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The Relationship Between
Technology and Policy,
some Examples from the Oil Sands
of Alberta
Ross Chow
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The oil sands of Alberta
Western
Canadian
Sedimentary
Basin
Edmonton
Fort McMurray
Cold Lake
Regina
Athabasca
Peace River
Calgary
Lloydminster
Courtesy Alberta Department of Energy
Bitumen >200,000 cp
Extra Heavy 50,000 – 200,000 cp
Heavy 500 – 50,000 cp
Wabasca
Increasing viscosity
Decreasing API
Decreasing depth
Decreasing pressure
Decreasing GOR
300 km
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Surface mined extraction process
• Oil sand is mined and bitumen
is separated from the sand
• Large operations (typical plant
~ 200,000 bbls/day)
• Immense material handling (in
extraction, 12,000 T oil
sand/day, 24,000 T water)
• Approximately 20% resource
available by mining
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Schematic of Bitumen Extraction Process
Rejects
Oil Sand Feed
Semi - Mobile Crusher
Rotary Breaker
Hot Water
Pipeline conditioning
Chemicals (as req’d )
Air
Froth Storage
Bitumen Froth
Steam
Air/Gas
Tailings Settling Pond
Recycle Water
Coarse Tailings
Thickened Fine Tailings
Thickener
Recycle Water
Flocculants
Froth Treatment Tailings
Primary Separation Cell
Flotation Cells
Oversize
Screen Rejects
Oil Sand Feed
Semi - Mobile Crusher
Rotary Breaker
Hot Water
Pipeline conditioning
Chemicals (as req’d )
Air
Froth Storage
Bitumen Froth
Steam
Air/Gas
Tailings Settling Pond
Recycle Water
Coarse Tailings
Thickened Fine Tailings
Thickener
Recycle Water
Flocculants
Froth Treatment Tailings
Primary Separation Cell
Flotation Cells
Oversize
Screen
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Policy : Minimum recovery requirement
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
120.00
140.00
4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0
Re
co
ve
ry
% bitumen
• Regulation in
recovery led to
the development
of chemical
technologies to
increase recovery
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Policy: supporting new technology
Technology:
paraffinic froth
treatment proccess
Use of paraffinic
solvent to precipitate
asphaltenes
Enhances settling of
water and solids
Demonstrated with
aid from Federal and
Provincial gov’t
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Suncor Syncrude
Oil Sands Mining and Tailings Ponds
Unexpected consequence: emphasis on recovery
was one of the key factors in the creation of
tailings ponds
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Policy: Directive 74
Directive 74 – no additional Mature
Fine Tailings created, fines (dry) in
Designated Disposal Area (DDA),
Geotechnical strength of 5 KPa in
one year, proposed timelines will
not be met
Companies will be testing
technologies in the field because
of proposed timeframe restrictions
Need to convert ‘slurry to soil’ in
order to remediate tailings streams
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Current tailings technologies
Slurry Indeterminate Soil
Centrifuge and Paste
Dry Stackable
Thin Lift – AFD
Flocculant and Beaching - TRO
Implementation of Directive 74 will result in:
• Acceleration of deployment of tailings
remediation methodology
• Formation of the Oil Sands Tailings Consortium-
an unprecedented cooperative effort
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Policy: formation of AOSTRA
• 1974 Government of Alberta made a strategic
decision to form the Alberta Oil Sands Technology
and Research Authority with the objectives of: • At least one in situ recovery process for each major oil sand
reservoir type
• More effective, efficient, and environmentally acceptable
upgrading technology
• Resolution of major technical problems of current surface mining
technology
• Evolutionary increases in recovery from in situ processes
• Alternative surface extraction technology
• Conversion of oil sands and heavy oils into higher valued
petroleum and mineral products
• $100 million for first five years
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AOSTRA • AOSTRA addressed their objectives through
several activities:
• Supporting the testing of commercial processes
and technologies
• Establishing University Programs/Chairs
• Owning and licencing IP
• Establishing an Investors Grant Assistance
Program
• Establishing a publishing company
• AOSTRA evolved into the Alberta Energy Research
Institute in 2000, in 2010 the Alberta Innovates-
Energy and Environment Solutions (AIEES) was
established
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AOSTRA - highlights
• University Chairs established in: Numerical
Modelling for Oil Sands, Geotechnical Properties
of Oil Sands, Combustion, SAGD
• Research programs at provincial research
organizations (ARC)
• 23 pilots supported (12 in Athabasca) including:
• Combustion pilot at Wolf Lake
• 7 spot steam injection pilot at Peace River
• Steam drive pilot in Grosmont – carbonates
• Underground test facility (UTF)
Many of the AOSTRA staff became
leaders in the Alberta Oil Sands industry
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AOSTRA and SAGD
Support from AOSTRA through fundamental research, large scale experiments, modelling and piloting accelerated the development of SAGD
UTF was instrumental in proving the technology in a viable reservoir process
Successful pilot projects led to the current state of SAGD in Athabasca
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Policy: Requirement to recycle
produced water
• By regulation 75% of produced water in insitu
operations must be recycled
• Led to the development of many different
water treatment systems
• Currently recycling ~90% of produced water
• May be applied to more remote reservoirs
where fresh water is not available
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Water recycle treatment train
Goettsch, 2006
• Although demonstrated at
commercial scale, optimization
is ongoing
• Steps of deoiling, softening,
ion exchange and evaporation
• New technologies under
consideration include:
membranes (both film and
ceramic), electro-capacitive
separation, falling film
evaporation and crystallization.
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Does policy drive technology?
• Policy can take many forms:
• Strategic intent to support development-
AOSTRA
• Conditions on development: recovery of
bitumen from surface mining, SAGD water
recycle
• Regulatory: in response to public concern –
formation of OTSC
• Developments in the oil sands of Alberta were
greatly accelerated with implementation of
appropriate policy
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Thank you