Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
. ",. .. CA 02315596 2000-08-04
AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE RECOVERY OF BITUMEN FROM
THE ATHABASCA TAR SANDS
Summary:
This document presents an alternative process for the recovery of bitumen -
from the Athabasca tar
sands. Current technology is limited in its applicability, environmental
acceptabil~,ty, cost and
therefore, in its overall efficacy. A typical operation for a 100,000
barrel/day bitumen production
facility costs over $1 billion to build and over $5.00 /barrel to operate
while having significant
environmental debits.
The following alternative offers an environmentally superior process and
applicability in~ relatively
small increments. It is forecast to cost about $500 million to build a 100,000
barrel/day bitumen
production facility which would have an equivalent operating cost of $2.58
/barrel.
Introduction:
The Athabasca tar sands in northeastern Alberta are estimated to contain some
300 billion barrels of
bitumen heavy oil. Of this total, some 80 billion barrels have been estimated
to be accessible for
recovery through surface mining methods.
The Suncor Energy predecessor, Crreat Canadian Oil Sands, initiated commercial
operation employing
the current technology of bitumen recovery from the tar sands in 1967.
Subsequently, Syncrude
Canada Ltd. commenced operation in 1978. These two operations, the only ones
based on tar sand
mining, recover a total of approximately 400,000 barrels of bitumen per day.
In both companies the
technology employed has developed little since the mid 1960s, although there
have been changes in
mining methodology. The original mining operations, at GCOS were based on
bucketwheel excavator
mining and conveyor transport and at Syncrude on dragline excavation,
bucketwheel reclaim and
conveyor transport. These technologies were selected at the inception of these
projects, over shovel
mining and truck haulage, because large shovels and trucks had not been
developed by that time.
Current TechnoloQv
The bitumen recovery from surface mined tar sands entails the following steps:
~ Mine dewatering and muskeg removal
~ Overburden stripping and haulage
~ Construction of tailings pond starter dikes with overburden
~ Ore mining and haulage
~ Ore preparation (size reduction and water addition to form a slurry)
~ Hydro-transport of the ore slurry to processing plants by way of pumps and
pipelines
~ Bitumen flotation as an aerated froth by way of thickener type vessels and
air induced flotation
cells.
~ Tailings disposal by hydro-transport to tailings ponds
~ Reclaim of water from the tailings ponds and its re-circulation to
processing plants
CA 02315596 2000-08-04
~ Reclaim and re-handling of fine solids sludge from the tailings ponds to mix
with coarse
tailings in the manufacture of consolidated tailings.
~ Continuing construction of tailings pond dikes
~ Removal of air, bulk water and coarse solids from the aerated bitumen froth
~ Removal of remaining water and solids from the bitumen
~ Upgrading of the bitumen to synthetic crude oil products
~ Remediation of tailings ponds and reforestation of disturbed land arears
This recovery process requires transport of massive quantities of overburden
and other waste material,
tar sand ore and the attendant large quantities of water over very Iong
distances. The bitumen
comprises only about 7-12% of the ore mass, rendering the scheme largely a
material handling
undertaking. The support facilities, equipment, personnel and energy
requirements are
correspondingly massive and expensive.
Costs Based on Current Technoloav
The development and installation of a tar sand facility capable of producing
about 100,000 barrels per
day of aerated bitumen froth is estimated to cost over $1 billion Canadian.
The attendant operating
costs are estimated to run at about $5.50 Canadian per barrel of this raw
bitumen froth.
Alternative Technology
Over the last few years, two engineers each with over 25 years of experience
in all aspects of the
specification, conceptual and process design as well as detailed design,
installation, startup and
operation, have developed an alternative to the above technology. The two
engineers, Bill Lavender
and Harry Kaethler, have worked together over many years. They are convinced
that this alternative
technology has the potential to revolutionize the industry.
Their detailed estimates indicate a capital cost of approximately $500 million
Canadian for a 100,000
barrels per day bitumen production facility. This facility would have an
operating cost of
approximately $2.58 Canadian per barrel of bitumen. As well, their scheme can
be implemented in
25,000 barrel per day increments without significant economic penalty. This
provides a way for small
operators to start in the business without economic disadvantage.
This technology enjoys very substantial advantage over the current technology
in the environmental
and conservation areas of
~ Much higher energy efficiency and attendant much lower carbon dioxide
generation.
~ Much smaller disturbed land footprint.
~ No tailings ponds with the attendant need for remediation, a significant end
of project cost and
a matter of public concern.
~ Concurrent land reclamation and re-vegetation.
~ No ore sterilization by tailings ponds because there are none.
~ The economic superiority allows the recovery of ore that under current
technology is marginal
due to its grade and/or overburden stripping ratio. This increases the value
of the ore reserve.
~ Much reduced air pollution from diesel fueled vehicles.
~ Much reduced draw on fresh water resources.
CA 02315596 2000-08-04
The Prouosal
To assess the potential of this alternative technology and develop the
necessary engineering criteria
for commercial implementation, it is proposed that a development program be
undertaken. This
program would involve testing of the key scheme elements, in full scale. All
of these key elements
are in commercial use in other industries and can be classed as "off the
=shelf '. Scale-up risk is
eliminated because it is feasible and practical to test, in full scale, the
sub-elements of which the key
elements are comprised. '
The testing is to take place in the field, on representative ore in order to
eliminate the risks typically
encountered in the implementation of projects from laboratory to commercial
scale. This testing
program is not a piloting program and consequently is much less costly than
some of the programs
that the industry has undertaken over the years.
This program of testing the key elements, together with a $1 million allowance
to purchase access to a
suitable lease, development engineering including a feasibility study
pertaining to a specific ore
body/lease, is valued at $4 million Canadian and is expected to be performed
over a six month period.
It is the source of funding for this development program that is being sought.
In return for providing
the funds the funding agency would acquire an equity position in the
commercialization of this new
technology, the share to be negotiated.
CA 02315596 2000-08-04
STREAM 1 2 3 4 ~ 6 7 s 9 to
NO. UNITSTAR SLURRY1st 1st 5 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd
DESCRIPTION SAND WATERSTG STG 2nd STO STG S'1G STG STG
FEED UIF STG O'FLOWU'FLOWFEED O'FLOWU'FL04Y
FEED
BITUMEN t/h 240 1 151 45 60 42 18 21 15 6
ATER t/h 100 735 2124 637 2205 1544 661 2169 1568 601
SOLIDS t/h 1660 32 1861 1638 1858 222 1631 1792 215 1577
TOTAL tlh 200b 768 4136 2320 4118 1808 2310 3982 1798 218
4
_
BITUMEN Wt 12,0 0.1 3.7 1.9 1.5 2.3 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.3
ATER % 5.0 95.7 51.3 27.5 53.5 85.4 28.6 54,5 87.2 27.5
SOUDS wt 83.0 42 45.0 70.fj45.0 12.3 70.6 45.0 12.0 72.2
%
wt
%
HEAT CAPACITYBtuIIb/F0.2950.9480,6230.44 0.6350.8760.446 0.64 0.8860.437
SPECIFIC 1.44 1.03 1.72 2.15 1.72 1.17 z.16 1.72 1.16 2.18
GRAVITY USGPM 2983 9619 4316 9577 6181 4278 9260 6200 4007
TOTAL VOLUMEACFM
TEMPERATUREDEC 32 195 145 145 160 160 160 t 170 170
~ 7d
MATERIAL BALANC:F
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1a 19 20 ~21 22
FILTERFLOCCDRY tat PRODUCTFALTERFILTERPRIMARYMAKE-UPWATERHOT'WATER3rd
fE~' FEED TAILINGSSTC3~ EFFLUENTVACUUMFROTHWATERRECYCLEBYPASSSTG
O'FLOW FEED
WfR
6 0 6 105 233 0 132 0 0 4
.603 2 272 1487 108 331 1 255 279 613 895
77 0 1577 223 83 0 0 53 0 0 161
~~~
186 Z 1855 1815 424 331 ~ 44Q 279 613 1060
0.3 0.0 0.3 5.8. 55.0 0.0 0.0 30.0 0:0 0.0 0.4
27.6 100.014,7 81.9 25.5 100.0t 58.0 100.0100.0 84,4
OQ.O
72.1 0.0 85.0 1$. 19.5 3 0.0 12.0 0..0 0.0 15.2
0.0
~ ~ '
43'1 0.98 0.3410.8570,9220.98 0.98 0.731tl 0.98 0
865
_2.180.98 2.4 1.17 1.32 0.96 0.96 1.18 1L 0.98 .
1.22
401'.8 6205 1285 1379 -4 1429 1116 2502 3475
__
17 80 170 145 145 170 160 145 '35 100 195
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
COMBINEDPRODUCTVACUUMVACUUMVACUUMVACUUMPRODUCTPRODUCTHOTPROD
FROTHWATERRECEMERRECEIVERCONp'STEEXHAUgTARUM WATERWATER
RECYCLEINLETOVHD VAPOURRECYCLERECYCLE
238 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 5
1742 1630 335 4 1 1 4 1630 1630
276 193 0 0 0 . 0 193 193
D
2256 1828 335 4 1 1 4 1828 1828
1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0,0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3
0.5
772 89.2 100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0892 89.2
12.2 10.5 0.0 0.0' 0,0 0.0 0.0 10.5 10.5
0.8320.9 0.98 1 0.9 0.9
1.17 1.14 0.96 0.96 0.96 0.96 0.98 1.14 1.14
7713 6414 1306 i7 4 4 18 6414 6414
1000
145 145 168 168 165 160 145 145 195
CA 02315596 2000-08-04
EQUIPMENT LIT
TAG f~0. . NAME TJ~G NO, NAME
3'C-01 VAC. K.O. DRUM 3K-01 VACUUM P~JMP
C-0~ notused
1T-01 MINING
2D-01 SLURRY FD Tip MACHINE
1 T-02 ORE
2D-02 CYCLONE 04 OF SUMP FEED
CONVEYOR
2T-03 ORE.FEED
2D-03 CYCLONE 05 OF SUMP MIXER
2T-04 1st
2D-04 CYCLONE Q6 OF SUNrP STAGE
CYCLONE
2T-05 2ndSTAGE
2D-05 FLOCCULANT TANK CYCLONE
2T-06 3rdSTACE
2D-06 P~tOpUET SEF~ARATOR CYCLONE
2T-07 EXTRACTICSN
"4E-01"MAKE UP WATER HTR CARRIER
6T-08 TAILINGS
"3E-d2 VAC OVND CONDENSER CONVEYOR
6T-09 TAILINGS
2G-01 FE2ESH FEED PUMP CONVEYOR
CARRIER
2T-10 FLOCCULANT
MIXER
2G-02 CYCLONE Q5 FD PUIU~P3T-11 VACUUM
FILTER
2G-03 CYCLONE Q6 FD PUNVP 3T-12 ACUUM FILTER CARRIER
2G-04 BELT FILTER FEED 6T-13 ~AILINGS CONVEYOR BELT
PUMP WAGON
2G-05 FLOCCULANT PUMP 10T-14 ELECTRIC
CALE
WAGON
2G-06 PROpUCT PUMP 6T-15 TAILINGS
STALKER
3G-07 RECYCLE WATER PUMP 10T-16 PRObUCT
HOSE
REEL
10G-8A,B,CPRODUCT PIPELINE 10T-17 WATER
PUMPS HOSE
REAL
2G-09 P~tODUCT WATER RECYCLE
2G-1.0
PRIMARY
FROTH
PUMP
