Hydrotorting of shale to produce shale oil

Abstract

Abstract CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR RECOVERING SHALE OIL FROM A SLURRY OF RAW OIL SHALE IN SHALE OIL. WATER AND HOT UNQUENCHED SYNTHESIS GAS FROM THE REACTION ZONE OF A PARTIAL OXIDATION GENERATOR ARE INJECTED INTO THE RAW OIL SHALE-SHALE OIL SLURRY UNDER PRESSURE AND THE MIXTURE IS IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCED INTO A NONCATALYTIC TUBULAR RETORT MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 850 TO 950* F. AND AT A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 300 TO 1000 P.S.I.G., AND PREFERABLY AT 500 P.S.I.G. FOR MAXIMUM YIELDS OF SHALE OIL HAVING A MINIMUM NITROGEN CONTENT. SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN AND A LARGE FRACTION OF THE HEAT REQUIRED IN THE TUBULAR RETORT ARE PROVIDED BY THE SYNTHESIS GAS. IN THE TUBULAR RETORT ARE PROVIDED BY THE SYNTHESIS GAS. IN THE TUBULAR RETORT UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW, THE RAW SHALE IS COMPLETELY STRIPPED OF KEROGEN IN ABOUT 1/4 TO 3 MINUTES (PREFERABLY LESS THAN A MINUTE), AND BY SIMULTANEOUS PYROLYSIS AND HYDROGENATION THE KEROGEN IS CONVERTED TO A GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM WHICH SHALE OIL IS SEPARATED. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HYDROGEN IS GENERATED IN THE TUBULAR RETORT BY THE EXOTHERMIC WATER-GAS SHIFT REACTION, WHEREBY CO IN THE SYNTHESIS GAS REACTS WITH H2O THE SPENT SHALE ACTING AS A SHIFT CATALYST. PURE HYDROGEN AND THE PREHYDROGENATED SHALE OIL ARE INTRODUCED INTO A CATALYTIC REACTOR TO PRODUCE DENITROGENATED AND DESULFURIZED SHALE OIL AT YIELDS OF ABOUT 125% OF THE FISCHER ASSAY. FEED TO THE SYNTHESIS GAS GENERATOR COMPRISES A PORTION OF THE HEAVY SHALE OILE AND STEAM PRODUCED BY THE PROCESS AND IN THIS RESPECT THE PROCESS IS SELF-SUSTAINING.

Inventors

• 👤 Warren G Schlinger
• 👤 Dale R Jesse
• 👤 Joseph P Tassoney

Bibliographic Details