AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Oil shale compaction experimental results

Oil shale compaction reduces the void volume available for gas flow in vertical modified in situ (VMIS) retorts. The mechanical forces caused by the weight of the overlying shale can equal 700 kPa near the bottom of commercial retorts. Clear evidence of shale compaction was revealed during postburn investigation of the Rio Blanco retorts at the C-a lease tract in Colorado. Western Research Institute conducted nine laboratory experiments to measure the compaction of Green River oil shale rubble during retorting. The objectives of these experiments were (1) to determine the effects of particle size, (2) to measure the compaction of different shale grades with 12 to 25 percent void volume and (3) to study the effects of heating rate on compaction. The compaction recorded in these experiments can be separated into the compaction that occurred during retorting and the compaction that occurred as the retort cooled down. The leaner oil shale charges compacted about 3 to 4 percent of the bed height at the end of retorting regardless of the void volume or heating rate. The richer shale charges compacted by 6.6 to 22.9 percent of the bed height depending on the shale grade and void volume used. Additional compaction of approximately 1.5 to 4.3 percent of the bed height was measured as the oil shale charges cooled down. Compaction increased with an increase in void volume for oil shale grades greater than 125 l/Mg. The particle size of the oil shale brick and the heating rate did not have a significant effect on the amount of compaction measured. Kerogen decomposition is a major factor in the compaction process. The compaction may be influenced by the bitumen intermediate acting as a lubricant, causing compaction to occur over a narrow temperature range between 315 and 430/sup 0/C. While the majority of the compaction occurs early in the retorting phase, mineral carbonate decomposition may also increase the amount of compaction. 14 refs., 12 figs., 4 tabs.

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Technology transfer at the Morgantown Energy Technology Center: FY 88 program report

The mission of the Fossil Energy program is to enhance the use of the nation's fossil energy resources. This includes developing technologies to use coal in an environmentally acceptable manner, to extend the reserve base of natural gas and oil, and to develop economically and environmentally improved techniques for extracting energy from oil shales and tar sand. METC's mission applies to certain technologies within this broad scope of technologies encompassed by the Office of Fossil Energy. The Government functions as an underwriter of risk and as a catalyst to stimulate the development of technologies and technical information that might otherwise proceed at a slower pace because of the high-risk nature of the research involved. The research programs and priorities are industry driven; the purpose is to address the perceived needs of industry such that industry will ultimately bring the technologies to the commercial market. To accomplish the goal of having the private sector commercialize Government-initiated technology, METC must have an effective technology transfer program. As evidenced in this report, METC has an active and effective technology transfer program that is incorporated into all aspects of project planning and execution.

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Characterization of interim reference shales

Measurements have been made on the chemical and physical properties of two oil shales designated as interim reference oil shales by the Department of Energy. One oil shale is a Green River Formation, Parachute Creek Member, Mahogany Zone Colorado oil shale from the Anvil Points mine and the other is a Clegg Creek Member, New Albany shale from Kentucky. Material balance Fischer assays, kerogen concentrates, carbon aromaticities, thermal properties, and bulk mineralogic properties have been determined for the oil shales. The measured properties of the interim reference shales are comparable to results obtained from previous studies on similar shales. The western interim reference shale has a low carbon aromaticity, high Fischer assay conversion to oil, and a dominant carbonate mineralogy. The eastern interim reference shale has a high carbon aromaticity, low Fischer assay conversion to oil, and a dominant silicate mineralogy. Chemical and physical properties, including ASTM distillations, have been determined for shale oils produced from the interim reference shales. The distillation data were used in conjunction with API correlations to calculate a large number of shale oil properties that are required for computer models such as ASPEN. The experimental determination of many of the shale oil properties was beyond the scope of this study. Therefore, direct comparison between calculated and measured values of many properties could not be made. However, molecular weights of the shale oils were measured. In this case, there was poor agreement between measured molecular weights and those calculated from API and other published correlations. 23 refs., 12 figs., 15 tabs.

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Modeling bituminous coal devolatilization in the electric grid and laminar entrained flow research reactors

Bituminous coal devolatilization data from an electric grid reactor and a laminar entrained flow reactor are modeled using two separate analytical derivations. The analyses are based on the assumption that the reactive volatile component of the pulverized bituminous coal will first escape from the coal particle's surface before coking into lighter volatiles and soot. Although this scenario is at variance with many previous devolatilization models, it provides a plausible explanation for the higher volatile yields achieved at moderate pressure in an entrained flow reactor as opposed to an electric grid apparatus. The analyses indicate that the electric grid reactor produces additional gas-phase mass transfer limitations for the heavy coal volatile fractions at pressures greater than 1 atm. 13 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

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Recovering mercury from a flotation concentrate by continuous leaching-electrolysis. Report of investigations

The Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with McDermitt Mine, investigated a method for recovering mercury metal from mercury sulfide flotation concentrate by a hydrometallurgical technique. This preliminary report shows the feasibility of leaching mercury with a cupric chloride solution and electrowinning mercury from the solution. Results from a preliminary economic evaluation indicated that a plant producing 31,500 flasks of mercury per year would have a capital cost of $3.7 million and an operating cost of $62 per flask of mercury.

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A benefit/cost analysis of availability in oil shale material handling systems

The material handling system in an oil shale mining operation is the lifeline of the associated shale oil processing facilities. Due to the continual feed requirements of the process, and the limited storage area typically available, material handling system availability is a critical consideration in overall plant design. Equipment redundancy and adequate storage areas affect system availability by reducing outage time; however, their inclusion requires a greater capital expenditure. This balance between system availability and capital cost can be optimized by an availability analysis. An appropriate methodology is illustrated by an example for handling oil shale from the mine face, through crushing, to the process plant via both mobile equipment and conveyors. The effects of equipment redundancy and storage pile capacity upon system availability are studied to illustrate the use of this methodology in the design of an oil shale materials handling system.

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Waterflooding of oilfields in Wyoming to 1968

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report provides information on 138 waterflood projects in Wyoming. Injection was in 25 producing zones and 65 fields. Specific data presented include field location, discovery and development, water supply and injection, oil and water production, estimates of oil in place, and oil recoveries by primary and secondary methods. The 138 projects studied will, if successful, recover about 800 million bbl of secondary oil. Almost all of the injection water is from deep-water wells.

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Material balance:  its applications and misapplications in underground coal gasification

The material balance serves as a major tool for the analysis of UCG (underground coal gasification) data; however, it must be used with considerable care. An oxygen balance, for example, can yield spurious and misleading predictions. Both field test data and laboratory experiments are used to show that a method currently used by Cena and previously by other investigators is so unstable that it is not a viable analytical tool. A more restricted form of the material balance is shown to produce good results.

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Reaction kinetics between CO/sub 2/ and oil shale char

The reaction kinetics between CO2 and char from Colorado oil shale have been investigated with isothermal and nonisothermal methods. The results are interpreted in terms of the reaction of char with both externally supplied CO2 and with CO2 formed from the decomposition of carbonates in the shale. It was found that oil shale char is approximately an order of magnitude more reactive than both sub bituminous coal char and acid leached oil shale char. This seems to indicate a significant catalytic effect by mineral matter in the oil shale char. Oil shale chars produced at East heating rates tend to be more reactive than those produced at slow heating rates. This lower reactivity probably is related to oil coking.

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Analysis of in situ coal extraction using pyridine

A cost-effective method for in situ coal liquefaction would use an inexpensive solvent that can efficiently extract coal at moderate temperatures and pressures. Because such a solvent appears difficult to find, we chose pyridine for studying some of the problems with in situ coal liquefaction. Pyridine is not inexpensive, but it can be thought of as a model for cheaper solvents. Pyridine is known to extract 11.5% of Wyodak coal under ambient conditions. We found that pyridine extraction of Wyodak coal is insensitive to moisture; thus, the borehole flow tests should have been unaffected by water in as-received coal containing 33% water. The flow tests in a borehole could be expressed by G = at/sup 1/2/   bt/sup 3/2/, where G = coal extracted (g), a,b = constants related to diffusivity and reaction rate, t = time (h). The equation was derived considering a fast diffusion-limited reaction and a slow zero-order reaction. The extraction rate was found to be very low; the computed diffusivities and reaction rates, likewise, were very low. This may be due, in part, to the fact that the partially extracted layer adhered firmly to the coal and provided a resistive barrier. We concluded that partial extractions obtained using pyridine or a similar solvent would be undesirable for in situ liquefaction. Complete extraction, or at least the comminution of the partially extracted layer, may be required.

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Summary report of the oil shale fragmentation project at Anvil Points Mine, Colorado

In 1981 and 1982 the Geophysics Group, ESS-3, of the Los Alamos National Laboratory was involved in an extensive series of field experiments devoted to fragmentation of oil shale. Los Alamos was part of the research team that participated in the experiments at the Anvil Points Mine, Colorado, and was supported by the Laramie Energy Technical Center at Laramie, Wyoming, as part of the Department of Energy's fossil fuel program. Anvil Points Mine is located on the Naval Oil Shale Reserve near Rifle, Colorado, in shale that is a member of the Green River formation. The purpose of the research project was to evaluate the feasibility of using the modified in situ (MIS) retort technique for recovery of kerogen from the oil shale using commercial explosives to produce the rubble bed and to develop computer codes to simulate fragmentation by blasting. Forty-five full-scale and twelve small-scale tests were conducted over a twelve-month period starting July 1981. The full-scale tests ranged from very simple cratering experiments to complex multiple-borehole configurations with two explosive columns in each hole designed to produce a rubble bed for determining fluid flow characteristics. This report documents the forty-five full-scale field tests in summary form. A written description outlines the as-fired features of each test including test name, location, and date; purpose for the test; geometric configuration and instrumentation; and principal results. In addition, each test is depicted in schematic diagrams to indicate visually the design features, instrumentation placement, and details of the explosive loading. The small-scale tests were directed at effects of kerfing and charge timing on fragmentation. However, these tests are not included in this report. 27 refs., 88 figs.

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Surface chemistry features in the hot water processing of Utah tar sand

The hot water processing of Utah tar sand involves two important steps in the process sequence, phase disengagement (digestion) and phase separation (flotation). Inasmuch as phase separation is accomplished by flotation, the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance at the surface of the bitumen droplets was studied in conjunction with the system's solution chemistry and the results correlated with the flotation response. Contact angle measurements of solvent extracted bitumen revealed a moderate hydrophobic character; however, air bubble attachment at the surface of bitumen obtained from a hot water concentrate was difficult and required long induction times. These results suggest that the phase separation by flotation is dependent on air bubble entrapment by bitumen droplets rather than attachment due to surface hydrophobicity. In addition, identification of surface functional groups and components solubilized during hot water digestion was attempted using IR and NMR spectra. Strong absorption peaks at 1708 cm/sup -1/, and 2855 cm/sup -1/ for the solubilized components together with NMR spectra indicate the presence of dissolved paraffinic carboxylates, the amount of which increased as the digestion pH was increased. Potentiometric titration of the water soluble constituents indicated an acid dissociation constant of pK/sub a/ approx. = 5 which would be expected for such carboxylate species. This phenomenon appears to account, in part, for the polar bitumen surface and the hydrophilic character of the digested bitumen. These and other results indicate that phase disengagement during digestion and bitumen hydrophobicity may be mutually exclusive effects and reinforce the notion that flotation separation is achieved by entrapment of air bubbles in the viscous bitumen droplets. 10 figures.

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General-purpose, packed-bed model for analysis of underground coal gasification processes

A computer model for characterizing reacting flows through packed beds is presented. These flows are related to the underground coal gasification conditions in terms of combustion and multi-component chemical reactions that take place inside beds of coal char. Time-dependent, two-dimensional (including axisymmetrical) partial differential equations (PDE's) describing conservation of mass, species, momentum, and the thermal energy are formulated. These PDE's are then recast into a set of ordinary differential equations (ODE's) with time as independent variable. The resulting ODE's are solved by applying a method-of-lines (MOL) technique to multi-component flows through packed char beds. The present formulation considers: the transport phenomena at the wall; various transient flow cases; multiple reactions and species; a wide range of options on the boundary conditions: temperature-dependent physical parameters; and rezoning capabilities. A numerical code called GSF has been developed, and computer runs have been performed to verify various aspects of the physical models as well as the numerical approach taken in the present analysis. These include favorable agreements with available analytical solutions for simple, one-dimensional flows and two-dimensional non-isotropic heat transfer to a wall. For more complicated flow situations for which there are no analytical solutions, good agreements have also been obtained between the results of the present method and those of alternative numerical methods. The code has been applied to several physical situations bearing on the underground coal gasification processes, i.e., wall drying, wall regression during gasification, and water injection into a gasifying bed. Preliminary results demonstrate that the present numerical modeling approach shows promise as a first step in describing the transient thermophysical phenomena taking place inside packed beds. 35 refs., 19 figs.

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Morgantown Energy Technology Center publications list, FY85

This Publications List includes the scientific and technical documents, papers, and presentations authored by the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) staff as well as those written by METC contractors during Fiscal Year 1985. The documents, papers, and presentations are arranged by technology and then by identification numbers from the Energy Data Base and the NTIS Data Base. Author, report number, and title indexes follow for each entry. The citations total 553.

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DOE-furnished data acquisition system installation, operation and maintenance. Final technical report

Although the DOE-furnished data acquisition was not fully automated and bugs remained in the program, the system was operated and the data were compared with that obtained by Paraho data processing. On-stream analyses were not operational during the computer operation. The Hewlett-Packard (HP) gas chromatograph had provided valid data earlier. Maintenance and repairs of subsequent malfunctions by DEI, HP, and LETC personnel failed to provide valid on-stream GC analyses. The software program and options, controlled by LETC, could not be completely debugged during the short operating period. Routines, devised by DEI, were established to circumvent the program bugs and to obtain valid data. Data were obtained for fifteen 24-hour test days during June-July, 1978 and compared with Paraho's. Air and gas flows compared within 1 the accuracy of measurement. Total carbon and weight balances generally agreed within to 2%. Results from these comparisons show that both systems - the DOE-furnished data acquisition and Paraho data processing - do provide valid data.

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Gas hydrates: technology status report

The DOE Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) implemented a gas hydrates R and D program that emphasized an understanding of the resource through (1) an assessment of current technology, (2) the characterization of gas hydrate geology and reservoir engineering, and (3) the development of diagnostic tools and methods. Recovery of natural gas from gas hydrates will be made possible through (1) improved instrumentation and recovery methods, (2) developing the capability to predict production performance, and (3) field verification of recovery methods. Gas hydrates research has focused primarily on geology. As work progressed, areas where gas hydrates are likely to occur were identified, and specific high potential areas were targeted for detailed investigation. A Geologic Analysis System (GAS) was developed. GAS contains approximately 30 software packages and can manipulate and correlate several types of geologic and petroleum data into maps, graphics, and reports. The system also contains all well information currently available from the Alaskan North Slope area. Laboratory research on gas hydrates includes the characterization of the physical system, which focuses on creating synthetic methane hydrates and developing synthetic hydrate cores using tetrahydrofuran (THF), consolidated rock cores, frost base mixtures, water/ice-base mixtures, and water-base mixtures. Laboratory work produced measurements of the sonic velocity and electrical resistivity of these synthetic hydrates. During 1983, a sample from a natural hydrate core recovered from the Pacific coast of Guatemala was tested for these properties by DOE/METC. More recently, natural hydrate samples acquired from the Gulf of Mexico are being tested. Modeling and systems analysis work has focused on the development of GAS and preliminary gas hydrate production models. 23 refs., 18 figs., 6 tabs.

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Prediction of in-situ combustion process variables by use of TGA/DSC techniques and the effect of sand-grain specific surface area on the process

This paper describes a new technique to predict the parameters that govern the performance of the in-situ combustion process. This prediction is accomplished by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the crude-oil combustion. The effect of surface area on the in-situ combustion-tube runs was also investigated.

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Energy from oil shale:  technical, environmental, economic, legislative, and policy aspects of an undeveloped energy source, 93rd Congress, 1st Session, U. S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcommittee on Energy

Oil shale is one of the mist abundant but undeveloped U.S. energy sources. High grade oil shale found in the Green River formation in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming contain the equivalent of 600 billion barrels of oil. Exploration of this resource would supplement U.S. supply of liquid petroleum for many decades. The basic technology required to process this resource has been tested on a demonstration scale. The First U.S. commercial plant could be in operation by late 1976. Current economic analysis indicate that the processing of oil shale is within or near the range of economic feasibility. Environmental acceptability remains to be tested on a large-scale basis. Advances in environmental control technologies, for example revegetation and chemical processing of effluents are said to reduce some of the harmful environmental impacts resulting from development of this resource.

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Comprehensive analysis of the carbon/oxygen log

A study is presented on the analysis of induced gamma ray spectroscopy logs. This report reviews the current interpretation methods and presents a cross-plotting technique to compute hydrocarbon saturation. The cross-plotting technique has three unknowns: porosity, volumetric fraction of shale and oil saturation. The only constraint upon this technique is that porosity must be fairly constant in the reservoir. The Dresser Atlas Continuous Carbon/Oxygen Log is being run periodically in the observation wells of a steam-foam pilot in Kern County, California to monitor the recovery process. A comparison is made between the cross-plot method and other methods. 60 figures, 7 tables. (DLC)

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