The Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company was an American shale oil extraction technology technology research and development company. The company was established as a general partnership of Gulf Oil (now part of Chevron Corporation) and Standard Oil of Indiana (now part of BP).[1][2] It was named after the Rio Blanco County, Colorado, the location of the company's oil shale tract.
The Rio Blanco Oil Shale Company was established in 1974. In 1974, it win a bid for Federal Oil Shale Lease C-a in the Rio Blanco County. In 1977, the company started preparations to demonstrate its modified in-situ extraction process. The demonstration program included construction of two in-situ retorts using company-developed techniques for rubbling and ignition of the oil shale deposit, and operation the process through surface drill holes.[1] The mining and blasting used in this process created a bed with close to 40% porosity. This enabled to retort the chimney at a substantially faster rate achieving higher oil yields. The first retort ignited in October 1980 and the second one in June 1981. The demonstration achieved an average oil yield of 68% of Fischer Assay. The demonstration program cost $132 million.[1]
Later the company acquired the modified in-situ technology developed by Occidental Petroleum. The major differences of two technologies lay in methods of rubblizing and fractioning of the shale deposit. The company also obtained a license for using the Lurgi-Ruhrgas process.[3]
In 1985, Amoco (former Standard Oil of Indiana) took control over the company acquiring Gulf Oil's take from the Chevron Corporation. In the same year, the company ceased its operations.[4]