In-Situ Process Options for the Recovery of Energy and Synthetic Fuels from Coal, Oil Shale and Tar Sands
Authors: Hasiba H.H. , Trump R.P. , David A. 
Published: December 2007

Hasiba, H.H., Trump, R.P., and David, A., Members AIME, Gulf Research and Development Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Copyright 1973, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared for the Eastern Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Nov. 7–9, 1973. Permission to copy is Pennsylvania, Nov. 7–9, 1973. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is granted upon request to the Editor of the PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made.

Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the SPE magazines.

Coal, oil shale and tar sands are reviewed in an effort to delineate the applicability of in-situ exploitation methods and their potential impact on the domestic energy situation in the years to come. In-situ exploitation is favored because of some inherent environmental advantages over mining/surface conversion methods; because, with proper emphasis, the processes could conceivably be commercialized in the early 80's; and finally because present oil and gas production technology, specifically from the production technology, specifically from the area of tertiary oil recovery, is thought to be applicable to a large degree. Values for domestic in-situ recoverable resources are developed for several processes by (1) excluding non-applicable resources and (2) applying a compound recovery efficiency to the remainder. The amount and the character of end products, achievable by each process, are derived. Product end use is process, are derived. Product end use is suggested and estimated product values are developed. While a considerable research and development effort appears to be required prior to process commercialization, the magnitude of recoverable resources in the U.S. is impressive.

Introduction

The domestic energy situation, frequently referred to as the energy crisis, has brought on a flurry of activities that range all the way from fault-finding exercises to true efforts of finding solutions to the problem. In view of the projected ever-widening gap between energy demand and supply, the concept of energy sources competing on the basis of economics is being replaced more and more by the concept of complementary energy sources. Under the latter concept, economics, rather than playing the singlemost important role, shares the limelight with environmental considerations and the probability of technological success within a probability of technological success within a desired time-frame.

Since the "energy crisis" has been adopted, not only by industry and government but also by the news media and the public-at-large, a host of energy-related articles has made its appearance in every conceivable journal and magazine. often, in the more popular magazines, energy sources such as increased imports, coal gasification and liquefaction, surface conversion of oil shales, to name a few, are named together with solar power and nuclear fusion without much concern for realistic time tables.