Green rivers status as the most expensive shale extraction project in the country would put thousands of employees. Oct 20, 2019 shale oil refers to hydrocarbons that are trapped in formations of shale rock. Price2 the green river formation of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the greatest potential reserves of oil in the world. The green river formation in piceance creek basin is estimated to have the largest oil. The green river oil shale, for example, is presumed to be the source of the oil in the red wash field in northeastern utah. Fracking is a process that oil companies use to drill down into the layers of shale and open up the rock formations.
The green river formation contains the largest oil shale deposit in the world. The easiest way to understand oil shale is to look at its geological origins. Jul 03, 2015 the green river formation an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the worlds largest deposits of oil shale. The liquid oil extracted from oil shale, once it is upgraded, creates a type of synthetic crude oil. The analysis of the kerogen of green river oil shale by controlled potential oxidation with perchloric acid chris wyatte mcgowan iowa state university follow this and additional works at. Definition sedimentary rock with a high organic content organic matter is known as kerogen kerogen. The green river formation, an oil shale formation in colorado, utah, and wyoming, is a potentially valuable source of synthetic crude oil. Dawsonite and nahcolite analyses of green river formation. Oilshale samples selected from a core of the green river basin wyoming were studied to ascertain differences in the composition andor chemical structure of the organic material in the samples relative to stratigraphic position within the green river formation. Kerogen decomposition kinetics of selected green river and eastern u. The eocene green river formation of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the largest oil shale deposits in the world. In the six decades or so of oilshale studies on the green river formation paleoceneeocene in.
Dawsonite and nahcolite analyses of green river formation oilshale sections, piceance creek basin, colorado young, neil b. In the deeper part of the piceance creek basin, the green river oil shale contains a potential resource of natural gas, but its economic recovery is questionable cole and daub, 1991. The analysis of the kerogen of green river oil shale by. May 10, 2012 tapping the vast amounts of oil locked within u. Petroleum and natural gas are probably the most familiar hydrocarbons. Oil shale formation takes place in a number of depositional settings and has considerable compositional variation. They range in age from cambrian to tertiary and were formed in a variety of marine, continental, and lacustrine depositional environments. They cause stability problems in gasoline, jet and diesel fuels, and produce nox emissions in burners. May 15, 2012 the green river formation an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the worlds largest deposits of oil shale. Composition of lowtemperature thermal extracts from colorado. This is by far the richer of the oil shale deposits in the u. Shale oil refers to hydrocarbons that are trapped in formations of shale rock.
Oil shale is a rock that contains significant amounts of organic material in the form of kerogen. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil. This deposit consists of varying amounts of soluble organic material, insoluble organic material, and minerals. Oil shale samples selected from a core of the green river basin wyoming were studied to ascertain differences in the composition andor chemical structure of the organic material in the samples relative to stratigraphic position within the green river formation. Liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons can be extracted from the oil shale, but the rock must be heated andor treated with solvents.
Kerogen is a part of rock that breaks down and releases hydrocarbons when heated. Worlds largest shale oil reserve the green river formation. Dyni abstract oilshale deposits are in many parts of the world. Dyni abstract oil shale deposits are in many parts of the world. W ultimate composition of organic material in green river oil shale. Oil yields of green river oil shale from colorado corehole no. Oil shale, any sedimentary rock containing various amounts of solid organic material that yields petroleum products, along with a variety of solid byproducts, when subjected to pyrolysisa treatment that consists of heating the rock to above 300 c about 575 f in the absence of oxygen. Barnett shale gas composition wellc1 c2 n2c3 co2 1 80. Source rock characterization of the green river oil shale, piceance. The organic material present in the green river formation is of biological origin. Apr 01, 2001 as previously noted, fish preservation in the green river formation correlates best with fish coprolites. Cook rocky flats research centre, the oil shale corporation, golden, colorado, usa received 14 july 1973 a rapid and practical test for oilshale richness is of considerable technical importance.
The first is the composition of the fish coprolites. Book of astm standards, part 25, designation d 390480, p. Additionally oil shale byproducts would require off. Department of energy stated that oil shale production would generate sulfur and nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and large quantities of carbon dioxide. Dawsonite and nahcolite analyses of green river formation oil. Coal, oil shale, natural bitumen, heavy oil and peat vol. Tipton member, green river formation oil shale from. The hydrocarbons in oil shale can be used as an alternative to petroleum or natural gas. Oil shale in the eocene green river formation including the piceance basin. Natural gas is also present in the green river oil shale deposits in southwest wyoming, and probably in the oil shale in utah, but in unknown quantities.
Paper 21 green river oil shale potential in utah by m. Fish preservation, fish coprolites and the green river formation. Oil shale can be a confusing term and the reason is that it can contain crude oil, bitumen, and even natural gas. Oil shale assessment project fact sheet assessment of in. Smith, john ward, 1923ultimate composition of organic material in green river oil shale ocolc607779968. The green river formation was deposited in a series of saline, alkaline lake basins in. Hydrocarbons are substances made entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Oil shales, kukersite, and torbanite represent types of carbonaceous material.
The classic type i oil shales in the upper green river formation correlate well. It has been estimated that the oil shale reserves could equal up to 3 trillion barrels 480 billion cubic metres of shale oil, up to half of which may be recoverable by shale oil extraction technologies pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of. Part of theanalytical chemistry commons,geographic information sciences commons, geology commons, and theoil, gas, and energy. In eastern germany and poland the kupferschiefer, a bituminous shale, is mined for copper, lead, and zinc. Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are less expensive to extract. Geology and resources of some world oil shale deposits1 by john r.
However, some oil or natural gas will always be retained within the shale, adsorbed on to kerogen and clay particles, and filling pore spaces and natural fractures. Heating oil shale in place in situ has a number of operational, economic, and environmental advantages over surface retorts, particularly when the. Green river formation geological feature, united states. However, despite its astounding potential, experts argue that economically viable technology necessary to extract oil from the area beneath colorado, wyoming and utah. Oil shale refers to a type of crude oil that can be refined from sedimentary rock. The main part of the green river basin formation though, is located in the southwest portion of wyoming in the middle of cities evanston and rock springs. The chemical composition of bitumen in pyrolyzed green river oil. The green river formation, an oilshale formation in colorado, utah, and wyoming, is a potentially valuable source of synthetic crude oil. Geology and resources of some world oilshale deposits. Oil shale is a type of sedimentary rock that is rich in kerogen. The chemical composition of bitumen in pyrolyzed green river oil shale.
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. Extracting and processing shale oil is an expensive and difficult process. It has been estimated that the oil shale reserves could equal up to 3 trillion barrels 480 billion cubic metres of shale oil, up to half of which may be recoverable by shale oil extraction technologies pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or. Oil shale is a petroleum source rock that has not undergone the natural processes required to convert its organic matter to oil and gas. Stanfieldoil yield and properties of green river oil shale in the uinta basin, utah. Edwards has examined green river formation fish coprolites and his results are revealing for two reasons. The chemical composition of bitumen in pyrolyzed green. A study by shell oil showed that an in situ site generated 21 to 47 percent more emissions than conventional oil production. During oil shale pyrolysis at high temperature, the conversion of kerogen to oil and gas proceeds dominantly through a mechanism involving. Part of the casebooks in earth sciences book series casebooks. Green river formation contains the largest oil shale deposit in the world. The green river basin oil shale field is located in wyoming, utah, and colorado which extends on the western side of the rocky mountains. Geology and resources of some world oilshale deposits1 by john r. The greater green river basin ggrb is the name given to a group of five subbasins.
Ultimate composition of organic material in green river. However, oil shale kerogen can be converted artificially to liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons by pyrolysis. Australia, brazil, switzerland, sweden, spain, and south africa began mining oil shale in the 19th and 20th centuries, but they all stopped production by the 1960s. Oil shale deposits in the green river formation are estimated to contain up to 3 trillion barrels of oil, half of which may be recoverable, which is about equal to the entire world s proven oil reserves. Dawsonite and nahcolite analyses of green river formation oilshale sections, piceance creek basin, colorado. Chapter 4 origin and characteristics of green river oil shale. It is this process that forms a potential shale oil or shale gas reservoir. Since the series of new cane creek shale oil discoveries in the 1990s, drilling in that area has been sporadic. Green river shale the green river formation contains the largest oil shale deposit in the world with an estimated 3 trillion barrels of oil reserves, of which half is recoverable.
Composition variety complicates processing plans for us shale gas. Chapter 4 origin and characteristics of green river oil shale wilbur e. Green river oil shale formation green river shale map. On the other hand, oilshale deposits that have economic potential for their shaleoil and gas yields are geothermally immature and have not been subjected to excessive heating.
These and nearby wells have produced nearly 3 million barrels of shale oil. The largest deposit of oil shale in the world is found in the green river basin of colorado, utah, and wyoming. Oil shale, despite the name, does not actually contain oil, but rather a type of organic matter called kerogen, a precursor of oil that is converted to a type of crude oil when heated to about 450 500 c. Unesco eolss sample chapters coal, oil shale, natural bitumen, heavy oil and peat vol. The problem has been that of finding an economical method of extraction.
The green river formation is the largest oil reserve on the planet. Apr, 20 the green river formation is the largest oil reserve on the planet. Oil shale geology is a branch of geologic sciences which studies the formation and composition of oil shalesfinegrained sedimentary rocks containing significant amounts of kerogen, and belonging to the group of sapropel fuels. Guo encyclopedia of life support systems eolss are wellknown catalytic poisons in various refining processes. Assessment of inplace oil shale resources of the green. The green river formation an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the worlds largest deposits of oil shale. The us becomes the largest gas producer in the world and the. Oil yields of green river oil shale from colorado corehole. Stratigraphic cross sections of the eocene green river. Robinson introduction the green river formation of colorado, wyoming, and utah consists of an organicrich shale or marlstone.
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