Data Acquisition and Analysis of Occidental Vertical Modified in Situ Retorts 7 and 8. Volume 1. Technical Summary Report; Volume 2. Technical Appendix

摘要

Sandia National Laboratories, funded by the United States Department of Energy, participated with Occidental Oil Shale, Inc., in the extensive instrumentation and analyses of vertical modified in situ (VMIS) Retorts 7 and 8. These retorts were commercial size retorts (50 m x 50 m x 75 m) that were processed concurrently at Occidental's Logan Wash site near Debeque, Colorado. Retorts 7 and 8 each contained approx.340,000 tonnes of rubble with post-blast voids of approx.18%. Average shale grade was 71 l/tonne (17.0 gpt). Design conditions of 0.17 m/min SGV (80% air and 20% steam) were maintained throughout the approx.300 days of processing of the retorts. Raw recycle gas was then injected into the retorts for approximately thirty days prior to the quenching of each retort. The extensive array of instrumentation (in situ thermocouples, flow measurement transducers, gas chromatography (GC) equipment and surface process equipment allowed continuous real-time monitoring and analysis of the retorts. Energy balance calculations (using the combined results of the material balance calculations and the thermal data) indicate about 30% of the available energy of the raw kerogen was combusted to produce shale oil, low BTU gas and C sub 5 H sub 10 -C sub 12 hydrocarbons. The fuel source for the combustion energy was mostly oil and char (approx.90%), while gas accounted for the remainder. Oxygen utilization (a measure of how well combustion energy is utilized in the retorting of shale) was 0.35 and 0.33 kg shale retorted/mole O sub 2 injected for Retorts 7 and 8, respectively. These values of oxygen utilization for Retorts 7 and 8 are comparable to other in situ retorts, but are still below values attained in pilot plant studies of in situ retorting. 25 refs., 50 figs., 17 tabs. (ERA citation 11:033734)