Greenhouse gas reduction in oil sands upgrading and extraction operations with thermochemical hydrogen production

This paper examines various methods of reducing CO2 emissions by a thermochemical copper–chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle of hydrogen production, for in-situ extraction and upgrading of bitumen to synthetic crude oil in Alberta’s oil sands. Particular focus is given to Canada’s SCWR (Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor) as a nuclear heat source for the Cu–Cl cycle, although other heat sources such as solar or industrial waste heat can be utilized. The feasibility of steam generation from supercritical water of a SCWR power plant is examined for bitumen extraction, as well as hydrogen production for bitumen upgrading via an integrated Cu–Cl cycle with SCWR. The heat requirements for bitumen extraction from the oil sands, and the hydrogen requirements for bitumen upgrading, are examined. A new layout of oil sands upgrading operations with integrated SCWR and a Cu–Cl cycle is presented. The reduction of CO2 emissions due to the integrated SCWR and Cu–Cl cycle is quantitatively investigated based on the expected bitumen production capacity over the next two decades.