Inkcazo: I-shale ye-oyile yinto yokwakheka kwidwala elinezityebi. Le nkunkuma ayikho i-petroleum yamanzi, kodwa imveliso yendalo evela kwizityalo zaselwandle zasemandulo kunye nezilwanyana. I-Kerogen inokuguqulwa ibe yioli xa iyatshisa ixesha elide. I-oil shale akufanele idideke kunye neoli ye-shale , eyona nto ioli ehlanjelwe kwiindawo zerwala le-shale.
I-shale ye-oyile ayifumanekanga ngokuthengisa. Nangona kunjalo, iCongress yenza ukuhlolisiswa kweoli kubeka phambili kwi-"Shale Oil, Tar Sands, nakwezinye i-Strategic Unconventional Fuels Act ka-2005." Ngenxa yoko, imingeni ekwenzeni ioli kwi-shale-rich shale inokutshatyalaliswa ngubuchwepheshe obutsha.
Oku kunako ukwenza i-US isizwe esithumela ngamafutha, ngoko kuphelisa ukuxhomekeka kwayo kwioli yelizwe langaphandle.
IiHlondolozo ze-Oil Shale
Ngoxa i-oil shale itholakala kwihlabathi jikelele, i-US inomlinganiselo omkhulu, uqikelelwa phakathi kwee-1.3 ukuya kwi-3 trillion barrels, kwi-Green River eyakhelwe e-Colorado, e-Utah nase-Wyoming. Nangona iibhiliyoni ezili-800 kuphela ezinokubuyiselwa kwakhona, le nto iphindwe kathathu ngaphezu kweenqwelo eziyi-262.6 zeebhilidi kwiindawo zokugcina iioli ze- Saudi Arabia. Amafutha e-US shale reserves anganika iimfuno zeoli zaseMelika, malunga neebhiliyoni ezingama-20 ngemitha ngemini, iminyaka eyi-100. (Umthombo: "I-Oyili yaseMerika ifumana iiOyile ezingakumbi kune-OPEC," i-ABC News, ngoNovemba 13, 2012. "Isikhokelo se-Oil Shale," i-US Bureau of Management Land.)
Phantse iikota ezintathu ze-oil shale zigcinwa nguRhulumente wase-US, ngenxa yoMthetho we-Pickett ka-1910. Oku kubekwe bucala kwiCalifornia nase-Wyoming ukunikezela ioli ye-US Navy, eyashintsha kwilahle kunye neoli ukuze ikwazi ukulawula iinqanawa zayo.
I-Navy yavelisa iNkqubo ye-Naval Petroleum kunye ne-Oil Shale Reserves Programme ngo-1925. Yanyuswa nguMongameli Roosevelt kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II. Isiqalo sokuqala sesizwe, i-Elk Hills eCalifornia, sakhupha ioli ye-Navy, kwaye yathengiswa kwi-Occidental Petroleum nge-$ 3.65 yezigidigidi ngo-1998-eyona nto ibalulekileyo kwimbali yase-US.
Nangona kunjalo, izakhiwo ze-shale zisabanjwe yiBhovisi le-Ulawulo loMhlaba wase-US. (Umthombo: "ii-Oil Shale Reserves," Daily Reckoning,)
I-Oil Shale Extraction
Ngokuqhelekileyo, i-Nature ithatha izigidi zeminyaka yoxinzelelo kunye nokufudumala ukuguqula i-kerogen kwinqwelo yeoli kwioli engcolileyo. Umntu unokukhawulezisa le nkqubo ngokumbiwa kwe-shale emigodini evulekile. Kuyakucatshulwa kwinkqubo ebizwa ngokuba yi-retorting. Ioli kufuneka ihlukaniswe edwaleni ize iqokelelwe. Le nkqubo iyabiza, yakha imikhomo evulekile engabonwa kwisithuba, kunye neziphumo kwiitoni zesanti ezinobuthi kufuneka zigcinwe ngokukhuselekileyo.
I-Shell iye yavelisa inkqubo yokutshisa i-shale phantsi komhlaba eyenza ukukhawuleza le nkqubo yendalo. Le nkqubo yokuguqulwa kwe-in-situ iyatshisa i-shale ibe ngama-650 ukuya ku-750 amaFahrenheit kwiminyaka emibili ukuya kwimithathu. Oku kukhupha ioli ye-kerogen kunye ne-gesi, ephoswa phezulu. (Umthombo: "I-Oil Shale Overview," i-Institute for Energy Energy.)
I-oil shale extraction iyabiza kakhulu ukuvelisa kuneoli eqhelekileyo, kodwa isabiza ixabiso kumaxabiso anamafutha namhlanje. Kubiza imali engama-$ 40- Amandla anamandla, kodwa akukho ngaphezu kokutsalwa kweoli ye-shale kunye nezinye ioli "eqinile".
Kuyinyaniso ukuba ama-25% wamandla akhiqiweyo kufuneka asetyenziswe ukukhipha umgqomo olandelayo. Nangona kunjalo, lo mlinganiselo sele usetshenzisiwe kunye nokutsalwa kwe-steam yeoli "enzima". Ukongezelela, umkhiqizo wokugqibela ukhanya ngakumbi kwaye ucocekile kunowamafutha amaninzi.
Amaqela angqongileyo akhathazeke ngokumalunga namanzi afunekayo ukuvelisa i-oli shale. Oku kukuxhalabisa kakhulu kwiNtshona. Kuphakathi kweyunithi enye ukuya kweyantathu yamanzi ayadingeka ukuvelisa iyunithi enye yeoli. Nangona kunjalo, oku kuyisishumi esinye seshumi amanzi adingekayo ukuvelisa i-biofuels, efuna ingqolowa enxilisayo kakhulu njengokwakheko lwesiseko. (Umthombo: uJeremy Boak, uMlawuli weZiko loThnoloji noThando lwee-Oil Shale School of Mines)
Nangona uthembisayo, ukukhutshwa kwamanzi kusenokufuneka kusombulule iingxaki ezinkulu zobuchwepheshe. Eyona nto ibaluleke kakhulu ukuqinisekisa ukuba ioli ayifaki kwitafile zamanzi ezijikelezileyo.
Indlela efanelekileyo yokwenza oku ibhafisa amanzi malunga nendawo yokucoca. Uyabona ngokulula ukuba ukugcina amanzi okhenkcezayo kummandla oye wavutha kwi-degree ye-750 kuyimingeni eyimfuneko neyindleko.
Ekugqibeleni kodwa, ubuncwane bamafutha obushushu bungasongela indawo yokuhlala yasendle, ukwandisa ukungcola komoya, kwaye kuveliswe inkunkuma eyingozi. Ukufudumala kwehlabathi kukukhupha. Iyunithi nganye yeoli ye-shale eveliswayo ivelisa kwiiyunithi ezingama-20 ze-CO2, xa kuthelekiswa neeyunithi ezine ze-C02 nganye kwiyunithi yesoyile engcolileyo. Ngako oko, umgaqo obaluleke kakhulu kukuphucula ubuchwepheshe bokukhipha, kunokuba ixabiso leoli. (Imithombo: iBhunga loKhuseleko loLondolozo lweNdalo, i- Oil Shale ngeNombolo , ngo-Agasti 2008; Intlanganiso-ndlebe kunye noGavin Longmuir, umcebisi nge-International Petroleum Consultants Association, Inc. Uneminyaka engama-25 engama-injini ye-petroleum kwi-oil oil industry, ukuphuhliswa kwamasimi ezayo eoli, uvavanyo lwezoqoqosho lwamathuba okuhlola nokuhlola ubuchwepheshe obutsha.)