Methods which should reduce environmental footprint. The cost of conventional oil varies so much that saudi. Ullmanns encyclopedia of industrial chemistry a18, 101126. Furthermore, most of americas oil infrastructure was designed to handle foreign oil imports, not the flood of new domestic oil that came online during the. It would also drain billions of gallons of water from the green river, generate enormous amounts of greenhouse gas pollution and exacerbate the uintah basins oftendismal air quality. Shale oil and gas production processes delivers the basics on current production technologies and the processing and refining of shale oil. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen impurities shale oil extraction is usually performed. Starting with the potential of formations and then proceeding to production and completion, this foundational resource also dives into the chemical and physical nature of the precursor of oil shale, kerogen, to help users understand and optimize its. In march 2016, american shale accounted for half of all u.
This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis. Some methods are designed for both in situ and ex situ extraction. Definition sedimentary rock with a high organic content organic matter is known as kerogen kerogen. How the wti crude oil price affects shale oil producers. It may refer to crude oil that is found within shale formations, or to oil that is. These 10 account for 10,106 kbd 81% of total us production of 12,463 kbd in september. Oil shale, shale oil and shale gas are all related to these new, unconventional methods of accessing the earths oil and natural gas reserves. The industry has developed in brazil, china, estonia and to some extent in germany and russia. This is a systematic presentation of the production and development of the oil shale industry in china. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. As the organization of petroleum exporting countries opec wrestles with production cuts to bolster oil prices, us shale oil producers are boosting. Shale oil production processes 1st edition elsevier. The us story and its implications, global energy center senior fellow ellen scholl looks at the factors which enabled the rise of oil and gas production from shale deposits, focusing on the developments which have transpired in texas. The massive enefit project in northeast utahs uintah basin would be the nations first commercialscale oil shale mine and processing facility.
Meaning that allowing the price to fall to drive the technology out of the market. Oil shale exploration company osec is a mobile, ala. The emergence of shale is a significant reason, if not the preeminent reason. But that job growth isnt limited to jobs directly in the energy sector. The industry has never operated at a profitable level, and the sheer size of the. Production potential oil one ton of sandstone porosity 20% grain density 2. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil. This is when the mined rock is exposed to the process of pyrolysis applying extreme heat without the presence of oxygen to a substance, and producing a chemical change. Shaleprofile analytics is one of the best tools available to nontechnical professionals in the oil and gas industry, i. Soaring oil and natural gas production has led to energy companies hiring more workers. Us shale oil drilling poised to surge in february cnbc. The shale revolution refers to the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling that enabled the united states to significantly increase its production of oil and natural gas, particularly from tight oil formations, which now account for 36% of total u. This is what the end of shale will look like forbes.
The grade of oil shale has been determined by different methods with the results being expressed in various units dyni 2003, 2006. Oil companies produce shale oil by fracturing the rock formations that contain the layers of oil. Us oil production by state listed above are the 10 states with production greater than 100 kbd. The internal combustion process uses a combination of gas, steam and spent. Shale oil and gas are exactly the same product as oil. Oil shale is an organicrich finegrained sedimentary rock containing kerogen a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced, called shale oil not to be confused with tight oilcrude oil occurring naturally in shales. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app.
What happens to opec and the oil price if fracked shale. Shale oil is a hugely untapped resource that has been mined and processed since the 1800s. Relative to conventional oil, however, the production quantities have been low. Shale oil, known also as kerogen oil or oilshale oil, is unconventional oil produced from oil shale by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. Shale oil is a highquality crude oil that lies between layers of shale rock, impermeable mudstone, or siltstone.
With slumping crude oil prices stuck below where they started this year, u. June 7, 2016 most natural gas production growth is expected to come from shale gas and tight oil plays. Technical aspects of oil shale production and processing. Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. Oil shale processing an overview sciencedirect topics. While some heavy oil processes generate produced water, others generate different types of industrial wastewater.
Purchase shale oil production processes 1st edition. Us shale oil strength and world oil prices and production. Shale oil comprises more than a third of the onshore production of crude oil in the lower 48 states. An oil shale is defined as a finegrained sedimentary rock that contains a high proportion of endogenous organic matter mostly insoluble in ordinary petroleum solvents, from which substantial amounts of synthetic oil andor gas can be extracted by heating it to a sufficiently high temperature, a process called retorting. The processes involved with heavy oil production often require external water supplies for steam generation, washing, and other steps. What investors need to know in a confusion of terms, oil shale and shale oil take on a whole new meaning for investors, with billions of barrels of oil at stake. Unprocessed oil shale pieces from the losprocess waste dump conclusions this study offers a classical optimising equation resulting in determination of the optimal quality calorific value and grain size of fuel and raw material, optimal resource and tuneable prices for trade oil shale flow. The oil shale industry is an industry of mining and processing of oil shalea finegrained sedimentary rock, containing significant amounts of kerogen a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds, from which liquid hydrocarbons can be manufactured.
Oil shale must be mined using either underground or surfacemining methods. Steam or electromagnetic heating is generally used for in situ heating of oil shale. The term oil shale is commonly used when referring to unconventional oil, but it can be misleading. Effectively realizing a 49% decrease, this is the highest among all main shale oil plays. Energy return on investment eroi of oil shale article pdf available in sustainability 311. For example, the heating value is useful for determining the quality of an oil shale that is burned. The resulting oil can be used immediately as a fuel or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen. The manhattan institute hosts a panel discussion on the shale oil industry.
The economics of oil shale extraction are an impediment to its commercial production. After excavation, the oil shale must undergo retorting. How much shale tight oil is produced in the united states. Shale oil represents a huge additional global fossil fuel resource. As oil crashes, this chart shows why opec is trapped. Read refining synthetic liquids from coal and shale. Easytoread understand overview of the chemistry, engineering, and technology of shale oil.
Put simply, increased shale oil production could lead to oil prices that are significantly lower than projected in current forecasts. Shale oil is an unconventional hydrocarbon produced by oil and gas companies from shale rocks by the processes of pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. A type of unconventional oil found in shale formations. Augmented reality software for use in oil and gas well operations. The shale oil production can be turned on when demand is high and turned off when demand is low easily and more cost effective than the current conventional oilfield matt.
According to the international energy agency, there are about 1 trillion barrels of economically recoverable shale oil resources, compared to 1. If shale oil is really a manufacturing process now then theres no real lower limit to the production price. The number of oil and natural gas jobs have increased by 40% since the beginning of the recession. The differences between oil shale, shale oil, and shale gas. And by installing a special unit some petrochemicals can be produced. In order for oil shale production to be profitable, the industry must overcome technical, environmental, regulatory, and economic obstacles. These effects could build up gradually as shale oil production rolls out across the world to produce an estimated rise in global gdp of around 2. Derived from the halliburton cementing tables, the industrypreferred data reference for. These methods convert kerogen a mixture of organic chemical compounds locked in. Topics include technological developments in the industry, oil production capacity in the u. Shale oil and gas production processes 1st edition. A rush to drill in shale formations such as the eagle ford in texas and the bakken. Shale oil and gas production processes 1st edition elsevier.
The track of the number of active rigs and oil production shows the huge productivity gains that have been made. Oil shales have a low calorific value and high ash and mineral content. Saudi arabias decision to launch an oil price war could do lasting damage to the global economy, to oildependent countries and to. Energy information administration eia estimates that in 2019, about 2. These processes convert the organic matter within the rock into synthetic oil and gas. Speight phd, dsc, in shale oil production processes, 2012. Purchase shale oil and gas production processes 1st edition. Lower global oil prices due to increased shale oil supply could have a major impact on the future evolution of the world economy by allowing more output to be produced at the same cost. Shale oil is an unconventional oil produced from oil shale rock fragments by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. August 15, 2016 shale gas production drives world natural gas production growth. The secondary products from the oil shale processing.