AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Laboratory evaluation of forward combustion in Sunnyside tar sand

Three one-dimensional simulations of the in situ forward-combustion process using Sunnyside (Utah) tar sand were conducted to evaluate its effectiveness for recovering oil from the deposit. The injectant for these tests was either steam-oxygen, air-oxygen, or air. All three simulations experienced plugging of the reactor tube during the tests. Only the air test went to completion and produced 46 wt % of the bitumen as  highly upgraded oil. The plugging problem in the tests is believed to result from the collection of a highly oxidized material in a cooler portion of the tube forming a semi-solid barrier. It is recommended that extensive thermal characterization studies be conducted on Sunnyside tar sand before further in situ studies are conducted. The work described here substantiates the need for extensive laboratory evaluation of a recovery process before field application. 18 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

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Physical, chemical, and toxicological characterization of untreated and treated tar sand wastewaters

A study of the physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of untreated and treated tar sand wastewaters has been completed. One of the waters selected for this study, TS-1S wastewater, was generated during an in situ steam flood experiment conducted by the US Department of Energy. The other waters were generated during laboratory-scale extraction experiments that were designed to test high-pressure steam displacement and reverse combustion as processes for recovering oil from tar sand. One objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of four treatment processes for reducing the contaminant load and toxicity of TS-1S wastewater. The treatment processes included: (1) ferric chloride coagulation, (2) ferric chloride coagulation plus activated carbon adsorption, (3) polymer-assisted flotation, and (4) polymer-assisted flotation plus activated carbon adsorption. According to the results of chemical analyses, the effluents generated by these treatment processes were very similar. However, polymer-assisted flotation plus activated carbon adsorption was most effective for reducing toxicity, whereas ferric chloride coagulation appeared to increase toxicity to at least one of the organisms tested. Thus, standard physicochemical analyses were not adequate indicators of the potential environmental hazards of TS-1S wastewater, as determined by toxicity testing. This study indicated that physical, chemical, and toxicological characterization is necessary to fully assess the potential environmental hazards of tar sand waters or any other chemically complex water. Another objective of this study was to expand the data base for tar sand wastewaters. 18 refs., 8 figs., 10 tabs.

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Turbine fuels from tar sands bitumen and heavy oil. Phase I. Preliminary process analysis. Interim report, 8 July 1983-9 April 1984

The strategic potential of domestic bitumens and heavy crude oils as substitutes for imported crude rests with their efficient conversion into aviation turbine fuels. In this Phase I study, preliminary analyses of several processing schemes were performed. The comparison included both hydrogen-addition and carbon-rejection upgrading processes. Projected JP-4 yields, costs, and thermal efficiencies suggest further exploration of the hydrovisbreaking process. For Phase II, laboratory-scale demonstration of the recommended process is proposed.

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First annual oil shale/tar sand contractors meeting: proceedings

"U.S. tar sand and oil shale resources are among our new energy frontiers, yet ones with great potential opportunities- opportunities for massive new sources of energy, opportunities for imaginative technology, and opportunities for research cooperation.  This paper reviews the technological opportunities and challenges facing U.S. tar sands and oil shale, including the nature of the resources, ongoing and planned development, the key technical barriers, and the research work being sponsored by the US DOE on tar sands and oil shale technology and problems."

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Effect of residual carbon on adsorption of organic compounds by retorted oil shale. [2,4,6-trimethylpyridine]

The organic constituents in oil shale process waters are of environmental concern when spent shale is codisposed with the process waters. Applying shale process water to hot spent shale may result in the mobility of certain organic species and the irreversible retention of other organic compounds. The mobility and retention of the resulting organic chemical substances will be affected by the chemical and physical properties of the spent shale. Particularly, the residual carbon content of the spent shale is expected to possess sorptive properties similar to activated carbon and adsorb organic substances. This paper reports on research focused on determining the relationship between spent shale residual carbon content and the sorption of organic compounds that have previously been identified in shale process waters. Two spent shale samples from a directly heated retort and one spent shale sample from an indirectly heated retort were used to determine the sorption of phenol, pyridine, and 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine from aqueous solutions. The relationship between residual carbon and sorption was evaluated in a series of column adsorption tests in which the three spent shales were contacted by aqueous solutions of the organic substances. Column effluent fractions were collected over 24 hours and measured for changes in the concentration of each chemical substance. The data obtained in these experiments for each organic substance suggest that levels of total carbon content in spent shale below 10 wt. % do not significantly affect adsorption of organic substances. The effect of total carbon greater than 10 wt. % was not determined. The residual carbon on spent shale does not behave in a manner similar to activated carbon, probably because of the high alkalinity of the spent shale surface. 22 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

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Oil shale project run summary large retort run L-4

L-4 was a simulated MIS experiment carried out in the 6-metric ton oil shale retort on October 22 to 24, 1979. An oil yield of 87% FA was achieved at a retorting rate of 2.8 to 3.0 m/day with a shale bed of -30  0.001 cm particle size range and including a nearly two-fold step change in grade. Temperature control was maintained by varying the steam/air ratio and injection gas rate. Oil yield, front position and retorting rate, as predicted in real time during the run from offgas data, agreed reasonably well with directly measured counterparts. Pre-run model calculations reliably predicted operating conditions for both inert gas pre-ignition and combustion retorting phases of the run. Pre-run steam logging predicted the degree of horizontal uniformity of the retorting front. Ultrasonic reflectometry, gas-releasing capsules and differential pressure measurements were shown to be promising methods for temperature measurement. Passage of the retorting front through the grade change was signalled by changes in offgas composition.

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory oil shale project. Quarterly report, July-September 1980

A preliminary process flowsheet for a countercurrent, above-ground gas-combustion retort system was developed and used to calculate the mass and energy balances for a 50,000-bbl/d shale oil plant. The ability of Campbell's kinetic model to predict gas evolution during pyrolysis of Colorado oil shales was tested. Losses of S during combustion of retorted shale and the fraction of char burned were determined. Leaching of oxidized shale in water removed Ca and Mg sulfates. 4 figures, 3 tables. (DLC)

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Oil-shale program. Twenty-second quarterly report, April 1981-June 1981

This twenty-second quarterly report describes the principal activities of the Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque (SNLA) in the DOE Oil Shale Program during the period April 1 to June 30, 1981. Currently, Sandia's activities are focused upon: the development and use of analytical and experimental modeling techniques to describe and predict the retort properties and retorting process parameters that are important to the preparation, operation, and stability of in situ retorts, and the development, deployment, and field use of instrumentation, data acquisition, and process monitoring systems to characterize and evaluate in situ shale oil recovery operations. In this report, SNLA in-house activities and field activities (at the Geokinetics Oil Shale Project and the Occidental Oil Shale Project) are described under the headings: bed preparation, bed characterization, retorting process, and structural stability, that serve to identify major areas for study.

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Physics of oil shales:  a program of theoretical and experimental studies. Quarterly progress report, September 21, 1982-January 1, 1983

In this report we present the mathematical foundations of the physical processes for true in-situ retorting by electromagnetic heating. The modeling of in-situ retorting via electromagnetic heating requires a mathematical formulation of the problem and empirical relations for such quantities as thermal conductivity, heat capacities, rate constants, permeabilities, and viscosities. The mathematical formulation consists of equations for conservation of species, saturations, capillary pressure, momentum and energy. These equations constitute a system of coupled non-linear partial differential equations which must be solved numerically. 8 references.

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Physics of oil shales:  a program of theoretical and experimental studies. Progress report, April 1-August 1, 1983

In this paper we present the mathematical foundations of the physical processes for true in-situ retorting by electromagnetic heating. The modeling of in-situ retorting via electromagnetic heating requires a mathematical formulation of the problem and empirical relations for such quantities as thermal conductivity, heat capacities, rate constants, permeabilities, and viscosities. The mathematical formulation consists of equations for conservation of species, saturations, capillary pressure, momentum and energy. These equations constitute a system of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations which must be solved numerically. The model has been run using various parameters. As an example we consider a well bored into the shale, a rf generator is inserted so that energy is emitted radially outward for the entire length of well bore. Because of cylindrical symmetry we need only model a slice in the r and z coordinates. Figures 3 to 5 show the contours of temperature at different times, figures 6 to 8 show the pressure at these times, figures 9 to 11 show the Kerogen concentration at these times in Kg/m/sup 3/, figures 12 to 14 show the coking, figures 15 to 17 show the carbon buildup and figures 18 to 23 show velocity profiles, and finally figure 24 shows the oil yield or a function of time in seconds. 8 references, 24 figures.

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Physics of oil shales:  a program of theoretical and experimental studies. Quarterly progress report, June 21-September 21, 1983

A systematic study of the many variables (other than the organic content) which could possibly influence the dielectric properties of oil shales is carried out. The relative importance of such parameters in assay applications of dielectric spectroscopy is investigated. The influence of chemical changes in the oil shale matrix on the dielectric behavior of oil shales is studied. Dielectric modeling of the data using multi relaxation models is continuing. Work of the development of the mathematical model for volumetric heating of oil shales by electromagnetic methods is continued from the previous quarter. Stability of the numerical programs is being studied. This stage of model development is expected to be complete next quarter. Experimental work on the absorption of microwave energy in oil shale dielectrics is being continued. The resonances observed earlier have now been seen in samples with different shale grade. The major problem we are facing currently is in the coring and preparation of samples of the proper geometry to carry out the experiments. We hope to perform experiments on several samples with varying shale grade.

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Semiarid ecosystem development as a function of resource processing and allocation

The overall objective of the research contained in this report was to study the structural and functional changes occurring within and among ecosystem compartments during secondary succession. The report is divided into two major sections. The first part, Ecosystem Development Section, presents first year data from a new study funded for the first time in 1984. The second part, Restoration of Natural Functioning Ecosystem Section, presents results from on-going long-term experiments dealing with ecosystem recovery and restoration following disturbance related to oil shale development. Accomplishments during the first year of the new study consisted of construction of the Ecosystem Development Plot and collection of baseline data before and after plot establishment. Baseline sampling of the vegetation prior to plot construction has shown that the plant community was essentially a shrub-grass community with big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata tridentata) being the dominant woody species. Results from on-going long-term studies in ecosystem recovery and restoration are extensive and range from the effects of weathering processes on retorted shale chemical properties and how this effects the structure of vascular plant and microbial communities, to the influence of competition on the structure of natural and disturbed plant communities.

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Energy from in situ processing of Antrim oil shale. Quarterly technical progress report, January--March 1979

Permeability studies on the 100 series wells, which had been hydraulically and then explosively fractured, have shown much greater communication between wells and much greater permeability than had been present in the wells on the existing site during the 1978 extraction trials. Well No. 301, which is the central well in the explosive underreaming series, was cleaned out. Two wells were drilled and cored nearby. Extensive fracturing due to the use of explosives in Well No. 301 was evident in the well located 15 feet from the site of the explosive treatment. Communication between these wells is also evident. A downhole methane burner of Tejas Petroleum Engineers was successfully tested under realistic operating conditions in an existing well. Other preparations for the planned extraction trial are continuing.

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Analysis of forward combustion underground coal gasification models

A survey has been made of forward combustion gasification models that are available in the public domain. The six models obtained for study have been mathematically analyzed to determine their conceptual completeness and computational complexity. The models range in scope of generality from a simple constrained mass balance model to a two-dimensional unsteady-state model. The computer code for each model has been implemented on the University of Wyoming CDC CYBER 730/760 computer system. Computed analyses with each of the programs are compared using data (taken primarily from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Data Base) corresponding to six representative DOE sponsored field experiments at Hanna, Hoe Creek, Rawlins, and Pricetown. Four of the field tests were air injection experiments and two were oxygen/steam injection experiments. This study provides a direct comparison of input data requirements and computer resource requirements of the six computer codes. It furnishes an indication of the applicability of each model to the various operating conditions in the different field tests. Computational capabilities and limitations of each model are discussed in detail. 20 references, 47 figures, 13 tables.

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Oil-shale project run summary:  small retort Run S-24

Previous LLNL pilot retort experiments, simulating modified in-situ (MIS) oil shale retorting, have employed relatively high (1 to 3 m/day) retorting rates. Such rates not only would have an obvious commercial economic advantage but, in pilot retort trials, have produced high oil yields. However, commercial MIS retorts may be limited to low (< 0.3 m/day) rates by pressure drop and mine safety considerations. Run S-24 was designed to determine the effect of a low retorting rate (0.24 m/day) on (a) oil yield, and (b) applicability of our correlations between fluid product data and both oil yield and retorting rate. Run S-24 gave results only partially applicable to field MIS retorts because the desired, overall low retorting rate was not achieved. We were unable to operate the retort under near-adiabatic conditions at the designed rate. Over-compensation of heat loss by the electric heaters attached to the vessel wall expanded the retorting front and artificially raised the effective overall retorting rate. However, even under these distorted conditions, our correlations between fluid product composition and oil yield were valid. Furthermore, the correlation between C/sub 2/-C/sub 4/ hydrocarbon production and retorting rate was also substantiated. Run S-24 results also defined and quantified the effects on the product gas of including steam in the injection air. Temporary elimination of steam produced measured decreases in production rates of H2, CO2, and H2S. The sources of the decreases were identified as reductions of, respectively, steam-char, steam-carbonate and steam-iron sulfide reactions. Conversely, steam elimination raised production of CO and COS.

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Occidental vertical modified in situ process for the recovery of oil from oil shale, phase 1. Quarterly progress report, May 1--July 31, 1978. [Logan Washington; C-b tract]

Work at Logan Wash during May, June, and July involved post-rubblization construction of Retort 6, flow and tracer testing of the retort, and running a small scale start-up field test to verify the start-up procedure proposed for Retort 6. Ignition is planned for late August 1978. At the C-b tract, the shaft collaring for the production, service and ventilation/escape shafts, the consolidation grouting around the service and production shafts, and excavation of the vertical segment of the service shaft air inlet were completed. Various building and concrete batch plant construction activities continued.

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Characterization of retorted oil shale and application to a model of leachate generation and transport

A characterization of the porous media properties of spent oil shale is presented. Mercury porosimetry, BET nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was performed on unconsolidated powders, consolidated chunks, and compacted powder pellets of oil shale retorted in the TOSCO, Paraho, and Lawrence Livermore experimental retorts. All results indicated that retorted oil shale has a unimodal pore size distribution. Mean pore sizes ranged from 5.0 microns for powders to 1.0 micron for compacted powder pellets to 0.5 microns for consolidated chunks. Surface area porosity, and permeability data are also presented. Dispersion and capacitance of leachate flowing through retorted TOSCO oil shale were measured using a sucrose tracer and a specially designed leaching column. Tracer breakout curves were best simulated using a three-parameter capacitance model which assumes leachate flow characterized by flowing fraction, dead space volume, and mass transfer between main channel flow and dead space volume. Two types of generation models were investigated in a mathematical simulation of the leaching experiment. These were an equilibrium model based on the Langmuir approach and a general power-law model based on surface concentration of a given leachate species. Equilibrium isotherms were generated using shaker experiments. Rate coefficients were approximated by a small differential column which was run at shorter residence times. Leachate concentrations were best simulated by the power-law model.

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Determination of the major elements and trace metals present in bitumen from several tar sand deposits

The results of the analyses of 14 tar sand samples for the concentration of major elements and trace metals are presented. Ten samples were obtained from the Uinta Basin of Utah, three from the southeastern part of Utah, and one from New Mexico. In general, the major element composition of the bitumens is comparable to what has been determined previously. The trace metals content of the bitumen samples is similar to what would be expected for a heavy crude oil. However, there are three samples that contain higher than usual concentrations of some metals. These samples are Whiterocks-Westside (uranium and molybdenum), P.R. Spring-Three Mile Canyon (manganese), and Circle Cliffs (zinc). These particular metals are believed to come from a distinct but unknown source. 11 references, 5 tables.

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Solid/retort water interactions: the fate of organics and inorganics

Codisposal of solid wastes and low-quality aqueous effluents from oil shale operations is among the disposal methods being considered for these wastes. A preliminary experimental evaluation of this practice focused on the validation of analytical techniques for studying the chemistry that occurs when these wastes are mixed. Three shale types were contacted with a single retort water to evaluate the effects of shale type and surface area on the behavior of organics when in contact with solid shales and the mobilization of inorganics within solid shales. Distilled water leachates from these shales were used as the baseline case. The inorganic compositions of distilled water and retort water leachates were compared. The pH and conductivities of these leachates suggest that the ultimate compositions of leachates from codisposal are dependent on both the shale type and the leaching medium. The concentrations of the trace elements suggest that they are mobilized by the retort water leaching medium. This mobilization probably is due to complexation by organic ligands or by increased solubility caused by the ionic strength of the leaching medium. The organic compositions of these leachates are dependent on the shale type. Because of the nature of the analytical methods, only about 5 wt% of the solvent extractable material was analyzed. However, previous work suggests that the material being analyzed contains the majority of the mutagenic compounds.

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