GB764919A - Improvements in or relating to process for recovery of oil from minerals - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0764919/III/1> Hydrocarbon oils are recovered from minerals containing liquid hydrocarbons, e.g. shale, and oil bearing sands, by mixing the shale &c. with a partially hydrogenated condensed-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fraction of boiling range 500-700 DEG F. which acts as a hydrogen donor, heating the mixture at 500-950 DEG F. for upwards of 10 hours until the hydrocarbon contents of the mineral are extracted, separating the extracted oil from the mineral residues and recovering valuable hydrocarbon fractions therefrom, stripping the mineral residues with steam and finally mixing the residues with air and burning the mixture to convert residual carbon to carbon monoxide which is reacted with steam. The hydrogen thus produced is used to hydrogenate partially a gas oil fraction which is recycled as the hydrogen donor. As described with reference to the treatment of shale, powdered shale is mixed to a slurry in tank 11 with the partially hydrogenated oil fraction recycled through line 13. The mixture is fed through a heater 17 to an extractor 19 from which vapours pass to a fractionator 41 from which gas, gasoline light and heavy oil fractions and diluent are recovered, while the extracted shale passes through line 21 to a fluidized stripper 25 supplied with steam through line 27, the stripped vapours passing through a heat exchanger 35 separator 37 and line 39 to the tower 41. The stripped shale passes to a burner 29 where it is mixed with oxygen and burnt to give carbon monoxide which is fed to the producer gas plant 71. The producer gas is passed through a scrubber 77 to remove CO2 and the hydrogen passed to a hydrogenator 55 where it is used to partially hydrogenate the diluent fraction from the tower 41 to produce the highly aromatic hydrogen donor fraction which is recycled through line 87 to the extractor 19.