Stites & Associates, LLC, and Ettanet, LLC., are pleased to announce the formation and launch of a new venture, Dragon Shale, LLC. This is the culmination of several years of work in the oil shale industry in the US. Stites and Ettanet have been pursuing separate paths in many technology aspects of alternative fuels – including oil shale. The two companies were brought together on a research project in early 2015.
That project involved placing six Chemical Engineering Interns from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore into US industries. A team consisting of Stites, Ettanet and the Interns turned out to be uniquely qualified to do a very broad, 10-week study of the oil shale industry. That industry is beset by not only technological challenges, but many business, finance and environmental challenges as well. The team went to work looking at all these challenges and found what looked to be some unique opportunities that Stites and Ettanet have continued to pursue. The work of the Team resulted in an eBook, a presentation at the 35th Oil Shale Symposium in Salt Lake City and now a new business entity.
The Team was able to find some unique logistical advantages in a remote property in Utah. That property looked to be ideal for implementing well tested, classic retorting methods to create a small volume oil shale operation that could be profitable. The small size has the advantages of not taxing the local infrastructure, minimizing environmental impacts and being of relatively low financial risk. The site chosen is located where the oil shale has high organic content, the shale has very low overburden, and there is ample on-site infrastructure. The site also has ample oil shale and other mineral resources, making many years of profitable production possible. Dragon Shale, LLC, is working with its strategic partner, the Colorado-Utah Oil Shale Company (CUOS), to develop this unique approach to the oil shale industry.
It would be a mistake to see Dragon Shale, LLC, as only a project based company. The launching of a profitable oil shale operation is a passion of the co-Founders, Ron Stites and O.J. Schneider, but their first love has always been technology development. Whereas existing, well established technologies will work for a small operation where logistical advantages abound, many problems remain for the oil shale industry world-wide. These problems must be solved if oil shale is to be a responsible and significant contributor to future energy markets. Stites and Ettanet have been working on several improved processes that look to have promise in:
- Increasing oil yield
- Improving energy efficiency while reducing CO2 footprint
- Improving oil quality
- Reducing capital and operating costs
- Reducing financial risk
- Mitigating potential environmental impacts
Dragon Shale has put together a great team of engineers, scientists and business people to not only launch oil shale projects where conditions make sense, but to continually improve oil shale technology and implement these improvements throughout the world.
For more information on Dragon Shale and its project with CUOS, visit our website at www.dragonshale.com.
Stites & Associates, LLC, is a group of technical professionals who work with clients to improve laboratory performance and evaluate and improve technology by applying good management judgment based on objective evidence and sound scientific thinking. For more information see: www.tek-dev.net.
Founded in 2002, Ettanet, LLC, is a privately held consulting firm that delivers technical support and consulting services to clients worldwide. For more information on Ettant visit: http://www.ettanet.com/.
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