual rate of 74 million barrels. Five major oilfields had been developed, and two additional discoveries awaited development. Estimated amounts of recoverable oil by primary and secondary recovery methods total 2.7 billion barrels, or 36 percent of the estimated oil originally in place. Repressurization by injecting gas or water in formations containing under saturated oil has significantly increased the volume of recoverable oil. All production has been from formations of the Tertiary age; that much of it is from depths of 10,000 feet or more is unusual for Tertiary formations. The oils are low in sulfur and contain low to moderate amounts of asphalt.

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Heat and mass transfer through southwestern subbituminous coals. [3 refs]

The vast quantities of subbituminous coals known to exist in the Southwestern U.S. offer an attractive domestic resource to replace the oil and gas which have been the energy supply of this region. Yet technical and environmental problems suggest that this emphasis on coal may not be possible without new extraction and utilization technology. The work reported here describes studies in support of a concept that is specifically designed to utilize these Southwestern coal resources. A two-stage process is used to first pyrolyze and dry a seam segment, thus producing a stream of gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons while leaving a bed of highly-permeable semichar. This hot semichar is then gasified. Sensible heat from the gasification step as well as carbon dioxide removed during gas cleaning are used to drive the pyrolysis step. The overall process yields two products, hydrocarbon liquids and low-Btu gas, and central to the efficiency and operation of this process is a complicated heat and mass transfer process. A computational approach is described that permits the comparison of laboratory data with those predicted from digital finite element calculations. These data describe the heat transfer caused by hot gas flows through media whose permeability is markedly changed by the flow processes.

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DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION IN NEW MEXICO PREBURN SEAM CHARACTERIZATION STUDY

This report describes a pre-burn site characterization study consisting of the Tasks III, IV, and V as listed above. A more detailed listing of the tasks is provided in Table 1.1. At the beginning of the project Task I, the site selection, and most of Task II were completed. This study focuses on Tasks III, IV, and V, with a report of the logging results from Task II.

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Retorting of Green River oil shale under high-pressure hydrogen atmospheres

Studies have been carried out on 31- and 24-gallons-of-oil-per-ton oil shale from the Green River Formation to study the effects of pressure, sweep gas rate, and heating rate during batch-wise retorting in a hydrogen atmosphere. The studies were performed in a vertical pressure retort which was heated at a predetermined fixed rate to a final bed temperature of approximately 1,000/sup 0/F. The hydrogen sweep gas was passed downward through the shale bed during the experiments. The effects of pressure ranging from atmospheric to 1,500 psig, nominal heating rates ranging from 25 to 250/sup 0/F/h, and hydrogen sweep gas rates ranging from 10 to 120 scf/h/ft/sup 2/ of bed cross-section have been studied. Oil, gas, water, and spent shale yields are reported along with analyses of product oil, gas, and spent shale. Organic carbon utilization is also reported. Heating rate showed an effect on oil yield for the atmospheric runs; this effect was not noticed under the higher pressure runs. For the run conditions reported, no effect was noticed with variance of hydrogen sweep rate. Oil yields showed a marked increase with increasing hydrogen pressures. The oil produced showed a decrease in oxygen, sulfur, carbon/hydrogen ratio, pour point, viscosity, specific gravity, and average boiling range with increasing hydrogen pressures. Nitrogen content of the oil showed an increase with increasing hydrogen pressures. Other effects noted with increasing hydrogen pressures were increased carbon utilization and increased water production. 14 figures, 11 tables.

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LLL in situ coal gasification program. Annual report fiscal year 1976, July 1975--September 1976. [38 refs]

The Hoe Creek in-situ gasification experiment is described in considerable detail, and preliminary results are given. Coal fracturing is discussed with attention to the mechanical properties of overburden rocks at the site. The section on in-situ processing includes electric conductivity studies; coal-processing experiments; mathematical modeling; feasibility studies; and mechanical design calculations. One section is devoted to general studies including environmental effects and a review of the Soviet effort in underground coal gasification. (EJH)

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Remote electromagnetic sensing of underground coal burns. Quarterly technical progress report, December 1976--February 1977 and 9 month summary

The main objective of this project is to develop and field test an induction system and estimator algorithm for remote determination (at the surface) of the location, shape and size of underground coal burn voids. Field measurements were conducted with a wideband loop-loop induction system at the Hanna Underground Coal Gasification Site of the LERC during July, August and October of 1976. Field data were processed on the new Fourier Analyzer System and 3-dimensional response maps were plotted via the central computing system in both time and frequency domains. Strong anomalies at 5 kHz were observed on traverses over both burns at Hanna II. Computer programs for generation of induction responses of 3 different buried conducting bodies have been written and tested. The effects of conducting wells and the air-earth interface were explored. A Bayes statistical estimation procedure was developed to interpret induction responses for shape and size information. An analytic and a numerical minimum mean-square-error algorithm were developed for the estimation of the radius of a cylindrical conductor. Performance of the general numerical algorithm was shown to be nearly identical to that of the analytic algorithm.

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Quantitative method using differential infrared spectrometry for the determination of compound types absorbing in the carbonyl region in asphalts

A method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of ketones, dicarboxylic anhydrides, carboxylic acids, and 2-quinolone types in asphalts is presented. The technique is based on differential infrared spectrometry combined with base hydrolysis and silylation reactions. Determinations are made using simple laboratory equipment without the necessity of reagent or reaction product separation. The method was applied to a collection of asphalts to show the effect of oxidation in road service on the production of the title compound types. Ketones were found to be the major oxidation product absorbing in the carbonyl region. Dicarboxylic anhydrides were formed on oxidation in considerably greater amounts than carboxylic acids. 2-Quinolones were not formed on oxidation. Significant amounts of ketones and detectable amounts of carboxylic anhydrides were not found in fresh, unoxidized asphalts although carboxylic acids and 2-quinolone types were often present. (auth)

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