American Shale Oil

  1. Pages with script errors
  2. Oil companies of the United States
  3. Oil shale companies
  4. Companies based in Colorado
  5. Total S.A.


American Shale Oil
Type Private
Industry Oil shale industry
Predecessor(s) EGL Oil Shale
Headquarters Rifle, Colorado, United States
Key people Howard Jonas (CEO)
Owner(s) IDT Corporation
Total S.A.
Website www.amso.net

The American Shale Oil, LLC (AMSO), formerly known as EGL Oil Shale, LLC, is a developer of in-situ shale oil extraction technology. It is owned 50% each by affiliates of IDT Corporation and Total S.A..[1] AMSO is based in Rifle, Colorado with offices in Newark, New Jersey and Livermore, California.[2]

History

EGL Oil Shale was established as a subsidiary of EGL Resources, a privately owned independent oil and gas company with operations in the southwestern United States. In 2006, it was awarded a lease by the United States Bureau of Land Management to develop and demonstrate its in-situ oil shale extraction technology in Western Colorado. On 22 January 2008 IDT Corporation and EGL Resources signed an agreement, according to which IDT acquired 75% of EGL Oil Shale and renamed it AMSO, LLC. AMSO was formed on 15 February 2008.[3][4] Shortly thereafter, IDT bought an additional 15% of AMSO. Subsequently, on 3 March 2009, French oil major Total bought 50% of AMSO's shares, with EGL Resources selling their remainder and IDT[1] retaining 50%. IDT is currently the operating partner.

Operations

American Shale Oil develops the "Conduction, Convection, Reflux" or CCR oil shale conversion process (formerly known as the EGL Resources Process). The process combines horizontal wells, which are heated by a downhole burner or other means, and other horizontal or vertical wells, which provide both heat transfer through refluxing of generated oil and a means to collect and produce the oil. The only fluids injected into the formation are recycled fractions of the produced oil in order to optimize the properties of the in-situ oil pool for refluxing. Heat transfer by the refluxing oil is expected to be somewhat faster than in the Shell ICP due to permeability generated by thermomechanical fracturing, but a similar quality of oil is expected. AMSO is leasing a 160 acres (650,000 m2) test tract in the Piceance Basin from the Bureau of Land Management.[5][6] AMSO is currently preparing for a pilot test of its process in 2010. The pilot test aims to demonstrate recovery of shale oil from the illitic oil shale in Garden Gulch member at the bottom of the Green River formation, which is isolated from usable water in the upper part of the formation by the saline mineral zone.

Management

The company's chairman and chief executive officer is Howard Jonas, the founder and chairman of IDT Corporation. The president is Claude Pupkin. The chief technology officer and project manager is Alan K. Burnham [3], and the vice president for operations is Roger L. Day.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Total buys 50 pct stake in AMSO to sell shale oil". Reuters. 2009-01-14. http://uk.reuters.com/article/mnaNewsTechMediaTelco/idUKLE35613420090114. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  2. ↑ Script error
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "IDT Corporation Introduces Shale Oil Division". Reuters. 2008-02-15. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS155522+15-Feb-2008+BW20080215. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  4. ↑ "IDT grabs share of shale". Upstream Online (NHST Media Group). 2008-01-22. http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article147487.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  5. ↑ "Innovation in Shale Technology". EGL Shale.. 2006-11-16. http://www.egloilshale.com/. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
  6. ↑ Script error

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