Replacement of Natural Gas with Other Fossil Fuels

The price and availability of natural gas in North America has forced energy intensive industries to reassess their fuel supply options. This is especially true of the oil sands operations in Alberta which consume large quantities of natural gas (roughly 1000 standard cubic feet per barrel of synthetic crude for in situ operations). We will take a life cycle approach to investigate the implications of using alternative fuels to supply heat, electricity and hydrogen to oil sands operations. Coke, asphaltenes, bitumen and coal will all be investigated. For example, coal is an inherently dirty fuel and rail systems are costly to build. However, the fuel itself is relatively cheap, abundant and nearby. In addition, technologies exist today that minimize many of the environmental problems associated with this fuel. In addition to the capture and removal of conventional pollutants such as NOx and SO2, the potential for CO2 capture and storage exists.

Applying the life cycle analysis framework to this problem is essential as the upstream and indirect impacts of the fuel options are non-negligible. The comparisons between these options will includet financial and environmental impacts of the entire infrastructure required to operate these facilities. This includes, for example, the impacts of extracting and shipping the fuels from their sources to Northern Alberta (where necessary), the transport of materials, and the construction of the power and hydrogen production facilities at the oil sands site.

Status as of December 2008:

This investigation is almost complete: A package containing a description of the study and preliminary results has been sent to various industry experts, along with a request for feedback; a manuscript is being prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed publication early in 2009.