Assessment of the solvent-electromagnetic heating-based bitumen extraction technology through techno-economic modelling

Abstract

Bitumen’s high viscosity makes its extraction a challenging operation. The steam-assisted gravity drainage is a widely used extraction method for bitumen in a deep reservoir, however, it is greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-intensive because of high fossil fuel consumption. There is a lot of interest in bitumen extraction technologies with a low GHG emissions footprint. Solvent-electromagnetic Heating (SEH) is an emerging technology that can lower GHG emissions in oil sands extraction. SEH uses an electromagnetic device and solvent to preheat and mobilize emulsion from the reservoir. SEH eliminates the dependence on condensation heat and therefore the strict requirement of solvent purity. However, few studies have explored its techno-economic feasibility. Unlike studies found in the literature, this study presents a detailed techno-economic assessment, where plant size, operating and economic parameters are evaluated to measure their impacts on the economics of SEH technology. A rigorous steady-state process model of the SEH was developed for a capacity of 25,000 bbl/day of bitumen. The supply cost of dilbit, a mixture of bitumen and diluent, was evaluated. The estimated supply cost is C$56.80/bbl. Taking uncertainty into consideration, this cost ranges from C$55.20/bbl to C$64.40/bbl with median and mean values of C$60.20/bbl and C$59.90/bbl, respectively. Maintenance cost, solvent cost, blending cost, and transportation cost were major contributors to the supply cost of the SEH dilbit. The developed scale factor for SEH is 0.85, which suggests that a large plant capacity will reduce the dilbit cost. The SEH process is cost-competitive with conventional oil sands extraction methods and can be considered as a potential replacement for new greenfield projects. The findings of this study provide insight into the economic performance of SEH, thus can be used for decision-making.