Method for production of organic products from kerogen
AssigneeThe Badger Company, Inc.
InventorThonet C. Dauphine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of producing fluid organic products from kerogen in situ in a body of oil shale by the application of alternating electric fields having a frequency between 100 kilohertz and 100 megahertz to heat the kerogen in the oil shale to a temperature in the range of 200.degree. C. to 360.degree. C. and to maintain the kerogen in this temperature range for a period of time sufficient to convert a substantial portion of the kerogen in oil shale to fluid organic products which may be collected through fissures produced in the oil shale formation by flowing to a well bore having a collection sump.
Claims11
The method of producing organic liquid and gaseous products having low pour points from kerogen contained in a subsurface body of oil shale comprising the steps of:
- heating regions of said kerogen in said body to temperatures in the range between 200.degree. C. and 360.degree. C. where kerogen will convert to liquid and gaseous products by subjecting said oil shale to a time varying electric field while producing substantial pressure in fissures produced in said body;
- allowing sufficient time to pass to allow substantial conversion of said kerogen to said products;
- and
- collecting said products through said fissures.
The method of producing organic liquid and gaseous products having low pour points by pyrolytic conversion of kerogen contained in a subsurface body of oil shale comprising the steps of:
- producing fissures in said body by heating regions of said body to temperatures in the range between 200.degree. C. and 360.degree. C. comprising subjecting said oil shale to a time varying electric field having a frequency in the range between 100 kilohertz to 100 megahertz;
- maintaining said kerogen regions in said temperature range until substantial portion of said kerogen is converted to said products;
- and
- collecting said products comprising causing said products to flow through said fissures.
The method of producing in situ pyrolytic conversion of kerogen in oil shale comprising the steps of:
- subjecting a body of said oil shale to alternating voltage gradients to heat regions of said kerogen to an average temperature in the range from 200.degree. C. to 360.degree. C. without heating adjacent regions of said kerogen to temperatures above 360.degree. C.;
- and
- producing converted products of said kerogen from said shale.
The method of producing organic liquid and gaseous product from kerogen contained in subsurface region of oil shale comprising the steps of:
- producing substantial pressure in fissures produced in said body while heating said kerogen to temperatures in the range between 200.degree. C. and 360.degree. C. by subjecting said body to waves of time varying energy having frequencies below 100 megahertz;
- and
- collecting said products which flow through said fissures by means comprising a structure through which said products flow out of said region.
The method of producing organic liquid and gaseous pyrolyation products from kerogen contained in a subsurface region of oil shale comprising the steps of:
- fracturing said region by heating said oil shale by means comprising subjecting said regions to a time varying electric field having a frequency below 100 megahertz while producing substantial pressure in fissures produced in said oil shale;
- and
- collecting said products which flow through said fissures to collecting structures through which said products flow out of said body.
The method of producing pyrolytic conversion of kerogen in oil shale comprising the steps of:
- subjecting a subsurface body of said oil shale to alternating voltage gradients to heat regions of said kerogen to an average temperature in the range of 200.degree. C. to 360.degree. C. while producing substantial pressure in fissures produced in said body;
- and
- producing the products of said conversion of kerogen by the flow of said product through said fissures to a collecting structure and through said collecting structure out of said body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.