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Skybird · 08-19-06, 07:45 PM

Some geological facts about oil shale: it does not include oil, but a preliminary stage of oil, that is called Kerogen in German. This substance is also enriched with massive organic materials. to turn it into oil, you need to exrtact the Kerogen that is chemically bound to the shale, then you need to expose it to immensly high pressure for a longer period of time, and heat it up to tempertaures in excess of 500°C. So, the actual reserves of oil shale does not translate easily into n according ammount of potential oil. The volume of material is reduced by the need to extract the Kerogen, it's volume reduces even further due to the pressuring process, and this alraedy consumes large ammounts of energy. Even more energy you need for the heating process. So, in order to win that hidden Kerogen ressource and making it a usable energy by turning it into actual oil, you also have to invest a massive ammount of energy.

That's what I remember from the books. I did not know that Wyoming seems to have so much of this stuff, but in principle you can find oil shale in most parts of ther world, even germany has some quantities of it. As far as I know - and I do not claim my knoweldge is complete, or up to date - so far no one was able to calculate exactly into what quantities of actual oil the potentially available oil shale is translating, but the refinery process and the massive energy consumption of it reduces it massively.

Not too mention that you are talking about mining operation of a giant scale, which eventually could cause tremendous devastations to nature and the landscape in general. If you want to get a taste of what I mean, visit Bitterfelde in Germany. A whole district that looks like Mars after a meteor's impact. And it is only brown coal they are mining there in opencast mining. For oil shale, if I remember correctly, you have to go much deeper, and it is more difficult to mine it by tunnel mining (thus the preference for opencast mining like they do in Canada - that one I saw on TV some months ago, and the landscape, up to the hoprizon, looked like after nuclear war).

I would recommend some caution before declaring this the miracle solution to our oil problems. But again, it's some time since I red this material, I am not up to date and do not know if something has changed for the better, or worse.

08-19-06, 07:45 PM	#16
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,800 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Some geological facts about oil shale: it does not include oil, but a preliminary stage of oil, that is called Kerogen in German. This substance is also enriched with massive organic materials. to turn it into oil, you need to exrtact the Kerogen that is chemically bound to the shale, then you need to expose it to immensly high pressure for a longer period of time, and heat it up to tempertaures in excess of 500°C. So, the actual reserves of oil shale does not translate easily into n according ammount of potential oil. The volume of material is reduced by the need to extract the Kerogen, it's volume reduces even further due to the pressuring process, and this alraedy consumes large ammounts of energy. Even more energy you need for the heating process. So, in order to win that hidden Kerogen ressource and making it a usable energy by turning it into actual oil, you also have to invest a massive ammount of energy. That's what I remember from the books. I did not know that Wyoming seems to have so much of this stuff, but in principle you can find oil shale in most parts of ther world, even germany has some quantities of it. As far as I know - and I do not claim my knoweldge is complete, or up to date - so far no one was able to calculate exactly into what quantities of actual oil the potentially available oil shale is translating, but the refinery process and the massive energy consumption of it reduces it massively. Not too mention that you are talking about mining operation of a giant scale, which eventually could cause tremendous devastations to nature and the landscape in general. If you want to get a taste of what I mean, visit Bitterfelde in Germany. A whole district that looks like Mars after a meteor's impact. And it is only brown coal they are mining there in opencast mining. For oil shale, if I remember correctly, you have to go much deeper, and it is more difficult to mine it by tunnel mining (thus the preference for opencast mining like they do in Canada - that one I saw on TV some months ago, and the landscape, up to the hoprizon, looked like after nuclear war). I would recommend some caution before declaring this the miracle solution to our oil problems. But again, it's some time since I red this material, I am not up to date and do not know if something has changed for the better, or worse. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.