Advanced SAGD Facilities
Large surface facilities are required to produce bitumen utilizing the SAGD process. The central processing facility generates steam, treats water for reuse, and treats and blends bitumen for transport to the refinery. ConocoPhillips is working with engineering partners to advance industry-leading designs for implementation on our projects that have the potential to lower costs significantly and reduce our surface footprint by more than 50 percent. In addition, the compact design of these new facilities will potentially enhance thermal efficiency, thereby reducing natural gas requirements and GHG emissions, which benefits the environment.
Heavy Oil ConocoPhillips has long been a leader in producing, processing and refining heavy oil. ConocoPhillips’ heavy oil capabilities also are aiding in evaluating the feasibility of producing shale oil in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. A similar approach is being used to analyze the producibility of natural gas hydrates – methane trapped in ice in arctic regions and beneath sea beds.
Subsurface Technology
ConocoPhillips continues to innovate and improve the core exploration and production business by developing and applying state-of-the-art seismic data acquisition and processing techniques, such as life-of-field time-lapse seismic data collection and advanced reverse-time migration algorithms. We are able to achieve enhanced reservoir images beneath salt and other high-impedance material, such as chalk, carbonate and marl, through live interaction and integration with detailed basin-to-reservoir-scale geological architecture and hydrocarbon quality analyses. The development and application of these geologically integrated seismic-imaging technologies produce higher-quality images that help reduce exploration risk and maximize resource recovery.
Carbon Sequestration Research continues on capturing waste carbon dioxide and injecting it deep underground into depleted reservoirs, thus reducing atmospheric emissions. ConocoPhillips has developed technologies that reduce both energy use and emissions at the source.
Water SustainabilityConocoPhillips also is developing improved methods of water purification and recycling. In mid-2007, the company announced plans to establish a global Water Sustainability Center that will examine ways of treating and using by-product water from oil production operations, as well as other projects relating to industrial and municipal water sustainability. The center will be located in Qatar Science & Technology Park at Education City, Doha, Qatar. ConocoPhillips plans to invest $25 million in the center over its first 5–7 years. The center will conduct research on and develop and test technologies relating to water production and management. The center will be designated as ConocoPhillips’ worldwide center for water technologies, disseminating findings to the company’s global operations as well as to local government and industry partners.
To learn more about the different technologies utilized in ConocoPhillips' businesses worldwide, select from the links below: