Shell boosts oil sands research

Contribution paves way for future investment in ISEEE

Growing demand for energy is making cutting-edge petroleum research a priority for Shell International, which is teaming up with University of Calgary scientists to find new ways to fuel the world into the future.

With an initial research investment of $500,000, Shell becomes the founding industry member of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy, based in the U of C’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE). The contribution will fund research into finding cleaner and more efficient ways of developing and producing bitumen and heavy oil resources.

Supporting the centre’s work on improving the recovery and upgrading of bitumen reserves is an important part of Shell’s plan to bolster its involvement in collaborative research that can be applied internationally and promises to revolutionize the world’s energy supply.

“ We want to find new ways of developing oilsands sustainably by accessing expertise worldwide, and there are opportunities for that here at U of C,” said John Darley, Shell International’s vice-president of EP Technology. “ISEEE provides us with an umbrella for the investment we want to make in this kind of research, beginning with the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy, because it has a number of projects we’re interested in.”

The contribution will help the U of C pursue its goal of becoming a world leader in finding new ways to responsibly meet the world’s growing energy demand. It could also benefit Alberta and Canada’s long-term prosperity—a 10 percent increase in oilsands recovery and upgrading amounts to $260 billion in GDP, $100 billion in labour income for families and almost $30 billion in revenues for government.

The long-term goal of the Ingenuity Centre is to create “underground refineries” by finding ways to separate the thick crude oil known as bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands while it is still in the ground. So called “in situ” recovery brings only the valuable energy products to the surface; unwanted byproducts such as heavy metals, sulphur, coke and carbon dioxide would be permanently left underground.

“ The University of Calgary’s commitment, made in our Academic Plan, is to build on our excellence to become an international leader in energy and environment research, education and innovation. Shell’s investment in U of C, and the resources we are dedicating to this initiative, will help us deliver on that commitment,” U of C President Dr. Harvey Weingarten said.

Shell International and the U of C signed a memorandum of understanding to begin a long-term collaboration on research, beginning with the work taking place at the Alberta Ingenuity research centre.

The agreement is the perfect example of how the private sector can team up with university and government scientists to achieve common goals, said ISEEE director Dr. Robert Mansell.
“ We expect this research will translate into cleaner and more efficient recovery and upgrading of much of Alberta’s immense oil sands and heavy oil resources.”

“ Shell’s significant investment is the first step towards a much larger partnership between ISEEE and Shell—a partnership focused on developing people, knowledge and technologies for secure, competitive energy, a clean environment and a strong economy for current and future generations.”
ISEEE was established in 2003 to coordinate energy and environment-related initiatives at the university and to lead interdisciplinary research and education at a local, national and international level.

Alberta Ingenuity’s board chair Alvin Libin said the grant is an important step towards creating lasting scientific partnerships.

“ Shell’s commitment to the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy clearly shows that what we’re doing here matters to the future of our energy industry,” Libin said.

Shell plans to continue its support of ISEEE by funding specific research projects, supporting graduate students and sponsoring research chairs in various energy and environment-related fields.