Reducing Emissions from Oil Sands Operations with Solvents
Funded through ERA’s Oil Sands Innovation call in 2020, Cenovus Energy planned to pilot a Solvent-Aided Process (SAP) to reduce steam use and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations. The project was cancelled, and Cenovus shifted focus to faster, large-scale deployment of solvent technologies across newly acquired assets following its merger with Husky Energy.
The SAP is an enhanced version of the SAGD method used in oil sands production. In SAGD, steam is injected underground to heat the thick bitumen so it can flow to the surface. SAP improves this process by adding a solvent, like propane or butane, along with the steam. The solvent helps thin the bitumen faster and more effectively, so less steam is needed overall. This process reduces GHG emissions by 20 to 30 per cent, fuel consumption and the water used and treated.
Bypassing the Demonstration to Pilot at Full-Scale
Although the project was ultimately terminated, Cenovus planned several key activities as part of the project. If the project continued, the team would have tested the system’s performance in real-world conditions and used the results to support broader commercial deployment. The company also planned to build a solvent recovery facility at a nearby pad to capture and recycle the solvent. However, following its merger with Husky Energy, Cenovus chose to skip the demonstration phase and move directly toward large-scale commercial applications of SAP using other assets, which offered similar development costs. Through this process, the company learned that the SAP technology was still at the same stage of commercial readiness, but that full-scale deployment could be pursued more efficiently by integrating it into smaller, more flexible operations within its expanded portfolio. This shift also reflected Cenovus’s desire to accelerate emissions reductions to meet its corporate climate goals.
What’s next?
After the funding relationship with the project was terminated in 2022, Cenovus began exploring commercial-scale solvent use at other facilities that were made available through its merger with Husky Energy. While Cenovus has continued to pilot SAP at its well pads, ERA is not aware of any public advancements.