Shale oil recovery

• US 4,265,307 A
• Filed: 12/20/1978
• Issued: 05/05/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Standard Oil Company (BP PLC)
• Original Assignee: Standard Oil Company (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Elkins, Lincoln F.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOVOSAD, STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US05/971,452
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 166/248, 166/60, 166/65 R, 166/271, 166/272, 166/299, 166/302, 166/259, 166/50, 299/2
• US Class Current: 166/248
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/04 using electrical heaters
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/247 in association with fracturing processes or crevice forming processes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/305 comprising at least one inclined or horizontal well

Abstract

In situ shale oil recovery from oil shale deposits using radio frequency energy as a heat generator is facilitated by rubblizing the shale oil deposits before application of radio frequency energy.

Claims

1. In a process for recovering hydrocabonaceous material from a solid non-freeflowing hydrocarbonaceous material bed in which said bed is heated in situ by applying radio frequency energy thereto to effect dielectric heating of said bed, the improvement wherein said bed is rubblized prior to the application of radio frequency energy thereto, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said hydrocarbonaceous material by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material is rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous material is rubblized such that 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

5. In a process for recovering a hydrocarbonaceous product from a solid non-freeflowing hydrocarbonaceous earth formation in which a bed of said hydrocarbonaceous earth formation is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of hydrocarbonaceous material therein to form said hydrocarbonaceous product, heating of said bed being accomplished by introducing electrical excitation into said bed to establish alternating electric fields in said bed, said alternating electric fields being substantially non-radiating and being substantially confined in said bed, whereby dielectric heating of said bed occurs,

the improvement wherein said bed is rubblized prior to the application of said alternating electric fields in said bed, said electrical excitation being introduced into said bed by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous earth formation is oil shale and said hydrocarbonaceous product is shale oil.

7. In a process for recovering shale oil from a bed of oil shale in which said bed of oil shale is heated in situ to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein by the application of radio frequency energy thereto, and the shale oil produced thereby recovered from said bed, the improvement wherein said oil shale is rubblized prior to the application of said radio frequency energy thereto, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to rubblization.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said bed by means of a plurality of conductors arranged to form a triplate-type electrode.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein said conductors are horizontally arranged.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein said conductors are metal screens or meshes.

11. The process of claim 7 wherein said radio frequency energy is applied by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

12. The process of claim 7 wherein said oil shale is rubblized such that 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

13. The process of claim 7 wherein said oil shale is rubblized by explosion techniques.

14. A process for recovering shale oil from an oil shale formation defining a plurality of oil shale beds, said process comprising:

(1) rubblizing a first oil shale bed,

(2) thereafter heating said first oil shale bed in situ to cause destructive distillation of kerogen therein and the generation of vaporous shale oil, heating of said first shale oil bed being at least partially accomplished by applying radio frequency energy thereto by means of conductors inserted into said bed prior to step (1),

(3) recovering vaporous shale oil from said first shale oil bed,

(4) rubblizing a second shale oil bed,

(5) after step (2), transferring sensible heat in said first shale oil bed to said second shale oil bed by forced convection, and

(6) heating said second shale oil bed in situ by the application of radio frequency energy thereto to cause destructive distillation of the kerogen therein and the generation of additional vaporous shale oil, said radio frequency energy being applied by means of conductors inserted into said second shale oil bed prior to rubblization thereof.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein rubblization of said second shale oil bed is accomplished after application of radio frequency energy to said first shale oil bed.

16. The process of claim 14 wherein rubblization of said second shale oil bed is accomplished before application of radio frequency energy to said first shale oil bed.

17. The process of claim 14 further comprising:

(7) recovering said additional vaporous shale oil,

(8) rubblizing a third shale oil bed, and

(9) after step (5), transferring sensible heat still remaining in said first shale oil bed to said third shale oil bed by convection.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said shale oil beds by means of horizontally arranged conductors.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein said horizontally arranged conductors form triplate-type electrodes.

20. The process of claim 14 wherein radio frequency energy is applied to said shale oil beds by means of horizontally arranged conductors.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein said horizontally arranged conductors form triplate-type electrodes.

25. The process of claim 14 wherein radio frequency energy is applied by means of conductors comprising metal screens or meshes.

26. The process of claim 25 where said oil shale is rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

27. The process of claim 14 wherein said oil shale beds are rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.

22. A system for in situ heat processing of hydrocarbonaceous earth formations comprising:

conductive means inserted in said formation and electrically bounding a particular bed of said formation on at least two sides thereof;

electrical excitation means for establishing alternating electric fields in said bed, the frequency of said excitation means being selected as the function of the bed dimensions so as to establish substantially non-radiating electric fields which are substantially confined in said bed whereby volumetric dielectric heating of the formations will occur to effect approximately uniform heating of said bed; and

means for rubblizing said bed in situ.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said conductive means comprises metallic screens or meshes.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein said oil shale beds are rubblized such that at least 80 percent thereof has a maximum diameter of 4 to 6 feet.