Beginning of the 20th century History of the oil shale industry

oil retort @ kilve, west somerset, england



pumpherston oil shale retorts, scotland, 1922

the oil shale industry expanded before world war because of limited access conventional petroleum resources , mass production of automobiles , trucks, accompanied increase in gasoline consumption. oil shale production in scotland peaked in 1910–1912 more 3 million tonnes. time scottish shale oil industry contributed 2% of global oil production. after that, production declined exception of period of world war ii. in 1919, 5 survived shale oil companies (young s paraffin light & mineral oil company, broxburn oil company, pumpherston shale oil company, oakbank oil company, , james ross & company philpstoun oil works), merged scottish oils, subsidiary of anglo-persian oil company.

oil shale retorts, nevada, 1922

in united states government started create naval petroleum , oil shale reserves in 1909. reserves seen possible emergency source of fuel military, particularly navy. government reserved roan plateau near rifle, colorado later became federal demonstration , test site. first attempt produce oil western deposits made in nevada local businessman robert catlin acquiring oil-shale properties in 1890s , erecting first retorts in 1915 , 1916. although attempt commercially unsuccessful, in 1917 incorporated catlin shale products company made several unsuccessful attempts sold shale oil products until dissolved in 1930. first attempts exploit green river formation deposit made establishment of oil shale mining company in 1916. in 1917, erected first commercial retort @ head of dry creek, near de beque, colorado. however, these attempts unsuccessful , 1926 company had lost property. in addition, companies cities service, standard oil of california, texaco , union started oil shale operations in 1918–1920. in 1915–1920 200 companies established exploit oil shale , @ least 25 shale oil retorting processes reached pilot-plant stage. discoveries of large quantities of petroleum in eastern texas ended oil-shale boom. 1 of technological achievements before world war ii invention of n-t-u retort. in 1925, ntu company built test plant @ sherman cut near casmalia, california. in 1925–1929, retort tested united states bureau of mines in oil shale experiment station @ anvil point in rifle, colorado.

during world war i, german army produced shale oil jordan oil shale @ yarmouk area operate hejaz railway. in 1915 oil shale industry established in switzerland. 1920, small mall shale oil extraction plant opened @ kinnekulle, sweden. in 1922, small shale oil extraction plant opened in puertollano, spain.

the year 1916 considered beginning of estonian oil shale industry. when group of geologists, led nikolay pogrebov, sent estonia organise mining of oil shale , transportation saint petersburg (then known petrograd). in june 1916, first tonnes of oil shale mined @ pavandu , delivered saint petersburg polytechnical university large-scale experiments. in 1917, russian paleontologist mikhail zalessky named kukersite oil shale after kukruse settlement. continuous mining activities started shortly after. initially, oil shale used in cement industry, firing in locomotive furnaces, , household fuel, followed shale oil , power production. of 1925, locomotives in estonia powered oil shale. first experimental oil shale processing retorts built in 1921, using method developed julius pintsch ag. in 1924, tallinn power plant first power plant in world employ oil shale primary fuel. in 1939 estonia mined 1.453 million tonnes of oil shale , produced 181,000 tonnes of shale oil, including 22,500 tonnes of oil suitable gasoline equivalents. half of estonian produced shale oil exported accounting 8% of country s total export.

in china, extraction of oil shale began in 1926 under japanese rule. commercial-scale production of shale oil began in 1930 in fushun, manchuria, construction of refinery no. 1 operating fushun-type retorts. in russia, kashpirskoye oil shale near syzran in volga region mined , processed in 1919–1924 , again starting 1929. leningradslanets opened kirov oil shale mine in 1934 in slantsy, leningrad oblast , shale oil production started in 1939. saratov , syzran power stations in russia started use oil shale fuel. in south africa different attempts of using oil shale made since beginning of century. in 1903 transvaal oil shale syndicate investigated oil shale @ kikvorschfontein. in 1919–1931 african oil corporation investigated oil shale @ kromhoek , goedgevonden. in 1935, south african torbanite mining , refining company, joint venture of anglo-transvaal consolidated investment company , burmah oil opened shale oil plant @ ermelo in 1935.

between world wars oil shale projects in restarted in brazil and, short time, in canada.