Ikelic - Alliance Digital Repository

STATUS OF OIL SANDS PROJECTS (Underline denotes changes since June 1994)
R&D PROJECTS (Continued)
In the HASDrive process, a horizontal wellbore is drilled into the oil sands formation. Steam is circulated in the cased
wellbore thereby transferring heat into the oil sand. Two vertical injection wells are used to inject steam into the formation at
points along the heated horizontal channel (annulus), driving the heated bitumen toward a production well placed between the
injection wells.
The pilot includes two steam injection wells, one producing well, one horizontal HASDrive well, six temperature observation
wells and four crosshole seismic wells.
Operations commenced November 1, 1991 with steam circulation in the horizontal well. Steam injection and production were
both under way by March 1992. The project operations were suspended in March 1993.
Project Cost: $12.7 million
- TACIUK PROCESSOR PILOT Alberta
Department of Energy and The UMA Group Ltd. (T-610)
UMATAC Industrial Processes (UMATAC) of Calgary, Canada developed the AOSTRA Taciuk Process (ATP) technology
which is a patented, unique, thermal desorption system for separating and extracting water and organics from host solids. It
was developed as a dry, thermal process to produce oil from natural resource oil sands and oil shales.
The technology is owned by the Alberta Department of Energy. Oil Sands and Research Division (OSRD. formerly
AOSTRA). which funded the development since 1977, investing approximately $25 million. UMATAC is the developer and
supplier, and also the licensee for use of the ATP System in waste treatment applications.
In 1992. AOSTRA convened an oil industry Task Force to re-assess the ATP for commercial production of oil from Alberta oil
sand. The study included demonstration operation of a new, 5 tph portable capacity ATP plant operated by UMATAC in Cal
gary. Successful conclusions will lead to consideration of a large scale demonstration ATP plant installation in the Fort
McMurray oil sands area of Alberta.
UMATAC has completed preliminary design of a 250 tph capacity ATP Processor and associated plant for an oil shale
development project in Australia. Study and development of the ATP for this project included pilot scale testing of a 2,000
tonne bulk sample of oil shale shipped from Australia to the ATP pilot plant in Calgary. Testing was completed in 1987.
The ATP is also suited for use in treating contaminated soils, sludges and wastes in environmental remediation work. Typical
applications are:
Cleaning and recovering oil from wastes produced in oil field production and operations of oil refineries and
petrochemical plants;
Clean up of soils or other materials which are contaminated with PCBs or other heavy organic compounds, such
as coal tars and industrial chemicals.
Organics and water are separated by anaerobic thermal desorption as vapors which are condensed to liquids in a second step of the
system. The oil fraction is potentially recyclable, depending on the type of contaminant.
UMATAC supplies the ATP technology under license for use in waste treatment and also manufactures and supplies the ATP
plant equipment. The ATP has been used commercially on soils remediation in the United States since 1990 by the U.S. licensee,
SoilTech ATP Systems, Inc. A 10 tph capacity plant has successfully completed PCB clean up of four Superfund sites.
Project Cost To Date: C$25 million (ADOE-OSRD^
TANGLEFLAGS NORTH -
Sceptre
Resources Limited and Murphy Oil Canada Ltd. (T-620)
The project, located some 35 kilometers northeast of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, near Paradise Hill, involves the first horizontal
heavy oil well in Saskatchewan. Production from horizontal oil wells is expected to dramatically improve the recovery of heavy oil
in the Lloydminster region.
The Tangleflags North Pilot Project is employing drilling methods similar to those used by Esso Resources Canada Ltd. in the Nor
man Wells oil field of the Northwest Territories and at Cold Lake, Alberta. The combination of the 500-meter horizontal produc
tion well and steamflood technology is expected to increase recovery at the Tangleflags North Pilot Project from less than one per
cent of the oil in place to up to 50 percent.
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan provided $3.8 million in under funding the terms of the Canada-Saskatchewan
Heavy Oil Fossil Fuels Research Program.
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SYNTHETIC FUELS REPORT, JANUARY 1995