| abstract |
A process for recovering and upgrading hydrocarbons from oil shale by contacting the oil shale solids in the presence of an acidic or oxidative catalytic substance with a water-containing fluid at a temperature in the range of from at least 705 DEG F., the critical temperature of water, to about 900 DEG F., in the absence of externally supplied hydrogen, wherein the water has a density of at least 0.15 gram per milliliter. Examples of such acidic or oxidative catalytic substance are molecular oxygen, sodium bisulfate, sodium bisulfite, and carbon dioxide. |