High Pressure HDR with Hydrogen Co-Feed (H2-HDR)

Lead Proponent

Cenovus Energy

Project Objectives

High pressure HDR with hydrogen co-feed (H2-HDR) is a partial upgrading process that uses novel thermal cracking in the presence of synthetic crude oil (SCO) and high-pressure hydrogen. Cenovus will advance the technology to commercial readiness by carrying out a field demonstration of the H2-HDR process to address observed operational challenges through optimizing configurations, optimizing operating conditions, and supporting the technical and commercial aspects of the H2-HDR.

This project will:

• modify the existing demo plant by adding hydrogen and SCO tie-in point and provide enough residence time for thermal cracking;
• optimize operating conditions, process configurations, and generate a large quantity of final product for further analysis;
• establish sufficient information for commercialization of the process including refinery acceptance test, market analyses, and more accurate capital and operating costs.

Expected Results

H2-HDR achieves GHG reductions by partially upgrading the bitumen molecule at site to reduce the diluent required for bitumen transportation, improve market value and quality of feed oil, and reduce energy related to transportation and refining.

Anticipated Environmental Benefits: Potential indirect GHG reduction of up to 15-20 kgCO2e/bbl.