The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-26

] fAARNA ~ FifFfHAs
Let us look at ono thing dispas-
slonately aud that is the cost OF min
ing shale, taking the price OF coal
as an example tor the same class OF
labor will obtain. Coal costs at
present and Its not going TO get any
bower, al least 81 per ton to get TO
the pits mouth. aad the major part
OF the product so brought up Ia mar
ketable. With shale much of the
amount, tonnage, brought 10 the pits
mouth will have no commercial
value. at least one half. which will
make n ton OF shale befote II can
be placed in a plant to, get the mar
ketablo results In the shape OF oil
cost 81. An amount OF skilled labor
has again TO be brought To bear on
II at the plant itself. that Is highly
paid; fuel has to be obtained TO raise
tho necessary steam to make the
distillatiun so as to get oil from the
shale and the other processes, each
OF which have a CcrtAin amount OF
expense, which with TIVE cost OF get.
ting the finished crude product to
market. will require thc operators
OF a shale plant, TO be able TO market
their crude product Of The world, -
have TO get at least 81 per barrel ger
their crude, with n corresponding IN
crease OF price to the other prod
ucts, gasoline. Kerosene, lubrioaanB
and other products 10 be able 10
compete with the market at ;hr
present time.
Chemists or others may at some
future time be able to evolve some
method OF obtaining oil from shale
| that will make the process itset
more cheap and so lower portion
OF the cost but the human element
! H.. ..Anffntnllv 1RHlt with
obtaining the necessary matorlhl TO
run the plant. and as an oil well,
given the requisite gas flow. VII
In q measure run itself or II IT has
To be nut on the beam or pumped,
one man can attend to an amount
of production with hut little power
added. that will balance In the
neighborhood OF 90 coal or shale
diggers without counting the ease
with which the product can be
pumped to the refinery, as against
} the haul that will take place with
shale as the product Is worked far-
ther and farther back from tho
distillation plant, which In itselt
will be quite little item, ana again
the same power that takes the oil
TO the refinery can put IL where II
IL needed without any open human
aid, where the shale. like coal, has
to be in great measure man
handled.
Finally let me quote d. Dale Con-
dit in Bulletin 711-B as issued by
the United States geological survey
> Septembe-, 1919.
Under the head OF practical Con-
' sideration" he goes on to say:
THE commercial extraction of oil
from shale in America Is still In the
experimental stage. Although doz-
ems OF companies have been organ
ICED TO install machinery and none
OF the machinery has been suffi-
ciently tested to prove its efficiency
Meanwhile the United states but
reau OF mines, at it's stations at Salt
Lake and Denver. has conducted
, experiments and co-operated in
! many ways in the effort tn deter
mine the best way of distilling
, shale. The Investigations are still
I in progress. but 1t will possibly be
r several years before the technologit
9 problems involved In the production
D OF shale oil are thoroughly under
stood, and perhaps still longer be-
fore the shale can be
worked for oil on a large CONNER
cial scale"
Costs of Operating Not Known.
At the present time there In no
. exact information regarding the cost
of mining shale, delivering to the
rctorts, crushing and retorting IT,
or of refining the shale oil after 1t
is extracted. The cost of mining
shale will probably be as great ar
that OF mining coal in the same gem
eral region under similr conditions
Is not greater. and underground
mining will therefore cost at least
81 per ton. (Note, Wages and
, costs have increased nearly so per
cent since this was written, In Sep
, tember, 1879
Reliable estimates OF the costs OF
! shale operations cannot be made
, as most of the costs are largely de-
, pendent on local and Individual con-
ditions. Some Of the Ehale deposits
are such that the shale can bc
mined with a steam shovel. This w
! of course a much cheaper method
, OF mining than the stope and pillar
! ! or other methods where the shale
must be brought from underground
. Thirty five cents per ton is consid-
cred by some a reasonable figure
, for the average steam shovel mining
, and f1.15 per ton as an average
, figure for underground mining.
: The delivery OF oil shale to the
Z retorts will In most cases necessitate Q
= the installation of tramway sys-
TENS. Crushers of special type Will
, he needed to reduce the oil shale "a
r proper fineness for rctoyting. The
r original cost as well rs the cost of
. operation of crusheTs will depend
, largely on the degree of pulverlza
? tion demanded by the retorts In
e which the shale has to be distilled
, hut in any case the cost will not
| be small
} The estimates Of cost of Installing
the various retortng systems range
e from 5000 TO $1,000 per ton Qf shale
: 10 be handled daily. These Figures
. represent preliminary estimates, and
I In the present state OF the industry
they are the best available, Ac'
Curate figures relative 10 the costs
Of operating the rctorting machinery
will not he available until plants OF
, commercial size are put into opera
tion. The cost In Scotland, OF q
commercialized Pumperson plant
. complete with retOrts. condenseri
4 and ammonium -sulphate house wai
, estimated 10y Mr.. Henderson, . al
q prewar prices, and before 1903, C
be at least $3.50 per ton OF shnl,
= treated daily.