Oil and gas

Driving emissions reductions through rigorous testing and technology development

Our areas of focus

CanmetENERGY Ottawa’s Oil and Gas research and development (R&D) program focuses on improving science and technology solutions in two core areas: oil sands, and oil and shale gas in tight formations. Currently, we are focused on:

• oil sands: identifying, developing, and testing technologies (at the bench and pilot scale) that improve extraction processes, with the goal of reducing GHG emissions, freshwater requirements, and the cost of production
• oil sands: accomplishing bench-scale proof-of-concept testing for novel partial upgrading technologies intended to significantly reduce diluent requirements and hydrogen production costs
• tight oil and shale gas: investigating improved emissions capture techniques – and enhanced oil recovery techniques using those emissions – with the goal of reducing methane and CO₂ emissions at the wellhead and of increasing oil and gas recovery in Canadian shale and tight formations

Oil and gas projects at CanmetENERGY in Ottawa

To address our areas of focus, CanmetENERGY Ottawa is involved in the following projects related to oil and gas:

Direct Contact Steam Generation (DCSG) technology

Partial upgrading development

Decreasing GHG emissions and water use from production in tight oil and gas reservoirs

Featured item

Direct Contact Steam Generation (DCSG)

Direct Contact Steam Generation (DCSG) is a steam generation technology that uses recycled water in the bitumen extraction process and has a lower environmental impact than traditional Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) systems.

Watch: DCSG video