Retorting kinetics for oil shale from fluidized-bed pyrolysis

A quartz isothermal fluidized-bed reactor has been constructed in order to measure kinetics and oil properties relevant to surface processing of oil shale. The rate of volatile hydrocarbon evolution is measured with a flameionization detector. Oil yield and composition is determined via subsequent analysis. This work is an extension and expansion of that originally reported by P. H. Wallman and co-workers at Chevron. We are determining gas evolution kinetics, oil yield, and oil composition as a function of both oil shale parameters (e.g., particle size, grade) and fluidized-bed parameters (temperature, sweep gas composition and velocity, bed particle size). Various techniques are evaluated for measuring species-selective (as opposed to total hydrocarbon) kinetics; an ultimate goal is the development of diagnostic methods relating oil yield and composition to processing parameters.