Response of oil shale to fragmentation by cylindrical charges

Summary

This paper describes an experimental program that was conducted in 1981 through 1983 in the Anvil Points Oil Shale Mine near Rifle, Colorado. The objective was to examine the response of the kerogen rich oil shale to explosive charges in relatively large scale tests. Due to an alleged shortage of oil at that time the price per barrel of crude oil had reached nearly $40 and the United States was looking at oil shale as a possible source of hydrocarbon fuels.

It was the intention of the fragmentation program to develop a modified in situ retort to recover the oil from the fragmented shale. Programs were already underway wherein the oil shale was being mined, transported to the surface, and retorted to remove the oil. This surface retorting resulted in a tremendous amount of spent shale (shale with the kerogen removed) which had to be handled and it was felt that this would lead to serious environmental problems. The scheme being investigated in the program at Anvil Points was one in which about 25% of the shale is mined, moved to the surface, and retorted. The remaining 75% of the shale was to be fragmented in place and an underground retort formed so that the oil could be removed without the necessity of transporting the shale to the surface.

A successful method was not developed but the results of the program did provide information on the response of shale to both single hole and multiple hole explosive charges.