KENTORT II

KENTORT II
Process type chemical
Industrial sector(s) Chemical industry, oil industry
Feedstock oil shale
Product(s) shale oil
Developer(s) Center for Applied Energy Research, University of Kentucky

KENTORT II is an above-ground shale oil extraction process developed by the Center for Applied Energy Research of the University of Kentucky. It is a hot recycled solids fluidized bed retorting process developed since 1982 for processing the eastern United States Devonian oil shales.[1][2] The concept of this process was initiated in 1986 in the test unit.[3]

The KENTORT II retort consists of four fluidized bed vessels, configured in cascade. The raw oil shale is fed to the pyrolysis vessel the pyrolysis section, where it is fluidized by a mixture of steam and product oil shale gas from the gasification section below. Heat is transferred to the raw oil shale by a combination of fluidizing gas and recirculating hot spent shale from the gasification section. The pyrolysis takes place at 500 °C (930 °F) to 550 °C (1,020 °F).[3][4]

The pyrolyzed oil shale moves by gravity downward to the gasification section. Gasification, which takes place at 750 °C (1,380 °F) to 850 °C (1,560 °F), converts remained carbon in the spent shale (char) to product oil shale gas. Steam from the cooling zone is used for fluidizing the sent shale while heat transferred by hot solids (oil shale ash) from the combustion section. The spent shale moves to the combustion section where it is burnt to heat the process, while oil shale ash moves to the cooling section before its removal from the retort.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Taulbee, D.N.; Carter, S.D. (April 1992). "Investigation of product coking induced by hot recycle solids in the KENTORT II fluidized bed retort" (PDF). Symposium on Chemistry, Structure and Reactivity of Coals, Tar Sands and Oil Shale. San Francisco: American Chemical Society. pp. 800–809. http://www.anl.gov/PCS/acsfuel/preprint%20archive/Files/37_2_SAN%20FRANCISCO_04-92_0800.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
  2. ^ Taulbee, D.N. (March 1993). "Measurement of the Adsorption and Cracking of Model Compounds Over Processed Oil Shale Particles" (PDF). Denver: American Chemical Society. pp. 324–329. http://www.anl.gov/PCS/acsfuel/preprint%20archive/Files/38_1_DENVER_03-93_0324.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
  3. ^ a b c Vego, Asmund; Carter, Scott D.; Stehn, John L. (August 1993). "Investigation of product coking induced by hot recycle solids in the KENTORT II fluidized bed retort" (PDF). Chicago: American Chemical Society. pp. 972–978. http://www.anl.gov/PCS/acsfuel/preprint%20archive/Files/38_3_CHICAGO_08-93_0972.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-31. 
  4. ^ Vego, Asmund; Carter, Scott D.; Stehn, John L.; Taulbee, D.N. (August 1994). "Effects of Scale-Up on Oil Shale and Gas Yields in a Solid-Recycle Fluidized Bed Oil Shale Retorting Process" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. pp. 1253–1257. http://www.anl.gov/PCS/acsfuel/preprint%20archive/Files/39_4_WASHINGTON%20DC_08-94_1258.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-31.