science

Paraho process

Paraho process is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Paraho process rather than just read about it. In short: The Paraho process is an above ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction. The name "Paraho" is delivered from the words "para homem", which means in Portuguese "for mankind".

Key takeaways

Paraho process belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Paraho process to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Paraho process from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Paraho process is an above ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction. The name "Paraho" is delivered from the words "para homem", which means in Portuguese "for mankind".

History The Paraho process was invented by John B. Jones, Jr., later president of the Paraho Development Corporation, and developed by Development Engineering, Inc., in the late 1960s. Its design was based on a gas combustion retort developed by the United States Bureau of Mines and the earlier Nevada–Texas–Utah Retort. In the late 1940s, these retorts were tested in the Oil Shale Experiment Station at Anvil Points in Rifle, Colorado. In 1971, the Standard Oil of Ohio started to cooperate with Mr. John B. Jones providing financial support for obtaining an oil shale lease at Anvil Points. In May 1972, the lease was approved. Before leasing a track at Anvil Points, a test of using the Paraho Direct process for limestone calcination in cement kilns was carried out. The consortium for developing the Anvil Points lease – the Paraho Development Corporation – was formed in 1973. In addition to the Standard Oil of Ohio, other participants of the consortium were Atlantic Richfield, Carter Oil, Chevron Research, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron, Gulf Oil, Kerr-McKee, Marathon Oil, Arthur G. McKee, Mobil Research, Phillips Petroleum Company, Shell Development, Southern California Edison, Standard Oil Company (Indiana), Sun Oil, Texaco, and the Webb-Chambers-Gary-McLoraine Group. Shale oil retorting started in 1974 when two operational retorts – pilot plant and semiworks – were put into operation. The semiworks unit achieved a maximum throughput capacity of 290 tons (263 tonnes) of raw oil shale per day. In March 1976, the Paraho Development Corporation tested a modification of its technology – the Paraho Indirect process. The Anvil Points lease was closed in 1978. In 1976–1978, under the contracts with the United States Navy, Paraho technology was used for production of 100,000 barrels of crude shale oil. It was tested for using as military transportation fuels. The Gary Western Refinery in Fruita, Colorado, refined the Paraho shale oil for production of gasoline, jet fuels, diesel fuel marine, and heavy fuel oil. Paraho JP-4 aviation fuel was tested by the United States Air Force in the T-39 jet aircraft flight, which took a place between the Wright Patterson Air Force Base (Dayton, Ohio) and the Carswell Air Force Base (Fort Worth, Texas). In addition, the Paraho heavy fuel oil was used for fueling a Cleveland-Cliffs Iron ore carrier during its 7-day cruise on Great Lakes. On 13 June 1980, the Department of Energy awarded $4.4 million contract (participants providing additional $3.7 million) for an 18-month study to construct an 18,000 TPD modular demonstration shale oil plant producing 10,000 BPD on a lease 40 miles southeast of Vernal, Utah. The demonstration module was never built. In 1982, Paraho’s semi-works plant was torn down when the Anvil Points station was decommissioned, but the pilot plant was moved to an adjacent plot of private land. In 1987, Paraho reorganized as New Paraho and began production of SOMAT asphalt additive used in test strips in 5 States. In 1991, New PARAHO reported successful tests of SOMAT shale oil asphalt additive. On 28 June 2000, Shale Technologies purchased Paraho Development Corporation and became owner of the proprietary information relating to the Paraho oil shale retorting technologies. On 14 August 2008, Queensland Energy Resources announced that it will use the Paraho Indirect technology for its Stuart Oil Shale Project.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paraho process

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paraho process claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Paraho process before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Paraho process ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Paraho process

In research: Paraho process appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Paraho process in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Paraho process is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Oil shale technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paraho process outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Paraho process in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Paraho process means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Paraho process out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paraho process in simple terms?

The Paraho process is an above ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction. The name "Paraho" is delivered from the words "para homem", which means in Portuguese "for mankind".

Why does Paraho process matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Paraho process?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Paraho process.