OIL SHALE PROCESSING IN ESTONIA AND RUSSIA
2000; Estonian Academy Publishers; Volume: 17; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3176/oil.2000.4.08
ISSN1736-7492
Autores Tópico(s)Engineering and Environmental Studies
ResumoIn the present paper historical review is given on the development of the oil shale processing industry in Estonia and Russia, including information on the use of different processing retorts for the production of shale oil and shale-derived domestic gas.Volumes of oil shale retorting and of the pro- ducts manufactured are given.Technical potential forfurther development of commercially viable retorting technologies for low-temperature processing (semicoking) of large-particle and fine-grained oil shale is also shown.A practically ecologically clean technology of semicoking large-particle oil shale has been developed.Oil shale is widely distributed in many parts of the world with known deposits in all continents.Although its extensive use has been delayed so far because preference was given to petroleum, coal and other traditional fuels, oil shale is regarded to date as an important alternative source of hydrocarbons and chemicals.The most thoroughly studied and in large-scale commercial use is the Baltic oil shale (kukersite) found in Estonia and Russia (Leningrad District).In 1998 mining of kukersite totalled 16 million tons (14 in Estonia and 2 in Russia).By 1981 the amount of mining reached 36 million tons (31 in Estonia and 5 in Russia).At present the major portion of the mined shale in Estonia is used as fuel for two large electric power plants having a capacity of 1,600 megawatts each, and excess of 3 million tons is retorted annually to produce shale oil and gas (including 2.5 million tons of large-particle shale and 0.5 million tons of shale fines).However, kukersite as a feedstock for thermal processing possesses a number of specific properties complicating the semicoking process, such as a strong tendency to caking, i.e. transition into a plastic state by heating slowly at 350400 °C, a high moisture content (B-lo %), a relatively low mechanical and thermal strength, and a high content of carbonates (40- 50 %), the decomposition of which consumes some 20 % of the total heat required for the semicoking process.The decomposition of carbonates results in the formation of free calcium oxide which in contact with organic oxygen compounds in the volatile products has a negative effect on the yield and composition of the product shale oil.* Kiviter joint-stock company.Table2.Start-up of Oil Shale Processing Units in Estonia °Y S Kohtla-Järve, Kiviter AS* S _E)g;erime'ntal vertical retort (generator) | > т а l <
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