CHARACTERIZATION OF SHALE OILS .2. ANALYSIS OF THE FLASH PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS OF OIL-SHALE IN THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION

The results of experiments to rapidly pyrolyze oil shale from the Gree n River Formation using a xenon flash lamp reactor are presented. A va riety of analytical tools were used to determine the composition of th e liquid products and to compare the rapid pyrolysis products with tho se from conventional retorting processes. The tools included infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, high performance liquid chromatogr aphy and field ionization mass spectroscopy. The reaction mechanisms o f rapid pyrolysis were found to be different from those of slow-heatin g rate processes. Thermal fragmentations were non-selective, resulting in a broad range of high molecular weight components that contained m ore heteroaromatic functionality than in the products of conventional retorting. Other reactions that were found to differ in slow versus ra pid pyrolysis were dehydrogenation of hydroaromatic compounds and form ation of condensed and noncondensed aromatic compounds. As the input e nergy to oil shale is increased, even though the oil shale was heated to high temperatures, the liquid products still contained significant amounts of alkanes and olefins. Based on these results, the high conve rsion of kerogen by rapid pyrolysis produces a low quality fuel which would require upgrading before utilization.