Abstract: A method for the in situ processing of oil shale ore includes the establishment of underground stopes by removing from each a portion of the oil shale ore therein, rubblizing the remaining ore in each stope, extracting the rubblized ore and crushing it to obtain a desired particle size for subsequent processing, and restoring the sized oil shale particles to the stope by backfilling the stope as the rubble is extracted. The stope is maintained substantially filled with ore to provide lateral support to the side walls and reduce the likelihood of caving in the stope. The oil shale is retorted by injection of hot gas into the stope, and residual carbon is recovered from the retorted ore as producer fuel gas. The sensible heat in the ore may thereafter be recovered for use in retorting oil shale ore in an adjacent stope.

Abstract: A method for the in situ processing of mineral-bearing oil shale ore includes the establishment of a plurality of underground stopes by removing from each a portion of the oil shale ore therein, rubblizing the remaining ore in each stope, extracting the rubblized ore and crushing it to obtain a nahcolite fraction and an oil shale fraction having a desired particle size for subsequent processing, and restoring sized oil shale particles to the stope by back filling the stope as the rubble is extracted so as to maintain the stope substantially filled with particles to provide lateral support to the side walls and reduce the likelihood of caving in the stope. The nahcolite fraction is recovered from the crushed ore prior to backfilling of the stopes for retorting to recover shale oil, while soda ash and alumina may be recovered from the spent shale by leaching the stopes after retorting.