Triangular blasting into limited voids for vertical free face retorts
US4262965A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 24, 1979 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 1981 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 24, 1999 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21C41/24
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
Oil shale formation is explosively expanded toward a limited void volume for forming an in situ oil shale retort in a subterranean formation containing oil shale. In one embodiment, the retort is formed by excavating a narrow vertical slot diagonally across a retort site of rectangular horizontal cross-section, leaving separate triangular zones of unfragmented formation within the retort site on opposite sides of the diagonal slot. Explosive is placed in a plurality of vertical blasting holes drilled in each triangular zone of formation, and such explosive is detonated for explosively expanding formation within the triangular zones toward vertical free faces adjacent the slot for forming a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale. Detonation of explosive in the blasting holes expands separate wedge-shaped segments of formation toward the diagonal slot, owing to the natural cratering effect of each blast, causing the wedge-shaped segments being expanded to conform generally to the side boundaries of each triangular zone, and producing reasonably good fragmentation and movement of expanded formation toward the slot from formation throughout the retort sit…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.