Not only is the extraction very timeconsuming, but also the large volumes of toxic organic solvents that are. Without this water envelope, the oil and the sand could not be separated by the waterbased extraction methods that are currently used. Theory, technologies, and challenges provides users with information on how shale oil and gas exploration has revolutionized todays energy industry. As of 2008, most oil shale industries perform the shale oil extraction process after the rock is mined, crushed and transported to a retorting facility, although several experimental. Petroleum refining heavy oil extraction techniques. Unlocking americas natural gas, july 19, 2010, page 4. Soxhlet extraction is the standard method for oil shale, but it has a number of drawbacks. Oil shale processing an overview sciencedirect topics. Study of oil and gas extraction wastewater management. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, opened up more natural gas for production, but the technology added costs to the oil extraction process. Processing oil shale national oil shale association. Wastes from the extraction and beneficiation of metallic ores, phosphate rock, asbestos, overburden from uranium mining and oil shale pdf 295 pp, 651 k, december 31, 1985, epa530sw85033.
For shale gas, hydraulic fracturing of a reservoir is the preferred stimulation method see graphic below. As a result, us shale producers adjusted exploration and extraction techniques to weather the turmoil of low oil prices and saudi oilmarket policies prior to the vienna agreement. Shale oil is a highquality crude oil found deep underground in combination with shale gas, between layers of shale rock, impermeable mudstone, or siltstone. The epa currently regulates discharges of oil and gas wastewater under the oil and gas extraction effluent limitations guidelines and pretreatment standards elgs found at 40 cfr part 435. Shale oil and gas are exactly the same product as oil and natural gas from conventional extraction. Aug 08, 2019 hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, opened up more natural gas for production, but the technology added costs to the oil extraction process. Small amounts of added water were beneficial, but larger amounts reduced yields. This study focuses on insitu oil shale production methodologies. Crude shale oil, shale gas and water are produced from insitu retorts. A study on the eu oil shale industry viewed in the light. Shale oil costs more than conventional oil to extract.
It is widely distributed around the world some 600 deposits are known, with. Basin of colorado where oil shale deposits are about feet thick and buried under feet of overburden. Highlights various methods for extracting a jordanian oil shale were compared. Study of oil and gas extraction wastewater management under. American petroleum institute, freeing up energy hydraulic fracturing. Definition sedimentary rock with a high organic content organic matter is known as kerogen kerogen. Us7921907b2 in situ method and system for extraction of. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen. Cold heavy oil production with sand chops chops is a technique applied to both tertiary recovery of conventional oil as well as to quasi primary production of oil sands and oil shale. It was used to light the streets of modena, italy at the turn of the 17th century. The resultant shale oil extracted from either of the methods is treated in processing facilities to become. Oil shale extraction methods are expensive the economics of oil shale extraction are an impediment to its commercial production. The differences between oil shale, shale oil, and shale gas. Oil shale must be mined using either underground or surfacemining methods.
Aug 06, 2015 video explaining shale gas and hydraulic fracturing fracking. Evaluation of several methods of extraction of oil from a. Shale oil is extracted from the oil shale by thermal extracting methods. A study on the eu oil shale industry viewed in the light of. One is to mine it like the rock it is and then heat it in the lowoxygen environment needed to turn the kerogen into. Ca2642523c kerogen extraction from subterranean oil. Oil shale attraction begins in a similar way to crude oil extraction, wherein it is excavated either using surface mining or underground techniques. Oct 20, 2019 two methods have been developed to extract petroleum products from oil shale. Recent development of unconventional gas extraction 14 1. The single model of oil shale development, which is, burning in boiler for power generation and distillation for shale oil, may cause enormous waste of oil gas resources and semicoke. The industry has never operated at a profitable level, and the sheer size of the.
What shale oil exploration and production methods are used. Shale gas extraction explained many believe the us is on the brink of a new industrial age, as it benefits from a recent energy boom. Two methods have been developed to extract petroleum products from oil shale. After excavation, the oil shale must undergo retorting. A number of catalysts examined did not benefit oil yields. This research was conducted within rand infrastructure, safety, and envi. Since the early 1980s, oil shale has not been on the u. The results for each type of oil shale show that the extraction yield depends differently on the nature of the solvent table 1. Integrated assessment model for basinscale in situ oil shale production.
This study focusses on insitu oil shale production methodologies. This report presents an updated assessment of the viability of developing oil shale resources in the united. The crude shale oil produced is a quality that requires less upgrading than oil from most exsitu processes, but recoveries are somewhat less. The effect of adding fe, cu, ni, sn and naalo 2 as potential catalysts to some of these reactions has been studied but none led to improved oil yields. A multitude of different methods have been devised that aid in extraction of heavy oil. However, whereas as crude oil is simply pumped to the surface, oil shale remains in solid form and must first be retorted and then refined before it can be used. An example of a new approach in the greater green river basin, mr1683wfhf 2003. It is best suited for plant materials that yield low amounts of essential oil, that are largely resinous, or that are delicate aromatics unable to withstand the pressure and distress of steam distillation. Ca2642523c kerogen extraction from subterranean oil shale. This typically involves injecting pressurized fluids to stimulate or fracture shale formations and release the natural gas. The british crown granted a patent in 1694 to three persons. Us7921907b2 in situ method and system for extraction of oil. Two methods of in situ oil shale retorting have been tested. As activity has boomed and job growth continues to increase, training in this area for new and experienced engineers is essential.
The most common method of extracting shale oil is by surface mining. Technologies for oil shale production include surface and insitu retorting. Regardless of these quality benefits, shale oil tends to be discounted in the market, because it offers the poor characteristics of ocs. Oil shale extraction learning the basics petro online.
Oil shale, shale oil and shale gas are all related to these new, unconventional methods of accessing the earths oil and natural gas reserves. The term oil shale is commonly used when referring to unconventional oil, but it can be misleading. The system comprises an energy delivery subsystem to heat the body of oil shale and a hydrocarbon gathering subsystem for gathering hydrocarbons retorted from the body of oil shale. Shale oil is extracted by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of oil shale. The present invention is directed to methods for extracting a kerogenbased product from subsurface oil shale formations, wherein such methods rely on fracturing andor rubblizing portions of said formations so as to enhance their fluid permeability, and wherein such methods further rely on chemically modifying the shalebound kerogen so as to render it mobile. Resource recovery and reuse for hydraulic fracturing. High recovery of organic matter was obtained at relatively low temperature 355 c. The true in situ method consists of fracturing, retorting, and recovering the products through the use of boreholes from the surface. Methods and application presents a summary of new results related to oil and gas prospecting that are useful for theoreticians and practical professionals. Dynamic system modeling of regional influences from energy resource.
In oil shale, kerogen is tightly mixed with mineral matrix, however, in. An additional application would be a combination of the two methodsthe use of. Today, geologist have a powerful method that enables them to see deep geological structures, the layout of beds and define their kind. After the process of extraction is complete, oil shale undergoes a process known as retorting. Most of the organic material in the oil shale was converted to.
Extracting shale oil from oil shale is costlier than the production of. For onshore oil and gas producers, except west of the 98th meridian. Alternative technologies for oil shale liquefaction and upgrading pdf. Methods and applicationpresents a summary of new results related to oil and gas prospecting that are useful for theoreticians and practical professionals. Jan 31, 2020 shale oil extraction methods are more flexible than traditional oil well drilling. Extraction of oil and gas from unconventional shale reservoirs that started in the u. Video explaining shale gas and hydraulic fracturing fracking. For more information about shale oil and gas and fracking, visit the govuk website. Once extracted from the ground, the rock can either be used directly as fuel for a power plant, or be processed to produce shale oil and other chemicals and materials. Jeremy boak, in future energy second edition, 2014. A critical measure of the viability of extraction of shale oil lies in the ratio of the energy produced by the oil shale to the energy used in its mining and processing, a ratio known as energy returned on energy invested.
This is the resource of estonian oil shale industry. Here we look at the major components of hydraulic fracturing, its environmental implications, and its impact on the us and global economies. Oil shale research in the united states 2011 draft2. However, the production of unconventional oil is increasing due to rising demand for fossil fuels and falling reserves of conventionals the unconventional oil revolution has drastically changed the world energy. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Oil shale must be first extracted from the ground with either underground or surfacemining methods. Hydraulic fracturing used in the extraction of this resource requires a large volume of water and generates vast quantities of highly contaminated wastewater, i. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen impurities shale oil extraction is usually. First method is a cracking process named as surface retorting used to break down the kerogen by heating it in absence of oxygen to release hydrocarbons and produce low molecular weight products such as nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur. The process of heating oil shale to the pyrolysis temperature can be achieved by direct or indirect heating. Background shale oil is one of the first sources of mineral oil used by humans.
According to the world energy outlook 2010, the eroei of exsitu processing is typically 4 to 5 while of insitu processing it may be even as low as 2. Oil shale is sedimentary rock containing up to 50% organic matter. Oct 23, 2012 can you extract oil from oil shale with hydraulic press. The geological setting of oil shale deposits and world prospects are discussed in chapter 2. Jan 08, 2019 as a result, us shale producers adjusted exploration and extraction techniques to weather the turmoil of low oil prices and saudi oil market policies prior to the vienna agreement. Oil shale research in the united states 5 september 2011 third edition foreword significant research efforts continue in the united states to address some of the technical, economic, and policy uncertainties that constrain the development of americas enormous oil shale resource.
Sand pumped in with the fluids often water helps to keep the fractures open. Regardless of these quality benefits, shale oil tends to be discounted in the market, because it offers the. Chapter 1 introduction to oil shales sciencedirect. The process of extracting shale oil is much more difficult than the process of extracting liquid crude oil from conventional wells. Like shale gas, shale oil production requires unconventional methods such as hydraulic fracturing fracking to facilitate extraction. The pyrolysis of the rock is performed in a retort, situated either above ground or within the rock formation itself. The extracted shale oil then undergoes pyrolysis at 842 to 932f 450 to 500c to produce oil shale synthetic crude oil, shale gas and residue solid.
Retorting can be applied at factory site after the oil shale is mined. The initial drilling only accounts for 40% of the total cost. Tight gas differs from shale gas in that it is trapped in sandstone or limestone, rather than shale formations. Prospects and policy issues assessing natural gas and oil resources. The study of oil and gas complexes and intrusions occurring in sedimentary basins is crucial for identifying the location of oil and gas fields and for making accurate predictions on oil findings. Studies indicate that the shale gas produced is sufficient to supply a large portion of the heat needed for oil shale retorting. Shale oil exploration and production methods info shale. Oil shale is an organicrich finegrained sedimentary rock containing kerogen a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced, called shale oil not to be confused with tight oilcrude oil occurring naturally in shales. This is when the mined rock is exposed to the process of pyrolysis applying extreme heat without the presence of oxygen to a substance, and producing a chemical change. The single model of oil shale development, which is, burning in boiler for power generation and distillation for shale oil, may cause enormous waste of oilgas resources and semicoke. In order for shale oil production to begin, the most prospective areas must be first proposed and identified.
The development life cycle of a tight oil or shale gas play consists of four phases. Oil shale refers to rock that has kerogen, a precursor to oil, stored in it. In order for oil shale production to be profitable, the industry must overcome technical, environmental, regulatory, and economic obstacles. Comparison of heating methods for insitu oil shale extraction. Direct heating geometries include the shell insitu conversion process icp using downhole. An assessment of oil shale technologies part 7 of 18. A 1984 study estimated the eroei of the various known oilshale deposits as varying between 0.
Can you extract oil from oil shale with hydraulic press. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil. Shale oil processing and extraction technologies 10. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. Different methods produce shale oil with different properties. The present invention is directed to methods for extracting a kerogenbased product from subsurface oil shale formations, wherein such methods rely on fracturing andor rubblizing portions of said formations so as to enhance their fluid permeability, and wherein such methods further rely on chemically modifying the shale bound kerogen so as to render it mobile. A system and process for extracting hydrocarbons from a subterranean body of oil shale within an oil shale deposit located beneath an overburden. A comprehensive guide to essential oil extraction methods. Regions titled, natural gas drilling in the marcellus shale under the npdes program march 16, 2011. The us becomes the largest gas producer in the world and the. Shale oil extraction methods are more flexible than traditional oil well drilling.
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