Multiobjective Integrated Planning and Scheduling of the Energy Infrastructure of the Oil Sands Industry Incorporating Intermittent Renewable Energy

Abstract

The energy infrastructure for oil sands operations can be classified as a decentralized energy system, in which energy requirements (i.e., power, heat and hydrogen) are generated near the end-users, and can operate with interactions with the local Alberta grid, in which it feeds surplus power generated to it. In this study, a mathematical optimization model is developed for the integrated planning and scheduling of the energy infrastructure of the oil sands industry. The contributions of various energy sources including conventional, renewables, and nuclear are investigated. Power-to-gas for energy storage is incorporated to manage surplus power generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly wind. The wind-electrolysis system included incorporates two hydrogen recovery pathways, which are power-to-gas and power-to-gas-to-power using natural gas generators. The problem is modeled as a multiobjective and multiperiod mixed integer linear programming model that minimizes the system cost (e...