40,000 BPD Expansion of SAGD Central Processing Facility
This project involved expanding a client’s central facility, processing Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) emulsion, to approximately increase the capacity from 60,000 barrels per day (BPD) to 100,000 BPD of oil sands bitumen. Vista’s work centered on expanding the areas of steam generation, oil treating, produced water de-oiling, softening and recycle as well as major utility expansions.
Using a design template, Vista performed the detailed engineering, and construction support for this commercial SAGD heavy oil facility. Vista proposed moving to a high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) to meet the client’s need for a closed flare system (no pop tanks). This allowed Vista to limit the overall size of the system.
Vista has developed a long-term relationship with this client to expand the initial production over five expansion phases and includes the following components:
- Emulsion separation: inlet degasser, FWKOs and treaters including associated chemical feed systems, and a flash treating system
- Steam generation: four 250 million BTU/hour units including, BFW booster/charge pumps and steam separation
- Raw brackish water softening
- Produced water processing
- Diluent handling, injection and recovery
- Tankage: skim, BFW, de-oiled water, oil recycle and sales oil with diluent, LACT booster pumping systems
- Utility systems: vapor recovery ejector system, fuel gas, glycol heating/cooling and heat recovery
- Energy efficiency design features
- Unique OTSG combustion air preheating design
- Integrated glycol heating/cooling system to maximize energy recovery & reuse
- Direct energy recovery from hot inlet emulsion, sales oil and produced water as well as energy recovery from boiler blowdown
- Recovery of low pressure vapors off tankage and equipment by means of a Vapour Recovery Unit for return to the fuel gas system
