Froth treatment for oil sands
In the August edition of JPT Online, Royal Dutch Shell is using a process known as high-temperature froth treatment that reportedly cuts carbon emissions during heavy crude extraction by 10 to 15%.
According to the article, the froth treatment process heats extracted oil sands to 80°C under pressure, creating a froth that allows easier separation of the oil and sand.The process treats the oil sand at roughly twice the temperature of conventional separation processes, allowing the oil to be extracted more quickly while saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This appears to be a promising technology to improve heavy oil economics while reducing environmental impacts.
You can find there full article here.
Kambiz.
