Page 19 - Suncor 360 - Summer 2017

ESEIEH pilot at Dover
Nikanotee fen
Putting innovation “in place”
With our strong performance at Firebag and MacKay River, it’s easy to forget that steam assisted gravity drainage, or SAGD, is still a relatively new technology. And yet we continue to advance a portfolio of in situ (meaning ‘in place’) technologies and innovative approaches to improve our costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions and water usage. Some of these initiatives include:
• Developing a simpler SAGD design that uses less metal and creates a smaller footprint
• Evaluating and piloting technologies like Nsolv, ESEIEH, and SAGD LITE that use less or no steam through a combination of solvents, surfactants, and radio frequency heating techniques
• Pursuing a remote monitoring, control and support system through an Integrated Operating Centre (IOC) from Calgary for our Firebag asset
“There’s room to improve SAGD and we think a likely solution will be a hybrid of the many innovative approaches and technologies we’re advancing towards commercialization,” says Mark Bohm, manager, in situ, technology development, Upstream.
It’s in our nature
In 2010, we became the rst oil sands company to reclaim a tailings pond to a surface capable of supporting the weight of a vehicle. We transformed what was a tailings storage area for 30 years into a 220-hectare watershed called Wapisiw Lookout. Now celebrating its seventh year, Wapisiw is home to a variety of animals, big and small, and is a regular tour stop for out-of-town guests.
Only three years after our visionary Wapisiw was reclaimed, we became one of the rst organizations in the world to attempt the sophisticated ecosystem reconstruction of a fen wetland from the ground up. Collaborating with others has been key to the fen’s success.
“Our work on the Nikanotee fen engaged some of the brightest minds around the world in peatland science, geotechnical engineering and reclamation and complemented our internal expertise,” says Joshua Martin, senior advisor, technology, aquatic closure, Upstream. “Working with leading experts, regulators, Aboriginal Peoples, partners and academics on the research, design and construction enabled us to take a real innovative approach.”
What’s next?
Technology and innovative thinking have been a signi cant part of our history and remain fundamental to our future. In a resource-driven industry, technology is becoming as important as the deposits themselves.
“We’re one of the few companies to increase our annual technology development budget during the downturn over the past two years,” according to Gary. “Whether it’s leading technology development on our own or collaborating through consortiums and industry initiatives like Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), we know we can and will do better in energy development. We believe we’ll see technology move from incremental to transformational at a pace and scale we’ve never seen before and the best is yet to come.”
SAFETY TECHNOLOGY: A SOUND INVESTMENT
Technology and innovative thinking isn’t just limited to lowering costs and improving environmental performance.
With safety above all else, we continually evaluate opportunities to enhance worker safety. One example is the wireless gas detection monitor that employees and contractors began wearing in selective areas of our upgrading facilities in 2015.
These devices enable us to
monitor for elevated levels of certain gases in the air or unusual periods of employee inactivity.
An alarm is triggered which alerts Operations personnel in our control rooms so we can locate employees immediately and ensure their safety.
SOCIAL INNOVATION
Governments, companies and not- for-pro ts are increasingly working together and looking at innovative ways to make communities better places to live. Through partnerships with organizations like The Banff Centre and the Energy Futures
Lab, Suncor is working to in uence positive social change in areas of systems research, the environment, and Indigenous knowledge.
DID YOU KNOW?
The bucket wheel excavators used at the Oil Sands plant from 1967 to 1992 were...
• Over 31 metres (100 feet) tall
• Over 62 metres (200 feet) long
• More than 1.6 million kg
(1,600 tonnes), supported on six tracked “feet” – each three metres (10 feet) tall
• Equipped with wheels that had 10 individual scoops, each with a capacity of 2,000 kg (two tonnes)
• Capable of moving ve to six million kg (5,000 to 6,000 tonnes) per hour
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SUMMER 2017
360