Water research annual report
November 2022
Catch up on some of the highlights of our recent progress in water.
Water Priorities
Our water management efforts are focused on developing innovative solutions to how water is managed at in situ and oil sands mining operations.
Reduce freshwater-use intensity
Improve water-treatment processes
Improve steam-generation efficiency
What we’re doing
Mining and in situ operations use water in different ways. As a consequence, we’re tailoring our work to address these areas more effectively.
Effective water management
In situ operations are focused on central processing facilities with a goal of reducing water use and increasing recycling rates. Mining operations build on 25 years of research to reclaim mine sites, and understand the natural environment and impact we have locally and regionally.
Efficient steam generation
Steam plays an important role at in situ operations. We’re supporting technologies that generate steam more efficiently, which means using less water and less natural gas. These new developments also produce less byproduct that needs to be treated or disposed of.
Water treatment
We’re helping to advance an array of water treatments for process water from mining operations. These treatments remove harmful compounds that may be harmful to aquatic life. Our goal is to accelerate the development and commercialization of these treatments.
Athabasca River watershed
Ongoing research and monitoring ensures the safety of the Athabasca River watershed. This includes meeting all environmental and regulatory requirements as well as understanding and managing the cumulative effects on the watershed.
Water innovation opportunities
We want to hear from anyone with an idea—academics, researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs—that can help us improve water management in the oil sands. Explore the current innovation opportunities to see where you can contribute.
| Challenge | Tags | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Energy Treatment Technologies | Water |
New or improved low-energy technologies that can effectively treat OSPW or highly saline depressurization water for return to the Athabasca River. The technology should be economical and require minimal energy and maintenance for long term operation. Passive or semi-passive treatment systems that detoxify OSPW have several advantages over active treatment systems like ozonation including lower net environment effect, lower costs and the ability to deploy during the active mining and reclamation phases of mine life. |
Download Challenge Brief |
| Alternative Silica Removal Technologies | Water |
Develop new technologies to remove silica from produced water that also improve the operational performance (lower costs, improved reliability) and net environmental effects (lower GHG emission intensity, improved waste management) of oil sands in situ operations. |
Download Challenge Brief |
| Online Water Hardness Analyzers | Water |
Improve in situ process monitoring through the collaborative improvement/development online analyzers, and analytical techniques/best practices, and in situ laboratory analytical methods, with the goal of improving the stability, utilization of in situ produced water treatment facilities. |
Download Challenge Brief |
| Technologies that Improve Existing Once Through Steam Generation Performance | Water |
Improve the design/operation of existing Once Through Steam Generators (OTSGs) to generate more injection steam and/or increase steam generator operating uptime, while improving water recycle, reducing disposal and reducing energy use/GHG intensity. |
Download Challenge Brief |
Water: featured content
Read more about our efforts to improve water management practices.
In Situ Series: Water Innovation Making Waves – Steam Generation Working Group
In Situ Series: Water Innovation Making Waves – Process Monitoring Working Group
In Situ Series: Water Innovation Making Waves – Inlet Separation & De-Oiling Working Group
Topics in Once Through Steam Generation and Produced Water Treatment