Show Nuclear Experiment to Extract Oil From Oil Shale Deposits Corporation of f Las Ve Vegas al Nevada representing 18 firms In oil and re related industries has submitted a proposal to the Atomic En ergy Commission and the US Department of the Interior for a joint experiment to further study study the feasibility of fracturing ing oil shale with an under under- underground ground nuclear eXI explosion and recovering the oil by an place in-place retorting heating process THE PROPOSAL was discus discus- discussed SEd by Secretary of the Inter for lor Stewart L Udall and memo mem bers of the Atomic Energy Com mission and Herbert E Er Grier president of and reo re- representatives of the firms par in the group It was based on a joint study by the San Francisco Operations Of Of- Office fice of the the Department of the Interiors Interior's Bureau of Min es Cs the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore Calif Calif- ornia operated for the by bythe bythe the University of California and The proposed experiment BRONCO would be part of the Plowshare Program to develop peaceful uses of nuclear explosives It also would be part of the Depart Depart- Department ment of tM the Interiors Interior's point five program to promote the devel- devel development development of oil shale lands in the western United States Point four of the program announced ed ed by Secretary Udall on Jan uary 27 calls for cooperation among Interior and private vate sources to find ways in eluding the possible use of un- un underground underground nuclear explosions to tl extract the oil without ing the shale to the surface This would minimize bance of the natural landscape A SITE on owned government lapel in the Creek Bas in of northwestern Colorado 70 miles east of Vernal midway between Rangely and Meeker has been proposed for further study including s a detailed safety and technical evaluation in the field to determine if the nuclear concept could be tested safely fhe The nuclear concept would involve the detonation of about a 50 kiloton equivalent to tons of TNT nuclear explosive at a depth of feet below the surface of the ground The underground explosion would be expected to result in a chimney cylindrical zone of broken shale about feet in diameter and feet high Fractures probably would ex ex- ex tend as much as feet later Intel ally beyond the chimney and as asfar asfar far as feet above the etc de point This rubble filled chimney and fracture z zone me would be the chamber for the recovery portion of the ment UNLIKE petroleum which can be pumped from time tIle earth through wells the organic matter in shale is a tightly held solid called decomposes however when heated above degrees Fah Fah- forming a liquid oil similar to petroleum and a coke residue II In one method proposed for retorting or heating the BRON BRON- BRONCO CO chimney a zone of controlled burping burning would be driven slow slow- slowly ly through the rubble and all air injected into the chimney to reo re- regulate the burning The kero kero- kero germ gen heated by the advancing front would be expected to de de- de decompose compose into oil and coke The oil would then drain to the bottom of the chimney and be pumped to the surface the coke remaining in the rock rockwould rockwould would provide fuel to continue the retorting OTHER OTHE R retorting methods are also being examined The method to be used in the BRONCO experiment would be selected after additional studies are made The entire meat ment would take about five years to complete If the proposal is accepted by bythe bythe the and the Department of the Interior terms of the joint project including the division of costs among the participating parties would be negotiated ed ed Government participation would be contingent on Con Con- Congressional Congressional gressional authorization authorisation Con Con- Conventional Conventional methods of oil shale production require mining the rock crushing it and then dig dis- dis disposing posing of it after retorting at the surface The nuclear technique by creating a burled buried chimney of shattered rock would eliminate these three costly procedures but would require more com com- complex Alex plex processing equipment Retorting has ben been used on oil shale ground for more than thana a century But it Is now com applied only In the Soviet Union and China A NUMBER of US firms and the Bureau of Mines are invest invest- investigating various retorting tech to tap tal the oil shale of the Green River formation located In Colorado Utah and Wyom Ing It contains more than the worlds world's known petroleum re- re reserves reserves serves and pa past t production coma com The public health and safety program of the BRONCO exper Insect would be the ity of the Nevada Op Office which has con con- conducted conducted ducted more than under ground nuclear explosions There have been underground nuclear explosions In Nevada Mississippi New Mexico and Alaska and other Plowshare ex ex- ex experiments have been proposed for Arizona and Pennsylvania ia THE PLANNED depth of the nuclear explosion Is well below that normally required for con con- containment of an explosion of this I size Although th the possibility of the accidental release of radio i active material to the atmos phere Is considered remote precautions would be taken to assure full protection to the pub lie The BRONCO report states contamination of local ground groundwater groundwater water would be highly ble but field studies would be made to check this belief Any radioactivity in the produced oil and gases may require precautions for the protection of project personnel But oil from the BRONCO experiment would not be permitted to en- en enter en ter commercial markets with with- without out further careful study and control IF THE BRONCO proposal is accepted by the government agencies involved the safety and amid technical evaluation would begin This program would include in- in clude clu e thorough studies in the field of underground water geo geo- geologic logic formations soil ures weather and public health and safety During all phases of the ex ex- experiment state and loc local l of of- of officials will be kept Informed of all studies and findings If detailed evaluation shows the suggested site to be suitable and adequate public health safeguards can be guaranteed the government could approve the experiment If not the ex cx would have to be dropped modified or another site considered The companies represented by Corpor anon in the BRONCO propos propos- proposal al are arc Atlantic Richfield Company Cities Service Oil Company El Paso Natural Gas Company Equity Oil Company Getty Oil Company Marathon Oil Company Mobil Oil Company Shell Oil Com Com- Company pany Sinclair Oil Gas Com Com- Company pany Petroleum Com Com- Company pany Sun Oil Company Ten Ten- Tenneco neco Oil Company Compan Texaco Inc The Cliffs Cleveland Iron Com Com- Company pany The Superior Oil Com Com- Company pany Union Pacific Railroad Company and Western Oil Shale Corporation |