Solar Energy News  
New Oil Shale Technology Under Development

Map of Oil shale deposits in the Green River deposits of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
by Staff Writers
UPI Correspondent
Washington (UPI) Jan 15, 2007
A U.S. Department of Energy project has demonstrated the viability of a new technology that might unlock the nation's largest potential source of oil.

Government scientists say the United States holds more than three-fourths of the world's estimated 2.6 trillion barrels of oil-in-place of oil shale, with 1.1 trillion barrels of oil equivalent believed recoverable in the richest single deposit -- the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming -- a volume nearly 50 percent greater than the conventional oil reserves of the entire Middle East.

Oil shale contains a substance called kerogen that is thought to be a precursor to petroleum. Kerogen cannot be extracted like oil that is pumped from a reservoir. The oil shale rock must be heated to a high temperature and the resulting liquid must be separated and collected.

The project involves a technology that can heat oil shale in situ, several thousand feet below the surface, separating kerogen without mining the oil shale rock.

By eliminating mining and large-scale processing aspects of oil shale development, such in situ technology could slash recovery costs by half or more while minimizing disturbance of the land, researchers said.

Source: United Press International

Related Links
US DoE
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Dell Announces 'Carbon Neutral' Plan For PC Buyers
Las Vegas (AFP) Nevada, Jan 09, 2007
Computer giant Dell unveiled an initiative Tuesday allowing customers to donate to a tree-planting program to offset the carbon impact of electricity required to power their systems. The so-called "carbon neutral" initiative announced by company founder Michael Dell would include voluntary contributions by customers to a program aimed at offsetting the impact of so-called greenhouse gases.







  • Most Germans Oppose Nuclear Power Phase-Out
  • Czech Republic's Temelin Nuclear Reactor Back On Stream
  • Australia And China Ratify Nuclear Fuel Deal
  • Poland Moves Closer To Joining Baltic Nuclear Plant Project

  • Lloyd's Insurance Boss Demands Action On Climate Change
  • Nigerian President Calls For International Action On Climate Change
  • Climate Protection Tops EU Plan
  • Melted Sea Ice Absorbs Carbon Dioxide Offsetting Some GW Impact

  • California's Big Freeze Threatening Citrus Crops
  • 150,000 Trout Killed At Fish Farm In Storm Off Norway
  • Clear Strong Guidelines Needed For Marine Aquaculture
  • Cloned Food Safe Despite Consumer Fears

  • Big-Brained Birds Survive Better
  • Scientists Discover New Life Forms In The Arctic Ocean
  • Largest Flower Evolved From Family Of Much Tinier Blooms
  • Mystery As Hundreds Of Birds Fall From Sky In Australia

  • XCOR Aerospace Begins Test Firing Of Methane Rocket Engine
  • Research Continues For Deep Space Travel Propulsion
  • Gravity Mission To Benefit From QinetiQ Precision
  • Russian Space Truck Arrives On Train From Factory



  • Egypt Plans First Remote Sensing Satellite
  • Japanese Government Initiates Space-Borne Hyperspectral Payload Program
  • US Climate Satellites Imperiled By Low Federal Funding Say EO Scientists
  • Cartosat-2 Camera Tested

  • ESA On Target For Rosetta Mars Swing By February 25
  • LockMart Completes Tracking With Open Architecture And Solid-State Radar Antenna
  • University Of Chicago Receives Supercomputer Time For Supernova Simulations
  • Metamaterials Found To Work For Visible Light

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement