Patent ID: 8002033

Claim:
A method for the recovery of products from an underground energy resource in the form of coal, shale, or oil sands wherein a hot gas devoid of oxygen is used to pyrolyze underground coal at high temperature, shale at intermediate temperature, and oil sands at low temperature, comprising the following steps: injecting the hot gas which has been heated above ground into the underground energy resource to pyrolyze the underground energy source and cause the release from said resource raw gases and liquids with high hydrogen content, while producing in-situ hot residual carbon as a result of the pyrolyzation of said resource; extracting said raw gases and liquids from the underground, together with said hot gas which had been heated above ground, in such a way as to bring a mixture of raw gases and liquids to the surface above ground without degrading said raw gases and liquids, while leaving behind said hot residual carbon in the underground; subjecting said mixture of raw gases and liquids to a cleanup above ground to produce a clean mixture of gases and liquids; processing said clean mixture of gases and liquids above ground to co-produce clean chemicals, clean fuels, and clean electric power.