[copious.abundance]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'Y')ou are being overly pessimistic. If the Shell process has an EROEI of 6:1 then microwave is closer to 11.1:1 on High. If you select "Baked Potato" then the EROEI jumps to an astounding 11.35 +/-.01 I prefer mine with a little Parmigiano Reggiano and Chianti.

[bencole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', '
')But if, as seems likely, this microwaving process is more energy efficient than the other ones being bandied about, its EROEI will be better than the others.

bencole I based that statement on what someone on The Oil Drum said here. I've highlighted it in red.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'H')ere ya go.
>>> The Oil Drum <<<
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]EROI [of oil shale]

Reported EROIs (energy return on investments) are generally in the range of 1.5:1 to 4:1, with a few extreme values between 7:1 and 13:1. The main difference between oil sands and oil shale is that the oil sands are particles of sand, surrounded by a microscopic layer of water that is itself surrounded by heavy bitumen (thick oil). Separating the oil from the oil sands is much easier because of this water layer, since the oil is ‘‘suspended’’ in the water/sand layer and not directly stuck on or in the sand as is the case for oil shale. This makes oil shale much more energy intensive to separate (Ibid). As such, shale oil production - whether through surface retorting or ICP - is more energy-intensive than conventional oil production or from tar sands, and even enhanced recovery from oil fields. In fact, upstream energy consumption per unit of final fuel delivered is roughly 1.75-2.75 times that of conventional petroleum production (Brandt 2007). Tar sands and oil shales seem to be in the same “EROI ballpark”.

Shell reports that in their ICP in situ process they consume 1 Btu for every 3 Btu’s of energy produced, corresponding to an EROI of 3:1 (Ibid). However, if the energy input is electricity and the output oil this would imply a quality-corrected EROI of close to unity. On the other hand the utilization of natural gas produced during the ICP in-situ process doubles the energy efficiency to 6 Btu of energy produced for each Btu consumed corresponding to an EROI of 6:1. In addition shale oils are a special case, like tar sands, where a large proportion of the energy can be generated from the resource itself (Ibid).

For the mining and retort process, the net energy return (NER) is very low if total energy inputs are counted (NER < 1.5) (Brandt 2006, 2007). In a more recent study, Brandt concludes that the EROI for shale oil production using an ATP retort (a method reported to have the highest conversion efficiency – 88%) is somewhere between 1.9 and 2.5 (2007). However, based on a study in Kentucky USA, if some of the measurable environmental costs associated with shale oil production are included, the EROI drops another 3-9% (Lind and Mitsch 1981). Furthermore, Cleveland concludes that the EROI for shale oil ranges above and below the break even point, depending on assumptions regarding location, resource quality, and technology characterization (2005). The use of microwaves, an old technology with new enthusiasts behind it, supposedly would generate higher EROIs but there have been studies of this yet in actually field conditions.

[bencole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'b')encole I based that statement on what someone on The Oil Drum said here. I've highlighted it in red.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]The use of microwaves, an old technology with new enthusiasts behind it, supposedly would generate higher EROIs but there have been studies of this yet in actually field conditions.

[copious.abundance]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bencole', '
')This just reiterates what I said previously , in that this process hasn't been tested under field conditions, therefore no claims can be made of its potential EROEI advantage.

[...]


When they do tests we will at most find out something, not more, about the viability of this process, since there is no information right now to base anything on.

[bencole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', '
')I'll be sure to keep you informed as they test the process in the field over the next several years.

[Oerdin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'E')verybody's favorite topic.

>>> Bloomberg <<<