Goals

Short-term (five-year) Goals:

Demonstrate viability, recycling and regeneration of novel and enhanced (i.e. ultra-dispersed and nano-sized catalysts, adsorbents and reagents) catalyst preparations in the field and in the reservoir environment
Implement effective coupling of in situ enhanced thermal recovery technologies with catalyst injection and catalytic processing conditions to dramatically improve existing bitumen-recovery processes
Design and implement new and more effective common bitumen characterization schemes suitable for reaction proxy, chemical process and reservoir engineering protocols in the in situ environment
Start the development of practical real-time monitoring techniques for reservoirs at appropriate scales and under in situ thermal upgrading conditions (spatial, chemical, physical and reaction environment of the reservoir)
Experimentally validate coupled in-reservoir reactor designs and process conditions

Medium-term (10-year) Goals:

Develop in situ instrumented characterization of fluid and rocks during reaction and recovery conditions
Achieve in situ gasification of heavy ends (primarily asphaltenes) and residual materials with partial conversion of heavy ends and re-injection

Both approaches are aimed at:

producing a medium-quality, transportable and conventionally refinable crude oil directly from the reservoir
treating and recycling produced waters to the reservoir, with only the concentrated waste stream requiring deep-well disposal

Ultimate Long-term (15-plus years) Goals:

develop fully functional in-reservoir refineries that produce high-value energy and feedstock chemicals from in situ processing, with an extremely low to zero environmental footprint
produce the knowledge, technology and highly trained people required for a vibrant, clean and sustainable ‘next-generation’ bitumen and heavy oil industry and its supporting economic infrastructure

Crude Oil Price