In a process for extracting organic material from oil shale solids wherein said oil shale is contacted with a liquid organic solvent, the improvement which comprises treating said oil shale solids at a temperature between about 500 f. Basin of colorado where oil shale deposits are about feet thick and buried under feet of overburden. Energy information administration technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources 4 ahead of time. In the long term, we estimate that shale oil could displace around 35. Oil shale is jordans most significant natural resource. Shale gas is a natural gas methane and can be fed straight into the national grid. On the next page, learn about fracking and discover why people are concerned. Shale gas and hydraulic fracturing f racking page 4 frequently asked questions faq s version 3 august 2014 will shale gas be produced in the uk.
Jan 31, 2020 shale oil is a highquality crude oil that lies between layers of shale rock, impermeable mudstone, or siltstone. Shale is a sedimentary rock with a high organic content. As an example, the ultimate estimated recovery eur for a natural gas well can range from a dry hole i. Most importantly, the threshold for environmental impact assessments to be carried out. The various attempts to develop oil shale deposits have succeeded only when the cost of shaleoil production in a given region comes in below the price of crude oil or its other substitutes breakeven price the united states department of energy estimates that the exsitu processing would be economic at sustained average world oil. The shale revolution started with gas extraction around the year 2000 but decreasing gas prices became a driver for the development of tight oil. Read refining synthetic liquids from coal and shale. The second presentation describes federal efforts to assess the effects of shale gas. A new rapid method for shale oil and shale gas assessment. Surface and in situ retorting victor yefimov and shuyuan li encyclopedia of life support systems eolss as the shale continues downward into the retorting zone, it is heated by rising hot gases. In 1925 there were 25 working shale mines in west lothian but from then there was a gradual reduction in operations due to competition, initially from the persian. Oil shale must be mined using either underground or surfacemining methods.
S federal price controls on natural gas led to shortages in the 1970s. This chapter provides a summary of presentations on the process of shale gas extraction and its potential geographic impact. After excavation, the oil shale must undergo retorting. 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. Sohrab zendehboudi phd, alireza bahadori phd, ceng, in shale oil and gas handbook, 2017. Coal, oil shale, natural bitumen, heavy oil and peat vol. In the unites states, the extraction of shale oil has grown dramatically over the last few years taking the market by surprise. The lurgiruhrgas retort, the tosco retort, the taciuk retort and the. Horizontal drilling began in the 1930s, and in 1947 a well was first fracked in the u. Us3474863a us3474863da us3474863a us 3474863 a us3474863 a us 3474863a us 3474863d a us3474863d a us 3474863da us 3474863 a us3474863 a us 3474863a authority us united states prior art keywords zone oil solvent fluid shale prior art date 19670728 legal status the legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Questions and answers for shale gas, hydraulic fracturing of a reservoir is the preferred stimulation method see graphic below.
The former pages talk page can be accessed at talk. Dec 04, 2012 mitchell energy developed the hydraulic fracturing technique known as slickwater fracturing that made shale gas extraction economical. In oil shale, kerogen is tightly mixed with mineral matrix, however, in. How much shale tight oil is produced in the united states. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil. The crude shale oil produced is a quality that requires less upgrading than oil from most ex. An analysis of the environmental impacts of the extraction. Microwaveassisted solvent extraction of shale oil from jordanian oil shale article in oil shale 323. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so. 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 performed. 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. In the context of shale oil and shale gas, pyrolysisftir can also inform choice of depths at. The cost of conventional oil varies so much that saudi. Energy return on investment eroi of oil shale article pdf available in sustainability 311.
Please leave this template in place to link the article histories and preserve this attribution. Changing the carbon footprints of unconventional oils. According to various estimates, oil shale deposits underlie more than 60% of the kingdoms territory totaling approximately 40 70 billion tonnes, which would make jordan the 6th richest country in the world in terms of oil shale deposits. This typically involves injecting pressurized fluids to stimulate or fracture shale formations and release the natural gas.
The results for each type of oil shale show that the extraction yield depends differently on the nature of the solvent table 1. According to the international energy agency, there are about 1 trillion barrels of economically recoverable shale oil resources, compared to 1. Shale oil february 20 1 executive summary shale oil light tight oil is rapidly emerging as a significant and relatively low cost new unconventional resource in the us. To tap it, oil companies drill to the hydrocarbonrich stratum, then curve the well bore. The next energy revolution find, read and cite all the research you need on. This gas, however, is locked in shale and cannot simply be drilled out. Microwaveassisted solvent extraction of shale oil from. Pdf on jul 1, 2014, pawan r ingole and others published oil shale.
Shale gas was first extracted as a resource in fredonia, new york, in 1821, in shallow, lowpressure fractures. Sand pumped in with the fluids often water helps to keep the. 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. In the context of shale oil and shale gas, pyrolysisftir can also inform choice of depths at which horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing occur. The average lifetime of a shale oil or gas well varies highly. Shale oil extraction is usually performed above ground ex situ processing by mining the oil shale and then treating it in processing facilities. Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. In the long term, we estimate that shale oil could displace around 3540% of waterborne crude oil imports to the us. Oil companies produce shale oil by fracturing the rock formations that contain the layers of oil. A study on the eu oil shale industry viewed in the light of the estonian experience a report by easac to the committee on industry, research and energy of the european. Oil shale refers to the sedimentary shale rock that contains oil prone kerogen partially converted fossil organic matter which has not been submitted to enough pressure and temperature over millions of years to release oil gallois, r. The crude shale oil produced is a quality that requires less upgrading than oil from most exsitu processes, but recoveries are somewhat less.
North dakotas bakken formation is a layer of dense, oil bearing rock found at a depth of about 2 miles. The first presentation provides an overview of the characteristics of a shale gas production site, the method of hydraulic fracturing, and the safety procedures used by one company. Jan, 2016 shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. Shale oil is a hugely untapped resource that has been mined and processed since the 1800s.
However, the rise of nuclear energy and the discovery of enormous oil reserves in the middle east. This publication will address each one of the above environmental concerns, laying out the facts and context related to the concerns, as well as a set of recommendations for best practices for the shale gas industry going forward. Shale oil february 20 3 shale oil could make the largest single contribution to total us oil production growth by 2020, with the proportion of production from conventional sources remaining relatively stable. A study on the eu oil shale industry viewed in the light. Technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources. Material from oil shale was split to shale oil extraction on 10. North dakotas bakken formation is a layer of dense, oilbearing rock found at a depth of about 2 miles. The shale oil as the alternative source of energy and the major shale oil extraction activities in the usa accounts as a main reason for the low crude oil price. Shale oil processing is defined as an industrial process to which raw shale oil is subjected to extract oil from itbasically a process to produce unconventional oil 1. Shale oil is not to be confused with tight oil which is crude oil occurring.
A 1984 study estimated the eroei of the various known oilshale deposits as varying between 0. Other modern technologies perform the processing underground onsite or in situ processing by applying heat and extracting the oil via oil wells. The industry has never operated at a profitable level, and the sheer size of the. Shale drilling site in pennsylvania photo helge hansen statoil. Oil shale research in the united states 2011 draft2. Crude shale oil, shale gas and water are produced from insitu retorts. There is potential for shale oil production to spread globally over the next couple of decades. The maximum output from the shale industry was in 19, when 3.
Faced with declining natural gas production, the federal government invested in many supply alternatives, including the. Oil shale oil shale is a negrained sedimentary rock containing a solid material kerogen that converts to liquid oil when heated. This article attempts to analyze the patent landscape of shale oil and gas. The shale oil production can be turned on when demand is high and turned off when demand is low easily and more cost effective than the current conventional oilfield matt egan, 2015. A challenge to preventing pollution is that shale gas extractions varies widely in this. The extraction and use of shale gas can affect the environment through the leaking of extraction chemicals and waste into water supplies, the leaking of greenhouse gases during extraction, and the pollution caused by the improper processing of natural gas. This is the resource of estonian oil shale industry. Oil shale extraction methods are expensive the economics of oil shale extraction are an impediment to its commercial production. Energy information administration eia estimates that in 2019, about 2. Consequently, the oil and gas industry, researchers, and government agencies spend.
Even if significant quantities of shale gas exist in the uk, there will be issues about feasibility and practability of extraction. Wyssmont utilizes the wyssmont turbodryer thermo processor to heat oil shale ex situ in order to extract shale oil in vapor form and recover it as a liquid. Comparison with a catalogue of analogue samples from classic shale gas fields can be made so that rapid indications of shale gas potential of new study areas are provided. In 20, the unites states is estimated to have produced 3. Resource estimates change as extraction technologies improve, as markets evolve, and as oil and natural gas are produced. Oil shale deposits exist in 37 countries globally, but the largest and highest quality oil shale deposits are in sparsely populated areas.
Beneath the surface of a large portion of north america, buried in ancient bedrock, is a massive reserve of natural gas. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. Because shale oil exists as solid sedimentary rocks, its extraction is more complex than. Mitchell energy developed the hydraulic fracturing technique known as slickwater fracturing that made shale gas extraction economical. Pdf oil shale, also known as kerogen shale, is an organicrich finegrained sedimentary rock containing kerogen a solid mixture of organic chemical. 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. In order for oil shale production to be profitable, the industry must overcome technical, environmental, regulatory, and economic obstacles. Oil shale deposits exist in 37 countries globally, but the largest and highest quality oil shale deposits are in sparsely populated areas of colorado, utah and wyoming figure 1. Extraction of oil shales and tar sands coal industry. Oil shale definition of oil shale by merriamwebster. A federal oil shale research program was initiated, and many energy companies began acquiring oil shale lands and developing extraction processes. The shale crude oil so obtained is further refined before sending it to commercial markets.
Relative to conventional oil, however, the production quantities have been low. Unesco eolss sample chapters coal, oil shale, natural bitumen, heavy oil and peat vol. Figure 2 shows the shale oil and gas plays in the u. The thick ness of the green river formation ranges from 10 to 2,000 ft, with an overburden ranging. Shale oil and gas are exactly the same product as oil and natural gas from conventional extraction. The yield of total volatiles from the initial shale was 18. Surface and in situ retorting victor yefimov and shuyuan li encyclopedia of life support systems eolss of spent shale, etc. The former pages history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page, and it must not be deleted so long as the latter page exists.
The first shale oil play to be exploited for oil extraction through modern horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing was the bakken formation. Aug 22, 1978 the present invention also includes a process for the extraction of oil shales and tar sands which process comprises heating the shale in the presence of an extractant in the gas phase at a temperature within the range 350 to 550 c. An analysis of the environmental impacts of the extraction of. Production of a barrel of shale oil can generate up to 1. 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 processing an overview sciencedirect topics. Instead, a process known as hydraulic fracturing must be used. According to various estimates, oil shale deposits underlie more than 60% of the kingdoms territory totaling approximately 40 70 billion tonnes, which would make jordan the 6th richest country in. Here we look at the major components of hydraulic fracturing, its environmental implications, and its impact on the us and global economies. Shale oil is a highquality crude oil that lies between layers of shale rock, impermeable mudstone, or siltstone.
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