Oil Sands ?lab preparation

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Oil Sands ?lab preparation

• Information (in words and photos) for teachers
  and/or lab-techs for oil sands labs.

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Oil Sands Investigations

• These bitumen from oil sands investigations have
  been prepared by teachers with the assistance of
  the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands
  Innovation (COSI) in the Faculty of Engineering
  at the University of Alberta.
• The program is administered for Alberta Ingenuity
  by the Centre for Mathematics Science and
  Technology Education (CMASTE) in the Faculty of
  Education at the U of A.

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The Story of Bitumen from Oil Sands

• The photo at the right is of a display of oil
  sands, bitumen, synthetic crude, coke, sulfur and
  sand.
• Mining leads to extraction of bitumen from oil
  sands, upgrading of bitumen to synthetic crude,
  and refining of synthetic crude into components
  like gasoline (see flowchart).

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Oil Sands to Synthetic Crude Oil (4)

• A1 oil sands mine (lt 75 m)
• overburden stripper
• oil sands shovel
• oil sands truck

• B1 bitumen extraction unit
• hydrotransport
• separation tanks
• naphtha dilution system
• centrifuge

oil
B1.1 tailings pond
water
sand
B2 insitu extraction of bitumen unit (e.g.,
SAGD)
Extraction of bitumen from oil sands
steam
dilbit
dilbit
C1 vacuum distillation unit
C1.3 naphtha recycle system
Upgrading of bitumen to synthetic crude oil
naphtha
CH4(g)
F H2(g) generator
bitumen
H2(g)
E1 distillation unit (e.g., gas, naphtha,
kerosene gas oil)
G1 synthetic crude blender
D1 cracking unit (coker)
F1 hydrotreaters
H2S(g)
NH3(g)
pipe(line)
sourgas
C(s)
H1 refinery further cracking and distillation
F1.2.1 Claus converter
F1.2 amine scrubber
coke
sulfur
S8(l)
H2S(g)
NH3(g)
ammonia
gasoline, diesel, etc.
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Genesis of School Lab Idea
The idea for these investigations in vials came
serendipitously when visiting the Oil Sands
Discovery Centre in Fort McMurray. The
spontaneous reheating of a vial that showed the
extraction of bitumen from oil sands workedagain
and again. This eventually led to the creation of
the investigations described hereinstudying
variables that affect bitumen extraction.
Reheated vial
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First Perturbation
Another effort that has proven fruitful is the
use of canning jars to demonstrate bitumen
extraction and solubility. The jars are more
available and provide a larger demonstration
model. However, be careful about placing
flammable solvent in glass jarsplastic is
better. Plastic is not better for bitumen
extraction from oil sandit sticks to the plastic
sides. Likewise glass beakers are better than
plastic.
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Research Program Projects Variables Affecting
Bitumen Extraction

• Research Projects
• temperature
• quantity of air
• pH
• Ca2(aq) concentration
• quality of oil sands

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Design, Materials and Procedure

• Design Manipulate one variable control all
  other variables (e.g., temp., pH, and air)
• Materials glass vials, oil sands, water, air,
  NaOH(aq), CaCl2(aq), etc.
• Procedure Prepare vial with oil sands, water and
  air. Adjust temperature or pH. Observe and
  measure the effect.
• (Students write Design and Materials from
  Procedure.)

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Preparing oil sand samples

• Placing the frozen oil sand into vials is time
  consuming.
• Add about 3 cmto a mark on the vial.
• Place on a balance that is tared and adjust for a
  controlled mass of oil sand.

oil sand in refrigerator
sticky oil sand
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1. For temperature manipulation

• Prepare three identical vials with a pH of 9.
• Add pH 9 (NaOH(aq)) solution to 7 cm mark on each
  vial.
• Screw the top on tight and/or glue it shut.

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2. pH manipulation

• Prepare three vials with 3 cm of oil sands
  (adjusted to an equal mass on a balance).
• Add pure water to one vial for a pH of 7.
• Add pH 9 solution to the second vial.
• Add pH 11 solution to the third vial.

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3. Adjust the quantity of air

• Prepare three vials with 3 cm of oil sand
  (adjusted to an equal mass on a balance).
• Add pH 9 solution to each vial while leaving air
  equal in height to 6 cm, 3 cm and 0 cm of air.

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4. Adjust Ca2(aq).

• Prepare three vials with 3 cm of oil sand
  (adjusted to an equal mass on a balance).
• Add pH 9 solution (adjusted for CalCl2(aq)) to
  each vial while leaving air equal in height to 4
  cm of air3 cm oil sand, 4 cm of solution 4 cm
  air.

0 mmol/L 1.0 mmol/L 10 mmol/L Ca2(aq)
concentration in a pH 9 solution
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5. Adjust the quality of oil sand

• The quality of oil being mined is variable e.g.,
  with concentration of bitumen and Ca2.
• Dried out rich oil sand can be used to simulate
  lean oil sand. There is no need to order lean oil
  sandjust dry out some rich oil sand.

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Some Procedures
preparing to shake hot vial for 1 min
heating samples on a hot plate
keeping temperature for 5 min
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Research Program/Team

• This series of investigations is aimed at
  improving the extraction of bitumen from oil
  sandsespecially to reduce energy and water usage
  and environmental impact.
• A research team is described in another COSI
  lessonsee which.

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Other COSI Lessons/Materials

• research team description
• researcher profiles
• careers in OS
• redox chemistry
• acid-base chemistry
• thermochemistry
• organic chemistry
• curriculum connections

• concept organizer (flow chart for extraction
  upgrading)
• a kitchen table narrative (an STS issue lesson)
• pro and con perspectives
• teachers resource for every lesson
• sample lab reports
• PowerPoint lessons and photos

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Partners in Oil Sands Education

• Inside Education OS Lessons
• oil sands kit
• oil sands poster
• oil sands issues
• oil sands DVD c/w exercises
• assessment bank

• concept organizer for bitumen extraction and
  upgrading
• Boreal-Northwest Equip. Supplier
• raw oil sands
• kits possibly as described herein

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Acknowledgements

• COSI staff Imperial Oil-Alberta Ingenuity Centre
  for Oil Sands Innovation
• Andree Koenig
• Cam McGregor
• Pam Seager
• Dr. Zhenghe Xu
• Dr. Steve Kuznicki
• Dr. Murray Gray

• Alberta Ingenuity
• Sandra Robertson
• CMASTE
• Dr. Bob Ritter
• Authors
• Art Bauer
• Dr. Frank Jenkins
• teachers who have provided feedback on these
  lessons