Show new method analyses of oil BY HENRY M ADKINSON new methods of analyses of oil shale rock have been developed in the laboratory of R H officer co assayers S chemists of salt lake city utah which have resulted in showing an oil content from 25 to 80 per cent greater than under the old methods of analytical determination the same samples have been subjected to tests both under the old method of stationary retorting and the new method of rotary retorting with the following results old method NewAl new method ethod stationary retort rotary retort sample gals gals per cent of 0 number lumber per ton per ton of increase 1 45 gals sa gals 80 2 4 05 7 76 G 79 ao 3 39 19 52 33 4 42 25 it is of the first importance that the in tion speaks for the improvement in method of analyses advantages of rotary method test distillations were made in order to compare the two radically different types of apparatus and the results of these tests have shown that the rotary type of retort gave greatly improved results in respect of the following points 1 superior quality of crude oil 2 the percentage of permanent gases was considerably lower 3 the entire distillation is completed in one third the time thus saving a large amount of oil which is lost in a long con linued process 4 the yield of oil per ton is from 25 per cent to 80 per cent greater an 4 4 4 i C ie J N showing rotary retorting apparatus used in making analytical determinations of oil shale samples by the R H officer co vesti gator of an oil shale tract should know definitely the quality of the material it is fatal to such an undertaking to find that the rock is below commercial standards in quantity of oil but it is much worse to believe such to be the fact and to abandon the project when as a matter of fact the grade of material is much better than is required to make a successful undertaking therefore 11 H officer co has given its first atten tion to this detail of correct determinations the e result shown in the foregoing mining alining engineer general manager V R IL officer co assayers and chemists salt lake city utah description of rotary still the rotary still consists of a horizontal iron cylinder about two feet long this is constructed so that it will revolve and experimentation peri has shown that about twelve revolutions per minute is the best speed for effective work an opening is provided in the barrel of the cylinder for filling and discharging the loads and during the distillation operation this opening is fitted airtight to the barrel so that no loss may result here heat is applied the full length of the rotary still and as fast as the hot gases are formed in the barrel they are driven out at one end by a jet of steam which enters the other end of the barrel As the oil vapors pass from the rotary still they are carried immediately to a vertical standpipe stand pipe equipped to condense them this condenser is provided with a drain at the bottom to carry off at once the oil which condenses while moving through the pipe this effect is most important since it prevents any any oil from going back into the rotary still to be redis re dis tilled and this in turn prevents any cracking of the crude oil advantages of revolving type the accepted theory of distillation methods is that means must be provided for the immediate removal of the oil vapors from the still as soon as they are formed this is accomplished in the best way by the use of the revolving type of still the constant rotation of the barrel moves the charge continually and allows the hot vapors to escape from the rock as soon as formed and by the aid of the steam jet the vapors are immediately forced out of the hot barrel these features are responsible for the increased results obtained from the rotary still in the stationary type of still the shale vapor and oil stew in their own juices and inevitably inevitably a considerable part of the oil vapors are lost either by leakage or cracking of the condensed oil cleanup clean up of the still when the distillation is completed and the retort has reached a dull red heat to make sure that all gases have been liberated then the heat is withdrawn from the barrel and steam in a larger jet is forced through the entire apparatus to clean out any oil that may have remained in the retort finally the insulated covering is removed from the barrel the spent shale is reni removed oved and weighed and the complete data for the calculation has been obtained importance of preliminary tests the importance of accurate results in these preliminary tests cannot be over esti mated not only does the whole success or failure of the undertaking depend on getting commercially valuable shale at the outset but through certain tests standards are set up by which the ultimate operating results must be judged if the preliminary inary tests on oil show merely a bare commercial success the undertaking may be abandoned so far as that particular tract or deposit of shale is concerned but as a matter of fact if the tests on which such a result Is reached are not adequate to determine the full value of the material treated then the project has been abandoned when it would have been entirely profitable on a commercial basis this is an unfortunate outcome in every way and to avoid such an cunha unha unhappy appy conclusion the should be thoroughly tested by this most modern and effi efficient chent method |