Patent ID: 7832483

Claim:
A method of recovering hydrocarbons from oil shale, comprising: providing a bore hole extending upwardly from a subterranean room into oil shale, at least an upper part of the room being received within the oil shale and comprising a wall through which the bore hole extends, the bore hole comprising a lowest portion within the oil shale and an upper portion within the oil shale; providing a heating energy source within the bore hole from the subterranean room, the heating energy source extending along the lowest portion and along the upper portion, insulation being received radially about the heating energy source extending along the lowest portion; and applying an effective power to the heating energy source within the bore hole to cause liquid hydrocarbons to be extracted from solids within the oil shale externally of the upper portion of the bore hole, the liquid hydrocarbons entering the bore hole upper portion and flowing downwardly into the bore hole lowest portion about and along the heating energy source and into the subterranean room while applying said effective power to the heating energy source, said insulation received radially about the heating energy source in the lowest portion of the bore hole being sufficient to restrict liquid hydrocarbons from separating from the oil shale at the wall of the subterranean room upon application of effective power; and solids entering the bore hole upper portion with the liquid hydrocarbons and flow downwardly into the bore hole lowest portion about and along the heating energy source and into the subterranean room while applying said effective power to the heating energy source, and further comprising separating said solids entering the bore hole upper portion from the liquid hydrocarbons within the subterranean room by flowing the solids to a solids collector, the solids collector comprising an upper volume and a lower volume, the upper and lower volumes being separated by an upper valve, the lower volume comprising a lower valve, the flowing of solids to the solids collector comprising: flowing solids to within the lower volume of the solids collector; flowing solids to within the upper volume of the solids collector while the upper valve is at least partially closed; and while said flowing of solids to within the upper volume while the upper valve is at least partially closed, discharging solids within the lower volume therefrom through the lower valve.