The Pumpherston retort (also known as the Bryson retort) was a type of oil-shale retort used in Britain at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century. It marked separation of the oil-shale industry from the coal industry as it was designed specifically for oil-shale retorting.[1] The retort is named after Pumpherston, West Lothian, which was one of the major oil shale areas in Great Britain. The retort was commercialized by Pumpherston Oil Company.
| Process type | chemical |
|---|---|
| Industrial sector(s) | oil shale industry |
| Feedstock | oil shale |
| Product(s) | shale oil, oil shale gas, ammonia |
| Leading companies | Pumpherston Oil Company |
| Inventor | William Fraser, James Bryson, James Jones |
| Year of invention | 1894 |
History
editThe Pumpherston retort was invented and patented in 1894 by William Fraser, James Bryson, and James Jones of Pumpherston Oil Company.[2] By 1910, 1,528 Pumpherston retorts were used in Scotland.[1] In addition, the retort was used in Spain and Australia.[3]
The Pumpherson design was used at Newnes and Torbane, in Australia, by Commonwealth Oil Corporation. The retorts at Newnes were later modified, by adding more off-takes, to make it better suited to oil-rich shale, by John Fell. The resulting design variant was patented by Fell, and was referred to as a 'modified Pumpherson' or 'Fell' retort.[4][5][6][7][8] That modified design was also used at Glen Davis.[4][9]
Design
editThe Pumpherston retort was a 35 feet (11 m) high cylindrical vessel containing two main sections.[10] The upper section was made of iron and the lower section was made of fire bricks. The raw oil shale was fed on the top of retort. Shale oil and oil shale gas were distilled at the upper section at the temperature of 750 to 900 °F (399 to 482 °C). At the lower section, the heat rose to 1,300 °F (704 °C) and steam was added to produce ammonia. The process required approximately 1,000 imperial barrels (160,000 L; 36,000 imp gal; 43,000 US gal) of water equivalent of steam per one ton of oil shale.[1][10][11]
The retort had a 15 ton capacity, and the residence time was 24 hours. It was started up by combustion of coal, but after the process started it was switched to the produced oil shale gas.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Louw, S.J.; Addison, J. (1985). Seaton, A. (ed.). "Studies of the Scottish oil shale industry. Vol.1 History of the industry, working conditions, and mineralogy of Scottish and Green River formation shales. Final report on US Department of Energy" (PDF). Institute of Occupational Medicine. pp. 38, 53–56. DE-ACO2 – 82ER60036. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ Talbot, Frederick Arthur (2007). The Oil Conquest of the World. READ BOOKS. pp. 182–193. ISBN 978-1-4086-1045-9. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ United States Office of Technology Assessment (June 1980). An Assessment of Oil Shale Technologies (PDF). DIANE Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-4289-2463-5. NTIS order #PB80-210115. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Shale Processing". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 January 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Ghost Towns: Newnes". visitsydneyaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Newnes Oil Shale - Wollemi National Park". www.geomaps.com.au. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Newnes Retorts". Sun. 3 July 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "TO WORK AGAIN". Sydney Morning Herald. 16 December 1914. p. 10. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Mainwaring, Ross (July 1993). "Glen Davis Oil Shale Works" (PDF). Light Railways. XXX (121). The Light Railway Research Society of Australia.
- ^ a b Alderson, Victor Clifton (2009). The Oil Shale Industry. BiblioBazaar. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-103-27580-9. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ Hull, Thomas (2009). Oils, Fats and Fuels. READ BOOKS. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4067-4163-6. Retrieved 28 November 2009.