Evaluation of Ore Scanning Technologies for Rapid Oil Sands Characterization

北艾伯塔省理工学院(NAIT)油砂可持续发展技术接入中心(TACOSS)和传感器与系统集成中心(CSSI)将与帝国石油有限公司(IOL)和油砂创新研究所(IOSI)合作，加快开发用于快速表征油砂的矿石扫描技术。新兴的扫描技术，包括光学、激光、成像和光谱学，与机器学习技术相结合，可以成为一种强大的表征工具。这项研究旨在加速油砂中最近开发的矿石扫描技术的商业化，以创建更好的油砂表征过程，从而潜在地实施过程控制，以提高大型油砂开采项目的效率。TACOSS将开发一个油砂特征数据库，作为评估加拿大和国际公司开发的多种非破坏性扫描技术的基础。我们将直接比较和配置来自多个来源的数据和矿石扫描方法，以确定油砂的关键特征，如矿石品位、矿物学和水化学。在实验室评估之后，有希望的扫描技术将进行现场试验，以评估其在现实生活条件下的稳健性。现场试验的成功完成将加快该技术的商业化进程。IOL将提供技术管理和现场协调，NAIT将提供基础设施、项目管理、测试和报告。NAIT员工将获得先进油砂表征技术方面的技术专长。具体地说，学生将发展先进技术方面的新技能，包括行业特定的测试方法和最佳实践。该项目将使加拿大在经济和环境方面受益，使油砂运营商能够更有效地开发油砂资源，并减少低质量油砂加工产生的能源/废物。该项目还将改善公众对艾伯塔省油砂运营商的看法，并最终降低下游尾矿处理的成本，同时为加拿大人创造新的就业机会。

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Technology Access Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (TACOSS) and Centre for Sensors and System Integration (CSSI) will work with Imperial Oil Limited (IOL) and the Institute of Oil Sands Innovation (IOSI) to accelerate the development of ore scanning technologies for rapid oil sands characterization. Emerging scanning techniques, including optics, lasers, imaging and spectroscopy, coupled with machine learning techniques can be a powerful characterization tool. This research is intended to accelerate the commercialization of recently developed ore scanning technologies in oil sands to create a better process for oil sands characterization, allowing for the potential implementation of process control to improve the efficiency of large-scale oil sands mining projects. TACOSS will develop an oil sands characterization database used as the basis for evaluation of multiple non-destructive scanning techniques developed by Canadian and international firms. We will directly compare and collocate data from multiple sources and ore scanning methods to determine key characteristics of oil sands, such as ore grade, mineralogy and water chemistry. Following the laboratory evaluation, promising scanning technologies will undergo a field trial to assess its robustness under real-life conditions. Successful completion of the field trial will accelerate the commercialization of the technology. IOL will provide technical stewardship and field coordination, and NAIT will provide the infrastructure, project management, testing and reporting. NAIT staff will gain technical expertise in advanced oil sands characterization techniques. Specifically, students will develop new skills in advanced techniques including industry specific test methods and best practices. This project will benefit Canada, both economically and environmentally, by enabling oil sands operators to more efficiently develop the oil sands resources and to reduce energy/waste generated due to processing of low-quality oil sands. This project will also improve the public perception of Alberta oil sands operators and ultimately reduce the cost of downstream tailings treatment while creating new employment opportunities for Canadians.