The Blackgold Oil Sands facility will utilize drum boilers to drive the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process for extracting bitumen.
With the help of GE’s integrated evaporator and ZLD system, the project will be able to produce 10,000 barrels per day of bitumen and maximize recycled water use, thereby preserving Alberta’s fresh water sources.
Bitumen is heavy, viscous oil that requires energy and water-intensive treatment to separate the oil from the sand where it is found.
The Blackgold Oil Sands project will include a new, proprietary ZLD process that integrates crystallization and solidification technologies, and the solidification process involves mixing a solidifying reagent with the crystallizer waste slurry to produce a solid waste that is suitable for transport and disposal in a landfill.
Solidification of SAGD crystallizer waste results in reduced capital and operating costs compared to drying, which is the only other commercially accepted technology for this application.
Commercial operation of the Blackgold Oil Sands facility is scheduled for third quarter 2012.
