Oil sands partial upgrading
3. Producing a more marketable heavy oil. Remove asphaltenes from the bitumen also removes a good proportion of the sulphur and heavy metals. Theoretically, partial upgrading has the potential to produce higher quality heavy oil that's easier to process, increasing the number of refineries that can purchase the crude. True, but perhaps immaterial. From upgrading to refining Fast forward to 2014, the company then decided to pivot from upgrading to refining, filing an amendment with the AER to add refining capacity to its facility. The plant would now be designed to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel, hydrotreated naphtha, and premium synthetic crude oil. Due to high capital costs and strong demand for heavy crude, Alberta's upgrading capacity is unlikely to keep up with growing production from the oil sands. The future of upgrading likely lies in partial upgrading, where heavy oil is transformed just enough to reduce diluent requirements, lowering transportation costs and improving netbacks. Calgary's Fractal Systems announced a new non-binding term sheet with Cenovus Energy for its proposed Enhanced JetShear (EJS) Regional Hub project, a 70,000 bbl/day diluted bitumen (dilbit) partial-upgrading facility. There are approximately ten companies with partial upgrading technologies in various stages of commercialization. Fractal, as well as oil sands producer MEG Energy’s HIQ, appear to the closest to scaling up for full production. Partial upgrading alone can’t replace the roughly $20 billion a year of capital spending, but it could go a long way to being a “new oil sands.” Perhaps combined with capital spending spurred by petrochemical investment programs that will be announced in a few weeks, that capital can in fact be replaced.
Calgary's Fractal Systems announced a new non-binding term sheet with Cenovus Energy for its proposed Enhanced JetShear (EJS) Regional Hub project, a 70,000 bbl/day diluted bitumen (dilbit) partial-upgrading facility.
23 Nov 2018 says it is reviewing a short list of six projects that could receive a share of its $1 billion pot of available funding for oilsands partial upgrading. 5 Mar 2019 Cenovus bets on partial-upgrading to help it through pipeline constraints a 70,000 bbl/day diluted bitumen (dilbit) partial-upgrading facility. FRACTAL SYSTEMS • SIMPLIFIED SOLUTIONS FOR HEAVY OIL AND BITUMEN • FEB 2019 oil and gas prices, energy statistics and oil sands production data. 26 Oct 2019 Oil Sands Magazine. Alberta Oct 26 Alberta says yes to plastics, but no thanks to partial upgrading and oil refining plants do not pay royalties, the credits can be sold to oil and gas producers to offset their royalty payments. Supercritical Water Cracking (SCWC) technology can upgrade oil sands, extra heavy oils and high pour point crude oils to synthetic crude oil (SCO) which can Partial or field upgrading of heavy oil produces transportable synthetic crude oil a special classification of heavy oil that is associated with tar sands deposits. Oil sands, tar sands, crude bitumen, or more technically bituminous sands, are a type of It has the advantage of much better energy efficiency over steam injection, and it does some partial upgrading of bitumen to oil right in the formation.
As noted recently, the simultaneous extraction and partial upgrading of bitumen from the oil sands ore to produce a synthetic crude oil that can be transported by
Bruce believes the best partial upgrading options target wide-spectrum crude refineries, such as those found in eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest. This approach has the potential to strike the right balance between crude quality improvement and minimal investment, while avoiding competition with Bakken light oil for refining capacity. Partially upgraded oil sands do not require the use of dilutents, are easier to transport, have greater value on world markets, and have lower greenhouse gas intensities during refinery processing. But the developing commercially viable technology is challenging. Nexen-CNOOC senior research and development advisor Nestor Zerpa outlined a series of existing technical approaches and costs that would not work for industry, but added that De Klerk had come up with a promising pathway. 9 oil sands innovation challenge projects receive $70 million in funding – partial upgrading, GHG reductions May 9, 2018 Jude Hislop Innovation One project from Imperial could reduce emissions 60% compared to conventional SAGD Partial upgrading is not yet done on a commercial scale anywhere. It removes sulfur and other impurities to create lighter grades of oil that do not require dilution to move through pipelines Partial upgrading does not upgrade bitumen to a light crude, but to something resembling more of a medium or heavy crude, and at a lower cost per barrel than full upgrading. Currently there are gaps in several North American refineries that could be filled by this partially upgraded Alberta oil.” CALGARY -- Two years after a blue-ribbon panel called on the Alberta government to encourage partial upgrading of bitumen from the oilsands to enhance value and free up more pipeline room for exports, the idea remains years away from commercialization. In its royalty review report in January An example of a partial-upgrading process is Universal Oil Products (UOP)-Honeywell's Catalytic Crude Upgrading process which utilizes fluidized catalytic cracking to upgrade raw bitumen to pipeline specifications. A stand-alone, self-fueled, process of 98% efficiency —compared to the 80-90% efficiency (ERCB, Alberta’s Energy Reserves 2012 and Supply/Demand Outlook 2013–2022) achieved by current coking-type upgraders, it produces all of its own energy and produces no waste by-products
23 Nov 2018 “Partial upgrading is an emerging technology that reduces the thickness of oil sands bitumen so it can flow through pipelines more easily, without
Introduction to Enhanced Recovery Methods for Heavy Oil and Tar Sands Abstract; 10.1 Introduction; 10.2 Upgrading In Situ; 10.3 Partial Upgrading at the 3 Sep 2018 This is an upgrading facility located near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada low- quality, thick bitumen into a higher quality synthetic crude oil. Jump up ↑ " CNRL mulls over bitumen-only expansion at Horizon oilsands mine" 1 Oct 2017 This year, ExxonMobil slashed 3.5 billion barrels of oil sands crude from its But “partial upgrading of bitumen,” the panel argued, “offers a 1 May 2018 Canadian Oil Sands Supply Costs and Development Projects (2018-2038) facilities for upgrading crude bitumen to synthetic crude oil (SCO). Technologies, such as partial upgrading, could also create products that meet 3. Producing a more marketable heavy oil. Remove asphaltenes from the bitumen also removes a good proportion of the sulphur and heavy metals. Theoretically, partial upgrading has the potential to produce higher quality heavy oil that's easier to process, increasing the number of refineries that can purchase the crude. True, but perhaps immaterial. From upgrading to refining Fast forward to 2014, the company then decided to pivot from upgrading to refining, filing an amendment with the AER to add refining capacity to its facility. The plant would now be designed to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel, hydrotreated naphtha, and premium synthetic crude oil. Due to high capital costs and strong demand for heavy crude, Alberta's upgrading capacity is unlikely to keep up with growing production from the oil sands. The future of upgrading likely lies in partial upgrading, where heavy oil is transformed just enough to reduce diluent requirements, lowering transportation costs and improving netbacks.
16 Apr 2018 Partial upgrading configurations are provided for crude transport by oil sands production accounted for 84% of Alberta's total crude oil
25 Jan 2019 The Alberta government announced it is offering a $440-million loan guarantee for a new $2-billion oilsands upgrading facility, and is eyeing
Alberta's oil sands innovation ecosystem, which is positioned within the along with gains in partial upgrading, energy efficiency and carbon capture and As noted recently, the simultaneous extraction and partial upgrading of bitumen from the oil sands ore to produce a synthetic crude oil that can be transported by Suncor's upgrading and refining operations provide an important link the extraction and production of oil, and manufacturing and distribution of fuels. Partial upgrading technology Much of this water is recycled for reuse at our facility, and the remaining portion is treated and discharged to a local waterway, Sand Creek, Laboratory tests on Canadian heavy crude oil/bitumen, Athabasca oil sands Please click to learn more about another catalyst application--Partial Upgrading.