Gas, Oil-Sands and Water

China’s CNOOC to acquire Canada-based Nexen for $15.1B; offshore oil and gas, oil sands, and shale gas

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2012

CNOOC Limited—China’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas and one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world—is acquiring all of the Common Shares of Canada-based energy company Nexen Inc. billion cash. The price represents a premium of.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Canada Gas

Univ. of Calgary team developing nanocatalysts for underground upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen; possible “next generation” of oil sands production

Green Car Congress

MARCH 25, 2013

Researchers at the University of Calgary are developing ultra-dispersed (UD) nanocatalysts for the in situ upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen from deep reservoirs. One of the challenges of such an approach is the placement of the catalyst deep into the heavy oil plume by transporting a catalyst suspension through the sand medium.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Production Hydrogen

Canada oil sands producers form alliance to improve environmental performance

Green Car Congress

MARCH 2, 2012

Twelve of Canada’s oil sands producers have formed a new alliance, Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), focused on accelerating the pace of improving environmental performance in Canada’s oil sands through collaborative action and innovation. The released water is recovered and recycled.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Canada Oil Water

Researcher urges more effort on assessment of land and water impacts of oil sands production; reference point for other unconventional fuels

Green Car Congress

MARCH 18, 2012

Bitumen production from the Canadian oil sands provides a point of reference that could be used to observe and better manage the land and water impacts of a rapid transition to unconventional fuels, suggests Dr. Sarah Jordaan of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Water Oil Fuel

New study finds GHG emissions from palm oil production significantly underestimated; palm oil biofuels could be more climate-damaging than oil sands fuels

Green Car Congress

APRIL 27, 2012

The majority (62%) of the plantations were located on the island of Sumatra, and more than two-thirds (69%) of all industrial plantations were developed for oil palm cultivation, with the remainder mostly being Acacia plantations for paper pulp production. —Miettinen et al. Earlier post.).

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Emissions Climate

Alberta’s IETP awarding $33M in allowances to 5 projects to reduce oil sands CO2 and water use, improve recovery

Green Car Congress

APRIL 27, 2013

Alberta’s Innovative Energy Technologies Program (IETP) is supporting 5 new pilot projects to reduce energy use, water use and CO 2 emissions in oil sands processing as well as improving the recovery of crude oil and bitumen in reserves that were once unrecoverable. Imperial Oil Ltd., Imperial Oil Ltd.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Water Oil Polymer

Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

Green Car Congress

JUNE 8, 2022

Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are using membrane distillation technology to enable drillers to filter and reuse the produced water in the oil and gas industry, in agriculture, and other beneficial uses. The team is back in the lab to find a fix. Desalination. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2021.115513.

Water

Water North Dakota Oil-Sands Engine

Understanding the variability of GHG life cycle studies of oil sands production

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 6, 2012

In a paper published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology , Stanford University assistant professor Adam Brandt reviews a number of recent life cycle assessment (LCA) studies calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil sands extraction, upgrading, and refining pathways—the results of which vary considerably.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Production 2012

Osum to use Veolia water treatment technologies in in-situ SAGD oil sands project; 93% recovery of produced water

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

Osum Oil Sands Corp. will use water treatment technologies from Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies to process produced water from its Taiga Project at Cold Lake in Alberta. The evaporator system will recover more than 93% of the water from SAGD operations for re-use in the process.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Water Oil Waste

Algae harvesting company OriginOil’s second CLEAN-FRAC licensing agreement targets Canadian oil sands market; urban algae demo project in Paris

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

the developer of a process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil & gas water, announced that its second original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) agreement will target oil service companies in the Canadian oil sands market. LH was an early private investor in Athabasca Oil Corporation.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Clean Cleaning

Report finds diluted oil sands bitumen not more corrosive than comparable heavy crude in pipelines

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Transmitting oil sands production. Synthetic crude is produced by upgrading bitumen and is a blend of naphtha, distillate and gas oil range materials produced by hydrotreating the naphtha, distillate and gas oil generated in a delayed coking unit.).

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Water International

First production from Imperial’s Kearl oil sands project; “about the same” lifecycle GHGs as average of crudes consumed in US

Green Car Congress

APRIL 29, 2013

Imperial Oil Limited has begun the initial development of the Kearl oil sands project ( earlier post ), which incorporates technology innovations to enhance environmental performance. Kearl will be the first oil sands mining operation that does not require an upgrader to make a saleable crude oil.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Production Water

Canada backs demonstration-scale algal biorefinery project in the oil sands; Algal Carbon Conversion

Green Car Congress

MAY 19, 2013

The Government of Canada is supporting a three-year project that will result in the construction of a $19-million, demonstration-scale facility in Alberta that will use algae to recycle industrial carbon dioxide emissions from an oil sands facility into commercial products such as biofuels. Click to enlarge.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Canada Oil Conversion

Univ. of Alberta and Helmholtz Association Partner to Develop Oil Sands Technologies to Address Environmental Issues

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

The goal of the initiative is to transform oil sands production processes by developing technologies that address sustainability challenges. The University of Alberta, recognized as a global leader in oil sands research, will work with the Helmholtz Association, a collection of 16 science and technology centers across Germany.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Coal Germany

GE, Univ. of Alberta and AITF Partnering on $4M Project to Reduce CO2 Emissions and Treat Produced Water from Oil Sands; Potential 25% Reduction of CO2

Green Car Congress

JULY 1, 2010

This team is leveraging research in nanotechnology to reduce CO 2 emissions associated with the extraction and upgrading process, and treatment of produced water generated during the oil recovery. The materials also have the potential to be used as filters for contaminated water.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Water Oil Emissions

JAPEX to invest 65-70B in further oil sands development in Canada

Green Car Congress

JULY 21, 2011

(JAPEX) plans to invest ¥65-70 billion (US$830–893 million) in its Canadian oil sands projects, Chief Executive Osamu Watanabe told Dow Jones Newswires. China’s biggest offshore oil and gas producer, said it will buy Canadian oil-sands developer OPTI Canada Inc. Earlier Wednesday, CNOOC Ltd.,

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Canada Oil Water

SwRI, UTSA researchers show biochar is low-cost, effective method to treat fracking water

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

Researchers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) have determined that biochar, a substance produced from plant matter, is a safe, effective and inexpensive method to treat flowback water following hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. —Maoqi Feng, SwRI.

Water

Water Low Cost Oil-Sands San Antonio

Oil sands production accounted for 28.8% of total Canadian gas demand in 2016

Green Car Congress

APRIL 24, 2017

Alberta’s oil sands operations accounted for 28.8% of Canadian natural gas demand in 2016, up from 11.8% From 2005 to 2016, natural gas purchased by oil sands projects more than tripled, from 0.73 In contrast, total Canadian gas demand increased over the same period from 6.17 Bcf/d in 2016.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands 2016 Oil Gas

Alberta approves Cenovus Narrows Lake oil sands project with demo and phase-in of solvent aided process to improve steam-oil ratio and production rate

Green Car Congress

MAY 31, 2012

to proceed with its Narrows Lake oil sands project, with an ultimate gross production capacity of 130,000 barrels per day. SAP combines steam injection with solvents, such as butane, to help bring the oil to the surface. Cenovus also anticipates that SAP may increase total oil recovery by as much as 15%. Earlier post.).

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil Production 2016

Using Ozone-Generated Bubbles to Remove Oil Sheen and Contaminants from Water

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 17, 2009

A University of Utah engineer has developed an inexpensive new method to remove oil sheen by repeatedly pressurizing and depressurizing ozone gas, creating microscopic bubbles that attack the oil so it can be removed by sand filters. Water from mining of oil sands and oil shale.

Ozone

Ozone Water Oil-Sands Oil

NETL field study of PA fracking site finds no evidence of upward gas and fluid migration into aquifers

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

The US Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has released a technical report on the results of a limited field study that monitored a hydraulic fracturing operation in Greene County, PA for upward fracture growth out of the target zone and upward gas and fluid migration.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Gas Pennsylvania Water

Athabasca Oil Sands sells remainder of interest in MacKay River oil sands project to PetroChina for C$680M; PetroChina to be full owner of project

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2012

Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. has exercised its option to divest its 40% interest in the MacKay River oil sands project to Cretaceous Oilsands Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of PetroChina International Investment Limited, for C$680 million (US$672 million) in cash. Earlier post.) Earlier post.). Earlier post.).

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Oil 2010 2012

Argonne study finds shale gas GHG lifecycle emissions 6% lower than natural gas, 23% lower than gasoline and 33% lower than coal; upstream methane leakage a key contributor

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 18, 2011

Gasoline section shows results for fuel derived from both conventional oil and oil sands. However, the range in values for shale and conventional gas overlap, so there is a statistical uncertainty whether shale gas emissions are actually lower than those of conventional natural gas. Click to enlarge.

Gas

Gas Coal Emissions Gasoline

UT Austin to lead $58M study of methane hydrate in Gulf of Mexico; $41M from DOE

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 22, 2014

Methane hydrate—natural gas trapped in an ice-like cage of water molecules—occurs in both terrestrial and marine environments. Prior programs in Alaska have explored gas hydrate reservoir potential and alternative production strategies, and additional testing programs are in development.

Mexico

Mexico Austin Oil-Sands Mariner

DOE to award up to $12.4M to 11 projects focused on shale gas and enhanced oil recovery

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 2, 2011

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has selected 11 research projects that will help find ways to extract more energy from unconventional oil and gas resources while reducing environmental risks for awards totalling $12.4 The selections include $10.3 The selections include $10.3 million in federal funds.

Oil

Oil Gas Oil-Sands Illinois

BP Egypt announces significant gas discovery in deepwater Nile Delta

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

BP Egypt announced a “significant” gas discovery in the East Nile Delta. The well was drilled using the sixth-generation semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer in water depth of 649 meters (2,129 feet) and reaching a total depth of around 7,000 meters (22,966 feet). BP production and exploration in Egypt.

Egypt

Egypt Gas Oil-Sands Africa

ExxonMobil calls for hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure in Europe

Green Car Congress

MARCH 10, 2012

Exxon Mobil Corporation called for the adoption of a systematic hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure program in Europe to provide further information to communities, policymakers and regulators about natural gas development technologies. ExxonMobil proposes that a similar initiative be developed in Europe.

Europe

Europe Oil-Sands Water Corporation

MIT study cautions smaller nations on rushing to develop their natural gas resources; Cyprus as model

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 27, 2013

Based on the interim results of a new study, MIT researchers are warning smaller nations to proceed with caution in pursuing the development of their natural gas resources. The interim report analyzed the economics of natural gas project development options in Cyprus with a focus on exports. Click to enlarge. Background.

Cyprus

Cyprus MIT Gas Gas-Electric

Critical review finds actual measurement data on segments of natural gas lifecycle sparse or lacking

Green Car Congress

JULY 8, 2014

After a critical review of the literature on the air impacts of increased natural gas acquisition, processing, and use, a team of US researchers has determined that that actual measurement data on various individual segments of the natural gas life cycle are sparse or critically lacking. well production end-of-life.

Gas

Gas Oil-Sands Emissions Oil

Noble Energy makes another natural gas find offshore Israel; total gross mean Levant gas resources now estimated at 38 Tcf

Green Car Congress

MAY 23, 2013

announced a natural gas discovery at the Karish prospect offshore Israel. The discovery well was drilled to a total depth of 15,783 feet (4,811 meters) and encountered 184 feet (56 meters) of net natural gas pay in high-quality lower Miocene sands. Co-owners are Avner Oil and Delek Drilling each with a 26.47% interest.

Israel

Israel Cyprus Gas Oil-Sands

McMoRan Exploration Co. Announces Major Discovery at Ultra-Deep Well In Shallow Water on the Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 12, 2010

announced a major discovery on its Davy Jones ultra-deep prospect located in the Gulf of Mexico on South Marsh Island Block 230 in approximately 20 feet of water. The wireline log results indicated a total of 135 net feet of hydrocarbon bearing sands in four zones in the Wilcox section of the Eocene/Paleocene. McMoRan Exploration Co.

Mexico

Mexico Oil-Sands Davis Water

ExxonMobil Outlook: 35% growth in energy demand by 2040; hybrids to account for ~50% of new vehicle sales

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2013

ExxonMobil projects that meeting future energy demand will be supported by more efficient energy-saving practices and technologies; increased use of less-carbon-intensive fuels such as natural gas, nuclear and renewables; as well as the continued development of technology advances to develop new energy sources. Natural gas.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Energy Hybrid Sale

Encana challenges EPA draft Pavillion groundwater report

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Encana Corporation, says it strongly disagrees with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) preliminary conclusions on fracking in its draft report related to the groundwater study in the Pavillion natural gas field of Wyoming. Earlier post.)

EPA

EPA Wyoming Oil-Sands Water

Wanxiang and GreatPoint Energy close $1.25B deal for 1 Tcf/year coal-to-natural-gas plant in Xinjiang; Sinopec to purchase output, building pipeline to east

Green Car Congress

MAY 21, 2012

billion from Wanxiang to finance and construct the first phase of a coal-to-natural gas facility that ultimately will have an annual production capacity of one trillion cubic feet (1 Tcf) (30 billion cubic meters) per year. billion cubic meters) of annual natural gas output within two years. China Petroleum and Chemical Corp.

Coal

Coal Gas Purchase Energy

UT Austin team and partners report on extensive measurements of methane emissions during natural gas production

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Estimated inventories of methane emissions from the natural gas production sector, excluding processing and transmission. A team of researchers from UT Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering and environmental testing firms URS and Aerodyne Research completed measurements at 190 natural gas production sites across the United States.

Austin

Austin Gas Emissions Production

BOEM releases for comment draft EIS on G&G survey activities to develop energy resources in Mid- and South Atlantic

Green Car Congress

MARCH 29, 2012

The PEIS describes and evaluates the potential environmental impacts of G&G survey activities in Federal waters of the Mid- and South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and adjacent State waters for three program areas (oil and gas, renewable energy, and marine minerals) during the 2012-2020 time period. Savannah, Ga.;

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Energy Jacksonville Oil

ESP artificial lift company ZiLift secures £4M capital investment led by GE-NRG Energy-ConocoPhillips JV

Green Car Congress

MAY 14, 2012

Oil and gas services company Schlumberger defines artificial lift as any system that adds energy to the fluid column in a wellbore with the objective of initiating and improving production from the well. Artificial-lift systems use a range of operating principles, including rod pumping, gas lift and electric submersible pumps.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Companies Chevron Energy

Rice University lab study suggests foam may maximize enhanced oil recovery efforts

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 12, 2014

Results of a Rice University laboratory study suggests that using foam may maximize enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Oil resides in formations of rock and sand in small cracks and crevices that have proved devilishly difficult to tap. Drillers pump various substances downhole to loosen and either push or carry oil to the surface.

Oil

Oil United Arab Emirates Universal Oil-Sands

New open-source lifecycle analysis tool for oil production using field characteristics

Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2013

A team from Stanford University and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has developed a new open-source lifecycle analysis (LCA) tool for modeling the greenhouse gas emissions of oil and gas production using characteristics of specific fields and associated production pathways. —El-Houjeiri et al.

Oil

Oil Oil-Sands Production Emissions

EPA submits draft hydraulic fracturing study plan to independent scientists for review

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 8, 2011

Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) is a process in which large volumes of water, sand and chemicals are injected at high pressures to extract oil and natural gas from underground rock formations. During the past few years, the use of hydraulic fracturing has expanded across much of the country. Earlier post.).

EPA

EPA Oil-Sands Water Escape

Ford to offer new 5-cylinder 3.2L diesel in Transit van in North America next year

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Additionally, the engine features cast-aluminum, low-friction coated pistons with piston-cooling jets, which squirt oil on the underside of the pistons to keep the piston crowns cool under extreme operating conditions. A pilot injection controls noise levels and a main injection is used for power generation. liter EcoBoost gasoline engine.

North America

North America Diesel America Ford

CU-Boulder technique finds major class of fracking chemicals no more toxic than common household substances; “fingerprinting”

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

EO28), were identified in hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water using a new application of the Kendrick mass defect and liquid chromatography/ quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Surfactants reduce the surface tension between water and oil, allowing for more oil to be extracted from porous rock underground.

Oil-Sands

Oil-Sands Colorado Water Oil

EPA Initiates Hydraulic Fracturing Study, Seeks Input from Science Advisory Board

Green Car Congress

MARCH 18, 2010

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health. Hydraulic fracturing is emerging as an important technology in accessing natural gas.

EPA

EPA Oil-Sands Water Gas

Joint Review Panel Gives Go-Ahead to Mackenzie Gas Project in Canada

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2010

The parties proposing to develop the Mackenzie Gas Project are: Imperial Oil Resources Limited (IORL); Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited (IORVL); Shell Canada Limited as managing partner of Shell Canada Energy; ConocoPhillips Canada (North) Limited and ConocoPhillips Northern Partnership; ExxonMobil Canada Properties; and.

Canada

Canada Gas Oil-Sands Climate Change

China’s CNOOC to acquire Canada-based Nexen for $15.1B; offshore oil and gas, oil sands, and shale gas

Univ. of Calgary team developing nanocatalysts for underground upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen; possible “next generation” of oil sands production

Canada oil sands producers form alliance to improve environmental performance

Researcher urges more effort on assessment of land and water impacts of oil sands production; reference point for other unconventional fuels

New study finds GHG emissions from palm oil production significantly underestimated; palm oil biofuels could be more climate-damaging than oil sands fuels

Alberta’s IETP awarding $33M in allowances to 5 projects to reduce oil sands CO2 and water use, improve recovery

Pitt engineers using membrane distillation to recycle water used in fracking and drilling

Understanding the variability of GHG life cycle studies of oil sands production

Osum to use Veolia water treatment technologies in in-situ SAGD oil sands project; 93% recovery of produced water

Algae harvesting company OriginOil’s second CLEAN-FRAC licensing agreement targets Canadian oil sands market; urban algae demo project in Paris

Report finds diluted oil sands bitumen not more corrosive than comparable heavy crude in pipelines

First production from Imperial’s Kearl oil sands project; “about the same” lifecycle GHGs as average of crudes consumed in US

Canada backs demonstration-scale algal biorefinery project in the oil sands; Algal Carbon Conversion

Univ. of Alberta and Helmholtz Association Partner to Develop Oil Sands Technologies to Address Environmental Issues

GE, Univ. of Alberta and AITF Partnering on $4M Project to Reduce CO2 Emissions and Treat Produced Water from Oil Sands; Potential 25% Reduction of CO2

JAPEX to invest 65-70B in further oil sands development in Canada

SwRI, UTSA researchers show biochar is low-cost, effective method to treat fracking water

Oil sands production accounted for 28.8% of total Canadian gas demand in 2016

Alberta approves Cenovus Narrows Lake oil sands project with demo and phase-in of solvent aided process to improve steam-oil ratio and production rate

Using Ozone-Generated Bubbles to Remove Oil Sheen and Contaminants from Water

NETL field study of PA fracking site finds no evidence of upward gas and fluid migration into aquifers

Athabasca Oil Sands sells remainder of interest in MacKay River oil sands project to PetroChina for C$680M; PetroChina to be full owner of project

Argonne study finds shale gas GHG lifecycle emissions 6% lower than natural gas, 23% lower than gasoline and 33% lower than coal; upstream methane leakage a key contributor

UT Austin to lead $58M study of methane hydrate in Gulf of Mexico; $41M from DOE

DOE to award up to $12.4M to 11 projects focused on shale gas and enhanced oil recovery

BP Egypt announces significant gas discovery in deepwater Nile Delta

ExxonMobil calls for hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure in Europe

MIT study cautions smaller nations on rushing to develop their natural gas resources; Cyprus as model

Critical review finds actual measurement data on segments of natural gas lifecycle sparse or lacking

Noble Energy makes another natural gas find offshore Israel; total gross mean Levant gas resources now estimated at 38 Tcf

McMoRan Exploration Co. Announces Major Discovery at Ultra-Deep Well In Shallow Water on the Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico

ExxonMobil Outlook: 35% growth in energy demand by 2040; hybrids to account for ~50% of new vehicle sales

Encana challenges EPA draft Pavillion groundwater report

Wanxiang and GreatPoint Energy close $1.25B deal for 1 Tcf/year coal-to-natural-gas plant in Xinjiang; Sinopec to purchase output, building pipeline to east

UT Austin team and partners report on extensive measurements of methane emissions during natural gas production

BOEM releases for comment draft EIS on G&G survey activities to develop energy resources in Mid- and South Atlantic

ESP artificial lift company ZiLift secures £4M capital investment led by GE-NRG Energy-ConocoPhillips JV

Rice University lab study suggests foam may maximize enhanced oil recovery efforts

New open-source lifecycle analysis tool for oil production using field characteristics

EPA submits draft hydraulic fracturing study plan to independent scientists for review

Ford to offer new 5-cylinder 3.2L diesel in Transit van in North America next year

CU-Boulder technique finds major class of fracking chemicals no more toxic than common household substances; “fingerprinting”

EPA Initiates Hydraulic Fracturing Study, Seeks Input from Science Advisory Board

Joint Review Panel Gives Go-Ahead to Mackenzie Gas Project in Canada

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