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Conical moving‐bed shale retort model
Author(s) -
Anderson David H.,
Sapre Ajit V.,
Kennedy Clinton R.,
Krambeck Frederick J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690360602
Subject(s) - retort , oil shale , flow (mathematics) , mechanics , kerogen , conical surface , decomposition , geology , petroleum engineering , mineralogy , materials science , chemistry , physics , composite material , paleontology , organic chemistry , structural basin , source rock
This two‐dimensional model of a moving‐bed shale oil retort accounts for the major physical interactions of convective heating and kerogen decomposition coupled with the shale and gas flow distributions. Data in a small‐sale apparatus support a solids flow model of potential flow, although the exiting boundary conditions are uncertain. The calculations show that efficient retorting will only occur if the upper shale surface is shaped so that the shale particle velocity is perpendicular to this surface, and parallel to the entering retort gas flow. Even in the ideal flow case, performance is quite sensitive to gas/solids flow ratio. This model could be used with measured temperature distributions to optimize the surface profile.