Study of rag layer formation in different types of crude oils

加拿大能源研究所估计，未来十年，该国的石油和天然气活动将为加拿大的GDP贡献1.4万亿美元，并支付超过1390亿美元的联邦税收和867亿美元的省级税收。该行业雇用了500 000多个熟练工作岗位，支持了另外400 000个间接工作岗位，并被确定为该国最大的土著人民雇主。简而言之，石油和天然气行业对加拿大人至关重要。然而，“碎片层”是该行业主要关注的问题；当原油中形成小水滴，从而污染提取原油的纯度时，就会出现这种情况。在石油开采的保管转移步骤中，碎屑层构成了一个问题，在这个步骤中，石油从一个伙伴输送到另一个伙伴，因为评估石油中沉淀物和水的百分比(S和W)的测试并不能产生样品中的真实油量。考虑到在托管转移过程中运输的碳氢化合物的数量，不准确的S&W测量可能会导致收入损失和价值数十亿美元的额外测试成本。位于北艾伯塔省理工学院的油砂可持续发展中心(COSS)是一家最先进的研究实验室，拥有一支由应用科学家、工程师和技术人员组成的专家团队，他们与企业和行业合作，开发提高油砂行业经济和环境绩效的技术。在这项研究中，COSS将与Enbridge和管道研究理事会国际(PRCI)密切合作，直接研究不同类型原油中RAG层的形成和分离过程。这将通过添加各种化学品和对原油样本施加不同的力量来实现。向PRCI和Enbridge提供这方面的知识将有助于它们和整个油砂行业，提高它们的环境绩效，有助于缓解气候变化，并有助于找到更安全、更可靠的监管移交方法。

The Canadian Energy Research Institute estimated that in the next decade oil and gas activity in the country will contribute $1.4 trillion to Canada's GDP and pay more than $139 billion in federal tax revenues and $86.7 billion in provincial tax revenues. The industry employs more than 500,000 skilled jobs, supports another 400,000 indirect jobs and was identified as the largest employer of Indigenous people in the country. Simply put, the oil and gas industry is of paramount importance to Canadians. However, 'rag layers' are of major concern to the industry; these occur when small water droplets form in crude oil, thus tainting the purity of the extracted crude oil. Rag layers pose a problem during the custody transfer step of oil mining, where oil is delivered from one partner to another, as the test evaluating the percentages of sediment and water (S&W) in the oil does not produce the true amount of oil in the sample. Considering the volume of hydrocarbons transported during custody transfer, inaccurate S&W measurements can have ramifications of lost revenue and extra testing costs valuing in billions of dollars. The Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (COSS) at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a state-of-the art research lab staffed by an expert team of applied scientists, engineers and technicians who works with business and industry to develop technologies that improve the economic and environmental performance of the oil sands industry. In this study, COSS will directly examine the process of rag layer formation and separation in different types of crude oils in close collaboration with Enbridge and Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI). This will be done by adding a variety of chemicals and applying varying forces to crude oil samples. Equipping PRCI and Enbridge with this knowledge will assist them, and the entire oilsands sector, enhance their environmental performance, contribute to climate mitigation and assist in finding safer more reliable methods for custody transfer.