Oil Shales in Saskatchewan

Oil Shales in Saskatchewan Melinda Yurkowski Petroleum Geology Branch Bruce Wilhelm Energy Development and Climate Change Saskatchewan Energy and Resources

Pasquia Hills Image modified from Geoscape Southern Saskatchewan

Oil Shales vs Oil Sands Oil sands produce bitumen whereas oil shale produces kerogen Oil shales have a high organic content high in kerogen Kerogen rich shale Second White Specks Fm NAL ALIDA EAST 21/10-02-006-33W1M Oils shales are immature source rock Oil saturated sand Mannville Fm HUSKY NEILBURG 11/11-7-46-25W3M

What is oil shale? Formed over millions of years ago by deposition of debris on lake beds and sea bottoms Not necessarily a shale - marlstone oil shales common Kerogen is richer in hydrogen and nitrogen, and therefore has a value added to the end product After Cobban and McKinley http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/research/fossils/ammonites.html

Plains Marketing, L.P. s WTI Crude Posted Price Average Monthly, $BBL Average Monthly data from January 1978 through October 2007

Current all production in the world is ex-situ

Approx. Colorado Grp Subcrop edge T55 T50 Current Land Permits Oil shale Permits T45 PNG Permits T40 T35 R20 R15 R10 R5W2 T30 R33W1M

Coniacian 89.4 95.2 97.99 Southwestern Saskatchewan Date Age Fm My 84 87 88.19 93.4 95.2 Turonian Cenomanian Lea Park 2WS Carlile Belle Fourche FIRST WHITE SPECKS MBR MEDICINE HAT MBR GOVENLOCK MBR CARLILE FORMATION (sh & ss) SECOND WHITE SPECKS BF D3 BF D2 BF D1 x BF C BF B BF A FISH SCALE MARKER x x x (Ardmore Bentonites) (ls & sh) BOYNE MBR (ls & sh) MILLWOOD FM PEMBINA FM MORDEN SHALE ASSINIBOINE KELD C KELD B KELD A x (x bentonite) x x x x Southwestern Manitoba GAMMON FM References: Ridgley et al. (2002) Collum (2000) Bloch et al (1993) McNeil and Caldwell (1984) (hiatus) (hiatus) U L x Fm Age Santonian Campanian Niobrara Milk River Belle Fourche Favel Carlile Pierre Cenomanian Turonian Santon- ian Campanian Coniacian

Extraction of oil from shale To obtain oil, shale must be heated to a high temperature (a process called retorting) The resultant liquid must then be separated and collected\traditional and current mining methods have been used to extract the shale before retorting An alternative but currently experimental process referred to as in situ retorting involves heating the oil shale while it is still underground, and then pumping the resulting liquid to the surface

Classification of oil shale processing technologies according to heating method and location [6] Heating Method Internal combustion Hot recycled solids (inert or burned shale) Conduction through a wall (various fuels) Externally generated hot gas Reactive fluids Volumetric heating Above Ground (ex-situ) Kiviter, Fushun, Union A, Paraho Direct, Superior Direct Alberta Taciuk, Galoter, Lurgi, TOSCO II, Chevron STB, LLNL HRS, Shell Spher Pumpherston, Hom Tov, Fischer assay, Oil-Tech, EcoShale In- Capsule Process, Combustion Resources PetroSIX, Union B, Paraho Indirect, Superior Indirect, Syntec process (Smith process) IGT Hytort (high-pressure H2), Xtract Technology (supercritical solvent extraction), Donor solvent processes, Chattanooga fluid bed reactor - Below Ground (in-situ) Oxy MIS, LLNL RISE, Geokinetics Horizontal, Rio Blanco - Shell ICP (primary method), EGL Oil Shale Process, IEP Geothermic Fuel Cell Process Chevron CRUSH, Petro Probe Shell ICP (some embodiments) ITTRI, LLNL and Raytheon radiofrequency processes, Global Resource microwave process, Electro-Petroleum EEOP

In Situ process Source: http://www.co.blm.gov/wrra/wrfo_oil_shale.htm

Source: Environmental assessment of Chevron proposed Oil Shale R&D; http://www.co.blm.gov/wrra/documents/co1102006120eawofigures.pdf

Coniacian 89.4 95.2 97.99 Southwestern Saskatchewan Date Age Fm My 84 87 88.19 93.4 95.2 Turonian Cenomanian Lea Park 2WS Carlile Belle Fourche FIRST WHITE SPECKS MBR MEDICINE HAT MBR GOVENLOCK MBR CARLILE FORMATION (sh & ss) SECOND WHITE SPECKS BF D3 BF D2 BF D1 x BF C BF B BF A FISH SCALE MARKER x x x (Ardmore Bentonites) (ls & sh) BOYNE MBR (ls & sh) MILLWOOD FM PEMBINA FM MORDEN SHALE ASSINIBOINE KELD C KELD B KELD A x (x bentonite) x x x x Southwestern Manitoba GAMMON FM References: Ridgley et al. (2002) Collum (2000) Bloch et al (1993) McNeil and Caldwell (1984) (hiatus) (hiatus) U L x Fm Age Santonian Campanian Niobrara Milk River Belle Fourche Favel Carlile Pierre Cenomanian Turonian Santon- ian Campanian Coniacian

Saskatchewan Manitoba ISOPACH MAP Carlile (Boyne) Fm From TGI II mapping results Christopher et al, 2006

Saskatchewan Manitoba ISOPACH MAP T55 T54 Second White T53 T52Specks (Favel) T51 T50 Fm T49 T48 T47 From TGI II mapping results T46 Christopher et T45 T44 al, 2006 T43 T42 T41 T40 T39 T38 40 T37 T36 T35 T34 T33 T32 T31 T30 T29 T28 30 T27 T26 T25 T24 T23 T22 T21 T20 T19 T18 20 T17 T16 T15 T14 T13 T12 T11 T10 T9 T8 10 T7 T6 T5 T4 T3 T2 T1 04 03 02 013433 32 3130 2928 2726 25 24 2322 21 2019 1817 16 15 14 1312 11 10 09 08 07 0605 04 03 02 01W1 04 03 0201 30 29 2827 26 25 2423 2221 20 19 1817 16 15 14 1312 1110 0908 07 0605 W3M W2M W1M

Carlile Fm Regional Distribution of averaged hydrocarbon yields kg/t From Macauley, 1984 40 20 40 10 30

Second White Specks Fm Regional Distribution of averaged hydrocarbon yields kg/t From Macauley, 1984 30 10 20 30 30

Conclusions Price of oil continue to remain ~ $100, exploitation of this resource is more attractive. Ex-situ recovery and production already occurs in Brazil, China, Estonia is the value added of the by-products enough to make it viable in Canada? Once in-situ technologies develop, southern Saskatchewan has potential.

Acknowledgements Bruce Wilhelm, Energy and Resources Dr. Jim Christopher, Consultant Michelle Nicolas and Jim Bamburak, Manitoba Science Technology and Mines TGI II GSC, Saskatchewan Energy and Resources and Manitoba Science Technology and Mines