Oil Shale For Energy-Power-Fuel
By David Evarts

Oil Shale is a sedimentary rock substance with a fine grain that contains a significant amount of Kerogen. Kerogen is a mixture of organic chemical compounds that can be used to manufacture liquid hydrocarbons. Oil Shale is actually a misnomer for two reasons; first because the rock is not actually a shale substance, and second because the hydrocarbon manufactured from the Kerogen is not true oil. Deposits of this substance, oil shale, can be found all over the world, including large deposits located within the United States. There are an estimated 2.9 to 3.3 trillion barrels worth of recoverable oil according to estimated global deposits of Oil Shale.

Photo: geology.com

The Kerogen that is found in oil shale can be converted, through a chemical process that is known as pyrolysis, into synthetic crude oil. It has to be heated to a specific temperature to drive off a vapor that can then be either retorted or distilled to create a shale oil that is similar to petroleum but is actually a non-conventional form of oil, as well as a shale gas. It is also possible to burn oil shale directly to create a low-grade fuel that is ideal for heating purposes and power generation. Oil shale can also be used as a raw material for construction material and chemical industries.

Oil shale resources can be found in many different countries, but only approximately thirty-three different countries possess oil shale deposits with any real economic value. The United States is actually accountable for around sixty percent of the world’s resources for oil shale, and together with Russia and Brazil, more than eighty-six percent of shale oil content is accounted for. There are several oil shale deposits that have not yet been explored, however, so these figures are simply estimations at the current time.

Oil shale has industrial uses in Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Estonia and Russia. There are other countries who are currently assessing their oil shale reserves, or who are working on an experimental production. Oil shale is generally exploited for the production of oil in Estonia, China and Brazil, and for the generation of power in China, Germany, Estonia and Israel. Oil shale is exploited for cement production in China, Germany and Estonia, and for other chemical industries in Russia and Estonia. Estonia is responsible for more than seventy percent of the world’s production of oil shale.

There are two basic ways that you can mine oil shale; the first of which is traditional underground mining, and the second of which is through several different forms of surface mining. The aim of these different mining methods has to do with fragmenting the oil shale and then transporting it to either a retorting or distilling facility or to a power plant. The main methods for surface mining include strip mining and open pit mining. Room and pillar method mining is the most popular mining method for traditional underground oil shale mining.

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