Surface vertical retort and process to obtain oil and gas from pyro-bituminous oil shale and/ or materials containing organic carbon compounds

Abstract

The invention relates to a surface vertical shaft retort ( 100 ), heated by an external source, which includes (i) a multifunctional central pipe ( 110 ), (ii) a top sealing device ( 120 ), (iii) a load distribution system ( 130 ), (iv) a retorting vessel ( 140 ) with an annular shaped bed ( 141 ) furnished with a set of load pipes ( 142 ), spaced among themselves, to form a collecting chamber to gather gas and mist ( 143 ), a hot gas injector ( 144 ), a cold recycle collector ( 145 ) and distributor ( 146 ), and a bed control and unloading mechanism ( 147 ), (v) a plenun chamber ( 150 ), (vi) a device for heat recovery of the spent shale ( 160 ) containing a piping network ( 162 )for recirculation and spraying of the retorting water and accumulation hoppers ( 161 ) and (vii) a device for dry bottom sealing ( 170 ). In addition, this patent application comprises a process to obtain oil and gas from pyro-bituminous oil shale and/or materials which contain organic compounds using the referred surface vertical retort heated by an external source ( 100 ) through the following steps (a) load supply, (b) sealing of the load supply, (c) load distribution, (d) gathering and removal of gases and mist, (e) heating and drying of the load, (f) reinjection of gas stream from the cold recycle gas from stage (i), (g) load pyrolysis, (h) injection of the gas stream from the hot gas recycle, (i) removal of the cold gas recycle stream, (j) heat recovery of the spent shale, (k) discharge of the bed with annular shaped, (l) cold gas recycle injection (m) mixture of the cold recycle stream with water vapor stream, (n) collection in the accumulation hoppers of discharged spent shale, (o) spraying of the recycled retorting water, (p) vapor generation by the contact of the recycled retorting water with the retorted material deposited in the accumulation hoppers and (q) dry discharge of the spent shale, and bottom sealing.

1 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . Above ground vertical shaft retort, with heating by an external source, comprising:
 (i) a multifunctional central pipe;   (ii) a top sealing device;   (iii) a system of load distribution;   (iv) a retorting vessel having an annular shape bed filled with a set of load pipes, spaced among themselves, to form a collecting chamber to gather gas and mist, a hot gas injector, a collector and a distributor of cold recycle and a bed movement mechanism;   (v) plenun chamber;   (vi) device for heat recovery of spent shale containing a piping network for recirculation and spraying of the retorting water as well as accumulation hoppers; and   (vii) device for dry bottom sealing.   
     
     
         46 . The retort according to  claim 45 , comprising a capacity between 5,000 and 10,000 metric tonnes per day. 
     
     
         47 . The retort according to  claim 45  wherein the top sealing device comprises a flow switcher which alternately feeds and empties independent hoppers of the accumulation hoppers with one or more sealing valves, above a stationary table having a rotor equipped with blades. 
     
     
         48 . The retort according to  claim 45 , wherein the load distribution system is placed below a stationary table, and comprises a rotating hopper with proportional sections each having tubular chutes. 
     
     
         49 . The retort according to the  claim 45 , wherein the retorting vessel with annular shape bed comprises a set of supply pipes in a gas collection chamber equipped with nozzles in a shell of the retort, wherein the supply pipes are separated from one another, and a granular material is disposed between a lower end of the supply pipes and a bed movement device. 
     
     
         50 . The retort according to  claim 49 , wherein the bed movement device placed in the bottom of the bed comprises a plurality of radial tables in circular shaped sectors with gaps among themselves, these gaps are covered by a ridge-shaped cap. 
     
     
         51 . The retort according to  claim 49 , wherein the bed movement mechanism also comprises a set of scrappers disposed over the tables and interconnected to each other, wherein angular shuttle movements are driven externally to the retort shell. 
     
     
         52 . The retort according to  claim 45 , wherein the plenun chamber is located below the bed movement mechanism and includes nozzles on a shell of the retort for admitting a stream of cold-gas recycle. 
     
     
         53 . The retort according to  claim 45 , wherein the device for final heat recovery of the spent shale, which is further comprised of a piping network for recirculation and spraying of retorting water and accumulation hoppers, is located below the free space, and includes a trunk-conical shape sectioned on the sides. 
     
     
         54 . The retort according to  claim 45 , wherein the device for dry bottom sealing is attached to an exit of the accumulation hoppers and further comprises a flow metering system including a stationary table having a rotor equipped with blades arranged inside the accumulation hopers. 
     
     
         55 . A process to obtain oil and gas from pyrobituminous oil shale, materials containing organic compounds or both,—comprising:
 providing a retort including a multifunctional central pipe; a top sealing device; a system of load distribution; a retorting vessel having an annular shaped bed filled with a set of spaced load pipes, a collection chamber a hot gas injector, a collector, a distributor of cold recycle and a bed movement mechanism; a plenun chamber; a device for heat recovery of spent shale containing accumulation hoppers as well as a piping network for recirculation and spraying of retorting water; and a device for dry bottom sealing; 
 supplying a previously prepared load; 
 sealing the supplied load; 
 distributing the load; 
 collecting and removing gases and mist; 
 heating and drying the load; 
 re-injecting the cold gas recycle stream; 
 pyrolyzing the load; 
 injecting a hot-gas recycle stream; 
 removing a cold-gas recycle stream; 
 recovering heat from the pyrolyzed load; 
 discharging the annular shaped bed; 
 injecting a cold recycle stream; 
 collecting, in the accumulation hoppers, discharged pyrolyzed load; 
 spraying recycled retorting water; 
 generating steam by contacting the recycled retorting water with the pyrolyzed load deposited into the accumulation hoppers; 
 mixing the cold-gas recycle stream with the generated steam; and 
 dry discharging the retorted material and bottom sealing. 
 
     
     
         56 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein supplying the previously prepared load comprises supplying a comminution and classification in the intermediate range between 5 and 100 mm. 
     
     
         57 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein sealing of the supplied load allows flow of solids into the retorting vessel without introducing air or expelling any gases existing inside. 
     
     
         58 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein distributing the load further comprises uniformly distributing load particles on a transversal section of the retorting vessel bed. 
     
     
         59 . The process according to  claim 55 , further comprising providing the retorting vessel with annular shape bed with a set of supply pipes in a gas collection chamber equipped with nozzles in a shell of the retort and wherein collecting and removing gases and oil mist occurs in a collection chamber among supply pipes separated from each other and wherein removing the cold-gas stream further comprises removing the cold-gas stream through the nozzles to the exterior of the retort. 
     
     
         60 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein reinjecting the gas stream further comprises reinjecting the gas stream with temperatures between 300 and 400° C. and homogeneously by the cold-gas recycle distributor, above the hot gas injector. 
     
     
         61 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein recovering heat from the discharged pyrolyzed load further comprises recovering heat through the passage of the cold-gas recycle stream mixed with the steam generated by the contact of the retorting recycled water with the pyrolyzed load deposited in the accumulation hoppers. 
     
     
         62 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein discharging the annular shaped bed further comprises evenly discharging the annular shaped bed throughout the transversal section in the retorting vessel with the bed movement mechanism. 
     
     
         63 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein injecting the gasses stream further comprises injecting the gasses stream at temperatures below 200° C. in the plenum chamber. 
     
     
         64 . The process according to  claim 55 , wherein generating the steam further comprises contacting the recycled retorting water with the discharged pyrolyzed load deposited in the accumulation hoppers and wherein the water spraying in a sprinklers network located above the hoppers causes the contacting and discharging of the cooled spent shale, under flow control, to a sealing valves system.