AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
FIXED-BED GASIFICATION RESEARCH USING U.S. COALS, VOLUME I: PROGRAM AND FACILITY DESCRIPTION

This report was prepared by Black, Sivalls, and Bryson, Inc., Houston, Texas under USBM contract number H0222001. The contract was administered under the technical direction of the Twin Cities Research Center with Mr. Robert Zahl acting as Technical Project Officer. Mr. Frank Pavlich was the contract administrator for the Bureau of Mines. This report is a partial summary of the work recently completed as a part of this contract during the period June 1982 to May 1984. This report was submitted by the authors on October 1, 1984.

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IN SITU ENERGY RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY - AUGUST 1-2, 1979: SESSION I - IN SITU COAL GASIFICATION

In 1978, field and laboratory studies were initiated to assess the technical feasibility of underground coal gasification in the fruitland coal field located in northwest New Mexico. Participants in the project include University of New Mexico, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Science Applications, Inc. A site has been selected and preliminary characterization has begun. Field activities include coring, logging, hydrologic testing and water sampling. Laboratory studies have been initiated to measure the distribution overburden, under burden and coal ion exchange constants for selected ions. The results from these activities are reported along with the laboratory analysis of water samples from both the underground coal conversion site and throughout the region. Extensive hydrologic studies of the entire region are being performed by the Bureau of Land management and the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the nature and availability of water in this region to aid energy development. These regional findings will also be discussed and their impact on underground coal conversion assessed.

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IN SITU BED PREPARATION STUDY

The program will acquire static and dynamic mechanical properties of oil shale and develop computer codes to model the response of oil shale for the design and optimization of in situ fracturing and rubblization experiments. Aspects of the program include: measurement of deformation and failure properties under complex multiaxial loading conditions; the effects on these properties under high deformation rates; the effects on these properties by bedding planes and joints; fracture toughness testing to examine the growth and coalescence of cracks to form rubble; the tailoring of explosives to produce desired rubblization effects; the development of predictive mathematical models; and the evaluation and refinement of these models through participation in field test programs. This program will be a joint effort between the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Sandia Laboratories.

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UNDERGROUND CONVERSION OF COAL TO CLEAN FUELS

"Natural gas is used for heating in the American Southwest from West Texas to Southern California. Together with coal, natural gas also is used to generate electric power for this region. Because this country’s production of gas continues to decline and imported fuels may not be a long-range replacement, the 40 million people in the Southwest must rely more and more upon domestic coal.  The large supplies of subbituminous coal in the Southwest could supply our energy needs for centuries. However, because most of this coal is too deep to strip mine, it cannot be mined cheaply (Fig. 1). Coal in this region is found in seams that project to the ground surface but then dip sharply below strip-mining levels. Consequently, over 90% of the total coal reserve is inaccessible with surface mining methods. Extracting this deep seam coal by underground mining is unhealthy for the workers and is expensive.  Even if additional strip mining were done, direct combustion of the coal creates severe environmental and economic problems. Removal of combustion pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ash, and trace elements requires expensive air filtration and scrubbing. This added processing substantially increases the costs of energy from this fuel.  The search for clean, low-cost methods to extract the energy from coal has led scientists at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) to study underground chemical conversion of coal into clean fuel gases. This new technology could revolutionize the extraction of coal and permit greater electricity production with minimal social and environmental costs. Figure 2 compares this new method for extracting deep coal with the current one of surface mining followed by direct combustion."

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STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS AND CAPABILITIES IN UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION

High quality research and development in underground coal gasification (UCG) is a hallmark of the Western Research Institute (WRI). Because of our qualifications and capabilities in this area, we can assist clients in evaluating the feasibility of UCG in specific resources. WRI maintains an expert staff of geologist, engineers, and scientists experienced in UCG resource evaluation, laboratory simulation, and field testing.

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CRITICAL PARAMETERS OF IN SITU COAL GASIFICATION

In situ coal gasification is potentially a very attractive method for producing low or high Btu gas. This paper presents an outline of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in situ gasification concept. In addition, a preliminary estimate of two important physical processes, coning and liquid plugging, is utilized to generate a conceptual design of a possible new approach for gasifying horizontal coal seams. Similarly, the design of a gasification system for steeply dipping coal seams is discussed, and an example of its utilization in the Soviet Union is presented.

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RELATIVE MERITS OF ALTERNATIVE LINKING TECHNIQUES FOR UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION AND THEIR SYSTEM DESIGN IMPLICATIONS

A technical-economic analysis is made of the comparative merits of three linking techniques for underground coal gasification: countercurrent combustion, directional drilling, and electrolinking. None of these techniques emerges as being superior to the others for all applications, but rather each has its own specific set of physical parameters that make it superior to the others under certain conditions. The system design implications are discussed, and a novel approach to underground gasification of thin coal seams is presented.

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE GEOTECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION PROGRAM FOR SUBSIDENCE MONITORING - UCG EXPERIMENT II

We have installed several types of geotechnical instrument systems at our Hoe Creek, Wyoming in situ coal gasification site to measure both surface and subsurface deformations resulting from gasification cavity creation. The subsurface instruments include two six position borehole extensometers in borings EX-1 and EX-2, two electrical shear strips in borings SS-1 and SS-2, a piezometer borehole PZ-1 containing four hydraulically isolated pore pressure transducers, and six boreholes completed so as to allow the use of a wire line inclinometer device.

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UNDERGROUND GASIFICATION FOR STEEPLY DIPPING COAL BEDS (PHASE I) QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 30, 1977 - DECEMBER 31, 1977

The initial phase of the UCG-SDB project is concerned with selection of a site for the field test and establishing a detailed plan complete with costs for subsequent phases of the project. During the first quarter, the Rawlins site has been designated as the site for geological characterization. The technical approach has been established with the gamma configuration preferred for the process module. A preliminary facility design has been completed and will be used for costing and scheduling. An environmental analysis of the process suggests no major problems. The detailed plan is complete and costing is under way. It is anticipated that phase I of the project will be completed one month ahead of schedule.

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REMOTE ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSING OF UNDERGROUND COAL BURNS QUARTERLY TECHNICAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 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 shape and size of underground coal burn voids. During the first quarter the newly configured induction system was field tested on several traverses at Hanna. A computer program was written and tested for generation of induction responses of buried conducting boxes.

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ENERGY TRENDS

The most significant known deposits of tar sands occur on the North and South American Continents.  These are the Athabasca deposit in Alberta, Canada, which contains over 700 billion barrels of oil in place(9,12431 ); The Orincoco Tar Belt in Venezuela, which contains over 600 billion barrels of hydrocarbons in place(1,12431 ); the Llanos area of Columbia, about which little is known, but which is believed to hold as much as a trillion barrels of oil (1,12431 ); and five Utah deposits which hold an estimated total of up to 29 billion barrels of oil (10).

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UNDERGROUND GASIFICATION FOR STEEPLY DIPPING COAL BEDS ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 1977-SEPTEMBER 30, 1978

Phase I activities of the UCG-SDB project required selecting a geographic site for the field tests, preparing a concept feasibility study, a parametric cost estimate, and developing comprehensive program plans for the remaining three phases of the project. This initial planning phase encompassed the first five months of the project, finishing a month ahead of schedule. Phase II activities which are currently in progress include site characterization, environmental monitoring, facility and test design work, and acquisition of state and federal permits.

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MINOR CONSITITUENTS OF A CALIFORNIA PETROLEUM

A comprehensive examination of a Wilmington, California, crude oil containing appreciable quantities of nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen compounds as well as trace amounts of porphyrins and metals is presented. The nitrogen compounds are mostly high-molecular weight materials and form the predominant group in the asphalt. Relatively small amounts can be found in the distillate and even these are in the higher-boiling fractions. The compounds are seventy percent non-basic. As only basic compounds have been identified from petroleum the majority of the Wilmington nitrogen compounds have structures as yet undefined. Pyrroles, indoles, and carbazoles are suspected. The sulfur compounds differ from those of previously-studied oils in that no thiols are found. The type-sulfur analysis indicates the sulfur compounds as “sulfidic,” and includes the thiophenic compounds in this classification. Only thiophenes have been identified in the low-boiling fractions, suggesting that thiophenes are the predominant compounds in the crude oil. Little is known concerning the oxygen compounds except that some ketones are present. Porphyrins are present to the extent of 225 p.p.m. and both vanadium and nickel porphyrins have been identified. Nineteen metals have been found with nickel, vanadium, and iron present in the largest quantity.

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PERMEABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF COAL

Values of absolute permeability to nitrogen and carbon dioxide are presented for Pricetown bituminous, Hanna and Gillette sub-bituminous and Texas lignite coals. These values as well as those for porosity and shrinkage are found to be inversely proportional to rank. Effective and relative permeabilities to gas as functions of water saturation, overburden pressure and gas type are measured under pseudo steady-state low Reynolds Number flow. The effect of overburden pressure is quite pronounced for the effective permeabilities to gas. Relative permeabilities are insensitive to both gas type and overburden pressure but are quite distinct with regard to coal type. Critical gas saturation values cover a wide range for the various coals but do not correlate with rank.

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EFFECT OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS ON ANALYSIS OF NAPTHAS FOR AROMATIC

The Bureau of Mines has analyzed many naphthas by refractometric methods including a number which have appreciable sulfur contents. The effect of sulfur compounds on the analysis has been studied both from the standpoint of the properties of the pure sulfur compounds, and from analyses of naphthas before end after desulfurization. The results of these studies indicate that within certain limits sulfur compounds have negligible effects.

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DETERMINATION OF TYPES OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS IN PETROLEUM DISTILLATES

A system of analysis for sulfur groups in petroleum distillates has been developed as one phase of the Bureau of Mines investigation of the more economic utilization of the so-called “black oils” of Wyoming. This problem is being studied by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement with the University of Wyoming at the Bureau’s Petroleum Experiment Station, Laramie, Wyo.

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API RESEARCH PROJECT 52-NITROGEN CONSITUENTS IN PETROLEUM

Increasing awareness of the problems passed by nitrogen compounds in the refining of petroleum led to the establishment of API Research Project 52, July 1, 1954. The work of the project is at three locations the University of Kansas at Lawrence, Kansas and the U.S. Bureau of Mines stations at Laramie, Wyoming and Bartlesville, Okla. Project directors are C.A. VanderWerf, J.S. Ball and G. Waddington respectively.

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CSM-USBM ROTARY CUTTING MACHINE: RESEARCH CAPABILITIES & TRIALS FOR IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF TUNNEL, SHAFT & RAISE BORING MACHINES

This paper describes the specifications and capabilities of a 6 ft (1.83m) diameter laboratory rotary cutting machine which was designed and fabricated under a Bureau of Mines (USBM) contract awarded to the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). The machine will be used for carrying out research and development programs aimed toward improving the design and operation of mechanical tunnel, raise and shaft boring equipment.

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Retorting Research

In the Fischer assay method for evaluating Green River oil shales, approximately 66. eight percent of the organic matter is converted to oil, 9  percent to gas, and 25 percent to coke, the latter remaining on the spent shale, Variation from this average assay conversion with grade of shale is illustrated in figure 1 on which are plotted also published data on conversions to oil obtained in several pilot-plant retorts.

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INVESTIGATION OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OIL SHALE RETORTING

Those of the oil shale operators in this country who are sincerely attempting to make a real industry out of oil shale developments, are anxious to obtain fundamental data on the retorting of oil shale; particularly as regards the effect of certain variable factors in the process of retorting on the quantity and quality of products yielded from oil shales when they are subjected to destructive distillation.

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THE IMPACT OF GASSY CONDITIONS ON OIL SHALE MINING COSTS

The purpose of this study, as stated in the purchase order, was to analyze the cost of all underground oil shale development and extraction of ore by mining or extraction of crude by a modified in-situ process under gassy conditions -- to be compared with results of DOE Contract ET-77-C-01-8915, Task Orders 13 and 14.

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CARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM THE TREATMENT OF GREEN RIVER OIL SHALE WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND WATER

"The carboxylic acid produced from the reaction of Green River oil shale kerogen with carbon monoxide and water at temperatures of 300- 450°C were investigated. The acid were eterifled with diazomethane, and the acid esters were separated by chromatographic techniques  into two fraction : -n-saturated and branched-plus-cyclic saturated acid ester fractions, Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-ma 's spectrometry (GC-M ) analyses of the n-saturated fractions showed the presence of carboxylic acids of CI4 to C)4 chain length. and the even odd predominance (EO?) was high in fractions produced below 450° C. Isoprenoid saturated acid and terpenoid saturated acid compounds in the branched-plus -cyclic saturated acid fraction predominated at 300°C but  decreased tremendously at 450° C. The results of this study show that structures containing carboxyl groups are major components of Green River oil shale kerogen ."

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"TECHNIQUES FOR SEPARATING AND IDENTIFYING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS  IN PETROLEUM AND SHALE OIL"

"An understanding of the nitrogen compounds in petroleum and shale oil is important to solving the problems created by these compounds. Individual nitrogen compounds were isolated from crude oil using liquid-solid and gas-liquid chromatography and chemical treatment. These compounds were identifiied using spectral techniques. Nitrogen compounds in high-boiling shale oil fractions were characterized by mass spectral analyses of thermal diffusion fractions. A new method for determining nitrogen  types was applied to fractions from crude oil and shale  oil. The results suggest that the major differences are  quantitative rather than qualitative."

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Oil Shale In Situ Research & Development Quarterly Report No. 5   August 1, 1978 through October 31, 1978

"In accordance with the requirements of our Contract No. DE-AC-20-79LC01791 with the Department of Energy, the TALLEY ENERGY quarterly report for the period 1 August through 31 October 1978 is included herein. This period encompassed the final preparations immediately prior to the explosive shot on 21 August, the explosive shot itself, the subsequent site cleanup, and the initiation of the post explosive fracturing evaluation. During August, Bennett-Carder and Associates completed the survey of the well locations and elevations. Sandia Laboratories completed the calculations necessary to position their downhole instrumentation and continued with the installation and checkout of their equipment. The detonator system was delivered by TAD-Tech. The TAL-1005E slurried explosive arrived on-site from the TALLEY  ENERGY manufacturing plant in Pryor, Oklahoma, and was displaced into the hydraulic fractures immediately prior to the explosive shot. The explosive event occurred at 1:50 P.M. MST on 21 August. A general cleanup of the area and preliminary downhole television surveying was completed by the end of the month. In the month of September, attempts were made to remove the sand-stemming and debris from the production wells. An air-lift system was developed by TALLEY ENERGY engineers to accomplish this removal due to the unworkability of conventional technique s . As a result of the slowdown caused by the need to develop the air-lift system, few post explosive fracturing evaluation results were obtained during September. During October, the production wells were cleared of sand-stemming and debris caused by the explosive event. Downhole television logging of all  production wells was conducted by TALLEY ENERGY. Caliper and flow logging was then conducted by Sandia, including tracer gas studies. Additional air and water flow logging operations were effected by TALLEY ENERGY personnel during this period. Preliminary preparations for the retorting operations were also implemented.  More detailed descriptions of selected tasks are presented in the following sections."

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Solubility of Oil Shales In Solvents For Petroleum

Oil shale contains little or no oil as such, but it contains an organic material from which oil may be  produced by destructive distillation.  This statement  or others conveying  the same meaning appears in many popular and technical articles on oil shale.  It is based on the belief that the ordinary solvents of petroleum have but little action on the organic substances contained in oil-yielding shales, although on distillation these same shales may yield upwards of 50 gallons of crude shale oil per ton.  A 50-gallon shale thus yields by distillation 18.73 percent of its weight as oil (assuming the specific gravity of the oil to be 0.900), although only a relatively small part of this can be recovered by extraction with such solvents as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and the like.  In the course of certain experiments designed to determine the solubility of different shales after they had begun to yield oil by distillation, it was found desirable to determine the quantity dissolved from certain unheated shales by various solvents, at or near the boiling points of these solvents.  The method used and results obtained are presented below.  These experiments were made in connection with the oil-shale investigations being conducted by the U.S. Bureau on Mines, in cooperation with the states of Colorado and Utah.

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OUTLINE IDENTIFICATION OF OIL SHALE PARAMETERS FOR IN SITU OIL SHALE GASIFICATION CONTROL PURPOSES

We report below the initial three months work on online identification of oil shale parameters for the purpose of improved control of in situ gasification of oil shale. Two approaches are described which may be complementary or alternative. The first approach employs special interrogation inputs for identification whereas the second approach uses the normal operation input to the gasification process. Both approaches yield sets of parameters which are subsequently employed in an oil shale properties classification algorithm to provide information for gasification control regarding the state of the gasification systems, such as rubble size distribution, grade distribution, burn front location and several electromagnetic properties of the zone considered.

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EVALUATION OF SHALE-OIL RESIDUUM PROCESSING METHODS, Planning and Evaluation Report No. 18

"The Bureau of Mines has presented an industry-scale oil shale project report in which a 234,000 B/CD operation is designed and its cost estimated. Crushed oil shale is retorted by the gas-Combustion retorting process. The crude shale oil is visbroken near the retorting site and pipelined from Colorado to California. The visbroken oil is  thermally cracked, yielding naphtha and residuum. Residuum ids utilized, in part, as refinery fuel and the balance is marketed as bunker-grade fuel oil. The cracked naphtha is split into two fractional, the light naphtha being treated with 5 pounds of 98 percent sulfuric acid per  barrel. The heavy fraction is reformed with a hydrogen atmosphere over cobalt-molybdate catalyst and the reformate treated lightly with concentrated sulfuric acid.  As the first step in a refining evaluation program being  carried out by the Planning and Evaluation Section, an evaluation of other treating steps that might be applied. to thermally cracked naphtha has been made and the results indicate that thermally cracked naphtha can be treated more economically With sulfuric acid than by  catalytic reforming over cobalt-molybdate catalyst.  The present study is a preliminary investigation of the possibility of processing the residuum formed by crude oil thermal cracking into products for which there is a more reliable market. This study completes the first evaluation of the refining procedure in which the basic step is thermal cracking of the total crude shale oil."

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SEPARATING WATER AND SEDIMENT FROM CRUDE SHALE OIL BY PRECOAT FILTRATION,  Development Engineering Unit Report No. 4

"Crude shale oils from conventional retorting processes are contaminated with water and sediment emulsified with the oil. Before these oils can be refined it is necessary to resolve the emulsions and remove the water and sediment; chemical and electrical emulsion-breaking processes commonly used for treating crude petroleum stocks have not proved successful. Experimental operations of the Oliver precoat filter indicated that this process will break crude shale-oil emulsions and reduce  the solids content of the oil to less than 0.1 percent. However, the cost of treating wet crude shale oils by this process is 6 cents per barrel, which is rather high. On the other hand, the cost of removing sediment from dry shale oils by precoat filtration is only 1 cent per barrel. Thus it may be that precoat filtration will prove most useful in removing sediment from dry shale oil."

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