Evaluation of solid bitumen created from marine oil shale bituminite under hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis conditions

This study tests the influence of environmental conditions on conversion of the maceral bituminite to a solid petroleum residuum (solid bitumen) during pyrolysis. The presence of water in sedimentary basins controls multiple processes during petroleum generation, migration, and storage. Four organic-rich (26–36 wt.% total organic carbon) oil shale samples were collected from thin-bedded (several cm thick), discontinuous outcrop exposures in the Neoproterozoic–Lower Cambrian restricted marine Salt Range Formation in the upper Indus Basin, Pakistan. Samples were from the Khewra Gorge (K-2) and Sohan Nala localities [SN-R(c), SN-5(b), SN-1]; a sample of Joadja torbanite coal from Australia containing terrigenous vitrinite was also included in the study for comparison. All samples were crushed, homogenized, and sieved to 4 (4.75 mm) or 8 (2.36 mm) mesh prior to pyrolysis experiments. Experiments used closed system batch reactors at subcritical water temperatures between 300 and 370°C for 72 hrs. The samples were pyrolyzed under hydrous and anhydrous conditions using distilled water, brine, or the absence of fluid as a condition of the experiment. These data tables represent the findings of this study and support an upcoming publication.