Use of Biodiesel as an Additive in Thermal Recovery of Heavy Oil and Bitumen

Bitumen extraction in oil sands-ore water slurry systems was studied by using lipids and lipid derivatives such as biodiesel (BD) as surfactant additive to promote bitumen recovery efficiency. Performance of BDs (i.e., canola and tall oil, a by-product of pulp mills using the bleached Kraft process) fatty acids methyl ester and food-grade fatty acids monoglycerides were evaluated as surfactant additives. Experimental findings suggest that BDs such as fatty acids methyl esters could also be used as surfactant additives to increase the efficiency of bitumen recovery in thermal in-situ processes such as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) processes. The required dosage for the surfactant additive is about 0.1 % of bitumen by mass. Also, interfacial tension measurements between bitumen and process water (gamma(B,W)) and BD and process water (gamma(BD,W)) support the surfactant behavior of BD.