The LLNL RISE process was an experimental
shale oil extraction
Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or ...
technology developed by the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Livermore, California, United States. Originally established in 1952, the laboratory now i ...
. The name comes from the abbreviation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and words 'rubble in situ extraction'.
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LLNL RISE is a modified ''in situ'' extraction technology originally proposed by Rio Blanco Oil Shale Co. and developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
[ It is classified as an internal combustion technology.][
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In the LLNL RISE process a part of the oil shale
Oil shale is an organic-rich Granularity, fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of Organic compound, organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general compos ...
deposit (roughly 20% of the total deposit) is removed by the conventional mining technique. The remaining deposit is then broken up with explosives to increase porosity
Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%. Strictly speaking, some tests measure ...
of the deposit. As a result, a large underground retort chamber by square and high is created. The retort chamber is ignited at the top. The combustion zone moves downward as an oxygen
Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
gas provided, similar to the process developed by the Occidental Petroleum. The heat causes retorting process converting kerogen
Kerogen is solid, insoluble organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It consists of a variety of organic materials, including dead plants, algae, and other microorganisms, that have been compressed and heated by geological processes. All the kero ...
in oil shale to oil shale gas and shale oil vapors. Some oil is collected at the bottom of the retort, other collected at the surface as vapors.[
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The process was never used commercially. It was tested by using experimental simulated retort with capacity of 6 tonnes of oil shale per day.[
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References
{{Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, state=autocollapse
Oil shale technology
Thermal treatment
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory