Move Over, Fracking. There’s a New Technology in Town

[Sanguine]

What do Hot Pockets and oil shale have in common? As it turns out, more than you might imagine. True, you can’t bake oil shale the way you can Hot Pockets. And you can’t steam Hot Pockets (unless you like ’em soggy) the way you can oil shale when you want to siphon off its black gold. But there is one preparation method that works for both these two improbable sources of abundant energy, and it’s probably in your kitchen at this very moment: microwaves.

As strange as it sounds, producers are experimenting with ways to zap previously unextractable oil resources with microwaves, which has the potential to kick-start an even bigger energy revolution than fracking — and appease environmentalists while they’re at it. This is potentially “a whole shift in the paradigm,” says Peter Kearl, co-founder and CTO of Qmast, a Colorado-based company pioneering the use of the microwave tech....

http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/move-over-fracking-theres-a-new-technology-in-town/71701

Cool idea!

[Lando Lincoln]

Interesting!   

[Cripplecreek]

I can already hear liberals claiming that the ground continues to emit microwaves for years cooking us in our homes.

[Lando Lincoln]

I can already hear liberals claiming that the ground continues to emit microwaves for years cooking us in our homes.

And, it will be tangible evidence of anthropomorphic global warming!!  We are doing it from the inside out!  And intentionally!  Horrors!

[Cripplecreek]

And, it will be tangible evidence of anthropomorphic global warming!!  We are doing it from the inside out!  And intentionally!  Horrors!

The envirowhiners tried telling us that wastewater injected 1500 feet into the ground would flash to steam and cause all kinds of problems. Some of us saw an obvious question and asked what the ambient temperature of the rock at that depth is in this area.

It turns out that the temperature is about 70 degrees in this area at that depth.

[thackney]

New technology?

Evaluation of oil produced from the microwave retorting of Australian shales
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0016236195002324

Abstract:
Research carried out at the Microwave Applications Research Centre (MARC) funded under the National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Program (NERDDP) has shown that microwave retorting of two Australian shales, from Leigh Creek (SA) and Kerosene Creek (Rundle, Queensland) produces oil which has advantages over conventionally retorted oil in terms of its composition. It has a greater proportion of light hydrocarbons and is lower in sulfur and nitrogen content. A 10 l. sample of oil produced by microwave retorting, prepared at MARC Coniston Laboratory was hydrotreated, fractionally distilled and evaluated by BHP Melbourne Research Laboratories, Mulgrave. A positive quality differential (QD) of over a dollar (U.S.) per barrel was calculated as a basis for economic comparison of the hydrotreated product against Saudi Arabian light crude oil. These results indicate that addition of a microwave-retorting stage to a shale processing plant could add value to the oil as a refinery feedstock.

Copyright © 1996

- - - - - - - - - -

Retorting Oil Shale by Microwave Power
http://opensample.info/retorting-oil-shale-by-microwave-power

Shale oil and a fuel gas have been produced by microwave­ -heating oil shale in a standard microwave oven in conjunc­ tion with experimentation to develop an in situ microwave retorting process. Various grades of oil shale have been subjected to high microwave fields. The derived oil has been submitted to various physical and chemical testing methods, and the chemical composition of the evolved gas has been evaluated. The specific gravity; pour point; yields of oil, water, gas, and losses; and spent shale are compared with parallel data obtained with the Fischer assay procedure. Important differences in oil flow properties and gas composition are discussed in view of microwave inter­ active theory. shale represents an enormous reserve of fossil fuel for domestic and foreign needs (1,2). Shale oil production can be divided into direct and indirect heating processes (2). In direct heating, some of the products or some other fuel is combusted to raise the oil shale to the necessary temperature for conversion to gas and oil while an indirect process transfers heat from an outside source. Although high yields have been demonstrated in some indirect procedures (3), the application to in situ retorting has been limited. Direct processes developed for in situ recovery of shale oil have not demonstrated sufficient control of the under­ ground combustion for reliable operation.

1979 American Chemical Society

[Sanguine]

@thackney, ah, but it's very new in geologic terms.

[Smokin Joe]

@thackney, ah, but it's very new in geologic terms.

Not so much, though the idea of using a microwave for heating the shale is different, essentially, it is increasing thermal maturity and cooking the oil out.

This was done with the Green River Shale Mahogany Member in Colorado:
(mined, then retorted)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Shale_Oil_Project

The Colony Project was terminated in 1982.

Another idea for heating shale to get the gas out was Project Rulison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rulison

But that, too, had drawbacks, most notably, radioactive gas.

Since it was discovered there was oil in shale, (these being the Green River Shales, Mahogany member in Colorado), different ideas have been tried with near surface oil shale. But the idea of extracting oil from shale is not new, even if the application changes to farther down hole, the principles still apply.

[Lando Lincoln]

Not so much, though the idea of using a microwave for heating the shale is different, essentially, it is increasing thermal maturity and cooking the oil out.

This was done with the Green River Shale Mahogany Member in Colorado:
(mined, then retorted)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Shale_Oil_Project

The Colony Project was terminated in 1982.

Another idea for heating shale to get the gas out was Project Rulison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rulison

But that, too, had drawbacks, most notably, radioactive gas.

Since it was discovered there was oil in shale, (these being the Green River Shales, Mahogany member in Colorado), different ideas have been tried with near surface oil shale. But the idea of extracting oil from shale is not new, even if the application changes to farther down hole, the principles still apply.

Much the same as fracking perhaps.  Not new in general.  But the technique, coupled with directional drilling among other things... vastly improved.

[Smokin Joe]

Much the same as fracking perhaps.  Not new in general.  But the technique, coupled with directional drilling among other things... vastly improved.

The difference is subtle, but based on the resource. "Shale oil" is oil, already formed, trapped in shale and associated rock with very fine porosity, but with its origins in the shale layer. The finely porous rock associated with or adjacent to the shale is the stratum where the oil is located, or in fractures in the shale, and has the lions share of the pore spaces where the oil has accumulated Fraccing joins the otherwise isolated pore spaces in that shale and lets the oil out, often at depths of 8-10000 ft below the surface.

Oil shale is a little different, in that the oil is still forming and dispersed throughout the shale. The application of heat will finish the process of cooking the oil out that would otherwise be accomplished by the pressure and increased heat of deeper burial, depending on heat flow through the crust. Often oil shale is at or near the surface, as in the case of the Green River Shale, in Western Colorado and Wyoming. The shallow depth of the oil shales prevents fraccing techniques from being used, but horizontal drilling could be, given the right situation, and provided there was an acceptable way to heat the rock and produce the oil in/from it.

Considering the state of environmental extremism in this country, I have little faith that any such project, even if approved and permitted, will be allowed to continue to fruition without some major social changes.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

@thackney, ah, but it's very new in geologic terms.

Nothing to do with geologic terms.

She'll had this technology deployed many years ago for Rockies  oil shales, as well as Canadian tar sands.

One of those "works well in the labs", but not very commercial as yet.

[Sanguine]

Nothing to do with geologic terms.

She'll had this technology deployed many years ago for Rockies  oil shales, as well as Canadian tar sands.

One of those "works well in the labs", but not very commercial as yet.

I think you managed to misunderstand my (very short) statement.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I think you managed to misunderstand my (very short) statement.

Please explain.

I reread it and it still seems to be an error.

And, for future reference, the proper way to express this is to say "you misunderstood", not "you managed to misunderstand". 

[Sanguine]

Please explain.

I reread it and it still seems to be an error.

And, for future reference, the proper way to express this is to say "you misunderstood", not "you managed to misunderstand".

Now, see, there you go again, reading things into what I wrote that I didn't say or mean.  Hence the "managed to misunderstand".

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Now, see, there you go again, reading things into what I wrote that I didn't say or mean.  Hence the "managed to misunderstand".

I still have no idea what you are speaking about.

Can you please explain?

[thackney]

I still have no idea what you are speaking about.

Can you please explain?

I believe you missed a joke about being "new" using geological time scales.

[Sanguine]

I believe you missed a joke about being "new" using geological time scales.

@IsailedawayfromFR, sorry, I didn't see your question.  Yes, it was a joke, granted a weak one. 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

@IsailedawayfromFR, sorry, I didn't see your question.  Yes, it was a joke, granted a weak one.

OK, I now understand.

Thought some others might try to link a new type of fraccing with some type of geology, and I did not wish that to be a takeaway for anybody less informed in the industry.

[Sanguine]

OK, I now understand.

Thought some others might try to link a new type of fraccing with some type of geology, and I did not wish that to be a takeaway for anybody less informed in the industry.

Now, see there, that's the part I bristled at:  "less informed in the industry".  Why would you assume that from my tiny little joke?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Now, see there, that's the part I bristled at:  "less informed in the industry".  Why would you assume that from my tiny little joke?

Reread what I said.

I did not say you were less informed, but there are many others which might read this thread.

Some read these articles to get more informed on the Energy sector, and I like to clear up any misconceptions regarding them.

It was not my intention to degrade you.

[Sanguine]

Reread what I said.

I did not say you were less informed, but there are many others which might read this thread.

Some read these articles to get more informed on the Energy sector, and I like to clear up any misconceptions regarding them.

It was not my intention to degrade you.

It may not have been your intention, but it did come across that way.  We're done, need to move on.  I've made my point.