Which is a method for mining oil shale?
Which is a method for mining oil shale?
The most common method of extracting shale oil is by surface mining. The in situ combustion process is used for extracting shale oil from far below the surface. The extracted shale oil then undergoes pyrolysis at 842 to 932°F (450 to 500°C) to produce oil shale (synthetic crude oil), shale gas and residue (solid).
Why is oil shale not widely used as a source of oil?
Because oil shale requires mining and energy-intensive refining processes, it’s a substantially dirtier energy source than conventional liquid oil. Estimates vary, but turning oil shale into gasoline or diesel may lead to three or more times as many heat-trapping gas emissions than conventional oil.
What type of sedimentary rock is oil shale?
Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced, called shale oil.
Is shale mining bad for the environment?
Surface mining of oil shale deposits causes the usual environmental impacts of open-pit mining. In addition, the combustion and thermal processing generate waste material, which must be disposed of, and harmful atmospheric emissions, including carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
What is shale good for?
Shale is commercially important. It is used to make brick, pottery, tile, and Portland cement. Natural gas and petroleum may be extracted from oil shale.
What is oil shale in-situ retorting?
In-situ retorting is the only technology available to achieve large-scale industrial exploitation. This paper systematically introduces the intensive researches conducted by Zhao’s team on oil shale retorting, as well as the progress of oil shale in-situ conversion technology in the world.
What is in-situ pyrolysis in oil shale?
A large amount of micro-scale pores and fractures are formed along the bedding in oil shale during the in-situ pyrolysis process, which creates connected channels and enhances the effectiveness of thermal fluid injection and the yield of pyrolysis products.
How is shale oil extracted from the shale?
The in situ combustion process is used for extracting shale oil from far below the surface. The extracted shale oil then undergoes pyrolysis at 842 to 932°F (450 to 500°C) to produce oil shale (synthetic crude oil), shale gas and residue (solid).
What is in-situ retorting technology?
Real in-situ retorting technology refers to the in-situ drilling of wells from the ground into the deposit, to supply extra heat, for example, electrical heating, in the formation so that the oil shale is rectified in situ to produce oil and gas [42].
