Oil shale is a thinly layered, blocky to fissile (breaking into
thin layers), sedimentary rock rich in preserved organic material that yields significant amounts of oil and gas when heated sufficiently. Oil shale was commonly deposited in
large, fresh to highly saline lakes or in shallow marine environments. The organic material consists of kerogen,
a complex mix of fossilized remains mainly of algae and cyanobacteria.
The global resource of oil potentially available from oil
shale is substantially larger than the amount of oil
produced historically. Potential reserves have been
estimated at 2.8 trillion barrels of oil. However, recent
revision of Chinese resource estimates may potentially
add ~300 billion barrels to the global resource. All
estimates of recoverable shale oil are uncertain at this
time, but at least ten countries have resources estimated
at greater than 15 billion barrels, most of them outside the Middle East.
The Colorado School of Mines is pleased to announce
formation of the Center for Oil Shale Technology and
Research (COSTAR) to conduct research in support of development of this resource. The kickoff meeting for this center was held at CSM April 17-18, 2008. Research will
cover:
- Rock Physics and Rock Mechanics
- Geological and Stratigraphic Controls on Oil Shale Formation
- Geochemistry of Oil Shale
In addition, the Center will support an Oil Shale Information Office to:
- Develop a geographically referenced database of oil shale materials from CSM’s large repository of related materials.
- Support research into oil shale, including assistance to researchers, cataloguing and analysis of available data, and continued support of the Oil Shale Symposium series.
The Center, along with the Colorado Energy Research Institute (CERI), the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and other sponsors hosts the annual Oil Shale Symposium. The Oil Shale Symposium is the premier technical meeting on this resource. The Symposium will review development of oil shale resources worldwide, including research & development, environmental impact analysis, regulatory framework, and project & program status. The program includes both oral and poster presentations. |
