Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability Initiative NAIT

Transcription

1 Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability Initiative NAIT By Haneef Mian, Ph.D., P.Eng. MBA Ledcor Group Applied Research Chair in Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability Director Centre for Green Chemistry and Engineering (CGCE) School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management NAIT November 30, 2011

2 Outline About NAIT Applied Research at NAIT Green Chemistry and Engineering (GCE) Initiative Ledcor Chair Research Program NSERC College and Community Innovation (CCI) and Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Application Concluding Remarks

3 Overview of NAIT Alberta s 3rd Largest Post-Secondary Institution NAIT serves approximately 80,000 customers each year. Employer of 3,100 dedicated staff.

4 Overview of NAIT Largest Apprenticeship Trainer in Canada 48% of Alberta s apprentices. 17% of Canada s apprentices. 35 apprenticeship programs. Sole source for 13 programs.

5 Overview of NAIT NAIT Offers Over 250 certificate, diploma, and applied degree programs. Over 1,400 continuing education courses. New four-year degree programs: Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management (BTech). Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).

6 Overview of NAIT Hands-On Learning & Technical Education NAIT s five academic schools, together with the Department of Continuing Education and the Faculty of Undergraduate Studies, provide learners with career-focused education opportunities in virtually every sector within our economy. JR Shaw School of Business School of Health Sciences School of Trades School of Information Communication and Engineering Technologies School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management (SSBEM) Faculty of Undergraduate Studies Department of Continuing Education

7 Overview of NAIT Centres of Excellence NAIT hp Centre for Information & Communications Technology (September 2002) NAIT Encana Aboriginal Student Centre (December 2003) NAIT Waiward Centre for Steel Technologies (September 2006) NAIT Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology (September 2007) NAIT Petro-Canada Centre for Millwright Technology (September 2007) NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre (November 2007) NAIT Sandvik Coromant Centre for Machinist Technology (March 2008) NAIT Suncor Energy Centre for Piping Systems Technology (May 2008) NAIT Encana Centre for Power Engineering Technology (May 2008) NAIT Gateway Mechanical Services Centre for Building Environment Technology (2010) NAIT Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology (Fall 2011)

8 Applied Research at NAIT Driven by NAIT s Schools Aligned with areas of strength and academic programming Outcomes oriented Utilizing academic knowledge to produce meaningful outputs for industry Support economic growth of SMEs Focus on areas of regional relevance Flexible IP Policy Complimenting research at other institutes

9 Green Chemistry and Engineering (GCE) Initiative at NAIT SSBEM Broad Focus on Sustainable Energy and Cleaner Energy Production Initiative consists of: Applied Research Projects focusing on Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability collaboration with others GCE BTech Degree Program Centre for Green Chemistry and Engineering: Led by the Ledcor Chair in Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability

10 Ledcor Chair Established with a $1.5 million endowment from Ledcor Group, matched by the Province Chair Advisory Council Shelly Powell VP extraction Suncor (Chair) Eddy Isaacs CEO AI EES Don Breen - President Ledcor Industrial Ryan Bischoff BNG Engineering Paula Burns VP Academic NAIT William Dushenko Dean SSBEM Stuart Cullum Executive Director novanait

11 Green Chemistry and Green Engineering Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances Green engineering is the design, development and commercialization of industrial processes and products that are economically feasible, while minimizing the risk to human health and the environment Sustainable R&D

12 TECHNICAL FOCUS End to End Tailings Systems Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus.

13 STRATEGIC PLAN Centre for Green Chemistry and Engineering (CGCE) NAIT Faculty/Students School of Sustainable Building & Environmental Management (SSBEM) Centre for Green Chemistry & Engineering (CGCE) Ledcor Chair novanait Current Focus (NSERC/CFI) Policy, Regulations and Standards Development Industry R&D Training Theme 1 Mineable Oil Sands Water Management Theme 2 Mineable Oil Sands Tailings Management Theme 3 Extraction Theme 4 Mineable Oil Sands Reclamation Theme 5 Fundamentals of GCE Mineable Oil Sands In situ Oil Sands Measurement & Monitoring Tailings Chemistry Nonaqueous extraction Enhanced Oil Recovery Produced Water Treatment Wet Lands End pit Lakes Measurement & Monitoring Naphthenic Acids Metal Sequestration Process Water Treatment

14 Challenge/Urgency ERCB Directive 074 By 2012: Capture 50% of fines using a tailings technology in a Dedicated Disposal Area (DDA); DDAs: Minimum undrained shear strength of 5 kpa; Removal or in place remediation of material < 5 kpa; Deposit ready for reclamation within five years after active deposition has ceased (minimum undrained shear of 10 kpa). Measurement methods and sampling frequency satisfactory to the Board with an accuracy of ± 10% on fines in feed, fines in DDAs, and strength of DDAs. SYSTEMS APPROACH END TO END COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS

15 Develop Technologies for Measuring and Monitoring Oil Sand Tailings Properties and Processes Field Development Development of real time ph sensors not blinded by the bitumen in MFT in progress Measurement of 5kPa in a year? Pond sample spacing & frequency? Fines balances? Development of in-line naphtha measurement sensor ERCB regulation 4 parts /1000 parts to the tailings ponds Fluid tailings measurement and management? Laboratory Standard Methods Development Large Scale Consolidation Apparatus Next Generation; Standardization of Methylene Blue method? "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford

16 Develop novel Polymers, Chemical Aids and Chemistries Develop novel aids green chemicals/polymers. Understanding chemical and physical changes in tailings as a result of various treatments and developing methods to identify residuals. Further development of methods for removing and recycling bitumen removed from fluid tailings. Ongoing Projects and Discussions: Review and compilation of analytical methods for Naphthenic Acids Understanding the chemical and biological pathways of oil sands process and chemical aids. Selective Sequestration of heavy metals from a process stream

17 Improve, Validate, and Scale Up Tailings Treatment Technologies Technologies A, B and C: bench scale, batch, validation and improvement, testing, includes bitumen removal and treatment, polymer addition, dewatering, and consolidation studies Approach to development building collaborative teams around each technology Polymer Addition Bitumen Removal Measurement Treatment Technology If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton Release Water Chemistry

18 OUTCOME Suite of Cost Effective Proven Technologies for Tailings Treatment and Disposal Currently defining projects around testing and validation of four tailings disposal technologies at various stages of development; NAIT a prefect venue - with wealth of resources and hands on expertise to further the OSTC tailings technology roadmap work in COLLABORATION with others

19 Funding Strategy NSERC CCI AND CFI Leveraging Endowment funds with other available sources. Specifically targeting: NSERC College Community Innovation Innovation Enhancement Grant (CCI IE) Submission Oct 29, 2010 $2.3 million over 5 years Combined with CFI Total ask of $2 Million Significant industry engagement (20 letters of support) 10 contributing partners (5 Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) Others Funds Available NSERC ARD Grants NSERC Industrial Chairs for College Grants (IRCC)

20 Funding Strategy NSERC CCI AND CFI Leveraging Endowment funds with other available sources. Specifically targeting: NSERC College Community Innovation Innovation Enhancement Grant Submission Oct 29, 2010 $2.3 million over 5 years Requires significant industry engagement (targeting 20 letters of support) 10 contributing partners (5 SME s) Combined with a CFI infrastructure ask $2.3 million

21 Students and Faculty Engagement Objective: to bring applied research expertise to the class, and enhance the curriculum. Students: engaged through co-op, summer opportunities, in-class faculty supervised projects, and applied research Capstone Projects. Faculty: a large pool of full time faculty engaged through course downloads on a project by project basis multidisciplinary teams Working on robust models for students and faculty engagement with industry in hands on projects.

22 Edmonton Research Park Facility NAIT s first dedicated space for applied research: 2800 sq ft, state-of-the-art. Edmonton Research Park. Provides a base for: Green Chemistry & Engineering Program. Industry collaborative projects. Currently expanding into another 3000 Sq. Ft engineering space next door

23 Existing Team Multi-disciplinary Team engaged in full-time research Targeting shorter turn-around times Dr. Ron Currie, Analytical Chemist Dr. Haneef Mian, Geoenvironmental Engineer Dr. Don Scott, Geotechnical Engineer Dr. Sukhdeep Bansal, Organic Chemist Dr. Bei Zhao, Chemical Engineer Ms. Frances Sutherland, Analytical Chemist Mr. David Christiansen, Instrumentation Tech Dr. Roger Kirchen, Chemistry Searching for a research assistants- chemical engineer High interests from other faculty and instructors mobilized on a need basis Student Engagement CAPSTONE and other models

24 Collaborations Various Levels of Engagement Syncrude Suncor Wave Control RJ Oil Sands Salt works APEX Eng Ledcor Switchable Solutions CEMA ConeTec Champion Technologies Umicore OSEEDS OSRIN UofA SOANE Energy BNG Engineering OSTC Get Engaged and Collaborate for Innovation "It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." - Charles Darwin

25 Acknowledgments Ledcor NSERC SSBEM NAIT