North West Redwater Partnership's Sturgeon refinery in Alberta, Canada
To reduce the use of water in the refining process and minimize its environmental impact on the North Saskatchewan River, North West Redwater (NWR) Partnership is tapping GE’s ultrafiltration and membrane bioreactor technology for NWR’s new Sturgeon refinery in Alberta, Canada. Alberta has very stringent regulations regarding freshwater withdrawal and effluent discharge, according to GE.
GE Water & Process Technologies will provide water treatment systems with process water from the refinery being treated and recycled multiple times. Surface water runoff from the facility will be contained in the retention ponds and used for process purposes to reduce the water withdrawal from the North Saskatchewan River. Chemistry and on-site technical support from Water & Process Technologies will reportedly ensure that the facilities’ water balance targets are met and protect the facility’s assets from deposition and corrosion.
The Sturgeon refinery project is designed to incorporate gasification and a carbon capture and storage solution while producing products that meet North America’s new low-carbon standards, according to GE. Phase one of the Sturgeon refinery will process 50,000 barrels of bitumen per day. The refinery is expected to be operational in 2017.
For more information, visit: www.ge.com
