Pumpherston retort
{{Short description|Type of oil-shale retort}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox industrial process
| name = Pumpherston retort
| image =
| caption =
| type = chemical
| sector = oil shale industry
| technologies =
| feedstock = oil shale
| product = shale oil, oil shale gas, ammonia
| companies = Pumpherston Oil Company
| facility =
| inventor = William Fraser, James Bryson, James Jones
| year = 1894
| developer =
}}
The Pumpherston retort (also known as the Bryson retort) was a type of oil-shale retort used in Britain at the end of 19th and beginning of 20th century. It marked separation of the oil-shale industry from the coal industry as it was designed specifically for oil-shale retorting.{{cite web
|title = Studies of the Scottish oil shale industry. Vol.1 History of the industry, working conditions, and mineralogy of Scottish and Green River formation shales. Final report on US Department of Energy
|author1=Louw, S.J. |author2=Addison, J.
| editor = Seaton, A.
| publisher = Institute of Occupational Medicine
| url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238757877
| pages = 38, 53–56
| year = 1985
| format = PDF
| id = DE-ACO2 – 82ER60036
| accessdate = 28 November 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726125905/http://www.iom-world.org/pubs/IOM_TM8502.pdf
| archive-date = 2011-07-26
}} The retort is named after Pumpherston, West Lothian, which was one of the major oil shale areas in Great Britain. The retort was commercialized by Pumpherston Oil Company.
==History==
The Pumpherston retort was invented and patented in 1894 by William Fraser, James Bryson, and James Jones of Pumpherston Oil Company.
{{cite book
|last1= Talbot |first1= Frederick Arthur
|title= The Oil Conquest of the World
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8vdkEIGMwL8C&pg=PA182
|year= 2007
|publisher= READ BOOKS
|pages=182–193
|accessdate = 28 November 2009
|isbn=978-1-4086-1045-9 }}
By 1910, 1,528 Pumpherston retorts were used in Scotland. In addition, the retort was used in Spain and Australia.
{{Cite book
| title= An Assessment of Oil Shale Technologies
| publisher = DIANE Publishing
| author = United States Office of Technology Assessment
| author-link = Office of Technology Assessment
| pages = 138
| url=http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk3/1980/8004/8004.PDF
| date = June 1980
| id = NTIS order #PB80-210115
| accessdate= 28 November 2009
| isbn = 978-1-4289-2463-5}}
The Pumpherson design was used at Newnes and Torbane, in Australia, by Commonwealth Oil Corporation. The retorts at Newnes were later modified, by adding more off-takes, to make it better suited to oil-rich shale, by John Fell. The resulting design variant was patented by Fell, and was referred to as a 'modified Pumpherson' or 'Fell' retort.{{Cite news |date=1951-01-12 |title=Shale Processing |pages=2 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18194689 |access-date=2022-04-26}}{{Cite web |title=Ghost Towns: Newnes |url=https://visitsydneyaustralia.com.au/newnes.html |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=visitsydneyaustralia.com.au}}{{Cite web |title=Newnes Oil Shale - Wollemi National Park |url=http://www.geomaps.com.au/scripts/newnesoilshale.php |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=www.geomaps.com.au}}{{Cite news |date=1932-07-03 |title=Newnes Retorts |pages=9 |work=Sun |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228878852 |access-date=2022-04-04}}{{Cite news |date=1914-12-16 |title=TO WORK AGAIN. |pages=10 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15568615 |access-date=2022-04-13}} That modified design was also used at Glen Davis.{{Cite journal |last=Mainwaring |first=Ross |date=July 1993 |title=Glen Davis Oil Shale Works |url=http://media.lrrsa.org.au/emir121/Light_Railways_121.pdf |journal=Light Railways |publisher=The Light Railway Research Society of Australia |volume=XXX |issue=121}}
Design
The Pumpherston retort was a {{convert|35|ft}} high cylindrical vessel containing two main sections.
{{cite book
|last1= Alderson |first1= Victor Clifton
|title= The Oil Shale Industry
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xeNBLHmlUW0C&pg=PA68
|year= 2009
|publisher= BiblioBazaar
|page=68
|accessdate = 28 November 2009
|isbn=978-1-103-27580-9}}
The upper section was made of iron and the lower section was made of fire bricks. The raw oil shale was fed on the top of retort. Shale oil and oil shale gas were distilled at the upper section at the temperature of {{convert|750|to|900|°F|°C}}. At the lower section, the heat rose to {{convert|1300|°F|°C}} and steam was added to produce ammonia. The process required approximately {{convert|1000|impbbl}} of water equivalent of steam per one ton of oil shale.
{{cite book
|last1= Hull |first1= Thomas
|title= Oils, Fats and Fuels
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AiOEF-eGBvwC&pg=PA61
|year= 2009
|publisher= READ BOOKS
|page=61
|accessdate = 28 November 2009
|isbn=978-1-4067-4163-6}}
The retort had a 15 ton capacity, and the residence time was 24 hours. It was started up by combustion of coal, but after the process started it was switched to the produced oil shale gas.