Patent · US Expired

Method for aboveground separation, vaporization and recovery of oil from oil shale

US4534849A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
9References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 20, 1984
Grant dateAug 13, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2004

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02P20/129
  • WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

An improved retort process in which oil is recovered from crushed oil shale moved by gravity through a passageway of an elongated housing with an inlet for the crushed oil shale at the top end and an outlet for the spent crushed oil shale at the bottom end of the housing, with the rate of movement of the crushed oil shale through the passageway in the housing being controlled. Heat is transferred in sequence to or from the ground oil shale as it moves from the inlet to the outlet by means of heat exchangers which are spaced to define a drying zone, a preheating zone, a cracking and distillation zone. Waste heat recovered from the waste heat recovery zone is passed to the preheating zone. Sufficient heat is delivered to the cracking and distillation zone to raise the temperature of the crushed oil shale moving through the cracking and distillation zone to the critical temperature for separating hydrocarbons in vapor form therefrom by means of an auxiliary heating assembly. The mixture of hydrocarbon vapors and gases released from the moving and heated crushed oil shale is withdrawn by a separating device, which condenses and removes hydrocarbons from the mixture. Additionally, a pre…

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