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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.
Proposed oilsands monitoring by 2015. The Government of Canada and Government of Alberta unveiled “The Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for OilSands Monitoring” in a partnership to improve environmental monitoring in the oilsands region with a program that will sample more sites for more substances more frequently.
Well-to-wheel (WTW) greenhouse gas emissions for in situ SAGD and surface mining pathways generated employing GHOST/TIAX/ GHGenius combination and comparison with SAGD, mining and conventional crude oil literature pathways (all results are on a HHV basis). 74% of WTW emissions in our oilsands pathways. Click to enlarge.
Bitumen production from the Canadian oilsands 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.
SOLVE adds a solvent to the steam in SAGD (basic operation depicted above) to reduce energy input and water consumption. The production well extracts the bitumen to surface heavy oil production facilities. SAGD is the predominant in-situ recovery method currently used in Canada’s oilsands. Source: StatoilHydro.
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.).
Both scientific research and industrial experience have found that bitumen-derived crude oil (i.e., crude from the oilsands) is no more corrosive in transmission pipelines than other crudes, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRC). In the absence of water, the crude oil is noncorrosive. —ASTM G205.
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 oilsands extraction, upgrading, and refining pathways—the results of which vary considerably.
Results from a new modeling assessment of contamination in the Athabasca OilSands Region (AOSR) suggest that officially reported emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in that region have been greatly underestimated. Accounting for evaporative emissions (e.g., Accounting for evaporative emissions (e.g., Click to enlarge.
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. Shamlou, Elmira & Vidic, Radisav & Khanna, Vikas.
GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C) has selected GE to supply the produced water evaporation and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system for the Blackgold OilSands project, located near Conklin, Alberta. Blackgold is owned and operated by a subsidiary of the Korean National Oil Corp.
Researchers from Tianjin University and the National Engineering Research Centre for Distillation Technology, Tianjin, China, report on the use of an ionic liquid (IL) with low viscosity to enhance bitumen recovery from oilsands by solvent extraction while reducing adverse impacts in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
Diluted bitumen has no greater likelihood of accidental pipeline release than other crude oils, according to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC). The NRC committee was not asked to address whether the consequences of a diluted bitumen release differ from those of other crude oils. Earlier post.).
Imperial Oil Limited has begun the initial development of the Kearl oilsands project ( earlier post ), which incorporates technology innovations to enhance environmental performance. Kearl will be the first oilsands mining operation that does not require an upgrader to make a saleable crude oil.
A study by researchers in Canada and the US shows that oilsands development is a greater source of polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) contamination to the Athabasca River and its tributaries than previously realized. Bitumen production in the Alberta oilsands has increased rapidly, rising from 482,000 to 1.3
A comprehensive environmental field study to gather information on air contaminants in the Wood Buffalo region in northeast Alberta, Canada (home to major oilsands projects) will occur from 12 August to mid-September 2013. Evaluate high-resolution air quality models for use in the oilsands region. Earlier post.).
Transmitting oilsands 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.).
The carbon capture process at the Scotford oilsands upgrader will capture about 35% of emissions. The CO 2 will then be released from the amine by heating, and dehydrated and compressed into a dense fluid for pipeline transport. water vessels, the triethylene glycol dehydration unit, and. Click to enlarge. Earlier post.)
Comparison of the percent differential for WTW (well-to-wheel) GHGs from gasoline produced from WCSB oilsands using different production processes relative to gasoline produced from reference crudes. The proposed Project is not likely to impact the amount of crude oil produced from the oilsands. Click to enlarge.
Royal Dutch Shell plc will proceed with its Carmon Creek project in Alberta, Canada, expected to produce up to 80,000 barrels of oil per day. Once the project is up and running the aim is to virtually eliminate the need for freshwater use for steam generation through recycling of water produced with the oil.
Water consumption intensity of ethanol from corn grain and crop residue and the avoided/displaced water use credits assigned to coproducts: DGS and electricity. In their paper, Mishra and Yeh analyze the lifecycle water requirement consumption and withdrawal requirements of ethanol produced from corn and from crop residue.
Using activated amine (ADIP-X), Quest will capture one-third of the CO 2 emissions from Shell’s Scotford Upgrader, which turns oilsands bitumen into synthetic crude that can be refined into fuel and other products. Te Storage zone is a formation called Basal Cambrian Sands (BCS).
to support the demonstration of its Bitumen Extraction Solvent Technology (BEST), a low-temperature, primary, in-situ technology to produce the bitumen in oilsands reserves using a pure, condensing solvent. Other members of the consortium are oilsands producer Suncor Energy Inc. Canada is awarding C$10M (US$10.5
World oil production capacity to 2020 (crude oil and NGLs, excluding biofuels). Oil production capacity is surging in the United States and several other countries at such a fast pace that global oil output capacity could grow by nearly 20% from the current 93 million barrels per day to 110.6 Source: Maugeri 2012.
The Canaport Energy East Marine Terminal will connect TransCanada’s Energy East Pipeline to an ice-free, deep water port. It will allow Canadian producers direct access to world markets for exporting Canadian oil via the world’s largest crude carrying vessels. —Paul Browning, President and CEO, Irving Oil.
Methane hydrate—natural gas trapped in an ice-like cage of water molecules—occurs in both terrestrial and marine environments. Post-cruise analyses will determine the in situ concentrations, the physical properties, the lithology, and the thermodynamic state of methane hydrate bearing sand reservoirs.
Transportation. Commercial transportation demand by region. Global demand for energy for commercial transportation is expected to rise by 70% from 2010 to 2040, driven by the projected increase in economic activity and the associated increase in movement of goods and freight. Transportation fuels. Source: ExxonMobil.
An innovative oil-upgrading technology that can increase the economics of unconventional petroleum resources has been developed under a US Department of Energy-funded project. In the case of oilsands bitumen, the API gravity is increased from 8 API to more than 20 API, eliminating the need for diluent for pipeline transportation.
Water consumption or withdrawals per unit of energy produced, by energy type, in the United States. With increasing frequency ,” write the Pacific Institute researchers, “ we value energy production over water production. ”. by Jack Rosebro. Source: DHI Group. Click to enlarge. Climate change.
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.
The conclusion of the successful open season confirmed strong market support for a pipeline with approximately 900,000 bbl/d of firm, long-term contracts to transport crude oil from the oilsands area in Western Canada to Eastern Canadian refineries and export terminals.
Northern Gateway’s West line, 36 inches in diameter, would transport an average of 525,000 barrels of oilsands crude per day to Kitimat. Condensate is used to thin petroleum products for pipeline transport (diluent). The East Line, 20 inches in diameter, will carry 193,000 barrels of condensate per day back to Edmonton.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft assessment on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources in the United States. The stages of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. Source: EPA. Click to enlarge.
PetroJunín, joint venture formed by PDVSA (60%) and Eni (40%), has started production from the Junín-5 giant heavy oil field, located in the Faja del Orinoco—the area with the largest untapped hydrocarbon reserves in the world, according to Eni. Junin 5 block in the Orinoco. Deepwater Angola. Eni is operator of Block 15/06 with 35%.
Pending confirmation through future appraisal drilling, the total hydrocarbons initially in place in the Mad Dog field complex are now estimated to be up to four billion barrels of oil equivalent. in about 4,500 feet (1,371 meters) of water. —Bob Dudley, BP group chief executive. BHP Billiton has a 23.9%
Gasoline section shows results for fuel derived from both conventional oil and oilsands. The fracture fluid is typically water-based and contains proppants to maintain fracture openings once pumping of the fluid has ceased. Expansion bars show the components of fuel production. Credit: ACS, Burnham et al.
A breach in ExxonMobil’s Pegasus crude oil pipeline occurred late Friday afternoon near Mayflower, AR (about 20 miles north northwest of Little Rock and at the southeastern end of the Lake Conway reservoir). Efforts are being made to keep oil away from Lake Conway. Route of the Pegasus pipeline. Source: ExxonMobil. Click to enlarge.
In a paper published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science , the team said these steps include smart co-product utilization; decarbonization of the electricity and heat grids as well as indirect energy requirements for fertilizer; transport; and building material. tons/ha/year). for conventional diesel from the United States.
GREET (The Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation Model) is a full life-cycle model used to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of new transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. Shale oil: developed energy and GHG emissions intensities of U.S.
Fresh air is used in addition to oil and water to cool the turbocharger. Thanks to its good thermal conductivity, the water-cooled mould allows rapid cooling and solidification of the melt. Complex interior geometries can be realized with the help of enclosed sand cores. NANOSLIDE cylinder coating.
In contrast to arguments that peak conventional oil production is imminent due to physical resource scarcity, a team from Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz has examined the alternative possibility of reduced oil use due to improved efficiency and oil substitution. 2010, to above 140 $/bbl in constant 2010 dollars).
Several innovations contributed to this reduction including; the use of a new piston coating; the two balance shafts that counteract the second-order inertial forces run in roller bearings; utilizing a low-energy oil pump; and using a highly precise electric system to control the oil-jet cooling for the piston crowns. The 2014 Jetta.
However, this story on water consumption seems to be more than just natural clever shaping, it seems seriously wrong. Water Supply, Researcher Says By Jennifer Bogo Popular Mechanics March 7, 2008 "A 30-mile commute in a gasoline-powered car would require the withdrawal of 18.9 Here is the story and the claims. gallons.
In a pre-response to that speech, having successfully advocated for plug-in hybrids like the forthcoming Chevy Volt, we propose that the President follow that speech up with a “realistic and conservative” roadmap to halve our oil use in 10 years. Oil is holding us all hostage, economically and physically. Finally, it’s time to begin.
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