BY GUS MORGAN

Senior reservoir engineer Alex Filstein is helping ConocoPhillips Canada optimize its Surmont oil sands operations, developing and testing emissions-reducing technologies capable of enhancing the business unit’s environmental and economic performance.

“I’m passionate about developing impactful technologies,” Alex said. “Our goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 with the ambition to be net zero by 2050.”

In addition to adding value in the oil sands, Alex is also changing the way people think about autism. Alex, who has an autism spectrum disorder, exemplifies how thinking differently can deliver immense value, a mind primed for innovation.

Alex has advanced 13 patents related to oil sands emissions reduction technologies, his accomplishments stemming from his logical mindset and technical prowess, advancements that show autism spectrum disorder can be a superpower.

“I like to know how things work. So engineering was a natural choice for me. I enjoy numbers and data. My strength is that I'm able to focus on something and really understand it. In my comfort zone, I’ll just be reading patents.”

Producing heavy oil with less steam

ConocoPhillips is experimenting with ways to reduce the amount of steam needed to produce bitumen, a heavy oil that requires heating so it can flow to the wellbore for production.

To achieve this, Alex and his colleagues are testing a warm applied solvent process to reduce the operation’s steam-to-oil ratio (SOR), a metric that measures the amount of steam needed to produce a barrel of oil.

“You want the lowest SOR possible. The goal is to produce the oil with the least amount of energy. So, we’re injecting lighter solvents to cut steam generation  by 75 percent and maintain the same production.”

The solvents — light hydrocarbons such as butane and propane — are co-injected with the steam, accelerating production and reducing the amount of steam required. Once the oil is produced to the surface, engineers separate the hydrocarbons, recycling the lighter hydrocarbons as part of a closed-loop system.

“This process allows us to produce a heavier hydrocarbon with lighter hydrocarbons. In a way, we’re producing oil with oil.”

The research happens in parallel to ConocoPhillips' collaboration with its peers at Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), a group of oil sand producers that have made advancements in improving environmental performance in the oil sands through open innovation and collaboration.

“It’s challenging work. That’s what makes it exciting.”

Focusing on love and acceptance

Alex, who has two sons on the autism spectrum, recently published his first book, “Apollo Autism,” that parallels his life as an inventor and reflects his passion for NASA’s Apollo program, which succeeded in preparing and landing the first humans on the moon from 1969-1972.

“I wrote it to help parents who have children with autism to achieve a happier tomorrow, focusing on love and acceptance. It’s about recognizing that everyone has challenges and shows how you can take small steps to overcome them and have a happier life.”

In the book, Alex describes a family’s journey after an autism disorder diagnosis. Alex modeled the book’s protagonist, Max, after himself, integrating the phased patterns he noticed from the Apollo program within the book, relating how children with autism also advance through iterative phases.

“I want parents to read it because I feel like it's going to accelerate the concept of acceptance of their children; instead of trying to change them they would want to go through this process phase by phase and make them happy human beings.”

Alex is also advancing autism awareness and education through a Facebook group he launched called “Autism Stories.” With more than 1,800 members, the group supports fathers who have newly diagnosed children on the autism spectrum.

“The group creates more acceptance and love in the community. One of the biggest challenges with autism is how parents deal with the diagnosis.”

‘Our brains are diverse as well’

Alex is spreading awareness about neurodiversity at ConocoPhillips through his work on the Canadian business unit’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council.

“Our diversity is not just the color of our skin; our brains are diverse as well. People think differently, and there’s diversity within that. That's why I got involved with the DEI Council. It’s a way to represent our community.

"I want my children to be accepted in the future and in the workplace. So, I have a personal incentive to advocate for the community. My motto is that different is not less, so it's important for me to share that if people are a little bit different, they're not less than others.”