Patent · US Expired

Process for recovery of carbonaceous materials from subterranean deposits

US3980339A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
6References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 17, 1975
Grant dateSep 14, 1976
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 17, 1995

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
  • CPC primaryE21B43/248
  • WIPO fieldCivil engineering
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

Subterranean mineral deposits, such as oil shale or the like, are prepared for in-situ retorting by selectively mining out an area at the base of the deposit leaving an overlying deposit supported in a suitable manner such as by a plurality of pillars. The overlying deposit is expanded in any suitable manner into the underlying area in a fashion to create a predetermined distribution of permeability from an area of low permeability to an area of high permeability. An inlet is provided at the low permeability area and an outlet at the high permeability area. A suitable medium is introduced into the deposit at the low permeability end for extracting and forcing mineral values from the deposit toward the outlet end for recovery.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.