Table of Contents
What is the process of making shale?
During the ex situ process, oil shale is first extracted from the earth by surface or underground mining. The rock is crushed, and then retorted (heated) to release the shale oil. The shale oil is then refined of impurities, such as sulfur. In Situ. In situ is a new, experimental method of extracting shale oil.
How does shale produce oil?
Shale oil is an unconventional oil produced from oil shale rock fragments by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. These processes convert the organic matter within the rock (kerogen) into synthetic oil and gas.
Who invented shale oil?
In the 10th century, the Arabian physician Masawaih al-Mardini (Mesue the Younger) described a method of extraction of oil from “some kind of bituminous shale”. In the early 14th century, the first use of shale oil was recorded in Switzerland and Austria.
What are shale producers?
The major shale oil producers are China and Estonia, with Brazil a distant third, while Australia, USA, Canada and Jordan have planned to set up or restart shale oil production.
Who invented shale fracking?
George P. Mitchell
George P. Mitchell has been called the “father of fracking” because of his role in applying it in shales. The first horizontal well in the Barnett Shale was drilled in 1991, but was not widely done in the Barnett until it was demonstrated that gas could be economically extracted from vertical wells in the Barnett.
Who invented shale gas?
George P. Mitchell is regarded as the father of the shale gas industry, since he made it commercially viable in the Barnett Shale by getting costs down to $4 per 1 million British thermal units (1,100 megajoules).
What is the process of fracking?
In the fracking process, cracks in and below the Earth’s surface are opened and widened by injecting water, chemicals, and sand at high pressure. Some resources extracted through fracking are called “tight oil” or “tight gas,” because these pockets of fossil fuels are tightly trapped in hard shale rock formations.
When did shale oil boom start?
The first is cannel coal, which was used widely in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and western Virginia (now West Virginia) to manufacture oil during the first American oil shale boom, 1854–1861. The cannel coals have since been largely mined out, and are no longer considered a major oil-shale resource.
When did shale Revolution start?
Although the history of shale goes back to 1850s, the shale revolution began in early 2000s when drilling and production for natural gas in shale formations gathered strong momentum.
When did shale drilling start?
Shale gas was first extracted as a resource in Fredonia, New York, in 1821, in shallow, low-pressure fractures. Horizontal drilling began in the 1930s, and in 1947 a well was first fracked in the U.S. Federal price controls on natural gas led to shortages in the 1970s.
What is the origin of shale?
Shale is a geological rock formation rich in clay, typically derived from fine sediments, deposited in fairly quiet environments at the bottom of seas or lakes, having then been buried over the course of millions of years.
What is shale oil and gas production processes?
Shale Oil and Gas Production Processes delivers the basics on current production technologies and the processing and refining of shale oil.
What is the history of oil shale?
In 1830, oil shale has been used as a commercial resource in France. It was mined and cooked in small quantities to produce oil to light oil lamps (Western Resources Advocates, 2013). Oil shale production had reached one million metric tons per year during the 1800s and by 1881.
How is shale oil mined and upgraded?
The shale oil is first being mined and then be retorted and upgraded. The current process which known as in-situ retorting involves heating the oil shale while it is still underground followed by pumping the resulting liquid to the surface for further process as a source of oil.
Is shale oil extraction technology used globally?
The development of shale oil production industry beyond the United States is still at an early stage but many extraction technologies are invented globally as the global shale oil resources are estimated around 330 billion to 1465 billion barrels (McGlade, 2011).