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A comprehensive LCA (life cycle assessment) for transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) derived from Canada's oil sands was conducted, and all the current possible pathways from bitumen extraction to use in vehicles were explored. Authors, in earlier studies, have presented the energy consumption and GHG (greenhouse gas) emission results for individual unit operations-recovery, extraction, upgrading and refining. The LC (life cycle) inventory data for the current LCA study were obtained from theoretical model named FUNNEL-GHG-OS ( FUN damental E N gineering Principl E s- based Mode L for Estimation of G reen H ouse G ases in the O il S ands), developed from fundamental engineering principles. The impact of the cogeneration of electricity in oil sands recovery, extraction, and upgrading on the LC GHG emissions of gasoline was explored. LC WTW (well-to-wheel) GHG emissions range from 106.8 to 116 g-CO 2 equivalent/MJ of gasoline, 100.5 to 115.2 g-CO 2 equivalent/MJ of diesel, and 96.4 to 109.2 g-CO 2 equivalent/MJ of jet fuel, depending on the pathway. Combustion emissions (64.7%–70.3%) are the largest constituent of WTW emissions for gasoline production; recovery (through surface mining and steam assisted gravity drainage) forms 7.2%–16% depending on the LC production process of gasoline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model-FUNNEL-GHG-OS ( FUN damental E N gineering Principl E s- based Mode L for Estimation of G reen H ouse G ases in the O il S ands) based on fundamental engineering principles was developed to estimate the specific energy consumption and GHGs (greenhouse gas emissions) for upgrading bitumen to produce SCO (synthetic crude oil). The model estimates quantity of SCO produced, the consumption of hydrogen, steam, natural gas and power in two different upgrading operations, namely delayed coking and hydroconversion. Hydroconversion upgrading is more energy and GHG (433.4 kgCO 2 eq/m 3 of bitumen) intensive than delayed coker upgrading (240.3 kgCO 2 eq/m 3 of bitumen) but obtains a higher yield of SCO. This research explores bitumen pathways in oil sands – upgrading bitumen to SCO, followed by transporting and refining SCO as compared to transporting and refining dilbit. The energy consumption, GHG emissions and volume of transportation fuels obtained from refining of different oil sands feeds has been investigated. Refining of oil sands products produce 7.9 to 15.72 gCO 2 eq per MJ of refined product. Refining of SCO to transportation fuels produces 41% and 49% less emissions than dilbit and bitumen respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) has been identified as the only option for substantially reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel-based processes. There has been limited research into the long-term GHG reduction potential of integrating CCUS into unconventional oil extraction processes. We developed a CCUS-oil sands market penetration model and integrated it with a bottom-up energy model (LEAP-Canada) to conduct a cost-benefit case study for the Canadian oil sands. Scenarios were developed considering currently available CCUS technologies and were investigated under different carbon pricing policies. Cumulative GHG emission mitigation potential from the CCUS applications ranged from 3 to 232 million tonnes (Mt) with marginal costs of $-28–42/tCO 2 e. Carbon pricing led to an average 3% increase in 2050 market shares of the technologies, resulting in additional GHG abatement of 4.9% (172 Mt). CCUS was found to be the costliest GHG emission mitigation option compared to increased integration of cogeneration and energy efficiency measures. The maximum cumulative oil sands GHG emission mitigation achieved in this study was 7%. This research ultimately provides insights into applications of CCUS technologies into the oil sands industry that might be useful to industry planners and policymakers and support the sustainable development of oil sands resources. • A novel bottom-up energy modeling framework for carbon capture in the oil sands. • 7% of industry GHG emissions from 2020 to 2050 could be mitigated at -$16.15/tCO 2 e. • Oxyfuel boilers powered by bituminous fuels provide 90% of mitigation potential. • Carbon pricing policies increased GHG abatement potential by 66 Mt. • Opportunities to utilize captured carbon increased GHG abatement potential by 94 Mt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth in bitumen and synthetic crude oil (SCO) production in the Canadian oil sands industry has superseded pipeline capacity growth in recent years, leading to the increased interest in the transport of crude oil by rail to desired markets. However, the specific techno-economic parameters that facilitate increased competitiveness of either transportation mode against the other is seldom addressed in the existing literature. This paper involves the development of a rail and pipeline techno-economic transport model, which is used to ascertain the transportation cost of both options for a market distance range of 1–3000 km and a production scale of 100,000–750,000 barrels per day (bpd). The transportation cost for either option is highly sensitive to the market distance, transportation scale and crude grade being transported; however, pipelines are generally more competitive for large transportation scales, while the cost-effectiveness of rail transport is realized particularly at smaller transportation scales. In general, pipelines are cost efficient for the transportation of crude oil in the majority of scenarios investigated. Rail can be more economical than pipeline under certain conditions. The use of insulated rail cars for the transport of raw bitumen is the area with greatest potential for cost competitiveness against pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicle charging by renewable energy can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper presents a data-intensive techno-economic model to estimate the cost of charging an electric vehicle with a battery capacity of 16 kW h for an average travel distance of 65 km from small-scale renewable electricity in various jurisdictions in Canada. Six scenarios were developed that encompass scale of operation, charging time, and type of renewable energy system. The costs of charging an electric vehicle from an off-grid wind energy system at a charging time of 8 h is 56.8–58.5 cents/km in Montreal, Quebec, and 58.5–60.0 cents/km in Ottawa, Ontario. However, on integration with a small-scale hydro, the charging costs are 9.4–11.2 cents/km in Montreal, 9.5–11.1 cents/km in Ottawa and 10.2–12.2 cents/km in Vancouver, British Columbia. The results show that electric vehicle charging from small-scale hydro energy integration is cost competitive compared charging from conventional grid electricity in all the chosen jurisdictions. Furthermore, when the electric vehicle charging time decreases from 8 to 4 h, the cost of charging increases by 83% and 11% from wind and hydro energy systems, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process-level energy efficiency improvement is regarded as an effective technique for emissions reduction from the petroleum refining industry. Assessing the systems-level impacts of these energy efficiency improvements is crucial for effective long-term climate change policy- and decision-making. In this study, we developed a framework that integrates process simulation with integrated resource planning and techno-economic assessment techniques to evaluate long-term GHG mitigation potential in the refining sector. Detailed process simulations were done for eleven energy efficiency improvement measures in the refining sector. A case study was conducted for Alberta's (a province in western Canada) refining sector to assess GHG emissions reduction potential and their implications for long-term climate change policy-making. The GHG mitigation scenarios considered time horizons to the years 2030 and 2050. The results show that compared to the reference scenario, integrating the energy efficiency options in the refining sector will result in cumulative emissions reduction of 5%. About 60% of the anticipated emissions reductions are economically attractive. The proposed framework is an effective tool for the evaluation of long-term refining sector GHG mitigation potential and can be used for decision-making and policy formulation at various levels. • A framework is developed to assess GHG mitigation potential in the refining sector. • Process simulation, economic analysis, and energy planning models are integrated. • 22 mitigation scenarios are developed in time horizons ending in 2030 and 2050. • GHG mitigation potential is calculated and GHG abatement cost curves are developed. • 60% of the GHG emissions reductions are found to be economically attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]