Sask Research Council article 2005Found this article while doing DD. Great potential building for NMG's 100% owned Sask oil shale prospects IMHO.
Oil in Saskatchewan
by Dr Laurier L. Schramm
05-09-05In Saskatchewan we have about a billion barrels of conventional oilreserves. At current pumping rates this is only seven years ofproduction. Our reserves will last longer than this, but only to theextent that we reduce consumption and/or find more oil.
Over thepast decade we have been producing faster than we have been developingor finding new oil, so the net reserves have been declining. Newtechnologies are helping to minimize the decline and, although naturalconventional oil will ultimately run out, there are potential sourcesof synthetic crude oil present in Saskatchewan in more forms than onemight expect.
Roughlyhalf of Saskatchewan's conventional oil reserves are light crude oil,much of which can be found across the southern part of the province.Conventional recovery techniques, including enhanced oil recovery(EOR), produce only 40 to 50 % of the oil in a good reservoir.
ImprovedEOR technology is helping. The use of carbon dioxide (CO2)flooding in the Weyburn oilfield will produce an additional 120 mmbarrels beyond the point at which the field would otherwise have beenabandoned. Even better, this process leaves the CO2 behind(sequestered) in the reservoir so it also reduces greenhouse gasemissions.
Theother half of Saskatchewan's conventional oil reserves is heavy crudeoil, much of which can be found in the west central part of theprovince. The heavy oil is even harder to recover than light oil, andeven the latest recovery technologies recover only about 10 to 20 %.
Apromising emerging technology for enhanced heavy oil recovery, calledVAPEX (vapour extraction), uses a solvent mixture to drive out the oil,while using less water, less energy, and with reduced greenhouse gasemissions. This technology has been undergoing field-testing inSaskatchewan oilfields over the past two years and is highly likely tounlock additional reserves.
Bituminousoil sands exist in Saskatchewan, principally in the Clearwater Valleyarea,near Churchill Lake. Based on research to date the deposits appear tobe small and widely scattered, too deep to mine, too shallow forconventional in situ technology, and therefore not likely to beeconomic, yet. The challenge and opportunity is to developunconventional technology that can be applied to these deposits.
Therehas recently been renewed interest in oil sands exploration drilling inSaskatchewan. This is needed to better evaluate the resource. The mostpromising recovery technology is probably an adaptation of VAPEX,which, with some customisation of solvents and field practices, shouldbe applicable to Saskatchewan's oil sands. Once the bitumen isrecovered it can be chemically converted to synthetic crude oil. Thiscould boost our reserves significantly, and could occur in the nearfuture.
Saskatchewanalso has oil shale, a sedimentary rock containing organic matter calledkerogen. The kerogen can be chemically converted to synthetic crudeoil. Significant deposits can be found in thePasquia Hills area, near Hudson Bay. Based on research to date thesedeposits appear to contain a substantial amount of oil shale that isshallow enough to mine.
Therehas recently been renewed interest in Saskatchewan oil shale and atleast 25 new core holes have been drilled in this area over the lastseveral years to better evaluate the extent of the resource. If oilprices stay at their current levels, then a modest technologydevelopment program should make this large resource economicallyviable. This could add about a bn barrels of synthetic crude oil to ourreserves.
Saskatchewancreativity and “can-do” attitude have led to great advances indeveloping, adapting, and deploying new oil recovery technologies, fromhorizontal and infill wells to light and heavy EOR. Further advanceswill allow us to increase our reserves.
Other advances will allowus to develop Saskatchewan oil sand and oil shale. We can even convertour massive coal resource into synthetic crude oil, if needed. Withresearchand development on our side, Saskatchewan oil will only run out if welose sight of the many unconventional routes to producing it.
Dr Laurier L. Schramm is President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Research Council.
Source: Sunrise Publishing Ltd.