The Bitumount Co-Production Project (The next generation in oil sands technology)
- Solv-Ex Corp., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Solv-Ex Corporation, which owns Lease No. 5 in the Athabasca oil sands area, is planning to build a facility that will produce 10,000 BPCD (1,587 m{sup 3}/d) of crude oil with co-production of 64,000 metric tons per year of alumina. As the Co-production name implies, the operations result in more than just a crude oil product. The facility coproduces alumina and additional inorganic chemicals and could recover several precious metal values. However, crude oil markets are still the major factor in the Solv-Ex approach to the project. The strategy of producing a minimally upgraded (23{degrees}API) tar sands bitumen is primarily a response to a growing demand, especially in U.S. PADD II, for the minimum product improvement/cost to achieve a {open_quotes}Pipelineable Crude Oil{close_quotes} (PCO{reg_sign}). PCO{reg_sign} is of keen interest to refiners not only as a straight run feedstock (with no resid fraction), but as a pipeline diluent for Canadian bitumen and heavy crude oils. Solv-Ex intends to use this product characteristic to advantage in future expansion plans. The proposed technology features: (1) no H{sub 2} addition, (2) higher liquid yields than visbreaking or coking, (3) pitch product suitable for pelletizing, (4) continuous operation, (5) bottomless PCO{reg_sign}. The ramifications of the two latest process developments (patents pending) in tar sands bitumen extraction and aluminum production will also be discussed briefly.
- OSTI ID:
- 229592
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9502114-Vol.2; TRN: 96:000932-0024
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. UNITAR international conference on heavy crude and tar sands on fueling for a clean and safe environment, Houston, TX (United States), 12-17 Feb 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]; Related Information: Is Part Of Heavy crude and tar sands -- Fueling for a clean and safe environment. Proceedings: Volume 2; Meyer, R.F. [ed.]; PB: 733 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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