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
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
1
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
2
Syncrude Canada Ltd - Background
•
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.
Mocal Energy
Limited
5%
Murphy Oil
Company Ltd.
5%
Nexen Oil Sands
Partnership
7.23%
Suncor Oil Sands
Partnership
12%
Peace River
Cold Lake
Imperial Oil
Resources
25%
Sinopec Oil
Sands
Partnership
9.03%
Athabasca
Canadian Oil
Sands
Limited
36.74%
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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Simplified Process Flow Diagram
Athabasca
River
Raw Water
Import
Upgrading + Utilities
Froth to upgrading
Oil Sand Slurry
Hydrotransport
middling layer
Crusher Cyclofeeder
Upgrading
Effluent
underflow
Recycle Water Pond
OSPW
Water
Tailings
Dyke
Sand
MFT
Tailings
Dyke
Beach
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
5
Major water sources
SCO Production is reliant on two major water sources.
1. 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;
Constitute ~ 75% of
raw water requirements
• 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.
Other water inputs include:
– Formation (Connate Water)
(Water content ~4 wt.%)
– Ground and Surface Water
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Raw (Athabasca River) Water
Athabasca River D/S Fort McMurray
1600
Flowrate (m3/s)
1400
1200
Based on AE Discharge
Data: 1957-2004*
RAMP
1000
800
600
400
200
Mean
•
•
Ju
l
A
ug
S
ep
O
ct
N
ov
D
ec
Ja
n
Fe
b
M
ar
A
pr
M
ay
Ju
n
0
Minimum
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
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Syncrude’s Raw Water Circuit
Athabasca R.
Utility Water
Fire Water
Raw Water
Seal Water
Tailings Makeup
Boilers
Water
Treatment
Plant
Steam
System
Blowdown
Vent & H2
Condensate Loss
Blowdown & Regenerant Waste
Evaporation
Blowdown
Cooling Towers
Potable Water Plant
Discharge
Sanitary
Sewage
Treatment
Blowdown
Potable Water
Distribution System
Tailings
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW)
NaOH
(80-150 g/t
ore)
During processing:
- Salts released (Na+, Cl-, SO4=, Ca++, etc.);
- Organic acids solubilized (i.e., Naphthenic
Acids);
- Water softening reactions.
+
Tailings Slurry
+
PLANT
(Processing
cooling)
Release Water
Sand
MFT
Sand
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Tailings RCW
System
Athabasca
MacKay
River
River
MLSB
Coke
Syphon
North
Mine
Plt 6
Plt5
W1
Dump
SWSS
Mildred
Lake
Base
Plant
System 4
W2
Dump
SW Pit
Disposal
Area
System 1
NEP
CT
System 2
RCW
Barge
MFT
Barge
WIP
SEP
Junior
SEP
Suncor
Dredge
System 6
SEP Barge
System 5
Beaver
Creek
Reservoir
Decant
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
Ruth
Lake
Suncor
Pond 5
Suncor
Pond ?
10
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
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What Impacts OSPW Quality in Operations?
•
•
Salts are added from ore, process aids, and chemicals
in engineered tailings;
Salt concentrations increase through recycling.
Extraction
•
•
Tailings
Salts from ore
NaOH
•
•
•
•
•
•
CaSO4
Salts from boiler water
treatment
Cooling tower blowdown
Ammonia
Net effect is that salinity increases within the RCW system;
Ion “build-up” is a water management focus.
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Concentration (mg/L)
OSPW Historical Chloride Concentrations
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1979
1989
1999
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
2009
13
Oil Sands Process Water
Constituents
of Concern
Suspended
Solids
Free Phase
Hydrocarbons
Dissolved
Organics
Dissolved
Solids
Treatment of OSPW for return to environment
Treatment of OSPW for reuse (replace Athabasca River import)
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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Base Mine Lake (BML) Reclamation
Base Mine Lake circa 2012
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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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
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Reclamation Options
Oil Sands Process Material
Dry Landscapes
• Vegetation
• Forest
Wet Landscapes
• Lakes
• Wetlands
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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EPLs are a major feature in oil sands lease closure
landscapes
Number of
EPLs
>25
Mean Surface
Area
~ 4km2
Mean Depth
~ 30m
Mean Fluid
Volume
~ 100Mm3
Water/FFT
Ratio
<0.1 to ~0.8
Base Mine
Lake
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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End-Pit Lakes – the Concept
Water Zone
5mWater Input
(recharge)
Littoral Zone
Fish, Invertebrates, Plankton
Beach
Water Cap
Fluid Fine Tails
Water Output
(discharge)
Lake
Water Cap
Mixing
5m-
Release
Microbial
Activity
Fluid Fine Tails
(Densification)
Seepage
50m-
Water
Fine Tails
Overburden,
Rejects or Sand
Overburden, Rejects
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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To develop the water capping option, SCL
Research has examined
1. Physical Processes
•
•
•
•
Fine Tails re-suspension;
Densification;
Stratification;
Hydrology.
2. Chemical Properties
•
•
•
•
Composition;
Sources, Mass flux;
Inorganic/organic constituents;
Degradation.
3. Toxicology
•
•
•
•
Acute/Chronic;
Identification of toxicants;
Bioaccumulation/food chain
Removal.
4. Biological Performance
•
•
•
•
Productivity, Diversity;
Ecosystem dynamics;
Food web;
Colonization and stability.
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Field Experimental Test Ponds
(1989 - Present)
1989
MFT Placement - 1989
1993
Water Cap - 1989
2001
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Physical Processes – FFT Densification
•
Research indicates FFT densification is occurring and has accelerated in
recent years;
FFT at 30%
Densification results in increased strength.
4
32.8
26.9
Densification:
Fine Tails
5
34.8Fluid 28.4
50
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
36.5
37.9
39.1
40.2
41.2
42.1
42.9
43.6
44.3
44.9
45.5
46.1
46.6
47.1
47.6
29.6
30.6
31.5
32.3
33.0
33.6
34.2
34.7
35.2
35.7
36.1
36.5
36.9
37.2
37.6
Biologically Active
45
40
Fines/(Fines+Water)
(g/100g)
•
35
30
25
20
15
10
Biologically Inactive
FFT at 45%
5
0
0
5
10
15
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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25
What was learned from research about water circulation?
•
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.
26
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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Physical Processes – Stability of Water/FFT
Interface
Water Depth (m)
12
Annual
Storm
Event
2 km
4 km
6 km
8 km
10
8
10 year
Storm
Event
100 year
Storm
Event
6
4
2
0
0
5
10
15
20
Wind Velocity (m/s)
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Cross section of BML at Start (T0)
308.7m
303.7m
294m
250m
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Chemical Properties – Naphthenic Acids
Concentration (ppm)
Naphthenic Acid Degradation
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Time
(years)
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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120
80
100
% Survivial
100
80
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
MLSB (fresh)
Trout (96 h)
Concentration (mg/L)
Chemical Properties – Naphthenic Acids and
Acute Toxicity
MLSB(aged 1 Year) MLSB (Aged 5
Years)
Daphnia (48 h)
NA Concentration
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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Benthic Invertebrate
Plankton Surveys
-Abundance
-diversity
Vegetation
-Riparian
-Littoral
Fish Studies
-Survival
-Health
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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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
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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
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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
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Thank You
APPEGGA Meeting - September 21,2010
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