Show Great Activity in Oil Oi Shale Work Wark Predicted Mu Much h Progress Expected in Utah and Colorado Twelvemonth During Coming T lIE next ne t twelve tw lve months will m see see more real oil oi shale development TIE Colorado than has been accomplished 1 1 operations in tah and 1 II M. M of during the past several years This is the tho prediction I. I oil shale technologist Denver in an article of which I the v vy y VV J following n b is 1 part j L I I I I I 1 I I I v vy y VV J n b 1 j L The oil oi industry is today one of oC the most important in the world Every Ever business and every business man Is in some manner dependent upon it for Cor his welfare Until quite rec recently littie lit tie tle te thought was given as to where our oil 01 came from Crom how much we wo were producing producing producing pro pro- or how much wo we had in re reserve rc- rc serve servo to meet future requirements Tho The recent war and the restrictions placed on the consumption of certain of ot the products of our crude petroleum brought us face to face with the fa fat t that we could coUld- not go on forever a athe at atthe the present rate unless now new sources of petroleum were Wore found It I also proved to us that while we are producing producing producing ing more than 60 per per percent cent of the worlds world's supply of ot crude oil 01 we are rapIdly rapidly rap- rap Idly depleting our source and in a comparatively comparatively com com- short time shorter possibly than most people realize reaUze we will wil not only be dethroned from our position as the greatest producing oil producing oi-producing nation naton in on the world but will wi be dependent upon other countries for a part of our supply necessary to maintain our economical eco ceo life and tills this in the face of oC the keenest world-wide world competition that has ever existed It is a well known fact that England En England En- En gland I realizing wel the economical fac dominance dominance dominance domi domi- nance of ot the world trade depends moreon moreon more moreon on the petroleum industry than on any I Iother other single item has already taken talen steps to obtain vast areas arcas of prosper tive producing oil oi land Jand throughout t al all al parts of the world The United States bureau of mines in May ay 1919 transmitted transmitted- to congress petroleum petroleum petro petro- a report to the effect that our leum bum supply was more than 40 per cent exhausted and that production from drilling operations ha had probablY reached its peak Of course there wilbe will wil willbe be now new fields developed from time to felds time but the they are generally of short life and add ada ad very little to our sustained sustained sus sus- tamed supply CONSUMPTION At the end of 1919 there were more than six million automobiles autor in the United States and the normal production production tion reaches approximately automobiles ton a year in addition additon to trucks tractors and othe other petroleum- petroleum using power plants Ve are making ye sufficient a Herculean effort tp produce dent petroleum to meet our present cent requirements and are falling failing faling It is isI estimated our production during 1920 I will be around barrels while our consumption will wil be around barrels while a conservative conservative conserva conserva- I tive estimate has placed placed our requirements requirements requirements require require- ments at barr barrels ls per annum within the next five or six years NotI Not Nota especially when a very bright outlook we consider that our production has very nearly if not quite reached its is peak peale There would be considerable doubt doub even though we had an adequate sup suj supply supply sup sup- ply of petroleum under ground whether not a sufficient number of pr pro pro- or er Sr wells could be drilled dried to me meet our requirements If all al the well wei wels drilled could be made to produce onlan only an average of be five barrels a a day day- da I it would greatly augment our supply bt bu buwe but we all an greaty well know that while most 0 of the wells wel drilled whether they brin brinin brinin bring in oil 01 wels or not net are entirely and a necessity to the th thE industry t a at large they do O entail in a great many man inan instances an energy which does nc no not add to our production We Ve must not only find some ne- ne new method of obtaining our necessary p pe petroleum petroleum pe- pe requirements but must at one once augment our present pi production Th The United States has many times In the past proved that it is the most r re resourceful resourceful re- re nation naton in the civilized world and that we are re always equal to economical eco economical eco eco- requirements irrespective c o othe of the nature or source and we are nc no not going to fail fai in this Instance DEPOSITS EXTENSIVE EXPENSIVE We hae found in the Western states state an area containing an almost inex inex- inex amount of ot sedimentary deposits de do deposits de- de posits which are termed oil oi which by the simple process of ot destructive de dc de- de distillation are are capable o ot producing an unlimited d supply of crude crud petroleum I refer particularly to th thi the oil of Colorado Utah and Wyoming Wyoming Wyo Wyo- 01 ming while there is also a limite area irea in Nevada but the first three thre states contain the largest and richest riches richet deposits of oC oil shale in the world In order oi to give an tte idea of oC the their magnitude I might mention menton that th tin the entire United States up to the pres present ent entre time has produced about tour lour an anc and one half billion barrels of ot petroleum I and has in reserve underground approximately ap ap- api i proximately six billion barrels I Ion on an the other hand Colorado alone ha hat I sufficient of these of com commer commer- mercal mer- mer ial cal value to produce upward of ot set seV five enty-five billion barrels of oil oi am ant and from irom enty their bilon leaner which wil wil undoubtedly be worked in a ively short time another seventy fivE seventy billion barrels of oil 01 could be had Utah and ind Wyoming each probably have i a greater area than Colorado but up t tche to tc the greter he present time the Colorado have save lave been found to be much richer am and andin in n larger strata We find In Colorado an a area area o oi of nearly early 1500 1600 square miles mies containing three almost uniform veins of oC rich oi oil 01 hales capable of ot producing commer com mer- mer clany at least one barrel two forty gallons of oil to each ton There is is over 01 feet of these rid rich hales thales and the veins which He lie le in blanket blan- blan tet ket et or flat formation are of sufficient to provide economical mining min min- ing ng operations They He lie le in huge moun- moun ains 1000 to 2000 feet above the sur- sur surrounding rounding valleys and are everywhere exposed so that their oil oi production nominal nomi- nomi an can be readily determined at a nal al tal expenditure Of or course it must be understood that thai up in p to the present time no extensive development has taken place and those hales which lie le adjacent to the valleys which pierce this vast field are the only ones which can at first be he worked and that this area is but hut eventually all al or rt ol ot these liese vast areas will wll come under ex- ex I lINING OI OP SIA IE At the the present time the most favorably fa- fa situated can be mined mine by y tunnels driven la I on the veins some- some somewhat what along the lines of coal mining where there large veins arc are worked but Inasmuch as they can be mined cheaper than ban fian coal coar an and where carried edt t o on a large irge scale will win be a comparatively heap cheap operation but this will wil represent represent the tie he principal item In the cost of or obtaining ob- ob the crude oil oi Th The retorting while it will wi not represent rep- rep resent the tile largest item of operating cost ost Is the vital point upon which success suc- suc cess ess or failure will wil depend depond almost en- en Irely The retort must be construct- construct constructed ed I d in such a manner that the shale hale is heated and that once the heat heatS is S i applied to the shale the temperature must lust gradually rise to the finishing point without a single break no matr matI mat- mat mator I tel or r how slight as this least leas break is isery ery ry detrimental to the product In orto or- or er to accomplish these things the fight light of of the shale through the retort the he IB application of f the heat together with rith the rapid removal of the vapors to 0 J the Ute condensers at iL aLas as nearly their I ormal normal temperature as possible must mustI I be w e under absolute control especial especially the he ne application of ot the heat If I the vaI va- va POIS ors should be allowed to linger In the I retort they rapidly become overheated causing ausing a secondary distillation which which I changes the composition of or the theil II il i obtained making it very refractory I I and difficult If i not impossible to refine re refine refine re- re fine with good results There are a a number of retorting plants either under construction or vr in contemplation in the tho shale fields felds of both Colorado and Utah and probably the next twelve months will win see more real activity along this line lne than has been accomplished during the past several several sev soy eral oral years From Irom the wonderful possibilities of this shale area and the tile general activity ity now In vogue there seems to be no question iy but that this new now source of queston oil 01 supply is to be fully developed and while it will wi probably be some years before it i will wi practically replace the drilling operations It is certain to do doso doso so so and in the interim will frill wil produce a avast avast avast vast quantity of crude oil 01 to help meet our urgent and ever increasing re re- re |