In the nearest future, pyrolytic conversion of solid fossil fuels may become an important source of energy resources. Due to this fact, the technologies of heating of subterranean formations are created. This article describes the experience of creating the laboratory setup for the investigations of methods and modes for fuels heating in the conditions similar to the underground ones. Applied technical solutions and the results of their application are described.

Extraction of shale gas and oil has significantly benefited the US economy. However, the applied technology of hydraulic fracturing is inefficient and ecologically unsafe. Electrophysical underground pyrolytic conversion of oil shale kerogen in energy stock can solve these problems. This processing method is feasible due to treeing in rock volume. Treeing has been widely studied in insulation as a negative factor. With regard to oil shale this phenomenon is examined insufficiently despite the fact that in this application area it has its distinctive features and is crucial for the initiation of rock heating and its further conversion. This article describes the shale’s dendrite morphology which is non-typical of conventional treeing in insulation. Features of the discharge structures’ formation are associated with a change of oil shale conductivity by discharge and with a high degree of rock heterogeneity.

The possible ways of shale destruction under electrophysical treatment were discussed. The products destruction were analyzed by GC-MS, DTA-TG and elemental analysis. The pyrolysis products formation was shown.

Attention to oil shale processing as unconventional energy source grows significantly. Electrical discharge phenomena application allows creating new efficient technology. Dynamics of PD basic characteristics of voltage in oil shale is described in this paper. Thermodestruction with abnormally high rate is occurred and caused by PD activity. Critical PD incept under low electrical intensity due to oil shale porosity, anisotropy and heterogeneity. PD induce treeing with following electrothermal breakdown. Organic content has influence on electrical discharges phenomena in oil shale. Therefore, the detailed study of PD, treeing and breakdown in oil shale allows developing an efficient method of inferior solid fossil fuels processing.

This article describes the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with TGA results obtained for the Russian Respublika Sakha Olenek, Kuznetsk Basin Dmitriyevka and Sergeyevka, and Chinese Jilin province Huadian oil shale deposits in air and argon medium. Industrial applicability of each shale deposit is estimated.