N-Solv Corporation to report on progress at field test of oil sands solvent extraction technology (BEST Pilot) at CHOA Fall Business Conference 2013
FORT MCMURRAY, AB, Oct. 11, 2013 /CNW/ - N-Solv Corporation (N-Solv) will present an update on its construction and start-up of a $70 million pilot facility at the CHOA Fall Business Conference 2013 in Calgary. Located near Fort McMurray, the pilot plant serves as a field-scale demonstration of the company's patented in situ production technology. N-Solv's technology, a solvent-based bitumen extraction process that uses no water, has the potential to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from bitumen extraction by up to 85 percent with commercially viable economics. The pilot plant represents a major step in demonstrating that the technology is commercially viable, having been extensively and successfully developed and tested in the lab over the past decade. N-Solv's Vice President of Commercial Affairs, Alex Stickler, will present an update on the project, an overview on the process and economics at the October 16 conference.
"N-Solv's plant design and construction have been completed and the facility is on budget and on target for initial solvent injection in the fourth quarter of 2013; this will be a huge milestone for us," said N-Solv Chairman Ron Nolan.
"N-Solv's technology uses no water, requires 85 percent less energy to produce bitumen, and leaves a smaller environmental footprint than current in situ production techniques. It has generated significant interest from large and small producers alike," stated former Alberta Energy Minister and current N-Solv Vice-President Murray Smith. He added, "This could be the answer to President Obama's comments regarding emissions from growing oil sands production."
"More than ever, customers for Alberta's oil sands, both in Canada and abroad, are calling for new technology that is cleaner, more efficient and more sustainable than current oil sands production techniques," Smith added. "I believe that N-Solv's technology is going to deliver those types of results."
Feasibility studies carried out by N-Solv indicate that its technology has the potential to be a viable in situ production method on a commercial scale. The pilot project is a demonstration scale operation that will use N-Solv's technology in an oil sands bitumen reservoir.
"N-Solv has developed design and cost models for facilities capable of producing 5,000, 10,000 and 30,000 barrels per day. There have been no impediments at the design stage to the scale-up of the technology," according to N-Solv CEO Dr. John Nenniger.
Alberta's oil sands contain over 170 billion barrels of recoverable oil, 80 percent of that oil is too deep in the ground to be mined, so in situ processes are employed to recover these resources. N-Solv's technology is also designed to work in thin bitumen zones and in low reservoir pressure environments.
Calgary-based, privately-held N-Solv Corporation was founded a decade ago to develop new technologies that produce cleaner and more sustainable energy from the oil sands. The company holds a significant intellectual property related to the technology and has received grant support from the Canadian federal government through Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the Alberta provincial government through the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation.
The pilot plant project receives funding from the Climate Change and Emissions Management (CCEMC) Corporation. Since 2007, Alberta companies that annually produce more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over a baseline are required to reduce their greenhouse gas intensity by 12 per cent. Paying $15 into the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund for every tonne over the reduction limit is one compliance option. The CCEMC uses the funds collected to stimulate transformative change by funding projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) helps move Canadian clean technologies forward, readying them for growth and export markets. With a portfolio of companies under management valued at more than $2 billion, SDTC is demonstrating that cleantech is a driver of jobs, productivity and economic prosperity.
SOURCE: N-Solv Corporation
please visit www.n-solv.com or contact:
Murray Smith, Vice-President
N-Solv Corporation
Tel: 1 (403) 920-3210
Email: [email protected]
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