Geothermal Energy as a Source of Heat for Oil Sands Processing in Northern Alberta, Canada

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Majorowicz ◽  
Martyn Unsworth ◽  
Tom Chacko ◽  
Allan Gray ◽  
Larry Heaman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Northern Alberta

scholarly journals “Fighting the Same Old Battle”: Obscured Oil Sands Entanglements in Press Coverage of Indigenous Resistance in the Winter of 1983

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia H. Audette-Longo
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Indigenous Resistance ◽  
Fort Mcmurray ◽  
Energy Politics ◽  
Northern Alberta

Background  This article examines a week-long road blockade that took place in northern Alberta in January, 1983, organized by members of the Fort McKay First Nation and the Fort McKay Métis Community. The communities leveraged their blockade against a logging company, expanding the conversation to demand compensation, tougher oil sands pollution management, and better healthcare access. Analysis  A critical discourse analysis of newspaper coverage of the blockade in the local Fort McMurray Today and the provincial Edmonton Journal shows how links between the blockade and broader oil sands politics were minimized. Conclusions and implications  The article closes with considerations for contemporary journalistic practices of covering oil development, energy politics, and Indigenous resistance.Contexte  Cet article examine le blocus d’une semaine organisé par la Première Nation de Fort McKay et la Communauté Métis de Fort McKay au nord de l’Alberta en janvier 1983. Ces communautés ont mis à profit leur blocus contre une entreprise forestière pour demander des compensations, une gestion plus stricte de la pollution provenant des sables bitumineux et un meilleur accès aux soins.Analyse  Une analyse critique du discours utilisé pour parler du blocus dans les journaux, au niveau local dans le Fort McMurray Today et au niveau provincial dans le Edmonton Journal, démontre comment les liens entre le blocus et les politiques plus larges des sables bitumineux ont été minimisés.Conclusion et implications  L’article conclut avec des considérations pour les pratiques journalistiques contemporaines dans la couverture du développement pétrolier, politiques énergétiques et résistance autochtone.

The Use of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Analysis to Characterize Food Web Changes in Aquatic Systems for Reclamation of Oil Sands Process-Affected Materials

2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monalisa Elshayeb ◽  
Michael D. MacKinnon ◽  
D. George Dixon ◽  
Michael Power
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Northern Alberta

Abstract One strategy for reclamation of oil sands leases in northern Alberta is the construction of lakes and wetlands by capping oil sands process-affected material (OSPM) with water. To assess this approach, experimental sites containing a range of OSPM have been constructed to monitor the evolution of the resulting aquatic habitats. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were used to assess the effects of OSPM on aquatic food webs. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures of sediment, dissolved inorganic and organic carbon, particulate organic matter, periphyton, plants, plankton, aquatic invertebrates, and fish were used to assess differences related to the naphthenic acid (NA) concentration in OSPM and reference sites. NAs are a principal contaminant of concern in OSPM. Sites were grouped into low (0 to 4 mg/L), medium (4 to 15 mg/L), and high (>15 mg/L) NA concentrations. There were no significant differences in food web area or length among the three NA groupings. In most cases, carbon isotope analyses of samples from low, medium, and high NA concentration sites were not significantly different, suggesting that OSPM is not a significant contributor to food web carbon sources. Significant differences were found in nitrogen isotope signatures between low, medium, and high NA sites. Ammonia from OSPM is suggested as the main contributor to δ15N enrichment.

scholarly journals Airborne Lidar Measurements of Pollution above the Oil Sands Region in Northern Alberta

2016 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 20004
Author(s):  
Monika Aggarwal ◽  
James Whiteway ◽  
Jeffrey Seabrook ◽  
Lawrence Gray ◽  
Kevin B. Strawbridge
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Lidar Measurements ◽  
Northern Alberta

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variation in CO over Alberta using measurements from satellites, aircraft, and ground stations

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 3893-3908 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. S. Marey ◽  
Z. Hashisho ◽  
L. Fu ◽  
J. Gille
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Northern Alberta ◽  
Urban Sites

Abstract. Alberta is Canada's largest oil producer, and its oil sands deposits comprise 30% of the world's oil reserves. The process of bitumen extraction and upgrading releases trace gases and aerosols to the atmosphere. In this study we present satellite-based analysis to explore, for the first time, various contributing factors that affect tropospheric carbon monoxide (CO) levels over Alberta. The multispectral product that uses both near-infrared (NIR) and the thermal-infrared (TIR) radiances for CO retrieval from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) is examined for the 12-year period from 2002 to 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal anomaly product from 2001 to 2013 is employed to investigate the seasonal and temporal variations in forest fires. Additionally, in situ CO measurements at industrial and urban sites are compared to satellite data. Furthermore, the available MOZAIC/IAGOS (Measurement of Ozone, Water Vapor, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide by Airbus In-Service Aircraft/In service Aircraft for Global Observing System) aircraft CO profiles (April 2009–December 2011) are used to validate MOPITT CO data. The climatological time curtain plot and spatial maps for CO over northern Alberta indicate the signatures of transported CO for two distinct biomass burning seasons: summer and spring. Distinct seasonal patterns of CO at the urban sites (Edmonton and Calgary) point to the strong influence of traffic. Meteorological parameters play an important role in the CO spatial distribution at various pressure levels. Northern Alberta shows a stronger upward lifting motion which leads to larger CO total column values, while the poor dispersion in central and southern Alberta exacerbates the surface CO pollution. Interannual variations in satellite data depict a slightly decreasing trend for both regions, while the decline trend is more evident from ground observations, especially at the urban sites. MOPITT CO vertical averages and MOZAIC/IAGOS aircraft profiles were in good agreement within the standard deviations at all pressure levels. There is consistency between the time evolution of high-CO episodes monitored by satellite and ground measurements and the fire frequency peak time, which implies that biomass burning has affected the tropospheric CO distribution in northern Alberta. These findings have further demonstrated the potential use of the MOPITT V5 multispectral (NIR + TIR) product for assessing a complicated surface process.

Evaluation of Engineered Geothermal Systems as a Heat Source for Oil Sands Production in Northern Alberta

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Pathak ◽  
T. Babadagli ◽  
J. A. Majorowicz ◽  
M. J. Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Heat Source ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Geothermal Systems ◽  
Northern Alberta ◽  
Engineered Geothermal Systems

Pressure and temperature dependence of acoustic wave speeds in bitumen-saturated carbonates: Implications for seismic monitoring of the Grosmont Formation

Geophysics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. MR133-MR151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Rabbani ◽  
Douglas R. Schmitt ◽  
Jason Nycz ◽  
Ken Gray
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Saturation Pressure ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Heated Sample ◽  
Wave Speeds ◽  
Seismic Reflectivity ◽  
Water Saturated ◽  
Northern Alberta

Recent time-lapse seismic observations in carbonate reservoirs subject to steam-assisted enhanced oil recovery display substantial changes in seismic reflectivity due to the combined effects of saturation, pressure, and temperature. Understanding these field seismic observations requires knowledge of the effects on the seismic wave speeds in bitumen-saturated carbonates. We have conducted ultrasonic measurements of P- and S-wave velocities in bitumen-saturated dolomite taken from the Grosmont Formation in northern Alberta. Wave speeds are measured under a variety of conditions of constant pore pressure, constant effective pressure, and with varying temperature to map the various controlling factors. The temperature-dependent declines of 12% and 9% for the P- and S-wave speeds, respectively, with temperatures from 10°C to 102°C are most notable. Unlike oil sands, at times, the dolomite retains its structure upon removal of the bitumen allowing for measurement of the dry and water-saturated frame properties and their subsequent use in substitutional modeling. None of the standard bounding, inclusion, or Biot-Gassmann family models adequately describe the observations in the heated sample. The deviations may be in part due to the inability of these models to properly incorporate the complex bitumen non-Newtonian rheology including a bulk viscosity.

scholarly journals Tar on Tap

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (12) ◽  
pp. 30-34
Author(s):  
Bridget Mintz Testa
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Surface Mining ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Petroleum Production ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Production Wells ◽  
Oil Demand ◽  
Northern Alberta ◽  
In Situ Production

This article explores diverse ways adopted by companies to find ways to make extracting oil from the sands of northern Alberta a little easier. At Petrobank’s Whitesands site, heat from in situ combustion both melts and upgrades the bitumen in the underground deposit. Horizontal production wells carry the oil to the surface. However, even with the new processes in place, copious quantities of energy and water are needed to produce oil from sands. In situ production processes exploit bitumen deposits that are inaccessible through surface mining. The facility at EnCana’s Foster Creek site processes some of the water used to extract bitumen in situ. That recycled water is then boiled and reinjected below the surface. Environmental arguments aside, many observers contend that the only argument against exploiting the Alberta oil sands that might have any success is economic—that it might cost more than alternatives. The paper concludes that barring some unforeseen calamity, oil demand is expected to outstrip the capacity of conventional petroleum production. Even if wringing oil from the Alberta sands is expensive and energy-intensive, it is probably a cost most consumers will be willing to pay for access to the next easiest oil.

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