Resource Assessment
The first oil crisis of 1973 prompted Morocco to develop its oil shale resources and BRPM, the National Petroleum and Mining Exploration Company, carried out, in the mid-1970s, geological reconnaissance and drilling campaigns for the assessment of the resources of the two main oil shale deposits in Morocco: Timahdit in the Middle Atlas and Tarfaya in southern Morocco.
27. Timahdit Oil Shales, Work Programme, June July 1974, BRPM/DEM, Doc ONHYM No. 90 254 674.
28. Potentiel des réserves dans le synclinal d’El Koubbat du Gisement de Timahdit, M. Amelhay, 1974, Doc ONHYM No 92 222 374.
29. Tarfaya Oil Shales, Lithologic Description of Boreholes STAR 1 to 25, BRPM/DEM, Doc ONHYM No. 94031 0.
Timahdit Engineering Study
BRPM obtained in 1981 the financing from the World Bank for the Timahdit oil shale development project including a mining study of the Timahdit deposit performed by MORRISON KNUDSON as well as the installation and operation of a 70-t capacity pilot unit designed according to the T3 process.
30. Timahdit Oil Shale Project Executive Summary, Vol. 7, Morrison Knudson Inc., 1983, ONHYM’s Documentation No. 90102 485.
31. T3 Pilot Plant – Final report of the tests, Omar Bekri, DSB, ONAREP – ONHYM’s Documentation No. 92153 1286.
Pilot plant Studies
Within the framework of contracts signed by BRPM and ONAREP with the American companies UNION OIL, PARAHO and TOSCO and the Soviet company TECHNOPROMEXPORT, retorting pilot plant tests were carried out on Timahdit oil shales for oil extraction according to their respective processes. [Ref. 32 to 35].
32. Timahdit Oil Shale Study, Final report, Union Oil, 1977, Doc ONHYM No. 921 371 277
33. Moroccan Oil shale laboratory examination, PARAHO, Final Report, 1980, Doc. ONHYM No. 96 017 280
34. Timahdit Oil shale Feasibility Study, Retorting Pilot Tests, Tosco, 1982, Doc ONHYM No. 90 066 482
35. Timahdit Oil Shale retorting using Galoter and Kiviter Process, Tallinn, Estonia, Technopromexport, September 1986.
SIEMENS, JNOC (Japan National Oil Corporation), PETROBRAS and UMATAC have also carried out (on their own expenses) pyrolysis tests in their laboratory and pilot facilities. [Ref. 36 & 40].
36. Pilot Plant Tests of Timahdit Oil Shale, Joseco, Japan National Oil Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, Omar Bekri, September 1983, Doc. ONHYM No. 901721083.
37. Fluidized Bed Oil Shale Pyrolysis of Timahdit Oil shales under High Hydrogen Pressure, December 1986, Siemens / KWU, Erlangen, Germany.
38. Analysis results of Timahdit Oil Shales, Pertrobras,1974, Doc. Onhym N° 96083 74 .
39. Oil Shale Development in Brazil, Petrobras, Sao Mateus do Sul and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, O. Bekri, July 1987 and October 1990.
40. Tarfaya Oil Shale Retorting tests using Taciuck Process, October 1989, AOSTRA, UMATEC, Calgary, Canada.
Introduction
Timahdit and Tarfaya oil shale deposits have both been the subject of three feasibility studies of oil production commercial projects made by OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM, TOSCO - PARIBAS Group and ROYAL DUCH SHELL. [Ref. 41 to 48].
41. Oil shale Development in Morocco, O. Bekri, R. Bouchta, 1st Worldwide Synfuels Symposium, Brussels, October 1981.
42. Oil shale Activity in Morocco, O. Bekri, H. Baba Habib, M. Zaidi, 2nd Chemistry National Congress, Moroccan Chemical Society, Marrakech Faculty of Sciences, 19-21 January 1989.
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM / BECHTEL FEASIBILITY STUDY
BRPM has entered in 1979 into a study and works contract with the oil company Occidental Petroleum (OXY) for the application of the Modified in-situ pyrolysis process to the oil shale Timahdit deposit.
An extensive geological and mining work program including boreholes, excavations, galleries, shafts, and bure were carried out for the evaluation of reserves and the study of the mining stability of the deposit.
these results added to those of the pilot plant tests for the simulation of the process on Timahdit were used by BECHTEL Engineering & Construction to carry out the feasibility study of the project.
43. Timahdit Oil Shale Retorting by Modified Situ Process in Occidental Petroleum Pilot Plant, Irvine, CA, USA, Omar Bekri, March 1980.
44. Characteristics of Timahdit Shale Oil Produced in Modified In Situ Pilot Plant, Occidental Research Center, Irvine, CA, USA, Omar Bekri, March 1980.
45. Moroccan Oil Shale Laboratory Studies – Final Report, Doc. ONHYM No. 96 024 281.
46. Economic Feasibility Study of the Timahdit Oil Shale Pyrolysis Project Using the In- Situ Process, December 1980, Bechtel, San Francisco, CA, USA.
TOSCO / PARIBAS FEASIBILITY STUDY
TOSCO CORPORATION has partnered with PARIBAS BANK to carry out a technical and economic study of a project for the exploitation of the oil shale of Timahdit.
TOSCO carried out the mining study and pilot tests (Tosco process) and Paribas covered the financial part of the study.
47. Timahdit Oil shale Feasibility Study Final Report, Tosco / Paribas, 1984, Doc ONHYM No. 90 065 684.
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PROJECT
As per the memorandum of understanding signed with ONAREP in October 1981, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL carried out a very large study for the exploration and exploitation of the Tarfaya shale deposit which lasted over a period of 6 years.
The project's feasibility study is a synthesis of the following studies and works:
- Drilling of 103 boreholes (GEOBEMA, Casablanca),
- Laboratory Analyses : WESTERN ANALYTICAL and J&A ASSOCIATES, US,
- Resource Evaluation, Process Development and Feasibility study performed by SHELL PROSPECTING BV, Amsterdam,
- Tarfaya Oil Shale Crushing and Grinding Study: BILLITON RESEARCH B.V. N.L.
- Mining study done by BECHTEL CIVIL & MINERAL INC. (US),
- Digging of an experimental oil shale quarry in block No.2 of the Tarfaya deposit: ENTREPRISE MAROCAINE DE TRAVAUX, EMT,
- Environmental Study by UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL,
The project, whose production capacity is 53,800 bbl/d produced from 166,000 t of oil shale, required in 1987 an investment of 2.8 billion dollars.
The Shell feasibility Study reports on Geology, Hydrogeology, Resource assessment, Mining, Process, and Environment could be considered as the basic documents on Tarfaya oil shale.
48. Tarfaya Oil Shale Project Morocco, Feasibility Study, Shell Prospecting BV., The Hague, April 1987.
