US 8,997,869 B2 · In-situ kerogen conversion and product upgrading

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods for extracting a kerogen-based product from subsurface (oil) shale formations. These methods rely on chemically modifying the shale-bound kerogen using a chemical oxidant so as to render it mobile. The oxidant is provided to a formation fluid in contact with the kerogen in the subsurface shale. A mobile kerogen-based product which includes the organic acids is withdrawn from the subsurface shale formation and processed to isolate the organic acids contained therein. The isolated organic acids are upgraded by a reaction process that make the products suitable as refinery feedstocks, fuel or lubricant blendstocks, reaction intermediates, chemical feedstocks, or chemical intermediate blendstocks.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A process for increasing the value of a kerogen-based product from a subsurface shale formation comprising subsurface shale, the process comprising the steps of:

a. providing an oxidant to kerogen in subsurface shale at a temperature in the range from 0° C. to 200° C. and recovering a mobile kerogen-based product comprising organic acids therefrom;
b. isolating at least a portion of the organic acids from the mobile kerogen-based product;
and
c. upgrading the isolated organic acids.

1 more element

A process for increasing the value of a kerogen-based product from a subsurface shale formation comprising subsurface shale, the process comprising the steps of:

a. providing an oxidant to kerogen in subsurface shale;
b. contacting the kerogen in the subsurface shale with the oxidant at a temperature in the range of between 0° C. and 200° C. to form organic acids;
c. mobilizing at least a portion of the organic acids from the subsurface shale to produce a mobile kerogen-based product;
d. isolating C35+ organic acids and C35− organic acids from the mobile kerogen-based product;
e. cracking the C35+ organic acids in a first cracking step to form a first C35− hydrocarbon product and unreacted C35+ organic acids;
f. treating the first C35− hydrocarbon product in a process selected from the group consisting of hydroprocessing, hydrogenation, saturation, hydrotreating, hydrocracking, isomerization, fluid catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, esterification, oligomerization, reforming, alkylation, denitrification, desulfurization, and combinations thereof, to form a second C35− hydrocarbon product;
and
g. recycling the unreacted C35+ organic acids to the first cracking step.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

13/335,607Filed 22 Dec 2011 · us provisional application

Priority

22 Dec 2010

Published

US 2012/0175115 A112 Jul 2012

Granted

7 Apr 2015

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

C10G 1/04
Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal: by…
C10G 9/00
Thermal non-catalytic cracking, in the absence of hydrogen, of hydrocarbon oils
C10G 27/06
With oxygen or compounds generating oxygen: in the presence of alkaline solutions
C10G 27/12
With oxygen or compounds generating oxygen: with oxygen-generating compounds, e.g. per-compounds, chromic acid, chromates

In-situ kerogen conversion and product upgrading

Life of this patent

In-situ kerogen conversion and product upgrading

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25