Shale oil recovery

Claim 2

In a process for recovering hydrocabonaceous material from a solid non-freeflowing hydrocarbonaceous material bed in which said bed is heated in situ by applying radio frequency energy thereto to effect dielectric heating of said bed, the improvement wherein said bed is rubblized prior to the application of radio frequency energy thereto, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said hydrocarbonaceous material by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material is rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material is rubblized such that 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

Claim 6

In a process for recovering a hydrocarbonaceous product from a solid non-freeflowing hydrocarbonaceous earth formation in which a bed of said hydrocarbonaceous earth formation is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous material therein to form said hydrocarbonaceous product, heating of said bed being accomplished by introducing electrical excitation into said bed to establish alternating electric fields in said bed, said alternating electric fields being substantially non-radiating and being substantially confined in said bed, whereby dielectric heating of said bed occurs, the improvement wherein said bed is rubblized prior to the application of said alternating electric fields in said bed, said electrical excitation being introduced into said bed by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

Claim 7

In a process for recovering a hydrocarbonaceous product from a solid non-freeflowing hydrocarbonaceous earth formation in which a bed of said hydrocarbonaceous earth formation is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous material therein to form said hydrocarbonaceous product, heating of said bed being accomplished by introducing electrical excitation into said bed to establish alternating electric fields in said bed, said alternating electric fields being substantially non-radiating and being substantially confined in said bed, whereby dielectric heating of said bed occurs, the improvement wherein said bed is rubblized prior to the application of said alternating electric fields in said bed, said electrical excitation being introduced into said bed by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

Claim 8

The process of claim 5 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous earth formation is oil shale and said hydrocarbonaceous product is shale oil.

Claim 9

In a process for recovering shale oil from a bed of oil shale in which said bed of oil shale is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein by the application of radio frequency energy thereto, and the shale oil produced thereby recovered from said bed, the improvement wherein said oil shale is rubblized prior to the application of said radio frequency energy thereto, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

Claim 10

In a process for recovering shale oil from a bed of oil shale in which said bed of oil shale is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein by the application of radio frequency energy thereto, and the shale oil produced thereby recovered from said bed, the improvement wherein said oil shale is rubblized prior to the application of said radio frequency energy thereto, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

Claim 11

The process of claim 7 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said bed by means of a plurality of conductors arranged to form a triplate-type electrode.

Claim 12

The process of claim 8 wherein said conductors are horizontally arranged.

Claim 13

The process of claim 9 wherein said conductors are metal screens or meshes.

Claim 14

The process of claim 7 wherein said radio frequency energy is applied by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

Claim 15

The process of claim 7 wherein said oil shale is rubblized such that 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

Claim 16

The process of claim 7 wherein said oil shale is rubblized by explosion techniques.

Claim 17

A process for recovering shale oil from an oil shale formation defining a plurality of oil shale beds, said process comprising: (1) rubblizing a first oil shale bed, (2) thereafter heating said first oil shale bed in situ to cause destructive distillation of kerogen therein and the generation of vaporous shale oil, heating of said first shale oil bed being at least partially accomplished by applying radio frequency energy thereto by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to step (1), (3) recovering vaporous shale oil from said first shale oil bed, (4) rubblizing a second shale oil bed, (5) after step (2), transferring sensible heat in said first shale oil bed to said second shale oil bed by forced convection, and (6) heating said second shale oil bed in situ by the application of radio frequency energy thereto to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein and the generation of additional vaporous shale oil, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said second shale oil bed prior to rubblization thereof.

Claim 18

A process for recovering shale oil from an oil shale formation defining a plurality of oil shale beds, said process comprising: (1) rubblizing a first oil shale bed, (2) thereafter heating said first oil shale bed in situ to cause destructive distillation of kerogen therein and the generation of vaporous shale oil, heating of said first shale oil bed being at least partially accomplished by applying radio frequency energy thereto by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to step (1), (3) recovering vaporous shale oil from said first shale oil bed, (4) rubblizing a second shale oil bed, (5) after step (2), transferring sensible heat in said first shale oil bed to said second shale oil bed by forced convection, and (6) heating said second shale oil bed in situ by the application of radio frequency energy thereto to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein and the generation of additional vaporous shale oil, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said second shale oil bed prior to rubblization thereof.

Claim 19

The process of claim 14 wherein rubblization of said second shale oil bed is accomplished after application of radio frequency energy to said first shale oil bed.

Claim 20

The process of claim 14 wherein rubblization of said second shale oil bed is accomplished before application of radio frequency energy to said first shale oil bed.

Claim 21

The process of claim 14 further comprising: (7) recovering said additional vaporous shale oil, (8) rubblizing a third shale oil bed, and (9) after step (5), transferring sensible heat still remaining in said first shale oil bed to said third shale oil bed by convection.

Claim 22

The process of claim 17 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said shale oil beds by means of horizontally arranged conductors.

Claim 23

The process of claim 18 wherein said horizontally arranged conductors form triplate-type electrodes.

Claim 24

The process of claim 14 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said shale oil beds by means of horizontally arranged conductors.

Claim 25

The process of claim 20 wherein said horizontally arranged conductors form triplate-type electrodes.

Claim 28

The system of claim 22 wherein said conductive means comprises metallic screens or meshes.

Claim 29

The process of claim 23 wherein said oil shale beds are rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

Claim 30

The process of claim 14 wherein radio frequency energy is applied by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

Claim 31

The process of claim 25 where said oil shale is rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

Claim 32

The process of claim 14 wherein said oil shale beds are rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.