Technical Scheme and Application Prospects of Oil Shale In Situ Conversion: A Review of Current Status

Shangli Liu, Haifeng Gai () and Peng Cheng ()
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Shangli Liu: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Haifeng Gai: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Peng Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: Petroleum was the most-consumed energy source in the world during the past century. With the continuous global consumption of conventional oil, shale oil is known as a new growth point in oil production capacity. However, medium–low mature shale oil needs to be exploited after in situ conversion due to the higher viscosity of oil and the lower permeability of shale. This paper summarizes previous studies on the process of kerogen cracking to generate oil and gas, and the development of micropore structures and fractures in organic-rich shale formations during in situ conversion. The results show that the temperature of kerogen cracking to generate oil and gas is generally 300–450 °C during the oil shale in situ conversion process (ICP). In addition, a large number of microscale pores and fractures are formed in oil shale formation, which forms a connecting channel and improves the permeability of the oil shale formation. In addition, the principles and the latest technical scheme of ICP, namely, conduction heating, convection heating, reaction-heat heating, and radiation heating, are introduced in detail. Meanwhile, this paper discusses the influence of the heating mode, formation conditions, the distribution pattern of wells, and catalysts on the energy consumption of ICP technology in the process of oil shale in situ conversion. Lastly, a fine description of the hydrocarbon generation process of the target formation, the development of new and efficient catalysts, and the support of carbon capture and storage in depleted organic-rich shale formations after in situ conversion are important for improving the future engineering efficiency of ICP.

Keywords: shale oil; in situ conversion; hydrocarbon generation; micropore structures; carbon capture and storage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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