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<br /> 4. <br />~~ 4. 1 <br />en <br />~ <br />01 of <br /> <br />WAST~~ATER STREAMS IN MODIFIED IN SITU RETORTING OF OIL S~~LE <br /> <br />Water Manaaement <br />The specification of the water management for modified in situ (~IS) retorting <br />o~l shale depends primarily ~pon (i) the site, (ii) the retorting procedure, <br />(iii) the product and byproducts, and liv) the disposition of the mined-o~t <br />shale. <br />The site affects the water management principally ~~rough the groundwater <br />inflow to the mine and retort - a factor which is dependent on local geohydro- <br />logical condi~ions. The average shale grade, which is site depencene, also <br />has some influence on ~~e water needs and retort water produced. The a~ount <br />of water or steam injection into the retort, along with the steam pressure, <br />is determined by the retorting procedure. These factors in turn directly <br />affect the quantity and quality of the retort water produced. <br />The procuct affects the water ~ar.agement ~~rough the rate of o~tput and <br />through the procuct quality, as for example whethe~ a pumpable shale oil 0: <br />an upgraded ~igh quality synthetic crude is ~~e product. The byproducts are <br />Similarly i~portant, in parti~~lar whether and how cleaned retort c=:-gas is <br />burned to generate electricity for possible transmissicn of: site. Tne <br />mined-out raw shale may simply be disposed or it may be surface retorted. <br />The option selected has a strong bearing on the water ~ar.agemer.t scheme. <br />In oreer tha~ we may define the ~ater treatment and disposal costs for <br />modified in situ retorting of oil shale, it is first ~ecessarJ to 3peci=7 <br />the processing criteria for the plant~ Little concrete information is <br />availabl~ at this time on modified in situ processing because of its earl: <br />stage of development. OUr criteria and wate~ management outline must be <br />~5 <br />derived :rom :he development plans outlined by ~.o groups :~ese ~NO <br />groups are new only at the early stages of commercial ventures for t~e <br />modified in situ prod~ction of shale oil in the Piceance Creek Basin of <br />Colorado. The C-b Shale Oil Venture of Occidental (Oxy) and Ashland Oil is <br />the most advanced of ~~e two proqrams, with tests already carried out on <br />three smaller reto~s of about 1,000 square feet in cross section and from 72 <br />to 114 :eet high and two full-size retorts about 300 feet high ~~d 15,000 <br />square feet i~ cross section. Testing is presently being started on <br />a third full-size retort. The Rio Blanco ?=ojec~ is only now sha=t <br />sinking and ~ininq experimental retorts, with ~ibblizing and bur~ing <br /> <br />70 <br />