Testing an Alternative Bitumen Extraction Method
Funded through Round 1: Open Call in 2010, the project involved completion of a field test of the Electro-Thermal Dynamic Stripping Process (ET-DSP), which uses electricity to heat the bitumen in-situ so it can be mobilized and extracted. The project was completed in 2013 and was the largest ET-DSP and electro-thermal field test undertaken at the time.
ET-DSP is a specialized electrical heating technology used extensively in industry to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater. The technology involves forcing a low-frequency electrical current to flow through the water within the bitumen. As current passes through the water, electrical energy is converted to heat proportionally to the resistance of the reservoir. In turn, the increase in the water’s temperature heats and mobilizes the surrounding bitumen, allowing it to be extracted to the surface.
E-T energy believed ET-DSP could be used to extract bitumen on commercial scale with substantially less impact on the environment and lower emissions than current fossil fuel-driven methods. Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the most wildly used bitumen extraction methods and requires a significant amount of energy, which is normally generated from non-renewable resources such as burning natural gas. Because ET-DSP utilizes electricity, the process does not include any on-site emissions. If combined with zero-emitting electricity, the process would be near zero-emitting.
Considering the Seasons for Optimal Production
A total of 3,910 barrels of bitumen was produced and sold from the project, all without producing any on-site emissions. This production exceeded initial expectations and constituted the most bitumen produced from any single E-T Energy field test at the time. During production, the project team found the extraction wells should begin operations when the temperature in the reservoir is already hot enough to produce mobilized bitumen. The temperature in the reservoir is affected partially by the time of year, with the summer months being the warmest and having the greatest production rates. The sooner production from the extraction wells can begin, the sooner convective heat transfer in the reservoir can be achieved. This is at the expense of producing too soon where cold production is not as effective.
What’s next?
While the project validated the environmental benefits of ET-DSP for bitumen extraction and production level exceeded initial expectations, the pilot and E-T Energy were ultimately shut down due to financial constraints. The project provided valuable insights into the technology despite the lack of adoption in the oil and gas industry. This could be an option for the oil and gas industry to pursue in the future, but would require significant operational changes, and would rely on access to abundant, zero emissions energy.