Tag: Bitumen
CNR supports CanaPux pilot project to ship solid bitumen by rail
Toyo will create equipment to solidify and re-liquefy up to 1,000 barrels of bitumen per day for pilot project CNR says Calgary-headquartered Toyo Engineering Canada Ltd. has been selected to design and build a pilot project to produce CanaPux pellets, a key step toward demonstrating the commercial viability of moving bitumen by rail in solid form, according to […]
More Alberta refining, upgrading of heavy crude oil is never going to be economic, but partial upgrading might be
Full upgrading is a bust, new refineries are too risky, and converting existing refineries is constrained by US shale oil supplies Albertans should stop pining for more refining and upgrading of Alberta oil sands bitumen and heavy crude oil, judging by the conclusions of a new study from IHS MarkIt. The economics simply don’t work. […]
The end of pipelines? New innovation could change oil transportation
A UCalgary discovery leads to spill-resistant bitumen By Michael Platt , Schulich School of Engineering Ian Gates describes each pebble of bitumen as resembling a liquid-filled headache capsule and, for an Alberta struggling to build pipelines, this tiny package could spell pain relief indeed. Freshly patented and weeks away from pilot-scale production, the professor’s revolutionary […]
Spill-resistant bitumen ‘pellets’ could mean more rail shipment, fewer pipelines – professor
Breakthrough technology means pellets can be rapidly produced without polymers or other additives Ian Gates describes each pebble of bitumen as resembling a liquid-filled headache capsule and, for an Alberta struggling to build pipelines, this tiny package could spell pain relief, indeed. Freshly patented and weeks away from pilot-scale production, the professor’s revolutionary heavy oil […]
Waste Heat Challenge example of how Alberta oil sands will lick GHG emissions issue
Technology competitions like Waste Heat Challenge are terrific policy for stimulating technical innovation When Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced her climate change policies last Nov., energy industry leaders promised they would “take the carbon out of the barrel,” which is not coincidentally is the goal of a new competition, the “COSIA-ARCTIC Waste Heat Challenge.” Unless you’re […]
Alberta Clipper cross-border pipelines in US court this week
Eco-activists claim Alberta Clipper expansion should require environmental review A US court begins hearing arguments this week in a lawsuit that claims increased volumes of oilsands crude carried by Enbridge’s Alberta Clipper pipelines have been allowed to flow from Canada into the United States without adequate public input or environmental review. Indigenous and environmental groups […]
Nexen Energy ordered to shut down 95 pipelines in Alberta
July 31, 2015 Nexen Energy pipeline spilled 31,449 barrels of bitumen, produced water, sand Alberta’s energy regulator has ordered Nexen Energy to immediately cease operations of 95 pipelines in northeastern Alberta. It issued the order late Friday due to what it calls non-compliance surrounding pipeline maintenance and monitoring in its Long Lake oilsands project. Alberta […]
Oil sands emissions actually ‘fertilize’ local forests
Oil sands study assisted by USDA Forest Service researchers When forest ecologist Ellen Macdonald interpreted data collected from forests around Fort McMurray, she got two surprises. Not only are emissions from oilsands operations having a positive effect on forest vegetation, so too is the dust that the oil sands operations stir up. Because nitrogen and sulphur are […]
Radio frequency tech tested for producing Suncor oil sands bitumen
Pilot project led by Suncor could dramatically reduce carbon emissions, costs for in situ bitumen production Suncor Energy is testing a new radio frequency technology combined with solvent that could eliminate steam from its oil sands production and reduce energy use by 75 per cent, the company announced Tuesday. Suncor, Canada’s largest energy company, says […]
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