The Blackgold Oil Sands project will utilize drum boilers to drive the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process for extracting bitumen. GE’s integrated evaporator and ZLD system enables the facility to cost-effectively produce 10,000 barrels per day of bitumen and maximize recycled water use.

GE is a leader in supplying produced water evaporation and ZLD systems for oil sands operations in Alberta, with more than 14 projects underway since 1999 that use GE’s technologies, including three new projects initiated since last fall.

The Blackgold Oil Sands project will include a new, proprietary ZLD process that integrates crystallization and solidification technologies. The solidification process involves mixing a solidifying reagent with the crystallizer waste slurry to produce a solid waste that is suitable for transport and disposal in a landfill. Solidification of SAGD crystallizer waste results in reduced capital and operating costs compared to drying, which is the only other commercially accepted technology for this application.

The GE equipment will be delivered to the site as a series of pre-fabricated equipment modules complete with piping, wiring and controls. This enables speedy installation and significantly lowers total installed costs. Commercial operation of the Blackgold Oil Sands facility is scheduled for third quarter 2012.

GE also is providing complete system design, training and site support. GE’s agreement is with South Korea-based GS E&C, the builder of the 10,000-barrels-per-day facility that will be operated by Harvest Operations Corp. (Harvest). A subsidiary of the Korean National Oil Corp. (KNOC), Harvest is an operator in Canada’s energy industry offering stakeholders exposure to an integrated structure with upstream and downstream segments. Harvest’s upstream oil and gas production is weighted approximately 70% to crude oil and liquids and 30% to natural gas and is complemented by the company’s long-life refining and marketing business. KNOC is a state-owned oil and gas company engaged in the exploration and production of oil and gas along with storing petroleum resources.