[46] The processing area is isolated from surrounding groundwater by a freeze wall consisting of wells filled with a circulating super-chilled fluid. While methods that allow combustion products to contact the oil shale within the retort are classified as direct, methods that burn materials external to the retort to heat another material that contacts the oil shale are described as indirect[14]. [80] In situ processing, according to one estimate, uses about one-tenth as much water. 19(4): 309-340. O'Loughlin. By process principles: Based on the treatment of raw oil shale by heat and solvents the methods are classified as pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil; however, extracting shale oil from oil shale is more costly than the production of conventional crude oil both financially and in terms of its environmental impact. In general, externally generated hot gas technologies are similar to internal combustion technologies in that they also process oil shale lumps in vertical shaft kilns. [28][46][48], In the CCR Process proposed by American Shale Oil, superheated steam or another heat transfer medium is circulated through a series of pipes placed below the oil shale layer to be extracted. As of 2010, major long-standing extraction industries are operating in Estonia, Brazil, and China. Initial reports of the deal talks between Pioneer and Parsley raised eyebrows among some onlookers because Pioneer CEO Sheffield is the father of Parsley chairman Bryan Sheffield.

The ratio of oil shale gas to shale oil generally increases along with retorting temperatures.

[11], Heating the oil shale to pyrolysis temperature and completing the endothermic kerogen decomposition reactions require a source of energy. Mining oil shale involves a number of environmental impacts, more pronounced in surface mining than in underground mining. This technology was further developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. [19][22] The composition of the oil shale may lend added value to the extraction process through the recovery of by-products, including ammonia, sulfur, aromatic compounds, pitch, asphalt, and waxes. [75], Oil-shale extraction can damage the biological and recreational value of land and the ecosystem in the mining area. Burning the char off the spent shale produces oil shale ash. [56][57], Microwave heating technologies are based on the same principles as radio wave heating, although it is believed that radio wave heating is an improvement over microwave heating because its energy can penetrate farther into the oil shale formation. [79] Depending on technology, above-ground retorting uses between one and five barrels of water per barrel of produced shale-oil. National energy security issues have also played a role in its development. Internal combustion technologies such as the Paraho Direct are thermally efficient, since combustion of char on the spent shale and heat recovered from the shale ash and evolved gases can provide all the heat requirements of the retort.

Effects of Oil Shale Technologies", "Critics charge energy, water needs of oil shale could harm environment", "Greenpeace happy with part closure of shale oil plant", Oil Shale. [21], The oldest and the most common extraction method involves pyrolysis (also known as retorting or destructive distillation).

They present an opportunity to recover shale oil from low-grade deposits that traditional mining techniques could not extract.[44]. It injects an electrically conductive material such as calcined petroleum coke into the hydraulic fractures created in the oil shale formation which then forms a heating element. Modified in situ processes involve drilling and fracturing the target oil shale deposit to create voids in the deposit.

Shale oil extraction is usually performed above ground (ex situ processing) by mining the oil shale and then treating it in processing facilities. The following table shows extraction technologies classified by heating method, heat carrier and location (in situ or ex situ). In ex situ retorting processes, it begins at 300 °C (570 °F) and proceeds more rapidly and completely at higher temperatures. [58] The microwave heating process was tested by Global Resource Corporation. [83] Kerogen is tightly bound to the shale and resists dissolution by most solvents. By raw oil shale particle size: The various ex situ processing technologies may be differentiated by the size of the oil shale particles that are fed into the retorts. [41][42][43] The main benefit of these technologies is processing without using water. [10][36] Mountain West Energy's In Situ Vapor Extraction process uses similar principles of injection of high-temperature gas. [41] In these technologies, oil shale is bombarded by radicals (ions).

A Scientific-Technical Journal, "Editor's page. [38] Despite this constraint, extraction using especially reactive fluids has been tested, including those in a supercritical state. [28], By heating method: The method of transferring heat from combustion products to the oil shale may be classified as direct or indirect. [23] Two strategies are used to reduce, and even eliminate, external heat energy requirements: the oil shale gas and char by-products generated by pyrolysis may be burned as a source of energy, and the heat contained in hot spent oil shale and oil shale ash may be used to pre-heat the raw oil shale. The process is conducted by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. [10] These technologies are potentially able to extract more shale oil from a given area of land than conventional ex situ processing technologies, as the wells can reach greater depths than surface mines. The sector is in full-on merger mode in response to oil prices that have been stuck at around $40 a barrel in recent months after the Covid-19 pandemic hit global demand. In addition, the atmospheric emissions from oil shale processing and combustion include carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. 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.

[10][49], The Geothermic Fuels Cells Process (IEP GFC) proposed by Independent Energy Partners extracts shale oil by exploiting a high-temperature stack of fuel cells. The 3rd International Oil Shale Symposium in Tallinn", "San Leon Energy Awarded Moroccan Oil Shale Exploration Project", "Synthetic Fuels Summary. [19], For ex situ processing, oil shale is crushed into smaller pieces, increasing surface area for better extraction. [10][35][36] An installation within the empty space created by mining would permit rapid reclamation of the topography.

In 1684, Great Britain granted the first formal extraction process patent. Environmental activists, including members of Greenpeace, have organized strong protests against the oil shale industry. [39] Reactive fluid technologies include the IGT Hytort (high-pressure H2) process, donor solvent processes, and the Chattanooga fluidized bed reactor. [54][84][85], Process for extracting oil from oil shale, This article is about production of synthetic oil from, Classification of extraction technologies, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Western Oil Shale Has a High Mercury Content. [54][74] In 2002, about 97% of air pollution, 86% of total waste and 23% of water pollution in Estonia came from the power industry, which uses oil shale as the main resource for its power production. Air, hydrogen or nitrogen are used as plasma gas and processes may operate in an arc, plasma arc, or plasma electrolysis mode. 1989.

Oil vapour and shale oil gas are separated from the solids and cooled to condense and collect the oil. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws Please read our Terms & Conditions, Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy before using the site. The deal came a day after ConocoPhillips announced its $9.7 billion takeover of Concho Resources Inc. and underscores the view that oil companies must be big to survive in a new, pandemic-maligned world that’s oversupplied with crude. The United States National Oil Shale Association (NOSA), International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shale_oil_extraction&oldid=971019467, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Radio wave, microwave, and electric current processes, This page was last edited on 3 August 2020, at 18:30. These include the usage of process waste heat, e.g. Bryan Sheffield’s stake in Parsley is amplified by his holdings of Class B shares, which give him overall voting power of 7.8%. [38] Reactive fluid technologies are suitable for processing oil shales with a low hydrogen content. U.S. shale mergers reshuffle the oil production landscape, World Oil editorial: Biden is a menace to sound energy policy and industry’s future, U.S. sanctions cripple Venezuela’s oil industry, Alberta ends OPEC-style curbs after Covid-led oil sands retreat, PESA president rebuts Biden’s energy stance, EQT pursues takeover of rival CNX Resources, Trump leverages Biden’s oil stance as a warning to swing state voters, Applying ultra-deep LWD resistivity technology successfully in a SAGD operation, Adoption of wireless intelligent completions advances, Majors double down as takeaway crunch eases, What’s new in well logging and formation evaluation, Qualification of a 20,000-psi subsea BOP: A collaborative approach, ConocoPhillips’ Greg Leveille sees rapid trajectory of technical advancement continuing, Oil declines further with Libyan output set to rise coming weeks, As U.S. drilling plummets to 122-year low, losses may intensify in second half, Achieving operational efficiency gains using a total fluids management service, LWD dual-physics imager for OBM applications enables real-time geological characterization, Activity outside North America is no great bonanza, World Oil editorial: Time for Trudeau regime to lend help to Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore industry, Impact of Covid-19 on oil supply, demand and price to 2030, Oil and Gas Prices, Production, Rig Counts. [36] According to the United States Department of Energy, the capital costs of a 100,000 barrels per day (16,000 m3/d) ex-situ processing complex are $3–10 billion.

Other ways of improving the economics of shale oil extraction could be to increase the size of the operation to achieve economies of scale, use oil shale that is a by-product of coal mining such as at Fushun China, produce specialty chemicals as by Viru Keemia Grupp in Estonia, co-generate electricity from the waste heat and process high grade oil shale that yields more oil per shale processed. Spent shale consists of inorganic compounds (minerals) and char—a carbonaceous residue formed from kerogen. Also, these technologies tend to be the more stable and easier to control than internal combustion or hot solid recycle technologies. A 1984 study estimated the EROEI of the various known oil shale deposits as varying between 0.7–13.3;[68] Some companies and newer technologies assert an EROEI between 3 and 10. [21][28] Disadvantages of this process are large electrical power consumption, extensive water use, and the risk of groundwater pollution. Shale oil is then recovered through vertical wells drilled into the formation.