Making light of Heavy Oil

AMEC offers a full range

of technology, engineering
and project management
services, combining specialist
expertise in upstream
facilities with mid-stream
pipeline capability and global
processing experience.
AMEC provides a full range
of services to the oil sands
industry, from initial studies and
environmental consulting through to
operator training and management
of some of the largest construction
projects in North America.
AMEC has worked on almost every
mineable lease in Canada since
development of the industry in the
1950s.

From our experiences in Canada,
we have an established track record
in developing facilities associated
with in-situ production techniques,
such as SAGD (steam assisted
gravity drainage) and other thermal
technologies. Gathering systems
and CPF (Central Processing
Facility) design are tailored to the
reservoir production methods and
to the heavy oil properties (over a
range of 22 to 8 API).
Making light of your prospects
Heavy Oil
AMEC BDR, Calgary
1
AMEC is working on the
Ivanhoe Energy Tamarack
project in Canada.
Ivanhoe Energy Inc. is an
independent Canada-based
company, using proprietary
technologies for heavy oil
and other oil and gas asset
development.
The Ivanhoe Energy Tamarack
project in Canada is planned to be
the rst commercial application of
the Ivanhoe Energy HTL technology.
Ivanhoe Energys HTL (Heavy-to-
Light) technology is a new low cost
thermal cracking technology to
upgrade heavy oil and generate
by-product steam for integration
with eld production.Integrated HTL
technology addresses each of the
Heavy Oil challenges:

By-product energy can be used
to meet eld production
requirements

Upgraded product requires
no light oil or diluent blending for
transportation

Adds product value
Tamarack is a SAGD eld production
for bitumen integrated with the
rst commercial scale HTL (Heavy-
to-Light) plant. AMECs services
include engineering design for all
upstream facilities and the HTL
unit, site layout development,
environmental studies and
permitting, capital cost estimation
and project management.
AMEC has a Tier 1 engineering
relationship with Ivanhoe Energy
to provide design and engineering
services for heavy oil development,
including HTL technology
Worlds rst commercial HTL plant
Heavy Oil
Tamarack Project, Canada
2
AMEC is working with
a number of emerging
technologies in
unconventional oil and gas.
Developments include heavy oil
upgrading (HTL), gas to liquids
(GTL), coal to chemicals (CTC), coal
bed methane (CBM) and carbon
capture and storage (CCS).
For such developmental projects,
AMEC brings experience in the
design, supply, and construction
of major oil and gas, rening and
offsite facilities around the world.
An unconventional approach
Heavy Oil
Ivanhoe Energy Tamarack Project
3
Heavy Oil, Extra Heavy Oil (EHO) and Bitumen / Oil Sands are
broadly classied by gravity and reservoir conditions.
Recovery methods are reservoir
dependent and include techniques
such as gas injection, cold
production and water ood, through
to thermal recovery.
Heavy oil (API* <15) generally
need steam recovery.
*API: American Petroleum Institute
Gravity API
Viscosity (cP) and Mobility
at Reservoir conditions
Heavy Oil <22 ~100 to 10,000 Mobile
Extra Heavy Oil (EHO) <10 ~100 to 10,000 Semi-Mobile
Bitumen / Oil Sands <10 10,000 to ~10,000,000 Non-mobile

Heavy Oil
Heavy Oil
Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. -
Great Divide SAGD Facility
4
Heavy oil and Bitumen
production costs are
estimated to be signicantly
higher than conventional oil
between US$35 to 70 per
barrel (IEA 2009).
These costs increase with
increasing API and density, and are
associated with:

Recovery techniques: higher
cost of production e.g. high utility
costs for steam ooding, steam
stimulation etc. to improve
recovery efciency.

Transportation: higher
transportation cost due to light
crude / solvent blending needed
to reduce viscosity.

Crude value: lower crude value
due to more upgrading e.g.
carbon removal, hydrogen
addition and sulphur removal
needed to make nished
products.
Heavy Oil Challenges
Heavy Oil 5
AMEC is a focused supplier
of high-value consultancy,
engineering and project
management services to the
worlds natural resources,
nuclear, clean energy, water
and environmental sectors.
With annual revenues of over 2.5
billion, AMEC designs, delivers
and maintains strategic and
complex assets for its customers.
The company employs over
22,000 people in around 40
countries worldwide.

How can AMEC help you?
Heavy Oil 6
amec.com
Acting personally...
thinking globally...
delivering locally.
Contact details
Middle East:
simon.lyons@amec.com

UK:
david.bown@amec.com

Canada:
satvinder.ore@amec.com