Study of rag layer formation in different types of crude oils

据加拿大能源研究所（Canadian Energy Research Institute）估计，未来十年，该国的油气活动将为加拿大的GDP贡献1.4万亿美元，为联邦政府缴纳1390亿美元的税收，为省级政府缴纳867亿美元的税收。该行业雇用了50多万个技术工作岗位，支持另外40万个间接工作岗位，并被确定为该国土著人民的最大雇主。简而言之，石油和天然气行业对加拿大人至关重要。然而，“破布层”是该行业主要关注的问题；当原油中形成小水滴时，就会发生这种情况，从而污染所提取原油的纯度。在石油开采的保管转移步骤中，石油从一个合作伙伴转移到另一个合作伙伴，因为评估石油中沉积物和水（S&W）百分比的测试并不能产生样品中真实的油量，因此Rag层构成了一个问题。考虑到在保管过程中运输的碳氢化合物的体积，不准确的S&W测量可能会导致收入损失和额外的测试成本，价值数十亿美元。北阿尔伯塔理工学院（NAIT）的油砂可持续发展中心（COSS）是一个由应用科学家、工程师和技术人员组成的专家团队组成的最先进的研究实验室，他们与企业和工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Pipeline Research Council International （PRCI）密切合作，直接研究不同类型原油中破布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品施加不同的力来完成。为PRCI和Enbridge提供这些知识将有助于他们以及整个油砂行业提高环境绩效，有助于减缓气候变化，并有助于找到更安全、更可靠的托管转移方法。

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.