Energy efficient, low emissions shale oil recovery process

Abstract

A process for the energy efficient, environmentally friendly recovery of liquid and gaseous products from solid or semi-solid hydrocarbon resources, in particular, oil shale or tar sands. The process involves non-oxidative pyrolysis to recover fluid energy values, oxidative combustion to recover energy values as recoverable heat, and environmental sequestration of gases produced.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . A process for recovery of energy values from rubbilized ore containing hydrocarbonacious material said process comprising:
 (a) operating an oxidative combustion (OC) cycle by heating a bed of the ore containing hydrocarbonaceous material while introducing an oxidizing gas into the bed to provide a combustion zone with conditions to essentially fully oxidize hydrocarbonaceous material in the bed and produce heat and an effluent gas that contains combustion gas from oxidation of the hydrocarbonaceous material,   (c) recovering thermal energy from at least a portion of the effluent gas produced by the OC cycle.   
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3  wherein the combustion zone travels up through the bed as the oxidizing and decomposition of minerals proceeds, 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4  wherein temperature conditions in the combustion zone are sufficient to oxidize residual hydrocarbonaceous material in the bed to form combustion products and at conditions that can decompose at least a portion of metal carbonates in the bed to form carbon dioxide gas and metal oxides, the effluent gas containing the formed carbon dioxide gas and the combustion products. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5  wherein a recarbonation zone is formed by recycling a recycle portion of the effluent stream from which heat has been recovered as a recycle stream into the bed to form the recarbonation zone such that the bed is cooled to temperature conditions where carbon dioxide in the recycle stream reacts with metal oxides in the bed to form metal carbonates, the recarbonation zone travelling up through the bed below the combustion zone as the combustion travels up through the bed producing a recarbonated bed of ore. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 3  additionally comprising; (d) operating an environmental sequestration (ES) cycle by directing a portion of the effluent gas from which energy has been recovered to near the bottom of a recarbonated bed of ore from a completed OC cycle in a third reaction space at conditions that allow for sequestering of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides and promote the conversion of metal oxides in the bed to metal carbonates, sulfates, sulfides and nitrates. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 3  wherein at least a part of the thermal energy recovered in (b) is used for a separate pyrolytic recovery of hydrocaronaceous materials. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 3  wherein the bed of rubblized ore was previously subjected to a nonoxiation pyrolytic recovery of hydrocarbonaceous material leaving residual unrecovered coke and hydrocarbonaceous material.