Experimental study on the thermophysical properties of Jimsar oil shale

Oil shale is a potential strategic reserve resource and a significant supplementary energy source due to its huge reserves and numerous utilization methods. The study of oil shale thermophysical properties can provide significant guidance for proposed in-situ mining. Taking the oil shale in Jimsar, Xinjiang as an example and using thermophysical experiments, this paper studies the variation in thermophysical properties of oil shale with temperature. The results show that the specific heat capacity of oil shale increases with increasing temperature below 390 & DEG;C, but the change decreases with increase of temperature; however, when the temperature exceeds 390 & DEG;C, the specific heat value change fluctuates irregularly. At 31-720 & DEG;C, the thermal expansion of oil shale indicates obvious anisotropy. Namely, in the vertical bedding direction, the thermal expansion rate manifests a typical two-stage increase, while in the parallel bedding direction, the thermal expansion coefficient exhibits an overall increasing trend but fluctuates significantly due to the reaction of components within the oil shale.