Process and apparatus for extracting hydrocarbons from oil shale

US4505809A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Gerd Brunner · Hamburg, DE
• Rainer Hoffmann · Langenfeld, DE
• Konrad Kunstle · Königsee, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 1983
• Grant date: Mar 19, 1985
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2003

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C10G1/06
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for extracting hydrocarbons from oil shale comprising the steps of subjecting oil shale under superatmospheric pressure in the presence of hydrogen and steam, to low temperature hydrogenating distillation; separating the resulting fluid distillation mixture into liquid and gaseous products; and returning water and hydrogen separated from the fluid distillation mixture to the low temperature distillation; in which: PA0 heat is drawn-off from the hot oil shale, after treatment in a low temperature hydrogenating distillation reactor, by the shale being sprayed wtih water whereby saturated steam is produced in decreasing pressure stages; PA0 the saturated steam of the pressure stages and water extracted during product separation are fed into the individual stages of a multi-stage compressor driven by a gas turbine, and are then delivered via a steam supply line to the reactor; PA0 the gas turbine is fuelled by supplying separated-off gaseous distillation products thereto; and PA0 the exhaust gases of the gas turbine are fed to a heat exchanger arranged in the steam supply line.