Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1995. / Typescript. Bibliography: leaves 75-86. Also available online.

The Piceance Creek Basin in northwestern Colorado contains extensive oil shale deposits that produce natural gas and which could potentially yield ~1.5 trillion barrels of shale oil. However, much of the oil shale lies at depths too great for traditional mining practices and various innovative approaches for in situ conversion of kerogen to oil have been proposed. A firm understanding of the existing hydrogeochemistry is needed as resulting mineralogical changes or rock-fluid reactions may affect rock porosity and permeability. Using an existing database complied by the USGS, the water chemistry of 267 surface and groundwater samples in the Piceance Creek primary drainage basin have been evaluated by mapping major ion concentrations and mineral saturation indicies with respect to hydrostratigraphic units and geologic structures. Controlling processes have been further assessed using statistical correlation and factor analysis. Results indicate that shallow waters in recharge zones are dominated by mixed cations (Na, Ca, Mg) and bicarbonate anions but with increased depth, groundwater transition to nearly 100% sodium bicarbonate type water. The chemistry of lower aquifer waters are principally controlled by nahcolite dissolution, but evidence of sulfate reduction and cation exchange aid in maintaining a sodium-bicarbonate water type. Ion evolution in surface and upper aquifer waters are influenced by an increase in sulfate concentration which is necessary to evolve water to an intermediate stage with sulfate-dominant anions. The source of sulfate is speculative, but likely due in part to the oxidation of sulfide-enriched groundwater and possible dissolution of sulfate-bearing carbonates. Surface and upper aquifer water chemistry in the northern portion of the basin is the result of discharge of deeper groundwater which is controlled to some degree by preferential pathways created by faults. Lower aquifer water migrates upward and mixes with the less-concentrated near-surface water, resulting in sodium bicarbonate type water in all hydrologic units.

Thesis: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1979 / Bibliography: leaves 204-212. / by Peter Michael Switchenko. / M.S. / M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Considerable work has been done on the economic production of shale oil from oil shale. Of the possible materials which could replace crude petroleum as used today, oil shale possesses the greatest possibilities since, when retorted, it produces a shale oil very similar to crude petroleum, and on refining the products produced are similar. Of the fuel resources available in the United States, 98.8 percent is attributed to coal, 0.8 percent to oil shale, 0.2 percent to crude petroleum, and 0.2 percent to natural gas. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of oil shale particle size on the shale oil obtained from oil shale retorted in a fluidized bed. Oil shale of minus 16 plus 28, minus 28 plus 70, minus 70 plus 100, and minus 100 plus 200 mesh (Tyler screen scale) was retorted at 715°F in a 4-inch diameter retort 36 inches long using carbon dioxide as the fluidizing medium. A retorting unit consisting of a fluidizing retort, fluidizing gas-heating section, disengaging section, cyclone separator, condensers, a surge tank, gas circulation system, and temperature measurement and control equipment was designed and constructed. The fluidizing gas-heating section was constructed from a flanged 5-foot section of 8-inch diameter black iron pipe with eight 1250-watt heaters placed in the heating section at 6-inch intervals along the vertical axis. Additional heaters were provided on the gas transfer line to reduce the heating time. The condensers were simple tube-in-shell heat exchangers constructed from 1-1/2-inch and 3/4-inch deoxidized copper pipe with headers for the oil receivers. The condensers were designed and constructed to operate counter-currently using return gas from the brine cooled condenser as the cooling medium in the first two condensers, water in the third condenser, and brine in the fourth condenser. A gas circulation section consisting of a gas pump and appropriate valves was constructed to circulate the gas through the system. Temperature control and measuring equipment were provided for control of the gas temperature to the retort, and for measuring the temperature of the entering and exit material in each section. On retorting 16-1/4 pounds of oil shale for one hour at a gas pressure of 10 pounds per square inch gage, yields of 50.5, 47.3, 40.9, and 39.4 percent of the available shale oil were obtained from oil shale of minus 16 plus 28, minus 28 plus 70, minus 70 plus 100, and minus 100 plus 200 mesh (Tyler screen scale), respectively. The A.P.I. gravity was found to increase from 15.2, 17.9, 18.6, and 22.4 degrees, and the kinematic viscosity decrease from 12.18, 4.64, 2.94, and 1.66 centipoises for a decrease in particle size from minus 16 plus 28, minus 28 plus 70, minus 70 plus 100, and minus 100 plus 200 mesh (Tyler screen scale), respectively. The mid-boiling point of the shale oil decreased 510, 500, 482, and 380°F for the above particle sizes as did the average boiling point which decreased from 824, 724, 690, and 590 for oil shale of the same particle size. The yield of non-condensable gases increased 0.67, 0.72, 1.01, and 1.2 cubic feet for oil shale of minus 16 plus 28, minus 28 plus 70, minus 70 plus 100, and minus 100 plus 200 mesh (Tyler screen scale). A decrease in particle size of oil shale retorted at 715°F in a 4-inch fluidized retort using carbon dioxide as the fluidizing medium, was found to definitely reduce the mid-boiling point, average boiling point, and the kinematic viscosity of the shale oil, and to increase the A.P.I. gravity of the shale oil obtained as well as the volume of retort gas. / Master of Science

The Jurassic (Toarcian) Posidonienschiefer of southern Germany is famous for its well preserved vertebrate fossils and its high organic content. The majority of the Posidonienschiefer (10 meters thick in the study area) consists of the Bituminous Shale, a fossiliferous laminated illite claystone. Two thin (30-40 mm) clayey pyritic biomicrosparites, the Upper and Lower Schlacken, interrupt the Bituminous Shale. Geologists who have studied the Posidonienschiefer disagree about the exact nature of its depositional environment. The argument centers on the interpretation of an impoverished benthic fauna and whether or not the water column directly above the sediment-water interface was anoxic or normally oxygenated. Kauffman (1981) proposed that an algal/fungal mat located at or near the sediment/water interface marked the boundary between aerobic and anaerobic conditions during deposition. The purpose of my research was to investigate the geologic conditions during deposition and early diagenesis of the Bituminous Shale and the Schlacken and to search for evidence of microbial activity. A detailed petrologic investigation of these two lithologies found no evidence of an algal/fungal mat, but did reveal the important contribution of microbial activity in the formation of pyrite and calcite cement. The Bituminous Shale was deposited in a low-energy tropical seaway. The upper water-column supported a diverse marine fauna. The aerobic/anaerobic boundary in the water column may have been located several millimeters above the sediment/water interface. Pore waters of the ocean-floor mud were dysaerobic to anaerobic. Occasional oxygenation events allowed opportunistic benthic organisms to colonize the sea-floor. Compaction of the Bituminous Shale occured prior to cementation of original porosity. Framboidal pyrite was formed during sulfidic diagenesis under anaerobic, but open, sediment/pore water conditions. Euhedral pyrite formed later as communication between pores became restricted during sediment compaction. The skeletal grains of the Schlacken formed as a winnowed lag deposit of Bituminous Shale sediment. During the early stages of sulfidic diagenesis the winnowed beds were rapidly cemented in a concretion-like sheet. Early cementation preserved delicate algal spores and clay fabric. Fossil bacteria were discovered in the calcite cement of the Schlacken by modified petrographic techniques, and confirmed with the scanning electron microscope. Experiments in which live bacteria were gradually entrapped in halite produced a crystal fabric identical to that of the fossiliferous calcite cement of the Schlacken. The microbial production of bicarbonate and ammonia during sulfidic diagenesis played a significant role in altering local geochemical conditions in the Schlacken sediment and initiated the precipitation of calcite cements. Fossil bacteria in the cements of the Schlacken are direct evidence of the presence and entrapment of bacteria during cementation, but do not conclusively prove their active role in the formation of calcite. / text

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-10-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:43:34Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 watanabe_cb_dr_rcla.pdf: 1454404 bytes, checksum: b2e4875e9d719a0c8fa1a8878a96d99a (MD5) / Entre as mais variadas atividades econômicas geradoras de alterações significativas no meio ambiente, a mineração tem sido considerada altamente impactante, por gerar profundas mudanças nos meios físico, biótico e antrópico. Este é o caso da mineração do folhelho pirobetuminoso da Formação Irati, extraído a céu aberto no município paranaense de São Mateus do Sul. O objetivo desta tese foi levantar os impactos ambientais desencadeados durante as fases de implantação e operação da Mina Dois Irmãos, lavrada pela PETROBRAS-SIX desde 2009, identificando seus efeitos sobre a comunidade local, com vistas ao delineamento de uma estratégia de gestão participativa que conduza esta atividade econômica à sustentabilidade. Entre os principais impactos levantados estão a desapropriação de 646 hectares de terras pertencentes à 90 famílias de agricultores da Comunidade Dois Irmãos, o rebaixamento do nível freático na área da Mina Dois Irmãos e a geração de ruídos. Foi constatado, por meio da aplicação de questionários às famílias desapropriadas de suas terras, que tais impactos provocam efeitos negativos a longo prazo na comunidade local, como o deslocamento humano involuntário, rompimento das relações sociais estabelecidas internamente, as dificuldades iniciais na retomada das atividades agrícolas nas novas propriedades, surgimento de doenças psicológicas, entre outros detalhados nessa tese. Com a finalidade de contribuir para a minimização dos impactos ambientais da mineração do folhelho pirobetuminoso sobre a comunidade local, foi elaborada e apresentada uma proposta de Agenda 21 Local que poderá ser construída e implementada na Comunidade Dois Irmãos, para que os efeitos dos impactos da mineração sejam minimizados, ao máximo ao mesmo tempo... / Among the various economic activities generating significant changes in the environment, mining has been considered highly impactful, to generate profound changes in the physical, biotic and human environments. This is the case of mining oil shales Formation Irati extracted on a open-pit mine in the city of São Mateus do Sul, Paraná. The objective of this thesis was to identify the environmental impacts triggered during the deployment and operation of the Dois Irmãos Mine, prepared by this PETROBRAS-SIX since 2009, identifying their effects on the local community, toward the design of a participatory management strategy that will lead to economic sustainability of this activity. Among the main impacts are raised to the expropriation of 646 hectares of land belonging to 90 families of farmers in the Community Dois Irmãos, the lowering of the groundwater in the area of Dois Irmãos Mine and noise generation. It was found by means of questionnaires applied to families evicted from their land, that such impacts cause long term adverse effects in the local community, such as involuntary human displacement, disruption of social relations internally, the initial difficulties in the resumption of agricultural activities in new properties, development of psychological diseases, among others detailed in this thesis. Aiming to contribute to reducing the environmental impacts of mining oil shales on the local community, was prepared and submitted a proposal for a Local Agenda 21 which can be constructed and implemented in the Community Dois Irmãos, so that the effects of the impacts of mining are minimized as... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Orientador: Gilda Carneiro Ferreira / Banca: Antonio Carlos Gondim de Andrade e Silva / Banca: Irineu Mário Colombo / Banca: Marcus Cesar Avezum Alves de Castro / Banca: José Eduardo Zaine / Resumo: Entre as mais variadas atividades econômicas geradoras de alterações significativas no meio ambiente, a mineração tem sido considerada altamente impactante, por gerar profundas mudanças nos meios físico, biótico e antrópico. Este é o caso da mineração do folhelho pirobetuminoso da Formação Irati, extraído a céu aberto no município paranaense de São Mateus do Sul. O objetivo desta tese foi levantar os impactos ambientais desencadeados durante as fases de implantação e operação da Mina Dois Irmãos, lavrada pela PETROBRAS-SIX desde 2009, identificando seus efeitos sobre a comunidade local, com vistas ao delineamento de uma estratégia de gestão participativa que conduza esta atividade econômica à sustentabilidade. Entre os principais impactos levantados estão a desapropriação de 646 hectares de terras pertencentes à 90 famílias de agricultores da Comunidade Dois Irmãos, o rebaixamento do nível freático na área da Mina Dois Irmãos e a geração de ruídos. Foi constatado, por meio da aplicação de questionários às famílias desapropriadas de suas terras, que tais impactos provocam efeitos negativos a longo prazo na comunidade local, como o deslocamento humano involuntário, rompimento das relações sociais estabelecidas internamente, as dificuldades iniciais na retomada das atividades agrícolas nas novas propriedades, surgimento de doenças psicológicas, entre outros detalhados nessa tese. Com a finalidade de contribuir para a minimização dos impactos ambientais da mineração do folhelho pirobetuminoso sobre a comunidade local, foi elaborada e apresentada uma proposta de Agenda 21 Local que poderá ser construída e implementada na Comunidade Dois Irmãos, para que os efeitos dos impactos da mineração sejam minimizados, ao máximo ao mesmo tempo... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Among the various economic activities generating significant changes in the environment, mining has been considered highly impactful, to generate profound changes in the physical, biotic and human environments. This is the case of mining oil shales Formation Irati extracted on a open-pit mine in the city of São Mateus do Sul, Paraná. The objective of this thesis was to identify the environmental impacts triggered during the deployment and operation of the Dois Irmãos Mine, prepared by this PETROBRAS-SIX since 2009, identifying their effects on the local community, toward the design of a participatory management strategy that will lead to economic sustainability of this activity. Among the main impacts are raised to the expropriation of 646 hectares of land belonging to 90 families of farmers in the Community Dois Irmãos, the lowering of the groundwater in the area of Dois Irmãos Mine and noise generation. It was found by means of questionnaires applied to families evicted from their land, that such impacts cause long term adverse effects in the local community, such as involuntary human displacement, disruption of social relations internally, the initial difficulties in the resumption of agricultural activities in new properties, development of psychological diseases, among others detailed in this thesis. Aiming to contribute to reducing the environmental impacts of mining oil shales on the local community, was prepared and submitted a proposal for a Local Agenda 21 which can be constructed and implemented in the Community Dois Irmãos, so that the effects of the impacts of mining are minimized as... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Shale oil is an attractive, alternative fuel source for a world in which there is an increasing demand for energy. However, it is necessary to assess the environmental impacts of the shale oil industry before widescale production is begun. Diversity of retorting processes, the subsequent variability in waste products and the possible waste management schemes makes assessment of these impacts complicated. Waste treatment and disposal are areas which must be researched thoroughly. To properly evaluate the environmental risks associated with the disposal of processed shales and process wastewaters, an appreciation for the sorption/desorption (S/D) characteristics of oil shales is required. The overall objective of this research was to evaluate the S/D capacity of four types of shale: Antrim (spent, eastern shale), Anvil (raw, western shale), Oxy 6 and Run 16 (spent, western shales). Batch and continuous-flow, column experiments were performed in which the S/D behavior of five cations (As, Ca, Cd, Fe, and K) and three anions (F, SO₄, and HCO₃/CO₃) was monitored. The conductivity, redox potential, and pH of the eluent fluids were also determined. This study showed that retort temperature and porosity of the various shales had a significant effect an their S/D characteristics. Batch elution trials with spent shales produced eluents having a characteristic pH in the range 8.5 to 11.5. In these experiments, the shales retorted at lower temperatures (660°C and 793°C) released higher levels of Ca, K, and SO₄ than did a higher temperature, retorted shale (800 to 1000°C) and raw shale. The shales retorted at lower temperatures also had the highest porosities of the four shales and exhibited a greater capacity for sorption of As and F than did the other shales. Continuous-flow, elution trials showed that most inorganics monitored were flushed from the columns of shale in the first 5 to 8 pore volumes of effluent. / Master of Science