GE’s water evaporation technology will treat de-oiled produced water, boiler and heat-recovery steam-generator blowdown and brackish makeup water for Sunshine Oilsands at its West Ells project in Ft McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
The steam-assisted gravity drainage project will initially produce 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of bitumen — 5,000 bpd for each of the first two phases — and will recycle 98% of the wastewater produced by the heavy oil production technique. Sunshine expects its West Ells site to eventually produce greater than 100,000 bpd of bitumen.
The treated water will be used as feedwater for conventional drum boilers. Under the contracts for Phases 1 and 2, GE is supplying its fourth-generation, fully modularized evaporator systems to achieve the lowest total installed costs.
Sunshine currently is installing the Phase 1 evaporator system with the first steam milestone scheduled for mid‑2013. The Phase 2 system is expected to be delivered in December 2013.