IN SITU OIL SHALE RETORT

摘要

41-OS-76 1. BE IT KNOWN THAT IRVING G. STUDEBAKER of 2090 Sequoia, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501, United States of America having made an invention entitled: "In situ oil shale retort" the following disclosure contains a correct and full description of the invention and of the best mode known to the inventor of taking advantage of the same. An in situ oil shale retort is formed in a subterranean formation containing oil shale and having a substantially vertically extending first cleavage plane set and a substantially vertically extending second cleavage plane set intersecting the first set. The in situ retort is formed by excavating a vertical slot-shaped void within the boundaries of the retort site, leaving a remaining portion of unfragmented formation within the retort site which is to be explosively expanded toward the slot. The slot is so oriented within the formation as to have a pair of major vertical side walls of unfragmented formation substantially aligned with one cleavage plane set, for example that having the lower dispersion. The slot may also be formed with a pair of minor vertical end walls extending substantially perpendicularly to the major side walls of the slot. Explosive placed in the remaining formation adjacent to the slot is detonated to fracture formation along cleavage planes in the first and second cleavage plane sets and to expand such remaining formation within the retort site toward the slot, forming a fragmented permeable mass of formation particles containing oil shale within the retort site.