Uh oh...
Posted on 05/08/2006 3:58:21 PM PDT by thackney
Shale reserves, estimated at more than two trillion barrels in the U.S., are a potential source of oil that now may be economically unlocked thanks to technology developed by Raytheon Company and its partner, CF Technologies.
Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business' radio frequency (RF) energy combined with critical fluid (CF) technology shows promise for efficiently extracting oil from shale.
"Raytheon is an expert in RF technology," said Lee Silvestre, director of Mission Innovation at Raytheon IDS. "What makes this effort a breakthrough is that similar RF technology that we have been applying in core defense products -- radars for tracking and guidance systems -- has demonstrated applications in the energy crisis."
Historically, the lack of an economical and environmentally friendly way for extracting oil from shale has kept it from being a significant energy source. Raytheon IDS and its partner, CF Technologies, located in Hyde Park, Mass., have struck upon a solution that could solve both the economic and environmental roadblocks.
"We have partnered with CF Technologies, a company expert in critical fluids processes," said Silvestre. "We are now talking with energy companies to license our unique, patent pending technological approach."
Combining RF and CF technologies provides a revolutionary way for recovering oil from shale reserves worldwide, according to John Moses, president of CF Technologies. Based on laboratory results and analysis, the oil produced is a light product, comparable to kerosene that can be produced by the unique process with high extraction efficiency.
"We took a systems approach to the energy problem," said John Cogliandro, Raytheon IDS chief engineer for the project. "Oil companies are under pressure to be more efficient in how they extract energy sources from the ground. Using our RF-CF technique provides a viable response to these pressures." In addition to producing more oil from shale formations, some companies may consider it an option for improving return from existing reserves that have been marginal, including heavy oils, tar sands and spent wells.
The development of this technology continues while outside experts are considering its ramifications.
Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a strong international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. armed forces.
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.
Contact: Guy Shields 978.858.5246
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Excellent news.
Brilliant! Inject the shale with radio broadcasts of Michael Savage, and the oil will run out of there shrieking!
I've been waiting for this one - I hope it pans out.
If it doesn't spontaneously burst into flames first.
LOL!
Good. Get on it.
Should we buy stock in CF Indutries, Raytheon or is it under another company name??
Yeah, but will it heat up my leftover pizza without making it soggy? THAT would be truly revolutionary.
It's under CO...and as long as we don't give it away to the Chi-coms this is great news....
I think the biggest technical hurdle will be getting the rock to the microwaves, or vice versa -- will it take a mining effort?
Uh oh...
Should not be a problem. The US is not exactly a big exporter of petroleum.
The problem is simple. There is no question that extraction from oil shale will take place sooner or later; not the problem. The "environmental roadblocks" are the problem. This is the result of a conscious, open-ended list of objections to any and all forms of energy that are economically feasible, and the redefinition and escalation of the unacceptability of each "acceptable" environmental impacts that comes up.
Make the Bugs and Bunny crowd go away and feasibility is dramatically redefined for the better.
NYSE: RTN
You volunteering to accept the tailings being dumped on your land?
I have Raytheon stock and it's been on a roll this year. It appears that CF is privately held. CF has a very impressive list of partners at their site: http://www.cftechnologies.com/
As far as I'm concerned, open pit mining and restoration is the fastest, most efficient and economical nethod of recovering this oil.
All other methods known to date effect only partial recovery, merely pushing further processing (and all the real and imagined problems) into the future.
A non solution setting up the rational segment of the American public for the accusations of the "I told you so" juveniles.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.