Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy AICISE

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Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ
EnergyAICISE

• Principal Investigators
• Dr. Pedro Pereira, Dr. Steve Larter
• Dr. Larry Lines, Dr. Brij Maini, Dr. Gordon Moore
• An initiative of the Institute for Sustainable
  Energy, Economy and Environment (ISEEE)
• University of Calgary
• ppereira_at_ucalgary.ca
• slarter_at_ucalgary.ca

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AICISE
CH4
Light oils
e-
H2
CH4
CH4
H2
CH4
H2
e-
e-
H2
Light oils
CH4
Reservoir engineering
H2
Light oils
e-
Chemical processing and catalysis
Reservoir Geoscience
Tar sand bitumen in its host reservoir medium
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Lead Researchers

• Dr. Tom Harding
• Dr. Josephine Hill
• Dr. Apostolos Kantzas
• Dr. Don Lawton
• Dr. Raj Mehta
• Dr. Cynthia Riediger
• Dr. Barry Bennett
• Dr. Haiping Huang
• Dr. Tony Settari
• Dr. Ronald Spencer
• Dr. Rob Stewart
• Dr. Harvey Yarranton

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Innovation and Ingenuity Needed!

• AEUB estimates indicate only 10.6 of the total
  bitumen reserves of Northern Alberta are
  recoverable using all current in situ and surface
  mining methods
• Current methods are not sustainable

Albertas Reserves 2002 and Supply/Demand
Outlook 2003-2012 EUB Statistical Series 200398.
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Innovation and Ingenuity Needed!

• New and innovative in situ-based technologies are
  urgently needed
• To gain access to the 93 of bitumen resources
  too deep to mine
• To meet increasing water, natural gas and
  environmental constraints
• To increase market opportunities and value added

Albertas Reserves 2002 and Supply/Demand
Outlook 2003-2012 EUB Statistical Series 200398.
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The Vision To integrate the people, tools, and
resources required to be the world leader in
enhanced in situ and integrated energy upgrading
and recovery in the context of environmental
sustainability, and to provide leadership in
research and education that assures Albertas
competitive edge and future in this area.
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The Challenge

• Bitumens are extremely complex mixtures. Their
  composition, reactivity, and flow behaviors are
  dependent on many interrelated factors
• The bitumen is contained in a spatially and
  mechanically complex reactive environment-a
  reservoir
• Technological step changes can be achieved by
  integrating science and engineering, by better
  understanding the chemical and physical phenomena
  that occur during in situ recovery and upgrading,
  and by applying sophisticated new approaches

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Research Focus

• In Situ Upgrading Processes and Catalyst Design
• Integration of Recovery and Upgrading Conditions
• Chemical Monitoring and Processing
  Characterization of Bitumen Heavy Ends
• Reservoir Description and Visualization Linked to
  Feedstock and In Situ Process Monitoring
• Transportation and Stability of Fluids
• Innovative Integrated Process Design and
  Management of In Situ Conditions

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Support some examples

• Alberta Energy Research Institute
• Natural Resources Canada
• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
• Devon Canada Corporation
• EncCana Corporation
• Hampson-Russell Software Services
• Hydro Oil Energy(Brea MH)
• Nexen Corporation
• University of Newcastle
• Veritas GeoServices Ltd

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The Goals

• Near Term
• Target the radical improvement of existing
  recovery processes, in situ ultra-dispersed
  catalysts, and in-reservoir reactor designs and
  process conditions

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Production fluids (H2, Heavy Oil, Gas, Water,
Catalysts) Separation storage facilities
Catalyst make up
Catalysts recovery
Characterization of fluid and rocks from
boreholes and produced fluids. Fluid front
monitoring with surface seismic.
Combustion Catalysts Steam/Diluent
Near Term (5 year) Vision
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The Goals

• Medium Term
• In situ gasification of heavy ends and residual
  materials
• (alternative) partial conversion of heavy ends
  and reinjection to an eventual combustion zone
• All aimed at producing a medium-quality,
  transportable and conventionally refinable crude
  oil from the reservoir
• Produced waters treated and recycled to the
  reservoir, with only the concentrated waste
  stream requiring deep disposal

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Production fluids (H2, Medium Oil, Gas, Water,
Catalysts) Separation storage facilities. Water
cleanup.
Flow, Recovery / Fluid Quality Monitoring
Asphaltenes selective adsorption gasification
Catalyst make up
Asphaltenes/residuals Reinjection/combustion
Catalysts recovery, reactivation, recycling
Nano catalysts recovery recycling
In-situ instrumented characterization of fluid
and rocks. Reaction conditions monitoring with
surface and borehole geophysics.
Combustion Catalysts Steam/Diluent
Medium Term (10 year) Vision master design,
monitoring, control and construction of effective
in situ processing and control reservoir
reactor-like conditions using seismic and
material analyses. Target is medium quality
transportable and conventionally refinable crude
oil. Concentrated waste streams disposed in deep
formations.
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The Goals

• Long Term
• Working technology for producing high value
  energy and feedstock chemicals from in situ
  processing, with an extremely low to zero
  environmental footprint
• Knowledge, technology and people for a new,
  vibrant and clean next generation bitumen and
  heavy oil industry and its supporting economic
  infrastructure

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Production fluids (H2, Power, Chemicals, Light
Oil, Gas, Water, Catalysts) Separation storage
facilities
Upgrading/recovery confinement The Natural
Reactor
Process control from monitoring Flow patterns,
compositions, Recovery/Quality, waste disposal
Asphaltenes selective adsorption gasification
Catalysts recovery, reactivation, recycling
Asphaltenes/residuals Reinjection/combustion
Catalyst make up
Nano catalysts recovery recycling
Hybrid catalytic processes. Bio-upgrading.
Confinement technologies. Reactor walls
Confinement technologies. Reactor walls
Combustion Catalysts Steam/Diluent
Wastes from converted material
Long Term Vision.In-Reservoir Refineries
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Reservoir, rock and fluid Description and
Characterization
Intelligent process design and engineering
Molecular Characterization and Reactivity
Innovation in-situ recovery and upgrading
Transport and stability of fluids for processing
Process conditions creation for upgrading and H2
prdxn
Management of in-situ conditions
Catalysis nanocatalysts for Upgrading and H2
Reservoir Monitoring and Tracking
An embryo for optimal energy
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Investment and partnership

• Alberta Ingenuity has invested 8.9M over 5
  years
• We now seek partnership, collaboration and
  investment from the energy industry sector to
  build a center capable of delivering a step
  change in technology.