Abstract: A method and apparatus for the hydraulic removal of bitumen from a tar sand deposit comprises forming a borehole into the tar sand deposit and securing a casing into the borehole. Into the casing is inserted a mining tool having a water/diluent channel and a slurry exit channel. Through the casing the borehole is charged with crushed aggregate. At the lower end of the tool are nozzles through which high pressure hot water/diluent is injected as a jet from the water/diluent channel into the tar sand deposit causing a cavity to form in the tar sand deposit. The heat of the water/diluent jets and dissolving action of the diluent softens the tar sand contacted and the impact of the jets and the scouring action of the aggregate, as impinged upon by the jets, removes the tar sand from the surface of the developing cavity into a water phase. A bitumen/diluent phase rises to the surface of the water phase and is removed from the cavity through the casing.

Abstract: A continuous process for recovering oil from raw oil shale using a new integrated hydropyrolysis/thermal pyrolysis technique and involving the addition of pulverized coal which produces oil which is more characteristic of typical crude oil, as well as providing supplemental gas and coal char fuel, and has unusually low heat and energy requirements, which process comprises passing hot and crushed raw shale to a slurry mixer where it is mixed with hot recycle heavy oil, treating the resulting slurry with hydrogen under elevated temperature and pressure for a short period, discharging the resulting mixture to a product stripper wherein the product hydrocarbons and a portion of the recycle slurry oil is vaporized and passed to a separation column where the desired fractions are removed and heavy gas oil recovered for recycle, mixing a portion of the heavy gas oil recycle with pulverized coal particles to form a pumpable coal slurry, discharging spent shale and remaining slurry oil from the product stripper to a t

Abstract: A continuous process for recovering shale oil from raw oil shale using a new integrated hydropyrolysis/thermal pyrolysis technique which produces high yields of improved quality liquid hydrocarbon products and has unusually low heat and energy requirements, which process comprises crushing and grinding raw oil shale, mixing the ore particles with hot recycle heavy oil to form a slurry, treating the slurry with hydrogen under elevated temperature and pressure for a short period, stripping out the desired liquid hydrocarbon products, passing the remaining slurry mixture to a thermal retort where under fluidized bed conditions it is subjected to increased temperatures by adding spent shale that has been burned in an air lift combustor at two different temperature level treatment zones, the upper zone being selected such that the temperature is sufficient to vaporize the remaining slurry oil, and the lower zone being selected such that the temperature is sufficient to retort spent shale and to thermally crack exc

Abstract: A multi-mode solar heat recovery device for use at an interior surface of a window. The device includes heat conductive plates for heat absorption of sunlight, reflected from corresponding light reflective surfaces. Each heat conductive plate includes heat conductive tubing and carrier fluid to convey the heat from the plate to a point of heat utilization, such as a water heater or space heater. Regulation of the heat recovery device is provided by automatic adjustment of the light reflective surfaces to variable orientations with respect to the incident sunlight and heat conductive plates. This variable orientation permits selection of (i) essentially complete light blockage when adjusted to a closed position, (ii) maximum light reflection to a heat absorbing surface when at an intermediate position and unobstructed transmittance of light when in a fully opened position. The heat recovery device is further adapted with a convection heat collector which may be utilized as a cooling device.