Understanding hydrotransport: The key to Syncrude's success
CIM Bulletin, Vol. 92, No. 1026, 1999
R.B. Paine and B.M. Wright, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Fort McMurray, Alberta
Syncrude has entered a new era involving the use of pipeline slurries to convey oil sand to the extraction plant. Hydrotransport operations and base plant operations encounter vast performance differences when processing different types of oil sand. This paper describes the hydrotransport process, its history at Syncrude, methods of describing the source ore characteristic and plant performance. The use of this information within Syncrude and how it will be managed on an ongoing basis will also be described.
Keywords:
Oil sands, Hydrotransport, Syncrude.
