[copious.abundance]

This is an excerpt from a much longer - and quite interesting - article. The article is about uranium supplies but I found the black shale angle very interesting.

>>> LINK <<<
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')...]

The Chattanooga shale in Tennessee contains a stratum, the Gassaway member, about 5 meters thick whose average content of uranium is about 70 grams per metric ton (Kerr, 1955). With a density of 2.5 metric tons per cubic meter, this would amount to about 175 grams of uranium per cubic meter, or to 875 grams per square meter for the total thickness of the member. Then for an area of a square mile the uranium content of this member would be 2.3 X 109 grams or 2300 metric tons. This does not sound impressive, and in fact, as compared with contents of the more familiar metallic ores, it is a trifling amount; nevertheless, the energy content of this member per square mile is equivalent to 30 billion barrels of oil, or to five East Texas oil fields. Uranium-rich black shales of Devonian-Mississippian age, which correlate with the Chattanooga, are widespread in the Mid-Continent area as well as in Tennessee and the neighboring states. In addition, the Sharon Springs member of the Pierre shale of Cretaceous age occurring in an extensive area of North and South Dakota east of the Black Hills is also rich in uranium. No attempt has been made to determine the amount of minable uranium which these shales must contain, but since their areal extent amounts to several hundred thousands of square miles, their uranium content would appear to be as much as several hundred million metric tons.

[...]

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'T')his is an excerpt from a much longer - and quite interesting - article. The article is about uranium supplies but I found the black shale angle very interesting.

[Tanada]

You might also take note that this type of Uranium deposit can be harvested by well, you drill a series of wells and pump a solvent solution through the formation, pump it back out at the other well and process the solvent to extract the metallic Uranium. This type of solvent extraction mining is cheaper and cleaner by an order of magnitude or more than conventional mining.

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'Y')ou might also take note that this type of Uranium deposit can be harvested by well, you drill a series of wells and pump a solvent solution through the formation, pump it back out at the other well and process the solvent to extract the metallic Uranium. This type of solvent extraction mining is cheaper and cleaner by an order of magnitude or more than conventional mining.

[sicophiliac]

Sure there is potential energy there but can it be extracted at a net energy return? I would reason that it wouldn't take nearly 30 billion barrels of oil to extract 1 square miles worth of shale and likely not even a tiny fraction of that but am I overlooking something ? While we are on the nuclear bandwagon by the way has anybody here ever done any reading on the potential of thorium instead of uranium for a nuclear fuel ? Especially in breeder reactors or liquid floride reactors?

[PrestonSturges]

I'm sure those folks can't wait for that uranium to show up in their well water.

[ColossalContrarian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'S')ure there is potential energy there but can it be extracted at a net energy return? I would reason that it wouldn't take nearly 30 billion barrels of oil to extract 1 square miles worth of shale and likely not even a tiny fraction of that but am I overlooking something ? While we are on the nuclear bandwagon by the way has anybody here ever done any reading on the potential of thorium instead of uranium for a nuclear fuel ? Especially in breeder reactors or liquid floride reactors?

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('sicophiliac', 'S')ure there is potential energy there but can it be extracted at a net energy return?

[Homesteader]

So how is nuclear power production doing compared to the nuclear curve on Hubbert's graph?

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', 'I')'m sure those folks can't wait for that uranium to show up in their well water.

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Homesteader', 'S')o how is nuclear power production doing compared to the nuclear curve on Hubbert's graph?

[copious.abundance]

Just FYI, here is a map showing the approximate extent of the Chattanooga shale. Not too surpiringly, it goes right through Chattanooga.



There are also several companies starting to poke some holes into this shale for its gas potential. I stumbled across this article when I was looking for any recent info on the gas results there.

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', 'J')ust FYI, here is a map showing the approximate extent of the Chattanooga shale. Not too surpiringly, it goes right through Chattanooga.
There are also several companies starting to poke some holes into this shale for its gas potential. I stumbled across this article when I was looking for any recent info on the gas results there.

[copious.abundance]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonsense', 'T')his abundance thing is getting out of CONTROL!

[Tyler_JC]

It is important to remember that the nuclear power industry stalled because of political reasons, not economic ones.

Countries that created policy environments favoring nuclear power (France), have thriving nuclear power industries.

Countries that panicked after Three Mile Island (US), have stunted nuclear power industries.

If the US were serious about allowing nuclear power to flourish, dozens of plants would be built and economies of scale would drag down the costs of construction.

That's not to say that there aren't legitimate concerns over nuclear power (waste, safety, nuclear proliferation, etc.) but I think we need to realize that the problems with nuclear power are not about economics or EROEI.

[NoWorries]

Well it certainly looks like this shale oil discovery really is the "Find of the Century". This is bigger than cold fusion.

[oxj]

Hunh. And to think that ORNL is in the middle of this. Who'd'ha' thunk?

[PrestonSturges]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', '
')

[PrestonSturges]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilFinder2', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonsense', 'T')his abundance thing is getting out of CONTROL!