AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Characterization of mercury, arsenic, and selenium in the product streams of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory 6-kg retort

The objective of this program is to determine how retorting process parameters affect the partitioning of Hg, As, Se, and Cd from raw oil shale to spent shale, shale oil, retort water, and offgas. For each of the elements, the objective of this study is to (1) determine the distribution coefficients for each product stream; (2) identify the chemical forms in water, gas, and oil streams, with particular emphasis on inorganic or organometallic species known to be or suspected of being carcinogenic, toxic, or otherwise harmful; (3) investigate the mechanism(s) responsible for mobilization into each product stream for toxic or labile chemical forms identified in item 2 are mobilized into each product stream; and (4) the effect of retorting rate, maximum retorting temperature, and retorting atmosphere on items 1 and 3. A Green River shale from Colorado and a New Albany shale from Kentucky were heated at 1 to 2/sup 0/C/min and at 10/sup 0/C/min to maximum temperatures of 500 and 750/sup 0/C under a nitrogen sweep gas. The product streams were analyzed using a variety of methods including Zeeman atomic absorption spectroscopy, microwave-induced helium plasma spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence, instrumental neutron activation analysis, high-pressure liquid and silica gel column chromatography, and mercury cold vapor atomic absorption. The results obtained using these analytical methods indicate that the distribution of mercury, arsenic, and selenium in the product stream is a function of oil shale type, heating rates, and maximum retorting temperatures. 11 refs., 27 figs., 5 tabs.

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BX in situ oil shale project. Quarterly technical progress report, September 1-November 30, 1981

September 1, 1981 - November 30, 1981, was the fourth consecutive quarter of superheated steam injection at the BX In Situ Oil Shale Project. During the quarter, 177,520  barrels of water as steam were injected into Project injection wells at an average wellhead temperature of 715 degrees F. and an average wellhead pressure of 1,378 PSIG. During the same period, 148,516 barrels of fluid were produced from the Project production wells for a produced-to-injected fluid ration of 1.26 to 1.0. Net oil production for the quarter was 169 barrels.

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Study of oil shale, hydrocarbon, and tar sand mining. Task 3. Mine planning and design. Final technical report. [Contains bibliography with 371 citations]

This report covers an investigation into underground mining methods for oil shale in the Piceance Creek Basin of western Colorado. In situ retorting methods are not discussed as the purpose of the project was to focus on the problems associated with conventional underground mining. The major difference between past research on oil shale mining

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Eastern oil shale retorting. I:  pyrolysis of the Sunbury Shale of Kentucky. Final report

Retorting studies of Sunbury Shale from northeastern Kentucky have been carried out systematically and compared with earlier studies of Colorado oil shale. The Fischer assay method is used as a baseline model for evaluation of the retorting parameters. The effects of inert gas flow and of particle size variation when retorting Sunbury Shale are similar to effects observed in retorting Colorado shale. However, oil yield is very dependent on shale heat-up rate; its effect is much greater on Sunbury Shale than on western shale. Pyrite has a detrimental effect on the quantity of oil generated from Sunbury Shale, and a number of design parameters impact oil production. Fischer assay is not nearly as optimum a method for obtaining oil from the Sunbury Shale as it is for retorting Colorado shale. For this eastern oil shale, an assay employing 5 times the Fischer assay heating rate and a 1380F upper temperature (i.e., 100F/min to 1380F) results in a process yield that is 110-116%

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True in situ processing of oil shale:  an evaluation of current bed preparation technology

Limiting attention only to those cases where significant overburden lift cannot be achieved by use of explosives, i.e., to relatively deep oil shale seams, it was concluded that the two rubblization techniques which essentially constitute the current bed preparation technology, namely, the wellbore springing and hydraulic/explosives fracturing concepts, both have inherent traits which will prevent them from ever becoming useful for practical applications. Difficulties with the wellbore springing concept stem largely from the cylinderical geometry which leads to rapidly attenuating stress waves (hence to comparatively small fractured regions) and to the creation of a residually stressed region around the explosive cavity that restricts fluid flow and hinders void redistribution efforts. Major problems with the hydraulic/explosive fracturing concept are that many operations cannot be controlled and that regions of enhanced permeability are formed only in the vicinity of explosive-filled hydrofractures. The experimental, theoretical and phenomenological information used in the assessment that led to the above conclusions is discussed in detail in the report. The physical characteristics of a successful bed preparation concept are defined along with recommendations for a research-oriented program which would lead to the development of the technology necessary to achieve a successful true in situ retorting capability.

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:  are they a problem in processed oil shales. [254 references]

Organic residues from processed oil shales were characterized with specific attention to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Oil shale development in the White River Basin (Utah and Colorado) was projected and hydrological and geological parameters pertinent to estimations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) flux were focused. Oil shale samples from the Union B, Paraho, and Tosco II processes were extracted by using organic solvents in a soxhlet apparatus and by mixing shale samples with water (characterization of in situ shales, as mined shales and alluvial samples are also included). Literature reported organic chemistry isolation and identification regimes were summarized in a tabular format. Selected 3 through 6 ring aromatic hydrocarbons were also characterized in a tabular format. More than 100 organic compounds from processed oil shales were identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Four and 5 ring PAH, i.e., fluoranthrene, pyrene, triphenylene, benz(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(e)pyrene, perylene, and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively were found to be benzene extractable from processed shales in concentrations ranging from <1 to >50 ppB (weight of each PAH/weight shale). These PAH were detected in water extracts at levels below their respective solubilities. Preliminary aqueous chlorination studies using selected 3 to 5 ring PAH resulted in reductions of more than 90 percent for anthracene and pyrene after 1 hour of mixing with >10 mg/l free available chlorine at a pH of 8.0 to 8.5. Reductions of phenanthrene, triphenylene, and benz(a)anthracene were only about 15 to 25 percent after 15 hours of mixing. As a best estimate, fluoranthrene and the study 5 ring PAH concentrations were only reduced by about 50 percent in 15 hours. 254 references, 16 figures, 34 tables.

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BX In Situ Oil Shale Project. Special technical report:  surface water hydrology of the Piceance Creek basin and BX In Situ Oil Shale Project, Rio Blanco Country, Colorado. [Steam injection]

This report was prepared as part of the overall environmental research plan for the BX in Situ Oil Shale Project. The environmental research plan is design to determine the surface and subsurface effects of project operations in order to allow estimates of the environmental impacts of commercial oil shale development. To allow deteriation of project impacts, basic surface water hydrologic conditions were determined.

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Environmental effects of in situ coal gasification

A study of the literature has evaluated the environmental impact of underground coal gasification (UCG) on the air, land, and water. Current knowledge on air pollutants, lend subsidence, potential ground and surface water pollutants is summarized. Evaluations of the dispersion of pollutant species and the application of mathematical models to predict pollutant transport and dispersion in ground water are also presented. Existing water pollution control technology to prevent pollution by UCG contaminants was assessed, and areas of research are identified where more information is needed.

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Ranking methodology for determining the relative favorability for commercial development of US tar-sand deposits

As a part of the DOE's program to stimulate petroleum production from unconventional sources, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a methodology to compare and rank tar sand deposits, based on their suitability for commercial development. Major categories influencing favorability were identified and evaluated to determine their individual and collective impacts. To facilitate their evaluation, deposit characteristics, extraction technologies, environmental controls, and institutional constraints were broken down into their elements. The elements were assessed singly and in interactive groups to determine their influence on favorability for commercial development. A numerical value was assigned each element to signify its estimated importance relative to the other elements. Eight tar sand deposits were evaluated using only one major category, deposit characteristics. This initial, and only partial favorability assessment, was solely a test of the methodology, and it was considered successful. Because only one of the four major categories was used for this initial favorability ranking, and also because the available deposit characteristic data were barely adequate for the test, these first results should be used only as an example of how the methodology is to be applied when more complete data are available. The eight deposits and their relative favorability rankings for commercial development, based only on the deposit characteristics, are Sunnyside, Utah; Asphalt Ridge, Utah; Edna, California; Santa Rosa, New Mexico; Tar Sand Triangle, Utah; PR Spring, Utah; Uvalde, Texas; and circle cliffs, Utah.

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Toxicological characterization of water produced during simulated in situ processing of Green River formation oil shale

A study of the toxicity of R-17 oil shale process water to aquatic organisms has been completed. This water was generated during run 17 of a 150-ton capacity simulated in situ retort. The retort was supplied with Green River Formation oil shale from the Anvil Points mine in Colorado. Oil shale from the mine was subsequently designated the first interim western reference oil shale by the Department of Energy. Results of this study are, therefore, appropriate for inclusion in the Department of Energy reference oil shale data base. The toxic effects of untreated, treated, and fractionated R-17 process water were determined using bacteria (Microtox assay), zooplankton (Ceriodaphnia affinis/dubia), and fish (fathead minnow). A concentration of less than 1% process water was acutely toxic to all organisms tested. The toxicity of the water to the Microtox organism was substantially reduced following a treatment sequence of hot-gas stripping plus activated carbon adsorption plus reverse osmosis. However, the toxicity of the treated process water to Ceriodaphnia and fathead minnows remained relatively high with mortality occurring at concentrations of less than 10%. Tests of the major fractions of R-17 process water indicated that the organophilic fraction was more toxic to the Microtox organism, while the hydrophilic fraction was more toxic to Ceriodaphnia and fathead minnows. Un-ionized ammonia was identified as the principal constituent responsible for the toxicity of the hydrophilic fraction to Ceriodaphnia and fathead minnows. The toxicity of the treated process water to these organisms could have been further reduced by more effective removal of ammonia. 23 refs., 11 tabs.

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The toxicity of Rio Blanco Tract C-a groundwater samples before and after the pumpdown of retort 1

In 1984, the Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company received permission from the US Bureau of Land Management/Oil Shale Projects Office to proceed with retort abandonment activities at its Tract C-a modified in situ retort site. One of the first abandonment activities undertaken was to flood the retort with groundwater to dissolve soluble contaminants associated with the retorting operation. Saline water was then pumped from the retort into evaporation ponds during two pumpdown operations in May of 1985 and June of 1986. The principal objective of the pumpdown operations was to remove contaminated groundwater from the retort area and to prevent the migration of contaminants beyond the retort. A toxicological evaluation of groundwaters collected from within the retort and outside the retort is currently in progress. Acute and chronic toxicity tests have been performed using the freshwater invertebrate Ceriodaphnia affinis/dubia with groundwater samples collected before and after the first pumpdown of the retort. The objectives of these tests have been to evaluate the success of the pumpdown operation, to assess the effect of the pumping operations on groundwater quality both within and outside the retort, and to evaluate the toxicity of groundwater within the retort relative to local groundwater that has not been affected by the retorting operation. This report presents the results of toxicity tests performed before and after the first pumpdown operation. Additional toxicity tests are planned for samples collected after the second pumpdown operation. 15 refs., 2 figs., 9 tabs.

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Site-specific and regional geologic considerations for coalbed gas drainage. Information circular/1982

The Bureau of Mines has been involved in the drilling of vertical, horizontal, and directional coalbed gas drainage boreholes for mine safety since 1964. In that time, boreholes have been drilled in most of the major coal regions of the United States under a wide variety of geologic conditions. Many of the geologic conditions that occur in the coal measures ar e detrimental to gas drainage; others may be beneficial. Analytical techniques to determine the gas content of coal samples and evaluate regional trends of gas distribution have been developed. Drilling techniques that maximize the acquisition of coalbed gas data and geologic information have been determined. Although some of the geologic factors influencing the placement and potential success of coalbed gas drainage boreholes have been reported in papers on individual projects, a complete, systematic compilation has not previously been available. The objective of this paper is to provide information on specific geologic factors that should be considered prior to, during, and after the drilling of coalbed gas drainage boreholes.

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Research on chemical factors in underground coal gasification. Final technical report

The goal of this research has been to acquire experimental data and develop mathematical models in order to analyze results from laboratory-scale and field-scale experiments on underground coal gasification (UCG), especially for low-rank coals such as Texas lignite. Experimental data for water injection in a combustion tube, coal core combustion, and coal block gasification are reported; in parallel, a mathematical model for the combustion tube temperature profile and gas composition was developed which compared favorably with experimental data. A mathematical model for predicting gas composition and coal recovery in the Hoe Creek field experiment has been completed and verified with field data. Two experiments have been constructed to obtain data on reactions of interest to UCG; these include an apparatus for determining the kinetics of tar cracking and a microreactor for analyzing the process dynamics of the water gas shift reaction carried out in a fixed bed catalytic system. 44 refs., 60 figs., 22 tabs.

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Investigations of Occidental Oil Shale, Inc. , retort 3E spent shales

The mineralogy, trace element concentrations in the solids, and leaching characteristics of spent shales from retort 3E cores were studied. This is the first comprehensive study of in situ generated materials. Although there were unique aspects to the operations of retort 3E that are not representative of a commercial operation, the study of in situ generated materials has provided insights into the chemical, mineralogic, and solution reactions that occur during and subsequent to underground retorting. Characterization of the solid materials has verified that in situ processing occurs in a thermodynamic and kinetic regime not previously encountered for surface retorting. Carbonate decomposition and silication reactions that form high-temperature products, such as akermanite-gehlenite and diopside-augite solid solutions, have been identified by x-ray diffraction. Observations resulting from solids characterization are substantiated by leachate chemistry, which, although compatible with leachates generated from surface retorted materials, are different in extent (composition and concentration). Comparison of leachates generated from in situ materials with Multi-Media Environmental Goals/Minimum Acute Toxicity Effluent values indicates that the major and trace elements deserving further investigation are potassium, lithium, fluoride, vanadium, boron, molybdenum, nickel, and arsenic. Several trace elements, including fluoride, vanadium, boron, and arsenic, show increased mobilities from spent shales containing akermanite-gehlenite solid solutions as the major mineral phase. This report details the chemical, mineralogic, and solution behavior of major, minor, and trace elements in these minerals.

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BX In Situ Oil Shale Project. Quarterly technical progress report, September 1--November 31, 1978

During the quarter September 1, to November 31, 1978 work on the BX in Situ Oil Shale Project included the drilling and completion of temperature observation wells; completion work on injection, production, and environmental monitoring wells; construction and initial operation of the retorting equipment for the laboratory research program; continued construction of project surface facilities and the continuation of the pre start up environmental analysis and monitoring program. Work accomplished on specific project tasks is summarized below.

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BX in situ oil shale project. Quarterly technical progress report, June 1, 1980-August 31, 1980

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using superheated steam as a heat-carrying medium to retort in situ the oil shale in the Green River Formation "leached" zone and provide a mechanism for the recovery of this shale oil with a minimum impact on the environment. Utilizing primarily the natural porosity in the leached zone, approximately one trillion BTU of heat will be injected into a site over a two-year period to heat to retorting temperature a shale zone approximately 550 feet thick and covering about one acre. The field Project is located at Equity's BX In Situ site in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado.

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BX In Situ Oil Shale Project. Quarterly technical progress report, March 1--May 31, 1978

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using superheated steam as a heat-carrying medium to retort in situ the oil shale in the Green River Formation "leached" zone and provided a mechanism for the recovery of this shale oil with a minimum impact on the environment. Utilizing primarily the natural porosity in the leached zone, approximately one trillion BUT of heat will be injected into a site over a 2-yearperiod to heat to retorting temperature a shale zone approximately 550 feet thick and covering about one acre. The field project is located in Equity's BX in situ site in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado.

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BX in situ oil shale project. Quarterly technical progress report, March 1--May 31, 1977

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using superheated steam as a heat-carrying medium to retort in situ the oil shale in the Green River Formation "leached" zone and provide a mechanism for the recovery of this shale oil with a minimum impact on the environment. Utilizing primarily the natural porosity in the leached zone, approximately one trillion BTU of heat will be injected into a site over a 2-year period to heat to retorting temperature a shale zone approximately 550 feet thick and voering about 1 acre. The field projected is located at equity's BX in situ site in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado

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Evaluation of tar-sand mining. Volume II. A technical and cost evaluation of tar-sand mining systems. Final report

This report is concerned with an evaluation of mining technology and the development of preliminary mining concepts for tar sand resources. The principal area of investigation in this volume concerns the development of feasible mining methods for recovering tar sand resources in Alabama, Missouri, New Mexico, and Utah. Using information gathered for each region, conceptual mining systems were developed, equipment and labor requirements were specified, and cost evaluations were prepared for each of ten sites. Surface mining, underground mining, and mine-assisted in situ recovery scenarios were developed, based on deposit characteristics at these sites.

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Assessment of current bed preparation concepts for true in situ oil shale processing

Field experiments performed during the past decade to develop methods for preparing relatively deep oil shale beds for true in situ processing have in nearly all cases employed either the wellbore springing or hydraulic/explosive fracturing concept to introduce the needed permeability into the normally very tight formation. In no case has more than marginal success been achieved. Recently, a study was performed to examine in a detailed way the physical characteristics of the two bed preparation concepts that have been considered in the prior experimental activities. This study led to the conclusion that both concepts have inherent traits which will prevent them from ever becoming viable for practical applications. An overview of the evaluation study is presented in this document, with emphasis given to salient results, rather than to the data that were available for analysis and to the analysis methods. The present document consists of the visual aids and text of an oral presentation that was given at the Laramie Energy Technology Center in October, 1978. A considerably more detailed description of the evaluation study is given in the following report: R.R. Boade, A.L. Stevens, A. Harak, and A. Long, True In Situ Processing of Oil Shale - An Evaluation of Current Bed Preparation Technology, SAND 78-2126, Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (1979).

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Oil shale in situ research and development. Quarterly report No. 3, February 1--April 30, 1978

The in-situ shale oil recovery project is located near Green River, Wyoming. This document relates to site preparation, hydrofracture activity, pre-hydraulic fracturing studies, instrumentation, detonator, coproduced water, and modeling efforts. Well pattern, anomalous water/entrained sand flow, water quality analysis, core description, and coproduced water are also covered in appendices. (DLC)

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