Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the recovery and extraction of crude bitumen from Canada’s oil sands

Nimana, Balwinder S.; Canter, Christina E.; Kumar, Amit

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.01.024

Cited by 84 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…During 2017, the Canadian benchmark Western Canada Select diluted bitumen blend traded at an average of $12.77 per barrel below the WTI price, the North American benchmark for light crude; we use this value (adjusted for inflation) in our analysis, and allow it to vary for sensitivity analysis. 5 The price discount is due to differences in quality and geographic characteristics: oil sands diluted bitumen is denser and thus more expensive to transport, more expensive to refine, and yields a lower-value slate of products than a light, sweet (low-sulphur) crude in the same location (Nimana et al, 2015). Lower values for heavy crude are not exclusive to oil sands bitumen.…”

Section: Product Discountsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Economics of Canadian Oil Sands

Heyes¹,

Leach

Mason

2018

Review of Environmental Economics and Policy

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We analyze the status of Canadian oil sands and examine future prospects. Our analysis suggests sustained activity in the sector in the medium-to long-term even with challenging changes in the surrounding economic and policy circumstances (in particular low oil prices and a redoubled commitment to more aggressive climate policies by Canada's provincial and federal governments). However, a combination of an expectation of a sustained increase in benchmark oil prices and the expected relaxation of transportation constraints will be needed to stimulate significant additional growth in production. We provide an overview of the basic production economics, as well as the economics and politics of getting product to market by pipeline and rail. A review of environmental impacts of Canadian oil sands development reveals significant concerns with respect to air quality, water quality, wildlife and other environmental impacts. However, we find that existing research on the environmental and wider social impacts is insufficient to underpin credible benefit-cost analysis of oil sands activities and development.

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Section: Product Discountsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Economics of Canadian Oil Sands

Heyes¹,

Leach

Mason

2018

Review of Environmental Economics and Policy

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“…CO 2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a long proven technology for improving production from mature oil fields. In recent years, there has been an increasing global demand for the mitigation of atmospheric greenhouse gases such as CO 2 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The CO 2 -EOR process has the potential of both improving oil recovery and sequestering large volumes of injected CO 2 thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions [11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimum design of CO2 storage and oil recovery under geological uncertainty

et al. 2017

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This paper presents an integrated numerical framework to co-optimize EOR and CO 2 storage performance under uncertainty in the Farnsworth Unit (FWU) oil field in Ochiltree County, Texas. The framework includes a field-scale compositional reservoir multiphase flow model, an uncertainty quantification model and a neural network optimization process. The reservoir flow model has been constructed based on the field geophysical, geological, and engineering data. Equation of state parameters were tuned to achieve field measured fluid properties and subsequently used to predict the minimum miscible pressure (MMP). A history match of primary and secondary recovery processes was conducted to estimate the reservoir and multiphase flow parameters as the base case for analyzing the effect of recycling produced gas, infill drilling and water alternating gas (WAG) cycles on oil recovery and CO 2 storage. A multi-objective optimization model was defined for maximizing both oil recovery and CO 2 storage. The uncertainty quantification model comprising the Latin Hypercube sampling, Monte Carlo simulation, and sensitivity analysis, was used to study the effects of uncertain variables on the defined objective functions. Uncertain variables include bottom hole injection pressure, WAG cycle, injection and production group rates, and gas-oil ratio. The most significant variables were chosen as control variables to be used for the optimization process. A neural network optimization algorithm was utilized to optimize the objective function both with and without geological uncertainty. The vertical permeability anisotropy (Kv/Kh) was selected as one of the uncertain parameters in the optimization process. The simulation results were compared to a scenario baseline case that predicted CO 2 storage of 74%. The results showed an improved approach for optimizing oil recovery and CO 2 storage in the FWU. The optimization model predicted that about 94% of CO 2 would be stored and most importantly, that this increased storage could result in about 25% of incremental oil recovery. The sensitivity analysis reduced the number of control variables to decrease computational time. A risk aversion factor was used to represent results at various confidence levels to assist management in the decision-making process. The defined objective functions were shown to be a robust approach to co-optimize oil recovery and CO 2 storage.

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“…Most of the fossil fuel is combusted to produce heat and provide hydrogen to break down the long hydrocarbon molecules that form bitumen (Nimana et al, 2015a;Nimana et al, 2015b). Flue gas originating from in-situ bitumen recovery and upgrading of oil sands is always emitted via stacks, which can be considered as a point source of air pollutants.…”

Section: Fossil Fuel Combustion-generated Pmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Particulate matter emissions over the oil sands regions in Alberta, Canada

Xing

2017

Environ. Rev.

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Particulate matter (PM) emissions from the expanded oil sands development in Alberta are becoming a focus among the aerosol science community because of its significant negative impact on the regional air quality and climate change. Open-pit mining, petroleum coke (petcoke) dust, and the transportation of oil sands and waste materials by heavy-duty trucks on unpaved roads could release PM into the air. Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels by engines and stationary boilers leads to the formation of carbonaceous aerosols. In addition, wildfire and biogenic emissions surrounding the oil sands regions also have the potential to contribute primary PM to the ambient air. Secondary organic aerosol formation has been revealed as an important source of PM over nearby and distant areas from the oil sands regions. This review summarizes the primary PM sources and some secondary aerosol formation mechanisms that are linked to oil sands development. It also reviews the approaches that can be applied in aerosol source apportionment. Meteorological condition is an important factor that may influence the primary PM emission and secondary aerosol formation in Alberta’s oil sands regions. Current concern should not be limited to the primary emission of atmospheric PM. Secondary formation of aerosols, especially secondary organic aerosol originating from photochemical reaction, should also be taken into consideration. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the sources and amount of PM emissions based on the bottom-up emission inventory approach, investigations on how to reduce the uncertainty in determination of real-world PM emission factors for the variable sources are needed. Long-range transport trajectories of fine PM from Alberta’s oil sands regions remain unknown.

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Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the recovery and extraction of crude bitumen from Canada’s oil sands

Cited by 84 publications

References 31 publications

The Economics of Canadian Oil Sands

The Economics of Canadian Oil Sands

Optimum design of CO2 storage and oil recovery under geological uncertainty

Particulate matter emissions over the oil sands regions in Alberta, Canada

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