United States
                    Environmental Protection
                    Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
                    Research and Development
EPA/600/S7-86/046 March 1987
&EPA         Project Summary
                    Pollution  Control  Technical
                    Manual  for  Unishale  B and
                    Unishale  C Oil  Shale  Retorting
                    Kishor H. Gala and Edward R. Bates
                      This, the seventh EPA-prepared pol-
                    lution control technical manual (PCTM)
                    on synfuels, describes the Unishale B
                    and C oil shale retorting processes. This
                    technical handbook provides process,
                    discharge, and pollution control data in
                    summarized form for the use of permit
                    writers, developers, and other interested
                    parties. The PCTMs cover a range of
                    alternate fuel sources, including  coal
                    gasification, coal liquefaction by direct
                    and indirect processing, and oil shale
                    retorting.
                      All PCTMs are  prepared  on a base
                    plant concept (coal gasification  and
                    liquefaction) or developers' proposed
                    designs (oil shale)  which may not fully
                    reflect plants to be built in  the future.
                    The PCTMs present examples of control
                    applications, both as individual process
                    units and  as integrated control trains.
                    These examples are taken in part from
                    applicable permit applications and,
                    therefore, reflect specific plants. None
                    of the examples are intended to convey
                    an Agency endorsement or recommen-
                    dation, but rather are presented  for
                    illustrative purposes. The selection of
                    control technologies for application to
                    specific plants is the exclusive function
                    of the designers and permitters who
                    have the flexibility to utilize the lowest
                    cost and/or most effective approaches.
                    Readers should be able to relate their
                    waste streams and controls to those
                    presented in these manuals to enable
                    them to better understand the extent to
                    which various technologies may control
                    specific waste streams and utilize the
                    information in selecting control tech-
                    nology for their specific needs.
  The PCTMs contain no legally binding
requirements or guidance, and nothing
contained  in the PCTMs  relieves a
facility from compliance with existing
or future environmental regulations or
permit requirements.
  This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory, Research Triangle
Park, NC, to announce key findings of
the research project that Is fully docu-
mented In a separate report of the same
title (see Project  Report ordering In-
formation at back).

Overview
  The EPA has undertaken an extensive
study to determine synthetic fuel plant
waste stream characteristics and pollution
control systems. The purpose of this and
all other PCTMs is to convey this in-
formation  in a manner that is readily
useful to designers, permit writers, and
the public.
  The Unishale B and C oil shale PCTM
addresses  two  retorting  technologies
developed by UNOCAL (Union Oil Com-
pany of California). This manual sum-
marizes information  published  by
UNOCAL and  others on the Unishale B
and C processes.  Major facility inputs
and outputs published by UNOCAL were
used as a  starting point to  develop a
description  of mine/retort and  upgrade
facilities capable of  producing 83,000
barrels/day (bpd)* of syncrude from
115,000 tons/day (tpd) of 34  gallon/ton
 Readers more  familiar with metric units
 may use the factors listed at the end of this
 Summary to convert to that system

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(gpt) raw  shale  feed. The engineering
design, stream compositions, and pollu-
tion control alternatives presented here
are not intended to represent or reproduce
exactly those proposed or employed by
UNOCAL at its Parachute facility or any
other such facility. The design presented
here represents  one of many possible
configurations for  an oil  shale facility
based on Union's technology, but in no
way obligates UNOCAL to adopt the
designs or pollution control options, nor
does it represent EPA's endorsement of
the designs and pollution control options.
Unishale B or C plants proposed or built
in the future can be expected to be similar
in most aspects to the plant described in
this document, but each can be expected
to vary  in some respects;  e.g., mining
methods, selection of particular control
technologies,  or  methods for  upgrading
the raw shale oil.
  This manual describes typical Unishale
B and C oil shale plants, characterizes
the  waste streams produced in each
medium,  and discusses  commercially
available controls which can  be applied
to the plant waste streams. From these
generally characterized controls, several
are examined in more  detail  for each
medium to illustrate typical control tech-
nology operation. Control technology cost
and performance estimates are presented,
together with descriptions of the dis-
charge streams, secondary waste streams,
and energy requirements.

Introduction
  Background information on the devel-
opment of the Unishale B and C retorting
processes is  presented  along with a
description of the site, in western Colora-
do,  where Union has proposed building
these two plants and has finished con-
struction of a 10,000-bpd commercial
size module plant.
  The Union Oil Phase I and  II projects
are at Union Oil's Parachute Creek pro-
perty in western Colorado.  Phase I con-
sists of  a  mine,  a single retort, and an
upgrading facility. The mine and retort
bench are along the east fork of Parachute
Creek; the upgrading facility is along the
lower portion of  Parachute Creek valley.
The  retorting and upgrading  areas are
connected with pipelines which run along
a pipeline corridor.
  The Phase I shale  oil upgrading facility
is about 3 mi northwest  of Parachute,
Colorado,  and is designed to  process
10,000  bpd  of raw oil  shale from the
Phase I Long Ridge experimental shale
oil plant. The Phase I mine will be at Long
Ridge and is  a conventional room-and-
pillar (RAP) "mine designed for 15,156
tpd,  5 days per  week, output. Average
run-of-the-mine  (ROM) shale quality is
34 gpt. Primary and secondary crushing
as well as raw  shale feed storage  are
carried  out underground. Retorting is
conducted aboveground in a Unishale B
indirectly heated vertical kiln retort.
  The proposed Phase II shale oil plant,
will expand crude shale oil production by
80,000 bpd, for a total of 90,000 bpd. The
Phase II mining, crushing, and retorting
facilities will be on Old Mountain, on the
south side of  the east fork of Parachute
Creek and  across  the valley from  the
existing Phase I Long  Ridge  mine and
retort bench.  The proposed Phase II ex-
pansion will  consume 115,000 tpd of
raw  shale,  about 15 x 106 cu ft/day of
natural gas, an average of 14,300 acre-
ft/yr  of water,  and  185  MW of peak
electricity to produce the  80,000 bpd of
crude shale oil, 220 tpd  of elemental
sulfur, and 300 tpd of anhydrous ammonia
by-products.
  A new RAP underground mine will be
constructed at Old  Mountain,  and will
include  underground  primary  crushing
and storage facilities. The existing Phase
I  Long Ridge  mine will be expanded in
support of  the Phase II activities. New
materials handling and surface retorting
facilities will be constructed and put into
service in 20,000-bpd increments. Retorts
will  be of the Unishale C configuration
which will include spent shale fluidized-
bed  combustors for additional energy
recovery through combustion of residual
carbon on the spent shale material. The
existing Phase  I upgrading facility will
also be expanded in 20,000-bpd incre-
ments to a total capacity of 90,000 bpd of
crude shale oil processing.
Process Flow Diagrams and
Flow Rates
  Forty-eight  flow diagrams  illustrating
all operations in the Unishale B and C
plant complexes are  presented in  the
report. The  integrated designs shown are
based on the development plans proposed
by Union Oil  Company of California for
the Phase II oil shale program, but other
viable scenarios are possible in the areas
of processing  and pollution control
  To understand the interactions through-
out the plant complex, overall  flow dia-
grams of both plant configurations based
on the Unishale  B and C retorting tech-
nologies are presented, followed by flow
diagrams for individual unit processes in
each configuration   Flow rates for all
major  process  and waste streams for
which information either exists or was
generated specifically for this document
by engineering calculations and judge-  I
ment are indicated on each of the more
detailed diagrams, flow rates for streams
of an auxiliary nature (e g., cooling water
and  steam) are not included in most
instances

Inventory and Composition of
Plant Process and Waste Streams
  All but the  most minor streams in the
plant complex  are  inventoried  in  the
report, and quantitative data are presented
to define important characteristics of the
streams. Detailed compositions  of  the
major streams are presented and show
changes in composition, from one point
to the next, throughout the plant
  The  stream compositions presented
were derived, to the extent possible, from
pilot plant  test data. In the absence of
data from  actual source testing, engi-
neering analyses were performed on the
technology and raw stream  information
from proposed industrial developments.
The sources of these data, whether actual,
estimated,  or derived from published or
unpublished information, are indicated.
  The data presented are internally con-
sistent for the overall plant complex, i.e  ,
the principal chemical elements involved
in emissions, effluents, and wastes are |
balanced  throughout the  plant. Trace "
elements  generally  are not considered
because of the lack of consistent data
available as a starting point  The stream
compositions derived  by  engineering
analysis generally agree with the available
data from  published sources Therefore,
the data presented, even though partly
derived by  engineering analysis,  are be-
lieved to be  both representative of the
actual  operations of such  a plant  and
accurate enough to lead to relevant con-
clusions in analyses of various pollution
controls

Pollution Control Technology
  The  report presents an  inventory of
pollution control technologies and  dis-
cusses, in depth,  some representative
controls for each medium (air, water, and
solid waste). The  inventory expands
beyond describing the  technologies that
have been proposed for  use by  various
developers  in  conjunction with  the
Unishale  B and C  retorting processes
That is, it discusses alternate and addi-
tional technologies  that provide  varying
levels of control. Although the inventory
is quite extensive, other possibilities may
exist and  should not be excluded from
consideration Changes in the design of .
the  plant  complex, changes in  the as-1

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sumptions made, and/or improved data
from  future testing  could  lead  to  the
selection of different controls.
  Each  subject area for  control (e.g.,
particulate  control)  begins  with  an in-
ventory of available technical approaches,
or technologies. Promising  new control
technologies not yet applied commercial-
ly, even  in related industries, are also
included  in  the  inventory  but are  not
described in detail.  Such new technol-
ogies may be applicable to the oil shale
industry if they are sufficiently developed
and tested in the future. The inventory is
followed  by a discussion of the most
important considerations in selecting a
control. Finally, a more detailed analysis
of performance and cost is presented for
a few control technologies that would be
appropriate for use  in conjunction with
the Unishale processes.
  Detailed  analyses  estimate pollution
control performance  and cost. Perform-
ance estimates generally require no more
than conceptual designs; however, the
reliability of the'performance estimates
varies depending on the application. The
estimates should be highly reliable where
a proven technology  is applied to a con-
ventional stream  for which experience
exists (e.g., flue gas desulfurization) but
I may be much  less accurate for controls
which require testing and which  are
applied to unconventional streams (e.g.,
biological oxidation). All performance
levels are given for instantaneous control
and reflect optimal operation, which may
be higher than the average level of per-
formance actually  achieved. All cost
estimates are  in mid-1980 dollars  and
are taken to the level of detail believed to
be necessary to achieve ± 30% accuracy.

Process Upsets, Aborts,  and
Emergency Containment
  A brief discussion is presented of pos-
sible process upset conditions,  and in-
formation is  presented on  treating/
disposing of wastes, off-spec products,
and spill  materials that may result from
aborted runs or accidental discharges.
Metric Equivalents
  Although EPA policy is to use metric
units  in all its reports, nonmetric units
have been used in this summary for the
reader's  convenience.  Readers  more
familiar with the metric system may use
the following factors to convert to that
system:
 Nonmetric
                Times
                         Yields Metric
acre-ft
bbl
ft3
gal.
ton
mi
1233
0.159
0.0283
0.00379
907
1.609
m3
m3
m3
m3
kg
km
   Kishor H. Gala is with Denver Research Institute, University of Denver, Denver,
     CO 80208.
   Edward 8. Bates is the EPA Project Officer fsee below)
   The complete report, entitled "Pollution Control Technical Manual for Unishale
     B and Unishale C Oil Shale Retorting, " (Order No PB 87-141 065 AS, Cost
     $42.95, subject to change) will be available only from
           National Technical Information Service
           5285 Port  Royal Road
           Springfield, V'A 22161
           Telephone 703-487-4650
   The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at
           Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
           U S. Environmental Protection Agency
           Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

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