Show oil shale Is vast plateau energy source rifle mile plant experiments new near end next nex t RIFLE colo the colorado plateaus Platea ui tast vast and as a yet commercially merci ally untapped shale oil deposits cannot help but come into industrial existence according to boyd guthrie superintendent d ent of th the e go governments verneen shale oil experiment plant near here guthrie whose experiments are nearing an end believes that private industry cannot help but go into the shale oil business but just lust when private oil companies will start in development of shale oil as a new source of energy Is not known nor would guthrie baz hazard a guess too there is no way now to determine production costs and guthrie believes this one factor la is the chief reason private companies have not entered the field another reason reasor why private oil firms have not entered the oil shale field may be because of the existence of the department of interior testing plant at rifle which has no secrets and which makes available all of its information concerning processing systems and mining methods anyone can ask for and receive the data private industry on the other hand wants to develop its own methods of treating crude or shale oil and to keep the process secret from competitors peti tors to protect its investment and profits the ile rifle experiment station has been in actual production of oil from shale since may of 1947 and guthrie said that we nov have the retorting and mining methods and processes that if e continued under tests for another couple of years might make it possible for us to lay 0 on the ch on oil Indu plat ter a tried and proven method of 0 oil recovery fro from thale shale however no pr private I 1 vate industry could enter the shale oil business tomorrow because there is not now any definitely e established system of recovery r y experiments at the rifle plant which guthrie believes may prove to be the best methods of oil extraction from shale require agrest a great deal more study end testing before they are proved lester ster W schramm assistant to guthrie estimated that any commer commercial clai shale oil plant must have a capacity of barrels of oil daily and to become profitable tor for delivery to the west coast first major market would require a plant capable of producing i ng lo 10 barrels per day to make it pay such an installation it Is estimated would cost in the neighborhood of 00 million to erect including mines oil shale Is not shale nor does it contain oil that little teaser is not generally known the rock itself is a magnesium marlstone carlstone marl stone rather than on under the influence of heat beat the organic matter inder i goes a c chemical h trans transformation fo rma tion yielding a black viscous waxy oil because of the high wax content the oil will not flow below about 85 degrees the ledge presently being mined by the bureau of mines experimental station near rifle Is at an elevation of feet feet above U S Illg Ilig heay 6 24 al at the bottom of the canyon and only feet from the top of roan plateau above the oil shale cliffs to reach the ahe mine yard requires a drive in a government owned velcie privately owned cars are not allowed on the property over a road literally liter dug out of alIr the side of the mountains moun ains at the mine entrances there are two now a third will be opened later all gasoline powered vehicles are halted but huge 15 ton diesel burning trucks drive in and out of the 35 foot high by 60 foot wide mine from fie the mine the shale la is hauled by ti aik to the crushers where it is reduced to the required size before it goes into the stort the huge retort looks from the outside like a mechanical giant of some kind but the operation itself Is quite simple the rocky substance Is poured into the top of tho the rort and at a certain level Is sub e d to a heat of 0 degrees w with ri th proper mixtures 0 of air an and gas so that the inorganic Inor gann material la in the rock Is transformed into a m mist th that at rises and Is carr curried led away in a lar large e pipe to another aawar sect section on of 0 the afa plant n t which remove removes unwanted materials as nil nit ropen rogen and sulphur As the mist cools part of it beo comes liquid ol 01 and Is carried to storage tanks part of it Is gas and Is returned to the retort to burn in the chamber guthrie comments that it Is beag feasible to erect a privately owned plant at the rifle site turning out 12 p per r cent of the nations oil and such u h a plant would product produce gas as a byproduct lo 10 sufficient quantities to generate 14 5 billion kilowatts of electrical energy seme some shale in colorado averages about 15 gallons of oil to the lh ton and would provide about billion barrels of oil this particular shale has not yet been mined other shale like that now being ml mined ed at rifle can produce 30 gallons of oil per ton and ba has a reserve ot of IV billion barrel barrels at OIL |