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Show WASHING PROCESS" EVOLVED FOR TREATING OIL SANDS Predicted That New Method Will Revolutionize i Petroleum Industry; Local Company Ac- i quires Control of Patent. AX entirely new process for the I extraction of oil from saturated oil sands a wide departure from the baMe principle of all known method heretofore employed in the extraction of oil from shales and saturated sands has been evolved by M. ,. llohiiibon of Missoula. Mont.. and the exclusive rights to the process have been acquired by the Oil Extraction Extrac-tion eompanv, a recentlv organized concern con-cern headed by YV. H. Child of Salt Lake. "or manv years past the principle of destructive distillation has been em-ploved em-ploved in the extraction of oil from shades in Scotland, and the Firac principle prin-ciple has been employed by all American Amer-ican inventors in experiments conducted conduct-ed with a view to extracting oil from the vast deposits of shales in Utah, Colorado and other states in the western west-ern countrv. Comparatively recently mammoth reefs of oil sands have been discovered in the San Rafael country and in the Uintah basin and the same principle and the same equipment has oeen used in experimental tests made in an effort to take the oil from the saturated sands. To a certain extent the experiments have, met with success, but it was admitted that, destructive distillation in the case of the saturated sands did not yield the results desired. de-sired. Process Simple. Mr. Robinson appears to have solved the problem by applying some of the knowledge "aiiied in mining. Instead of destructive distillation he has devoted de-voted his attention to extracting oil from the saturated sands by a Reaching Reach-ing or washing process, simple in the extreme in so far as principle is concerned, con-cerned, the big secret being the formula of the leaching or washing solution which is protected by patent. The mined oil-saturated sand is first crushed to the desired "mesh." From the crusher it is mechanicallv deliv- j ered to a hopper bin. From the hen- per the SL'nd is conveved mechai'.icaiiy through a steel trough or cylinder to which iust enough heat i- applied to ; wnrni the sand iii transit from the hop- j por to the eiu'osed tank in which the separating process is carried on. This tank is designed to treat and hold at oue operation live tons of oil sand and j the twentv gallons of solution that is 1 Hieehanieallv' fed to the charge. lhej tank and the charge are kept warm through the application of steam jn coils. Apertures sre then closed, the centrifugal agitator is set in motion and the charge is stirred for a period of about ten minutes. In thai length of time the oil has been "washed from the sand nml agitation ceases. Sand Is Washed. After a , f ew minutes the released sands settle to the bottom of the tank and the oil, still carrying id suspension suspen-sion a large proportion of the separating separat-ing solution, is drawn off and discharged dis-charged into another tank. The agitator agita-tor is then started again, only that the blades which had been constantly lifting lift-ing and tumbling the sands in the solution, solu-tion, are now turning in the opposite direction so as to force the sands down the inclined bottom of the tank through a gate at the bottom of the incline. Prom here the sands are conveyed into another tank for final cleaning, .lust sufficient heat is applied to tho tank containing the oil and also the tank containing the sands from which the oil has been recovered to vaporize the solution, which is carried off and condensed con-densed for further use. The solution, which in the process will have lost less than o per cent of its volume, is then brou ght-up to the required "strength and is again ready for the treatment ol another charge. The cleaned sand, from which the oil has been released and recovered, is then sent over the dump. The oil recovered through this proc ess is trie eruoe petroleum, ci.t it, would be if the oil was secured from a well that had been drilled into the same sand stratum. The product recovered from the San Rafael sands thus treated, in experiments yielded approximately two barrels to tho ton of sand treated. A five-ton .charge can be crushed, treated and the solution solu-tion recovered within a period of forty minutes, and it therefore is apparent that a five-ton unit will handle fifty-tons fifty-tons or more per dav, with lots of time to spare, and yield, 100 barrels of oil per day. Time Is Feature. Besides the simplicity, of the process and the iuexpensivenesa of the plant, a big and important feature is the rapidity ra-pidity with which the sands may be treated. Tests made on Utah sands during the past week indicate that the actual treatment, exclusive of the crushing of the crude sands and the drying of the washed sands may be accomplished in ten minute or less, and the yield, is from two to four times as great as that obtained by destructive de-structive distillation. Mr. Robinson admits that the process as developed to date is not adapted to the treatment of oil shales. However, he has conducted tests on shales with a modification of the process and has obtained results which lead him to believe be-lieve that eventually he may be able to treat shales by a method more satisfactory sat-isfactory and economical than by processes proc-esses based on the principle of destructive destruc-tive distillation. Those who have witnessed the experimental ex-perimental tests during the past week, as well as the inventor, predict that the process is destined to revolutionize the oil industry of the west, and many-have many-have gone so far as to express the opinion that within ninety days Utah will witness the beginning of an industry in-dustry which will be of greater moment mo-ment to the state and its people than anything launched since the problem of treating low-grade copper ores was solved by D. C. .Tackling. With liberal allowances for mining, crushing and costs of the washing solution, so-lution, the inventor v estimates that crude petroleum may be produced from saturated oil sands and tanked ready for transmission through pipe lines, at a cost not exceeding 75 cents a barrel, w-hile the expectation is that the sands will be treated at a cost of $1, or less, a ton. Experiments Extensive. For some time past individuals and companies controlling deposits of saturated sat-urated oil sands in Utah, as well as those who control deposits of oil shales in the intermountain region, have been investigating proeesse-s, conducting tests and doing everything possible to determine the treatment which would yield the best results in a commercial way. Considerable headway has been made and oil shale interests have announced that they are ready "to go." But until Mr. Robinson appeared a few days ago the oil sand interests were considerably at sea. The new process, it is believed by the inventor and his associates, will make possible the production of crude petroleum from the vast oil sand deposits in the San Rafael region and the Uintah basin on a basis which will permit competition with the wells of anv of the fields of the country. Already the Utah-Wyomin Oil company com-pany has announced that it has procured pro-cured the right to use the process in connection with the development of its holdings in the San Rafael, and, during the next few months, or as soon as materials can be obtained, that it expects to install a commercial unit ami begin the extraction of oil from the sands. In the meantime the Oil Extraction company, with offices in the Boston building, plans to conduct tests and make demonstrations, with a view to satisfying the demands of those who have to be shown. |