1 / 37

Water Use and Aquatic Reclamation at Syncrude Canada Ltd. Integrated Oil Sands Mining Operation

Water Use and Aquatic Reclamation at Syncrude Canada Ltd. Integrated Oil Sands Mining Operation. Warren Zubot, M.Sc., P.Eng. APEGGA Luncheon Sept. 21, 2010. Presentation Outline. Water Use Background Bitumen Production Process Water Use Water Quality Summary

darrel-sims
Download Presentation

Water Use and Aquatic Reclamation at Syncrude Canada Ltd. Integrated Oil Sands Mining Operation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Water Use and Aquatic Reclamation atSyncrude Canada Ltd. Integrated Oil Sands Mining Operation Warren Zubot, M.Sc., P.Eng. APEGGA Luncheon Sept. 21, 2010 APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  2. Presentation Outline • Water Use • Background • Bitumen Production Process • Water Use • Water Quality • Summary • Base Mine Lake (BML) Reclamation • Background • Research Summary • Path Forward APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  3. Syncrude is a joint venture company incorporated in 1964; • Operates an integrated open-pit oil sands mining, extraction and upgrading operation in the Athabasca Region of Northeastern Alberta, Canada. Nexen Oil Sands Partnership 7.23% Murphy Oil Company Ltd. 5% Athabasca Mocal Energy Limited 5% Suncor Oil Sands Partnership 12% Peace River Cold Lake Imperial Oil Resources 25% Canadian Oil Sands Limited 36.74% Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership 9.03% Syncrude Canada Ltd - Background APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  4. Syncrude Canada Ltd – Background (Cont’d) • Bitumen is derived from the oilsands deposits by open-pit mining and water based extraction techniques; • Recovered bitumen is upgraded into marketable low-sulphur synthetic crude oil (SCO); • In 1978, 3.6 million barrels of SCO produced; • In 2008, 105.8 million barrels of SCO produced; • Currently, production capacity is equivalent to about 15% of Canada’s domestic oil requirements; • Based on current production rates, Syncrude’s bitumen reserves are sufficient to operate for an additional 70 to 115 years. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  5. Athabasca River Raw Water Import Froth to upgrading Upgrading Effluent Oil Sand Slurry Hydrotransport middling layer Crusher Cyclofeeder underflow Recycle Water Pond OSPW Water Tailings Dyke Tailings Dyke MFT Sand Beach Upgrading + Utilities Simplified Process Flow Diagram APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  6. Constitute ~ 75% of raw water requirements • Other water inputs include: • Formation (Connate Water) (Water content ~4 wt.%) Major water sourcesSCO Production is reliant on two major water sources. • Raw Water imported from the Athabasca River; • Between 2003 and 2007, raw water import averaged ~ 34 Mm3/year; • Used by the Upgrader/Utilities; • Two largest users of raw water: • Cooling Towers; • Water Treatment Plant (boiler feed water). 2. Oil Sands Process Water (Recycle water) • Tailings systems recycle ~ 150 Mm3/year (80 000 USGPM) to satisfy bitumen extraction, process cooling, and hydrotransport requirements. • Ground and Surface Water APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  7. Raw (Athabasca River) Water Based on AE Discharge Data: 1957-2004* RAMP • Average annual river flow is ~ 600 m3/s; • Current annual flow diversion is equivalent to ~ 18 hours of average river flow; APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  8. Syncrude’s Raw Water Circuit Athabasca R. Utility Water Fire Water Raw Water Seal Water Tailings Makeup Blowdown Vent & H2 Steam System Boilers Condensate Loss Water Treatment Plant Blowdown & Regenerant Waste Evaporation Blowdown Cooling Towers Blowdown Potable Water Plant Sanitary Sewage Treatment Discharge Potable Water Distribution System Tailings APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  9. NaOH (80-150 g/t ore) + + Tailings Slurry Release Water MFT Sand Sand PLANT (Processing cooling) Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW) During processing:- Salts released (Na+, Cl-, SO4=, Ca++, etc.);- Organic acids solubilized (i.e., Naphthenic Acids);- Water softening reactions. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  10. CT Tailings RCW System Athabasca River MacKay River MLSB Plant 6 Stream 73 Highway 63 Coke Syphon Line 5A Stream 73 North Mine Coke Line Mildred Lake Base Plant Plt 6 Plt5 690 System 1 791 W1 Dump System 4 NEP W2 Dump System 2 691 4B / Line 9 SEP Junior RCW Barge System 3 MFT Barge SW Pit Disposal Area WIP SEP Suncor SWSS Dredge System 6 Suncor Pond 5 SEP Barge 5B / Line 10 SEP TFT Return to WIP System 5 SWSS Decant Line to WIP Beaver Creek Reservoir 790 Suncor Pond ? Ruth Lake Highway 63 Decant APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010 SW Interceptor Ditch

  11. Water Management • Goals for oil sands processing: • Plant operations require water of sufficient quantity and quality; • Optimize containment – minimize volume. • Tools: • Conservation; • Treatment for reuse; • Treatment for release. • Water quantity and quality dependent on tailings management practices: • MFT densification: Convert pore water to “free” water; • Total OSPW inventory is ~1.1 billion m3; • About 100 Mm3 available as “free” water for plant recycle. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  12. Extraction Tailings • Salts from ore • NaOH • CaSO4 • Salts from boiler water treatment • Cooling tower blowdown • Ammonia • Salts are added from ore, process aids, and chemicals in engineered tailings; • Salt concentrations increase through recycling. What Impacts OSPW Quality in Operations? • Net effect is that salinity increases within the RCW system; • Ion “build-up” is a water management focus. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  13. 800 600 Concentration (mg/L) 400 200 0 1979 1989 1999 2009 OSPW Historical Chloride Concentrations 1000 APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  14. Oil Sands Process Water APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  15. Summary • To produce ~15 % of Canada’s energy requirements, current diversions from the Athabasca River are less than a 1-day equivalent of average annual flow; • Highly efficient water recycle practices result in increased concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids (salinity) in the oil sands process water (OSPW) reused on-site; • OSPW quality is a function of the ore quality, processing conditions, recycle efficiency and tailings management practices; • Caustic (NaOH) is both a process aid (surfactant liberation) and water softener; • Syncrude’s operations could proceed into the 22nd century – requires sustainable water management practices. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  16. Base Mine Lake (BML) Reclamation Base Mine Lake circa 2012 APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  17. Background • The BML concept was the most significant corporate commitment made during the 1993 hearing on the Syncrude expansion; • ERCB and AENV approvals require for the development of the BML to demonstrate the technology; • The BML facility was also the subject of extensive consultation and a subsequent agreement between SCL and the Fort McKay First Nation; • Following ERCB and AE approval for ’93 expansion, both regulators documented their expectation the facility be delivered as per SCL’s commitments. • The BML will permit permanent storage and subsequent remediation of up to 207 Mm3 of FFT. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  18. Reclamation Objectives • Produce self-sustaining landscapes – terrestrial and aquatic; • “Equivalent Capability” to pre-disturbed habitats; • Meets the needs of future generations and balances environmental, social and economic issues. Base Mine Lake APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  19. Reclamation Options Oil Sands Process Material • Dry Landscapes • Vegetation • Forest • Wet Landscapes • Lakes • Wetlands APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  20. EPLs are a major feature in oil sands lease closure landscapes Base Mine Lake APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  21. End-Pit Lakes – the Concept Water Zone Littoral Zone Fish, Invertebrates, Plankton 5m- Beach Water Input (recharge) Water Cap Fluid Fine Tails Water Output (discharge) Lake Water Cap Mixing 5m- Release Microbial Water Activity Fine Tails Fluid Fine Tails Overburden, Rejects or Sand (Densification) Seepage 50m- Overburden, Rejects APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  22. What are the objectives in developing the BML? Demonstrate that water-capped lakes: • Are an effective technology to manage volumes of fluid fine tails; • Will develop into self-sustaining lake ecosystems; • Will slowly trend towards similar ecosystems in the region; • Are efficient “bioreactors” to remediate constituents of concern present in OSPW. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  23. To develop the water capping option, SCL Research has examined • Physical Processes • Fine Tails re-suspension; • Densification; • Stratification; • Hydrology. • 3. Toxicology • Acute/Chronic; • Identification of toxicants; • Bioaccumulation/food chain • Removal. • 2. Chemical Properties • Composition; • Sources, Mass flux; • Inorganic/organic constituents; • Degradation. • 4. Biological Performance • Productivity, Diversity; • Ecosystem dynamics; • Food web; • Colonization and stability. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  24. Field Experimental Test Ponds (1989 - Present) 1989 MFT Placement - 1989 1993 Water Cap - 1989 2001 APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  25. Physical Processes – FFT Densification • Research indicates FFT densification is occurring and has accelerated in recent years; • Densification results in increased strength. FFT at 30% Biologically Active Biologically Inactive FFT at 45% APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  26. What was learned from research about water circulation? 26 APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010 Layers of water at different temperatures naturally form in deeper lakes in the summer; With an initial depth of 5 m, we expect layers of water will develop in BML; these layers will mix in the spring/fall, similar to a natural lake; Maintain oxygen concentrations; Duplicating natural seasonal patterns of water flow-through and water level will assist the development of a self-sustaining lake.

  27. Physical Process – Stability of Water/FFT Interface • Will winds create mixing in the BML such that the fine materials in the FFT zone are re-suspended? Flume Experiment APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  28. 100 year Storm Event Annual Storm Event 10 year Storm Event Physical Processes – Stability of Water/FFT Interface APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  29. Cross section of BML at Start (T0) 308.7m 303.7m 294m 250m APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  30. Chemical Properties – Naphthenic Acids APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  31. Chemical Properties – Naphthenic Acids and Acute Toxicity APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  32. Benthic Invertebrate • Plankton Surveys • Abundance • diversity • Fish Studies • Survival • Health • Vegetation • Riparian • Littoral APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  33. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  34. What Have We Learned? • The lake will stratify into a layer of fine tails (MFT) overlain by a cap of water; • Acute toxicity of BML water will depend on dewatering rates and is anticipated to be removed within one to two years; • Water inputs into the lake will be a combination of Athabasca River water, Beaver Creek reservoir water, watershed water, and FFT porewater. Experimental Test Ponds After 10+ Years APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  35. What Have We Learned? • Over time, the water quality will improve and will become more consistent with freshwater ecosystems in the region to support freshwater life. • Concurrent with water quality improvements, littoral zones will develop; • Ecosystem development in test ponds suggests water capped lakes can provide suitable habitat for native plants and animals. Example of mats of bacteria, fungi and algae that developed in test ponds. This is where much of the break-down of organics will occur and facilitates the role as a “bioreactor”. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  36. BML - Major Benefits • Fluid Storage- up to 207Mm3 of Fluid Fine Tails and up to 40Mm3 of water (fluid inventory management); • Demonstrate self-remediation/treatment of OSPW for ultimate return to the environment; • Value added feature in the lease closure landscape; • Viable BML will help mitigate public concerns relating to the industry’s ability to successfully reclaim mined out areas. APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

  37. Thank You APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010

More Related