Patent ID: 7070758

Claim:
A method of producing hydrogen from oil shale, said method comprising: (a) transporting oxygen, and a first source of carbon monoxide, into a combustion chamber; (b) transporting oil shale into the combustion chamber; (c) combusting the oxygen and the carbon monoxide as part of a combustion cycle to form carbon dioxide therefrom and to heat the oil shale sufficiently to release petroleum hydrocarbons from said oil shale; (d) placing the combustion chamber into communication with an enclosed gas movement path along which the first source of carbon monoxide is conveyed, such that said enclosed gas movement path, coupled with the use of oxygen, collectively operates to minimize or eliminate aggregation of gases that are nonessential to the combustion cycle; and (e) transporting carbon monoxide produced in said combustion chamber to a hydrogen producing combustion chamber and combusting said carbon monoxide with oil shale to produce hydrogen.