EFFECT OF PORE WATER AND ADSORBED MOISTURE ON THE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF GREEN RIVER OIL-SHALE

Moisture and pore water are found to have appreciable effects on the dielectric parameters of Green River oil shale. A regular decrease in the relative dielectric constant, ε′, and dielectric loss, ε″, with decreasing amount of adsorbed moisture and pore water is observed at 24°C for oil shale samples ranging in oil yields from ∼6-∼100 gallons per ton. The weak dependence of ε′ and ε″ on shale richness at frequencies in the range 50 Hz-1 MHz effectively rules out the application of dielectric techniques as an assay tool. The results are discussed in terms of interfacial polarization effects arising from the presence of adsorbed moisture and pore water in the oil shale matrix. © 1979.