Twitter headlinesOil Shale
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
US Department of the Interior Offering Second Round of Oil Shale Research and Development Leases; Cuts Potential Commercialization Acreage 87.5%
October 21, 2009
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) is offering additional opportunities for energy companies to conduct oil shale research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects on public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. (Earlier post.) Energy companies will have 60 days after publication of a Federal Register notice to submit applications for the second round of RD&D leases announced by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
Potential lessees may nominate up to 160 acres for RD&D. If the lessees demonstrate the ability to commercially produce oil equivalent derived from shale, up to 480 additional contiguous acres could be added to the lease for commercial-scale development. The allotted acreage for commercial development represents an 87.5% reduction from the potential commercialization are available through the terms of the first round of shale leasing in 2006 and 2007.
More... | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Converting Oil Shale to Gasoline via Alberta Taciuk Processor Results in Full Fuel Cycle GHG Emissions 1.5-1.75 Larger Than From Conventionally Produced Gasoline
August 25, 2009
| GHG emissions for ATP shale (low and high cases) and conventional gasoline in grams of CO2e per MJ of final fuel delivered. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
Converting oil shale to gasoline via the Alberta Taciuk Processor (ATP)—an above-ground shale retort—results in fuel-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ~130-150 g CO2 equivalent/MJ of gasoline produced, according to a new analysis by Dr. Adam Brandt at Stanford University. These emissions are 1.5 to 1.75 times larger than emissions from conventionally produced gasoline.
The results depend most sensitively on the grade of shale used, and the rate of carbonate mineral decomposition which causes inorganic CO2 release, reports Brandt in a paper published online 25 August in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
