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,~5~~ . ~ ~ II I I II I II I II IIII III , .;; ~ • /~v -~~~, <br />United States Patent 119] d NI ~ [II] 3,759,328 <br />Ueber et al. ~~~ ~ ~ ~$- ~~ [4s] Sept 18, 1973 <br />I /' <br />,' .~ <br />,.~ <br />I [• . <br />i <br />I , <br />i <br />[s4] LATERALLY EXPANDING OIL SHALE <br />PERMEABILIZATION <br />(75] Inventors: Russell C. Ueber; Peter Vao Mears; <br />Jerke R. Eresr, all of Houston, Tez. <br />[737 Assignee: Shell Oil Company, Houston, Tex. <br />[22] Filed: May 11, 1972 <br />[21 ] Appl. No.: 252,448 <br />Related U.S. Application Data <br />[63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 57,209, July 22, <br />1970, abandoned. <br />[52) ~U.S. CI ....................... 166/303, 166/272, 299la <br />[6l ] lnt. CI ............................................. E21b 43/24 <br />[587 Fleld of Search ................ 299/4; 166/272, 303, <br />166/302, 306 <br />[567 References Cued <br /> UNITED STATES PATENTS <br />7,572,878 311971 Tcmplcton ..................... .........29914 <br />3,501,201 7/1970 Closmann cl al .............. . 1661272 X <br />2,979,317 4/1961 Bays ............................... .........299/4 <br />2,969,226 I/1961 Huntington .................... . 166/272 X <br />7,050,290 8/1962 Caldwell et al ................ ......... 299/4 <br />7,709,140 111967 Gardner et el ................. ......... 299/4 <br />405,974 10/1968 Handley, lr. et el ................... 199/4 <br />3,455,383 7(1969 Prats el al ........................... 299I4X <br />3,516,49s 6/1970 Pa[ton ................................. 166/272 <br />Primary Ezaminer-Stephen 1. Novosad <br />Arrorncy-H. L. Denkler et al. <br />[57] ABSTRACT <br />An improved process of permeabilizing and recovering <br />water soluble and/or heat sensitive minerals and hydro- <br />carbons from an oil shale formation containing said <br />minerals by forming a cavern and vertically expanding <br />it by contacting the cavern roof with a hot aqueous <br />fluid while also causing horizontal ezpansion of the <br />cavern by contacting the oil shale therein with the same <br />or diRerent hot aqueous fluid at a relatively shallow <br />depth and Flowing down along a vertical section while <br />dissolving said minerels and rabbling the oil shale and <br />producing from a relatively deep location in the cavern <br />an aqueous liquid containing dissolved minerals therein <br />and subsequently or simultaneously injecting a pyrolyz- <br />ing fluid into the nibbled oil shale cavern to effect py- <br />rolysis of [he oil shale and recovery of hydrocarbons <br />therefrom. <br />6 Claims, 3 Drasriag Figures <br />INFLOWING HOT <br />14 FLUID <br />OUTFLOWING COOL 15 <br />~--- FLUID <br />f <br />t <br />-~ z <br />ao <br />z y + 16 <br />oz <br />N Q <br />O X ~~ -~ ~~ <br />w }r ~ ~ \ <br />VERTICAL 1 <br />EXPANSION 1 <br />_ ~ ~ <br />~ ~ <br />