MOUNTAINS OF OIL

Evening Star, Issue 16848, 25 September 1918, Page 3

MOUNTAINS OF OIL

THE SHALE CLIFFS OF COLORADO. Mr W. F. Wilcox, in the ' Scientific American,' writes about the ami-fit unliiuittd stores of petroleum and by-products stored up in the shales which rise to great ko.gh.ts in cliffs and mountains—literally mountains of oil—in Colorado. These ebole beds have always been there. Men have passed by them day after day for years without noticing anything unusual about them. It was even known that these shales would burn. It is told how a oouplo of pioneers, in the early days, built themselves a nice log house, with fireplace, and chimney, constructed from some very fine-looking stones of just, such shape as naturally acla.pt themselves for fetich work. Then they moved in and turned a fire; and presently the chimney caught lire and literally burned down, together with the house. But, ahhough men generally knew that these rooks were inflammable, they did not appreciate or realise the valuablo stores locked hi them. Tho United -Slateis Geological Survey, however, mode investigations in 1915, and reported that in Colorado alone them is sufficient shale, in beds 3ft or more thick, and capable of yielding more oil than the average sliale new mined in Scotland, to net about 20,000,000,000 barrels of cmdo oil, from which 2,000,000,000 barrels of gasoline may be extracted. In Utah there i 3 probably an equal amount of -shale, just as rich. Moreover, one by-product will be about 30,000,000 tons of -ammonium sulphide, a compound l especially valuable as a fertiliser. This is enough to enrich all tho farms of the Western country. Another expert to make an estimate of the probable extent of the Colorado oil shales is connected with tho Colorado State Geological Survey. Ha finds in North-western Colorado alone over 1,500 square miles of territory, in which there -ate commercially workable oil shale beds Ift or more in thickness. Thec-o average over 20ft in aggregate thickness, and are capable of yielding at least 36 gallons of oil per ton of shale. In oiic acre of this area there would be 37,500 barrels of oil. in each square mile there wouid bo 24,000,000 barrels. This is over Inn times as much a-s was originally contained in each square mile of the proven oil territory of the United States, and 17 times, ns much per square mii-o as now remains in the proven fields. If we consider tho whole area of 1,500 square miles of oil ishalo in Colorado, we have an oil content ten times as great as the aggregate production of ihe oountiy since the discovery of oil in 1859.

Thin is surely good news to a world so much in need of coal oil, gasolene, and kindred products at a time when possible shortage threatens. Oil shales have been profitably mined in Scotland for years. Yet fcscottLh shales are much inferior to the Colorado ones. All mill ng in Scotland is far undoiground, while the Colorado shales arn on the surface, with little if any overburden, the work of mining being carried on in open outs. Tho Scottish shales must be hoisted to the treating plant*, whereas the Colorado shales lie in mountains, and can be dropped by gravitation to the treating plants. Scottish shiiies are in irregular beds, which thicken and thin out, and faulted and thrown into folds, greatly increasing tho cost of mining. The Coloiado sh-ale beds are constant and uniform in thickncM, lie in horizontal position, and are neither folded nor faulted. Some cf the Scottish shale dip at angles of 30 to 60 degrees. In inost places tho Colorado shale can be mined with a steam shovel.

Colorado's great oil product wili be nwned by the quarry system, tl:o great veins, running up to 50ft in thickness, affording material for many years- of work. Oil fihale is sedimentary clay solidified into rock tainrated with oil. The oil is secured from this " half-done coot " by destructive distillation. These shales during dist.llaton give oft a. sufficient amount of gas to make tbo process continuous, reducing the cost of fuel Fo a. negligible item. Innumerable by-p'oducls are obtained from the shales. The Scottish shales yield, among other things, gasolene, motor spirits, illuminating oil, lubricating oil, gas oil, cleaning oil, jute oil, parafliu, coke, still grease, and tmiphate of ammonia, Tests by experts appear to show that the Colorado shales will yield a higher ]>ere.cntage- of gasolene, motor spirits, and kerosene, and an equal percentage of gas oil and lubricating oils. Phenols are present in commercial quarrtiij", and from these may be |rot many products not obtained from tho Scottish slmle.

Scientists are working with- the shales, and daily arc discovering new by-products, one of wlrich is recently reported to have been a high explosive. It is staled there are 200 known by-products of theee oil shales, among which are dyes, paint base, ickthyol, cresol, naphtha, benzine, gasolene, keroc-enc, lubricating oils, rubber eubsfifuts, ammonium sulphate, talcum powder, perfumes, a-xlo grease, illuminating gas, and paraffin. Another inipor l ant feature of the bj'-pro-ducts is that shale oil, whether- u~«d alone or blended, excels all others as a flotation oil in treating minerals. Under conditions it is apparent that -a use for shale oil Las already been found, which will releasea. large anfcmit of petroleum, either crude or iu the form of distillate, for o'.her purposes to- which, it. is better adapted. The oil from tiro western Colorado shales lia« excellent frothing and collecting' properties, aiicl appeal's to have a great future in the flotation business on account of the variety of oi'c-s which work well with it. Of nil the oils used in flotation plants in the United States in 1916, the "fractions" of petroleum, meaning the several grades of crude oil residuum, formed bj- far ihe greater part, tho monthly total of tlur-e, being in oxfx'ss of 2.000,000 ib, or approximately 250,000 gallons. This indicates the great demand for these oils, and establishes the fact that if shale oil can be- utilised to replace thorn mudi will have "been accomplish d fo conserve the supply of petroleum. This will bo especially true if the work can he better done by the shale oil than by its cot;t>in.

The Seol.ti.:'h shales a.s worked average 30 gallons of oil per ton. Vast quantities of Colorado shales, iu benches 6ft to 10ft thick, will ave.age over 50 galions ps:r fen. laboratory tests in Denver (hiring recent days establish tho fact that one ton of shale rock will yield, under proper methods of recovery, about iwo barrels (84- gallons) of crude oil. Government tests taken qui'e promiscuously show a yield of from 10 to t!8 gallons of oil to the ton, while private practical tests give a yield as high :u> 125 callous to the lon, along with a yield of from 65 to 75 per cent, ammonium sulphate. An eminent New York consulting and ann-■h-tica! chemist has separated the grades of oJ'rt in his tests, and found that a ton of shale will yield 2.66 gallons of gai-olenc, 5.23 gallons of kerosene, 171b of wax, and 43.2 gallons of fuel oil, together with 36.431b of annuc-nia sulphate in ciystallino form. However, ho recovered only S3 gallons of crude oil from the lock that he used in distillation, and be wa > frank to admit that perhaps his figures were too low.