Oil Shale Assessment Based On ArcGIS

Knowledge of the size, distribution, and quality of the oil shale resources is important for governmental planning, meeting the medium- to long-term energy needs of the country, and industrial planning and growth.However, there is un-consistency of the previous national oil shale assessments due to the non-uniform methods and resources classification system. Because of differing systems of resource classification, these estimates vary greatly in magnitude within this Nation. At present, there isn't a uniform oil shale resources classification system worldwide yet. Secondly, the estimate of national oil shale in 2006 adopted the weighted factors on recovery coefficient to analyze miscellaneous effects on the estimates qualitatively and semi-quantitatively. Thirdly, although the volumetric method is adopted in the oil shale assessment by China and other countries, there are various criteria and measurement standards on the acreage, thickness, specific gravity, oil yield and overburden for the oil shale resources.To solve the mentioned problems, I come up with a new resource classification system and a set of assessment methods for oil shale in the thesis, after studying the previous domestic and foreign estimates and latest oil shale industry data. Second, I standardize the major parameters, resources/reserves categories and their definitions and formulas, allowing adoption of computer technology. Third, I apply some spatial analysis of the geographic information systems assisting the estimates of the oil shale resources and reserves in the example chapter of the green river formation of the Piceance Creek basin, Colorado. The thesis's results are following:1,A revised oil shale resource classification system has been set up, according to the international minerals, oil and gas disclosure standards.2,Miscellaneous factors are considered to affect the availability of oil shale resources, including economy, technology, jurisdiction and environment except for geology. According to the US latest oil shale data, the thesis gives new recovery criteria and a set of resources/reserves categories'formulas.3,I deduce the 2009 USGS oil shale assessment methodology, establish a Piceance basin's oil shale geodatabase in ArcCatalog, and simulate the oil shale strata in 3-dimension display of ArcMap. 4,The thesis calculates oil shale's resources quantitatively by the ArcGIS spatial analysis. The thesis provides the oil shale resources classification system, formulas and ArcGIS simulation and spatial analysis, which supplement to each other and constitute an entity. The ArcGIS assessment technique operates conveniently and effectively after actual estimates. It is also updated timely and dynamically. Thus, it could be a reference for the future assessment of the oil shale resources in China.