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Research and technology
In 2006, Imperial invested $56 million in research and technology in Canada. We operate research facilities in Calgary and Sarnia, Ontario, and collaborate on research initiatives with academic institutions and industrial consortiums.
Our researchers work on:
> oil and natural gas recovery technologies
> fuels, petroleum and chemical products
> land remediation and other environmental technologies
Together, these efforts help to improve production, reduce environmental impact and produce new or improved products.
| | | | Research and technology
Imperial invented and held patents on cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), two key processes used in heavy oil recovery production today. Over the years, researchers at our Calgary research facility have continued to refine these technologies to increase production rates with less environmental impact.
Recently, researchers piloted an innovative process to improve CSS with the addition of solvent. This enhanced technology improves recovery, and reduces water and energy requirements. It will be commercially applied to the Cold Lake operation in 2007.
Oil sands research centre
We have committed to a $10-million, five-year investment in the Imperial Oil-Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands Innovation at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The centre’s mandate is to find more efficient, economically viable and environmentally responsible ways to develop Canada’s oil sands resources. Eventual breakthroughs from the centre’s research will be applied to our proposed Kearl oil sands development.
In 2006, research at the centre focused on:
> oil sands extraction Researchers are investigating new technologies that extract bitumen from oil sands with less water consumption. For example, studies are underway to determine how fine clays can be separated from bitumen and which solvents do this most effectively. These efforts could ultimately provide a non-aqueous (waterless) means of processing oil sands.
> bitumen upgrading Other projects focus on finding new, more efficient ways to upgrade tar-like bitumen into high-quality light oil. Scientists are exploring whether the chemistry and engineering can be done differently, at far lower temperatures and pressures, and at much lower rates of natural gas consumption. For instance, new catalysts could enable the heaviest hydrocarbons to be cracked at low temperatures, allowing high-value light oil to be created with less energy and fewer emissions.
Funding university research
In addition to conducting our own research, we support the research efforts of others through our University Research Awards program. For more than a decade, this program has provided funding for research projects carried out by faculty members and their students in areas of interest – including the environment – to our businesses. In 2006, we invested $500,000 to sponsor 22 projects at 14 universities across Canada.
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