Patent ID: 8002034

Claim:
A process for recovering hydrocarbons from an underground oil shale formation where the process comprises: a) identifying a quantity of oil shale in the underground oil shale formation; b) removing a portion of the oil shale to create void space in the oil shale formation in the ground leaving a remaining oil shale; c) rubbilizing the remaining oil shale to enable gases to flow through the identified quantity of oil shale; d) installing a gas delivery line near an upper portion of the identified quantity of oil shale; e) installing a gas and liquid recovery line near a lower portion of the identified quantity of oil shale; f) injecting a substantially oxygen-free gas through the gas delivery line that is heated to a temperature that will heat the identified quantity of oil shale and cause thermal cracking of kerogen in the identified quantity of oil shale; and g) recovering gas and liquid hydrocarbons from the identified quantity of oil shale via the gas and liquid recovery line.