Alberta Taciuk Process
Encyclopedia
The Alberta Taciuk process (ATP; known also as the AOSTRA Taciuk process) is an above-ground dry thermal retorting technology for extracting oil from oil sands, oil shale
and other organics-bearing materials, including oil contaminated soils, sludges and wastes. The technology is named after its inventor William Taciuk and the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
.
The ATP was originally developed for pyrolysis of oil sand. However, its first commercial application in 1989 was dedicated to the environmental remediation of contaminated soils. From 1999 to 2004, ATP technology was used for shale oil extraction at the Stuart Oil Shale Plant
in Australia. During that time, 1.5 Moilbbl of shale oil was extracted before the owner, Southern Pacific Petroleum Pty Ltd went into receivership. The subsequent owner, Queensland Energy Resources
closed and dismantled the plant.
In 2002, Estonian company Viru Keemia Grupp
tested this technology; however, it was not taken into use.
In its shale-oil applications, fine particles (less than 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter) are fed into the preheat tubes of the retort, where they are dried and preheated to 250 °C (482 °F) indirectly by hot shale ash and hot flue gas. In the pyrolysis zone, oil shale particles are mixed with hot shale ash and the pyrolysis is performed at temperatures between 500 °C (932 °F) and 550 °C (1,022 °F). The resulting shale oil
vapor is withdrawn from the retort through a vapour tube and recovered by condensation in other equipment. The char residues, mixed with ash, are moved to the combustion zone, and burnt at about 800 °C (1,472 °F) to form shale ash. Part of the ash is delivered to the pyrolysis zone, where its heat is recycled as a hot solid carrier; the other part is removed and cooled in the cooling zone with the combustion gases by heat transfer to the feed oil shale.
The advantages of the ATP technology for shale oil extraction lie in its simple and robust design, energy self-sufficiency, minimal process water requirements, ability to handle fine particles, and high oil yields. It is particularly suited for processing materials with otherwise low oil yield. The mechanical transfer of solids through the machine does not involve moving parts and it achieves improved process efficiencies through solid-to-solid heat transfer. Most of the process energy (over 80%) is produced by combustion of char
and produced oil shale gas
; external energy inputs are minimal. The oil yields are about 85–90% of Fischer Assay
. The organic carbon content of the process residue (spent shale) is less than 3%. The process produces only small amounts of contaminated water with low concentrations of phenols
. These advantages also apply to its oil sands applications, including increased oil yield, a simplified process flow, reduction of bitumen losses to tailing
s, elimination of the need for tailing ponds, improvement in energy efficiency compared with the hot water extraction process, and elimination of requirements for chemical and other additives.
A complication of the ATP is that retorting operations can reach temperatures at which carbonate
minerals within the shale decompose, increasing greenhouse gas
emissions.
at a PCB
-contaminated site near Buffalo, New York
, and at the Waukegan Harbor
, Illinois.
UMATAC Industrial Processes runs a 5 tons of oil shale per hour pilot processor in Calgary
, Alberta for large scale tests of different oil shales. The Fushun Mining Group
of China has built a 250 tonnes per hour ATP plant that began commissioning in 2010. Jordan Energy and Mining Ltd plans to use the ATP technology for extracting oil from Al Lajjun and Attarat oil shale deposits in Jordan
.
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
and other organics-bearing materials, including oil contaminated soils, sludges and wastes. The technology is named after its inventor William Taciuk and the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority was an Alberta crown corporation to promote the development and use of new technology for oil sands and heavy crude oil production, and enhanced recovery of conventional crude oil. It was funded by the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund...
.
History
The research and development of the ATP technology started in 1970. In 1975, its inventor, William Taciuk, formed the UMATAC Industrial Processes (now part of Polysius) to further its development. The first ATP pilot plant was constructed in 1977.The ATP was originally developed for pyrolysis of oil sand. However, its first commercial application in 1989 was dedicated to the environmental remediation of contaminated soils. From 1999 to 2004, ATP technology was used for shale oil extraction at the Stuart Oil Shale Plant
Stuart Oil Shale Project
The Stuart Oil Shale Project was an oil shale development project in Australia near Gladstone, Queensland. It was Australia's first major attempt since the 1950s to restart commercial use of oil shale...
in Australia. During that time, 1.5 Moilbbl of shale oil was extracted before the owner, Southern Pacific Petroleum Pty Ltd went into receivership. The subsequent owner, Queensland Energy Resources
Queensland Energy Resources
Queensland Energy Resources Limited is an Australian oil shale mining and shale oil extraction company with the headquarter in Brisbane. It is the developer of the Stuart and McFarlane oil shale projects.-History:...
closed and dismantled the plant.
In 2002, Estonian company Viru Keemia Grupp
Viru Keemia Grupp
Viru Keemia Grupp is an Estonian holding group of oil shale industry, power generation, and public utility companies.-Operations:VKG's two main areas of operations are shale oil extraction, and electricity and heat production and distribution....
tested this technology; however, it was not taken into use.
Technology
The ATP is an above-ground oil-shale retorting technology classified as a hot recycled solids technology. The distinguishing feature of the ATP is that the drying and pyrolysis of the oil shale or other feed, as well as the combustion, recycling, and cooling of spent materials and residues, all occur within a single rotating multi-chamber horizontal retort. Its feed consists of fine particles.In its shale-oil applications, fine particles (less than 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter) are fed into the preheat tubes of the retort, where they are dried and preheated to 250 °C (482 °F) indirectly by hot shale ash and hot flue gas. In the pyrolysis zone, oil shale particles are mixed with hot shale ash and the pyrolysis is performed at temperatures between 500 °C (932 °F) and 550 °C (1,022 °F). The resulting shale oil
Shale oil
Shale oil, known also as kerogen oil or oil-shale oil, is an unconventional oil produced from oil shale by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. These processes convert the organic matter within the rock into synthetic oil and gas...
vapor is withdrawn from the retort through a vapour tube and recovered by condensation in other equipment. The char residues, mixed with ash, are moved to the combustion zone, and burnt at about 800 °C (1,472 °F) to form shale ash. Part of the ash is delivered to the pyrolysis zone, where its heat is recycled as a hot solid carrier; the other part is removed and cooled in the cooling zone with the combustion gases by heat transfer to the feed oil shale.
The advantages of the ATP technology for shale oil extraction lie in its simple and robust design, energy self-sufficiency, minimal process water requirements, ability to handle fine particles, and high oil yields. It is particularly suited for processing materials with otherwise low oil yield. The mechanical transfer of solids through the machine does not involve moving parts and it achieves improved process efficiencies through solid-to-solid heat transfer. Most of the process energy (over 80%) is produced by combustion of char
Char
Char is the solid material that remains after light gases and tar coal tar have been driven out or released from a carbonaceous material during the initial stage of combustion, which is known as carbonization, charring, devolatilization or pyrolysis.Further stages of efficient combustion are...
and produced oil shale gas
Oil shale gas
Oil shale gas is a synthetic gas mixture produced by oil shale pyrolysis. Although often referred to as shale gas, it differs from the natural gas produced from shale, which is also known as shale gas.-Process:...
; external energy inputs are minimal. The oil yields are about 85–90% of Fischer Assay
Fischer Assay
The Fischer assay is a standardized laboratory test for determining the oil yield from oil shale to be expected from a conventional shale oil extraction. A 100 gram oil shale sample crushed to...
. The organic carbon content of the process residue (spent shale) is less than 3%. The process produces only small amounts of contaminated water with low concentrations of phenols
Phenols
In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of a hydroxyl group bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group...
. These advantages also apply to its oil sands applications, including increased oil yield, a simplified process flow, reduction of bitumen losses to tailing
Tailing
Tailing may refer to:*Tailings, the material left over after the extraction of ore from its host material*Lamb marking, a process applied in sheep husbandry, typically involving removal of a sheep's tail...
s, elimination of the need for tailing ponds, improvement in energy efficiency compared with the hot water extraction process, and elimination of requirements for chemical and other additives.
A complication of the ATP is that retorting operations can reach temperatures at which carbonate
Carbonate
In chemistry, a carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, . The name may also mean an ester of carbonic acid, an organic compound containing the carbonate group C2....
minerals within the shale decompose, increasing greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions.
Operations
As of 2008, ATP was used by the United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
at a PCB
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
-contaminated site near Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and at the Waukegan Harbor
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
, Illinois.
UMATAC Industrial Processes runs a 5 tons of oil shale per hour pilot processor in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta for large scale tests of different oil shales. The Fushun Mining Group
Fushun Mining Group
The Fushun Mining Group is a large state-owned coal and oil shale company located in Fushun, Liaoning Province, China. The corporation consists of 35 companies with more than 40,000 employees. The main business includes: coal mining, oil shale processing, machinery and others...
of China has built a 250 tonnes per hour ATP plant that began commissioning in 2010. Jordan Energy and Mining Ltd plans to use the ATP technology for extracting oil from Al Lajjun and Attarat oil shale deposits in Jordan
Oil shale in Jordan
Oil shale in Jordan represents a significant resource. Oil shale deposits in Jordan underlie more than 60% of Jordanian territory, with the total resources estimated at 40 to 70 billion tonnes of oil shale. The deposits include a high quality marinite oil shale of Late Cretaceous to early...
.
See also
- Shale oil extraction
- Galoter processGaloter processThe Galoter process is a shale oil extraction technology for a production of shale oil, a type of synthetic crude oil. In this process, the oil shale is decomposed into shale oil, oil shale gas, and spent residue...
- Petrosix processPetrosixPetrosix is currently the world’s largest surface oil shale pyrolysis retort with an diameter vertical shaft kiln, operational since 1992. It is located in São Mateus do Sul, Brazil, and it is owned and operated by the Brazil energy company Petrobras. Petrosix means also the Petrosix process, an...
- Kiviter processKiviter process-History:The Kiviter process is based on the earlier vertical retort technology . This technology underwent a long process of development...
- TOSCO II processTOSCO II processThe TOSCO II process is an above ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction, which uses fine particles of oil shale that are heated in a rotating kiln. The particularity of this process is that it use hot ceramic balls for the heat transfer between the retort and a heater...
- Fushun processFushun processThe Fushun process is an above-ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction. It is named after the main production site of Fushun, Liaoning province in northeastern China.-History:...
- Paraho processParaho processThe Paraho process is an above ground retorting technology for shale oil extraction. The name "Paraho" is delivered from the words "para homem", which means in Portuguese "for mankind".-History:...
- Lurgi–Ruhrgas process