See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: The Science of Oil Shale
Thursday, 9 October 2008: 8:00 AM
George R. Brown Convention Center, 342AD
Abstract:
The goal
of the study was to characterize the temperature
ranges and intensities of transitions associated with release of
hydrocarbons
from shale. Samples were obtained from core at three different depths:
74, 138
and 163 m. Their richness (by Fischer assay) was 31, 41 and 17.5 GPT,
respectively. Samples were cut as cylinders oriented in three mutually
perpendicular directions x, y and z. The techniques involved in this
research were
Thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and
thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Thermal
analysis was performed by heating the materials from 25 to 750 ºC
in a nitrogen
atmosphere at 2ºC/min. Some DSC measurements were also performed
in air. TGA
results obtained in nitrogen indicated two mass losses around 350 and
600 ºC due
to evaporation. Each step was accompanied by an endotherm. Heating in air caused extensive exothermic
reaction between 300-600 ºC with the heat of transition in the
range 1600-3000
J/g. Thermomechanical analysis showed
significant
differences in thermal expansion between samples obtained from
different depths
as well as between samples oriented in different directions. TMA curves
show
sharp peaks for the 74 and 163 m samples in x and y directions while
all the
other samples demonstrate less dramatic behavior. The biggest expansion
was
recorded for samples from 74m (22% in y direction) and the smallest for
samples
from the 163 m level (0.6% in x and y directions). The coefficient of
thermal
expansion varied from initial ~20-100 x 10-6/
ºC recorded before the first
transition to ~3500 x 10-6/
ºC during the transition. These observations clearly indicate
anisotropy
present in each layer of shale. The
results may prove useful in engineering of the in situ recovery process
of
hydrocarbons from oil shales.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: The Science of Oil Shale
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