CA2806044C - Integrated xtl and in-situ oil sands extraction processes - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems and processes for producing hydrocarbon products integrate an XTL process for producing hydrocarbons with an in-situ oil sands extraction process and/or a bitumen upgrading process. The integration includes one or more of steam integration, process water integration, water treatment system integration, nitrogen integration, and integrated use of carbon-containing products or by-products from one process in another process. An example of an integrated process comprises: (a) converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process; (b) diverting at least a portion of the steam produced by the XTL process to an in-situ extraction process for extracting an oil product from an oil sands reservoir; (c) extracting the oil product from the oil sands reservoir; and (d) converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product stream.

Description

== CA 02806044 2013-02-13 INTEGRATED XTL AND IN-SITU OIL SANDS EXTRACTION
PROCESSES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to integration of processes for producing hydrocarbon products. More particularly, the invention relates to integration of an XTL process for producing hydrocarbons with an in-situ oil sands extraction process and/or a bitumen treatment/upgrading process. The integration includes one or more of steam integration, process water integration, water treatment system integration, nitrogen integration, and integrated use of carbon-containing products or by-products from one process in another process.
BACKGROUND

[0002] In-situ oil sands extraction processes are used for extracting highly viscous oil products such as heavy crude oil and/or bitumen from underground oil sands reservoirs. There are several variations of these processes, and they typically involve the continuous injection of large amounts of high pressure steam and/or hydrocarbon solvents into the reservoir to reduce the viscosity of the oil product, allowing it to be pumped to the surface. An example of such a process is SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) in which steam is injected into the reservoir. Some process variations utilize steam in combination with a hydrocarbon solvent such as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to improve recovery from the SAGD process, and these process variations may generally be referred to as SA-SAGD (solvent-assisted SAGD). The hydrocarbon solvent is soluble in bitumen at reservoir conditions and decreases bitumen viscosity, and may increase the production rate over a solely SAGD process. Still other process variations use only a hydrocarbon solvent such as propane only and may be generally referred to as HABR (hydrocarbon-assisted bitumen recovery).

[0003] Once the oil product is pumped to the surface it undergoes various processing and/or upgrading steps in a plant. For example, in SAGD processes for recovering bitumen, sand and water are removed from the product in a SAGD
plant and a diluent is added to the bitumen to enable it to be transported by pipeline. The bitumen may undergo further processing on-site, for example to convert it to SCO (synthetic crude oil). In SA-SAGD and HABR, at least some of the solvent is recovered from the oil product as part of the upgrading process.
After upgrading, one or more product streams from the upgraded oil product are transported via pipeline to another location, such as a remotely located oil refinery.

[0004] As will be appreciated, in-situ oil sands extraction is performed in remote areas. Large amounts of energy are consumed in producing high pressure steam for in-situ oil sands extraction, and large amounts of fresh water are also required to generate steam for SAGD and SA-SAGD processes. Also, the diluents, solvents and other inputs required for extraction and for viscosity reduction, dilution and/or upgrading the recovered product are typically transported across great distances to the extraction site. In addition, the transport of certain carbonaceous by-products of the bitumen upgrading processes to off-site locations may not be practical or economically feasible.

Therefore, these by-products, which include asphaltene and coke, are either stockpiled or disposed of.

[0005] The acronym XTL ("X"-to-liquid) is used to describe a group of processes by which various carbon-containing materials are converted to hydrocarbon products such as LPG, naphtha and diesel. XTL processes may produce significant quantities of pressurized steam as a by-product.

[0006] The carbonaceous feed material of the XTL process can include coal, coke (also referred to as "pet coke"), biomass, natural gas or any combination of these. Where natural gas is used as the feed material, the process may be referred to as GTL (gas-to-liquid). The XTL process includes a first step in = CA 02806044 2013-02-13 whichthe feed material is converted to a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and = hydrogen, a second step whereby the syngas is converted to the liquid hydrocarbon product(s) by a F-T (Fischer-Tropsch) process, and a third step whereby the FT liquid product is converted to saleable hydrocarbon products like diesel. It will be appreciated that this description of XTL is oversimplified and that the syngas generation and the F-T process steps may themselves include multiple steps. Some of these additional steps are described in the detailed description which follows below.

[0007] The inventors are not aware of any successful integration of XTL
processes with in-situ oil sands extraction and/or bitumen treatment/upgrading processes, despite the fact that sources of XTL feed materials such as natural gas reservoirs are often located in close proximity to oil sands reservoirs, and despite the fact that products or by-products of one process can be utilized in a different process.
SUMMARY

[0008] In an embodiment, there is provided an integrated process for producing at least two hydrocarbon product streams. The integrated process comprises: (a) converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process, wherein steam is produced by said XTL process; (b) diverting at least a portion of the steam produced by said XTL process to an in-situ extraction process for extracting an oil product from an oil sands reservoir; (c) extracting said oil product from the oil sands reservoir by said in-situ extraction process; and (d) converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product stream.

[0009] In an embodiment, the XTL process may comprise the steps of: (i) converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; (ii) cooling said syngas with boiling feed water (BFW), whereby said syngas cooling converts at least a portion of said BFW to a first portion of said steam produced by said XTL process; (iii) converting at least a .. ' CA 02806044 2013-02-13 portion of said syngas to a first hydrocarbon product stream by a Fischer-Tropsch = (F-T) process, wherein said F-T process produces a second portion of said steam produced by said XTL process.

[0010] In an embodiment, the in-situ extraction process comprises steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD); solvent-assisted SAGD (SA-SAGD) or hydrocarbon-assisted bitumen recovery (HABR).

[0011] In an embodiment, the carbon-containing feed stream comprises natural gas, a carbon-containing by-product from said step of converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product, or a mixture thereof.

[0012] In an embodiment, the carbon-containing feed stream is converted to said syngas by a reforming, gasification or co-gasification reaction.

[0013] In an embodiment, the first hydrocarbon product stream comprises one or more of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel and naphtha.

[0014] In an embodiment, the oil product is bitumen or heavy crude oil, and at least a portion of said steam diverted to said SAGD process is injected into said oil sands reservoir to assist in recovery of said oil product from said reservoir.

[0015] In an embodiment, the in-situ extraction process is a SAGD or SA-SAGD process, and wherein at least a portion of said steam diverted to said SAGD process is injected into said oil sands reservoir.

[0016] In an embodiment, a steam generation unit generates additional steam which is injected into the reservoir.

[0017] In an embodiment, at least a portion of said steam raised from the XTL process is used to generate power for both the in-situ extraction and XTL
processes.

' CA 02806044 2013-02-13 , [0018] In an embodiment, at least a portion of said steam diverted to said 5 = in-situ extraction process is used to heat solvent for the in-situ extraction process.
[0019] In an embodiment, the oil product comprises bitumen and the integrated process further comprises diluting said bitumen with a sufficient amount of a diluent such that the diluted bitumen is transportable by a pipeline;
and wherein the diluent comprises naphtha produced by said XTL process.
[0020] In an embodiment, the oil product comprises bitumen, and said step of converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product comprises a bitumen upgrading process, and wherein the carbon-containing by-product of said bitumen upgrading process comprises coke or asphaltene.
[0021] In an embodiment, the first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha and diesel, and wherein at least a portion of the LPG and/or the naphtha is diverted to said in-situ extraction process and is injected into said oil sands reservoir to reduce viscosity of said oil product while it is present in said reservoir.
[0022] In an embodiment, the process further comprises separation of air into an oxygen stream and a nitrogen stream, wherein the oxygen stream is reacted with said carbon-containing feed stream in the conversion of the carbon-containing feed stream to said syngas. The nitrogen stream may be used for providing an inert atmosphere in process equipment used in said XTL process, said in-situ extraction process, and/or the conversion of said oil product to said second hydrocarbon product stream.
[0023] In an embodiment, the )01 process and the in-situ extraction process are co-located in close proximity to one another.
[0024] In an embodiment, an integrated system is provided for producing at least two hydrocarbon product streams. The system comprises: (a) a syngas = CA 02806044 2013-02-13 generation unit for converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a syngas = comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; (b) a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) unit for converting at least a portion of said syngas to a first hydrocarbon product stream, wherein said F-T unit may convert said syngas to a F-T product, and the system may further comprise a F-T product upgrading unit to hydrocrack the FT
product to produce said first hydrocarbon product stream; (c) a steam generation unit for supplying pressurized steam to an in-situ extraction process for extracting an oil product from an oil sands reservoir; and (d) a syngas steam conduit for transporting steam from said syngas generation unit to said in-situ extraction process.
[0025] In an embodiment, the system further comprises a F-T steam conduit for transporting steam from said F-T unit to said in-situ extraction process.
[0026] In an embodiment, the integrated further comprises a well located in an oil sands reservoir, wherein said steam supply means comprises a steam source and a steam conduit connecting said steam source to said well.
[0027] In an embodiment, the steam generation unit generates steam from combustion of natural gas.
[0028] In an embodiment, the syngas generation unit comprises a steam reformer, a gasification unit or a co-gasification unit.
[0029] In an embodiment, the first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel, naphtha, or combinations of any two or more thereof.
[0030] In an embodiment, the system further comprises an F-T product upgrading unit in which a product from the F-T unit is converted to said first hydrocarbon product stream.

, - , CA 02806044 2013-02-13 [0031] In an embodiment, the system further comprises an air separation - unit for separating oxygen from air, wherein the oxygen stream is reacted with said carbon-containing feed stream in the syngas generation unit.
[0032] In an embodiment, the system further comprises a bitumen recovery unit in which bitumen recovered from said in-situ extraction process is diluted with naphtha produced by said XTL process, and wherein a conduit for transporting naphtha extends from the XTL process to a bitumen recovery unit.
[0033] In an embodiment, the oil product comprises bitumen, and wherein said system further comprises a bitumen treatment/upgrading unit which produces coke or asphaltene as a by-product.
[0034] In an embodiment, at least a portion of the coke or asphaltene by-product is optionally incorporated into the carbon-containing feed stream.
[0035] In an embodiment, the by-product is coke, and said system further comprises a wet mill in which said coke is combined with process water to form aqueous coke slurry.
[0036] In an embodiment, the system further comprises a conduit for transporting said aqueous coke slurry to said syngas generation unit.
[0037] In an embodiment, the first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied propane gas (LPG), naphtha and/or diesel, and wherein the system further comprises solvent make-up conduit for transporting said LPG and/or naphth to said in-situ extraction process.
[0038] In an embodiment, the solvent make-up conduit delivers the solvent to a mixing station where the solvent is mixed with pressurized steam.

[0039] In an embodiment, the system further comprises an integrated water treatment system which receives process water from the XTL process and the in-situ extraction process, wherein the integrated water treatment system = includes a single water treatment unit to treat said process water.
[0040] In an embodiment, the XTL process and the in-situ extraction process are co-located in close proximity to one another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
[0041] Figure 1 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a first embodiment of the invention;
[0042] Figure 2 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a second embodiment of the invention;
[0043] Figure 3 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a third embodiment of the invention;
[0044] Figure 4 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;
[0045] Figure 5 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a fifth embodiment of the invention;

- = = CA 02806044 2013-02-13 [0046] Figure 6 illustrates an integrated process and system for production = of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a sixth embodiment of the invention; and [0047] Figure 7 illustrates an integrated process and system for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a seventh embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] The following is a detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, each of which integrates an XTL process and an in-situ oil sands extraction process for recovering bitumen or heavy crude oil. Where the oil product is bitumen, there may also be integration of the XTL process with one or more bitumen treatment/upgrading steps. In each embodiment, the integration includes one or more of steam integration, process water integration, water treatment system integration, nitrogen integration, and integrated use of carbon-containing products or by-products from one process in another. In the embodiments described herein, the plants for performing the XTL process and, where applicable, the bitumen upgrading process, are co-located with or in close proximity to the reservoir from which the bitumen is extracted by SAGD, SA-SAGD or HABR.
[0049] Unless indicated otherwise below, conduits and components shown in dashed lines (except for the boxes labelled "XTL", "In-Situ Oil Sands" and "Bitumen Processing") are to be understood as being optional.
[0050] Figure 1 illustrates an integrated process and system 100 for production of first (XTL) and second (in-situ extraction) hydrocarbon product streams according to a first embodiment of the invention. In system 100, the first hydrocarbon product stream comprises one or more XTL products which are produced from a carbon-containing feed stream in the XTL process. In this embodiment, the carbon-containing feed stream comprises natural gas obtained from a natural gas source 12 such as a natural gas reservoir. The natural gas is transported from source 12 through conduit 14 to a syngas generation unit 16 where it is converted to a synthesis gas (hereinafter referred to as "syngas").
[0051] The term "syngas" as used herein refers to a gas mixture containing varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A syngas may be produced by steam reforming, partial oxidation, and/or autothermal reforming, separately or in combination, of natural gas; by gasification/co-gasification of a solid or liquid carbonaceous material; or any combinations of these gaseous, liquid and solid materials. The reforming/gasification reaction consumes water (as steam) and/or oxygen.
[0052] The syngas generation unit 16 in the first embodiment may comprise a reforming unit wherein natural gas (predominantly methane) is converted to syngas by one or more steps, with inputs of steam and molecular oxygen. As shown in Figure 1, the oxygen input is provided by an air separation unit (ASU) 18 which separates oxygen from air, and steam is provided by a steam and condensate system 19, which is further described below. Hydrogen for natural gas desulfurization is provided by a hydrogen separation unit 20 which may separate a portion of the hydrogen from the syngas. Figure 1 shows an oxygen conduit 62 extending from ASU 18 to syngas generation unit 16, a steam conduit 64 between the steam and condensate system 19 and syngas generation unit 16, and a hydrogen conduit 66 between the hydrogen separation unit 20 and syngas generation unit 16.
[0053] The overall syngas generation reaction is exothermic and is cooled by water, more specifically by boiling feed water (BFW) fed to the syngas generation unit 16 through BFW conduit 68. The BFW is heated by the syngas to generate steam which may be at high pressure, typically about 70-120 bar, and high temperature. Steam and liquid waste water are removed from the syngas generation unit 16 through one or more conduits, shown in Figure 1 as syngas unit process water conduit 22 and syngas unit steam conduit 24.

[0054] The syngas is transported from syngas generation unit 16 to an F-T
= unit 26 through syngas conduit 28. In the F-T unit 26 the syngas undergoes an F-T reaction whereby the syngas is catalytically converted to a hydrocarbon product stream, typically a mixture of liquid and/or gaseous hydrocarbons.
Steam and liquid water are by-products of the F-T process, and are removed from the F-T unit 26 through one or more conduits, shown in Figure 1 as F-T
unit process water conduit 32 and F-T unit steam conduit 34. It can be seen that the process water from syngas generation unit 16 and F-T unit 26 is fed to water treatment unit 46 through process water conduit 70 in which the water is treated to produce BFW.
[0055] The composition of the hydrocarbon product stream produced by F-T unit 26 is variable, and depends at least partly on the F-T reaction temperature, the reaction pressure, the type of catalyst (typically cobalt- or iron-based), and the composition of the syngas. The specific F-T process shown in Figure 1 favours synthesis of long-chain hydrocarbons, and the XTL process includes the step of converting the long-chain hydrocarbons to shorter-chain hydrocarbon products in an F-T product upgrading unit 30, which receives the F-T product through conduit 72. The shorter-chain hydrocarbons may be separated into different fractions to provide two or more hydrocarbon products such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel and naphtha. For example, proper hydrocracking of the FT product can yield winter diesel fuel with the required specification for arctic conditions. The hydrocarbon products produced by the F-T upgrading unit 30 are referred to herein as the "first hydrocarbon product stream".
[0056] As shown in Figure 1, the ASU 18, syngas generation unit 16, hydrogen separation unit 20, F-T unit 26 and F-T product upgrading unit 30 are all included within the box labelled "XTL", indicating that the reactions conducted in these reaction units are part of the overall XTL process.

, [0057] Turning now to the in-situ oil sands extraction process, Figure 1 12 = illustrates the process steps and the system components involved in extracting a highly viscous oil product, such as heavy crude oil or bitumen, from an oil sands reservoir 36 using a SAGD or SA-SAGD process. In a typical SAGD process, a pair of horizontal wells is drilled in the oil sands reservoir, with one well located above the other. High pressure steam is injected into the bore of the upper well to heat the oil sands and reduce the viscosity of the oil product contained therein. The heated oil product drains into the bore of the lower well, and from there it is pumped to the surface for processing. SAGD typically requires about 2-5 barrels of water-equivalent steam to produce one barrel of bitumen or oil.
In SA-SAGD, a combination of hydrocarbon solvent and high pressure steam are injected together into the reservoir 36.
[0058] System 100 requires one or more sources of pressurized steam for injection into the reservoir 36. As shown in Figure 1, steam for the extraction process is supplied by the steam and condensate system 19 through steam conduit 74. Asmentioned above, the steam and condensation unit 19 receives the pressurized steam by-product from the syngas generation unit 16 and the F-T unit 26. Steam may also be supplied to reservoir 36 from an optional steam generation unit 38 through steam conduit 76. The steam generation unit 38 may comprise a once through steam generator (OTSG) in which boiler feed water is converted to steam by combustion of natural gas and/or off-gases recovered from the XTL process and/or bitumen recovery. These off gases contain combustible species such as C1-C4 hydrocarbons, CO and H2.
[0059] The steam generation unit 38 receives natural gas from a natural gas source such as a natural gas reservoir, which may be the same or different from the natural gas source 12 supplying the syngas generation unit 16. In Figure 1 the same natural gas source 12 supplies natural gas to both the syngas generation unit 16 and the steam generation unit 38, and the natural gas is transported from source 12 through conduit 42 to the steam generation unit 38.

[0060] It can be seen that Figure 1 also includes an auxiliary boiler 31 which may be regarded as belonging to the XTL process, and which is primarily used during start-up of the XTL process, for example to drive the ASU 18 turbine. Like the optional steam generation unit 38, the auxiliary boiler 31 generates pressurized steam from BFW received from water treatment unit 46 through BFW conduit 78, using heat from the combustion of natural gas obtained from the natural gas source 12, and optionally from off gases recovered from the XTL process and/or bitumen recovery. Figure 1 shows a conduit 80for feeding natural gas (from source 12) and off-gas (from bitumen recovery unit 44) to the auxiliary boiler 31. The steam produced by auxiliary boiler 31 is fed to the steam and condensate system 19 through steam conduit 82. The presence of auxiliary boiler 31 may reduce the size requirements of steam generation unit 38 in the in-situ extraction process, or may altogether eliminate the need for steam generation unit 38. For this reason, the box representing steam generation unit 38 in Figure 1 is shown in dashed lines.
[0061] As shown in Figure 1, the steam and condensate system 19 also provides steam to, and receives condensate from, a power generation unit 33 through respective conduits 84 and 86, wherein the power generation unit 33 produces power for the in-situ extraction and XTL processes.
[0062] Where the in-situ extraction process comprises SAGD, steam from the steam and condensate system 19 and optionally from the steam generation unit 38 is injected directly into the reservoir 36. However, where the in-situ extraction process comprises SA-SAGD, the steam is first fed to a mixing station 35 where it is combined with a solvent prior to injection into reservoir 36.
It will be appreciated that the output from OTSG 38 is typically 70-80% quality steam and the remainder is liquid water. The OTSG steam output is dewatered before injecting to the reservoir and the water is sent to water treatment (not shown in the drawings).

= CA 02806044 2013-02-13 [0063] In Figure 1 the oil product produced by SAGD or SA-SAGD is = bitumen. Following extraction of bitumen from the oil sands reservoir 36, sand, water and optionally solvent are separated from the bitumen, for example in the bitumen recovery unit 44. In Figure 1 the bitumen recovery step is considered part of the overall in-situ extraction process. The water from bitumen recovery is transported to water treatment unit 46. To reduce the viscosity of the bitumen to a sufficient level that it can be transported by a pipeline, a diluent is added to the bitumen. In the process and system of Figure 1, the diluent comprises naphtha produced by the XTL process. The diluted bitumen product is referred to as "Dilbit" in Figure 1. The use of naphtha produced by the XTL process co-located with the SAGD process saves considerable costs in transporting naphtha to the SAGD process location.
[0064] Where the in-situ extraction process comprises SA-SAGD, the LPG
produced by the XTL process may be used as a solvent which is combined with steam at the mixing station 35. Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the LPG may enter the solvent make-up stream 88 where it may be combined with recovered solvent flowing through conduit 90 from the bitumen recovery unit 44 before being transferred to mixing station 35. Optionally, a portion of the naphtha from the XTL process may also enter the solvent make-up stream 88 through conduit 92, to be mixed with steam at the mixing station 35, and injected into the reservoir 36 to assist in the extraction process.
[0065] As mentioned above, steam and water are by-products of both steps of the XTL process, i.e. the syngas generation process and the F-T
process.
The condensed water (process water) by-products from the syngas generation process and the F-T process enter the integrated water treatment system shown in Figure 1 through conduits 22 and 32, leading to water treatment unit 46 through process water conduit 94, where it is treated in water treatment unit 46. However, these two process water streams 22 and 32 are not of the same quality. The water separated from the syngas stream is usually clean water which can be sent directly to a demineralization unit (DM) to produce BFW.

= CA 02806044 2013-02-13 However, the process water from the F-T unit 26 is contaminated with organic = acids and alcohols and typically requires biological treatment.
[0066] Process water separated from the bitumen in the bitumen recovery unit 44 is sent to the water treatment unit 46 through water conduit 96 for treatment. Therefore, it can be seen that the water treatment unit 46, serves both the XTL process and the in-situ oil extraction process. The integration of the water treatment saves costs due to the fact that one water treatment unit serves both processes.

[0067] In addition, the amount of water processed by the water treatment unit 46 may be less than the amount which would be processed if the two processes were operated separately. In this regard, the XTL process is a net producer of water, and SAGD or SA-SAGD consumes water. Thus, integration of water treatment saves energy in that less water needs to be treated, eliminates the need to import fresh water, and also saves capital costs in that a single water treatment unit serves both the XTL and in-situ oil extraction processes.

[0068] With regard to the steam by-products of the syngas generation unit 16 and the F-T unit 26, the steam conduits 24 and 34 transfer the steam to the SAGD or SA-SAGD process, ASU unit 18, and power generation unit 33 through the steam and condensate system 19, in which steam is conditioned, separated from condensate, and distributed to users. As shown in Figure 1, the steam and condensate system 19 may also provide steam and receive condensate from steam condensation at a number of steps in the process. Although not shown in the drawings, the steam from steam and condensate unit 19 could be utilized in the water treatment unit 46 where evaporative water treatment is used.

[0069] The steam produced by syngas cooling in the syngas generation unit 16 is a high pressure (HP) steam (about 70-120 bar) which, along with the F-T
steam from the F-T unit 26, is sent to the steam and condensate system 19.
From the steam and condensate unit, the HP steam may be directly used in the SAGD or SA-SAGD process. However, all or part of the HP steam may be sent to the ASU 18 through steam conduit 98 to drive the extraction turbine (not shown in Figure 1), and the resulting intermediate pressure (IP) steam may be extracted from the steam extraction turbine and then, along with the turbine condensate, is sent to steam and condensate system 19 through conduit 102.

[0070] On the other hand, steam produced by the F-T unit 26 may not be directly usable in the SAGD or SA-SAGD process. In this regard, F-T steam generated by a low temperature F-T process has a pressure of about 10-20 bar which is not suitable for SAGD or SA-SAGD application and may instead be used for power generation or process heating. The power generated by the F-T
steam may be consumed in both the XTL and in-situ oil extraction processes.
However, where a high temperature F-T process is conducted in the F-T unit, the F-T steam could be used in the SAGD or SA-SAGD process.
[0071] Thus, it can be seen from Figure 1 that the steam by-products of the XTL process enter the steam supply system of the SAGD process.
Integration of the steam systems has several benefits, including reduced fresh water input to the SAGD process, lower SAGD steam generation costs, and reducing the amount of water which must be treated.
[0072] Further integration of the processes is possible. For example, as noted above, the air separation unit 18 separates oxygen from air. The air separation unit produces a nitrogen fraction which can be used for providing an inert atmosphere in one or more process vessels in the integrated system 100, for example to purge a system for routine maintenance procedures. This reduces the amount of nitrogen which must be transported to the site from a remote location.

[0073] Figure 2 illustrates an integrated process and system 200 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a second embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 200 includes many of the same elements as integrated system 100, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of systems 100 and 200.

= CA 02806044 2013-02-13 [0074] It can be seen that system 200 shares many elements with system = 100, and includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL
process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which, as in Figure 1, may comprise SAGD or SA-SAGD. The primary difference between systems 100 and 200 is that system 200 includes a bitumen upgrading process conducted in bitumen upgrading unit 52. The presence of a bitumen upgrading process and unit in system 200 allows for additional process integration.
[0075] The bitumen upgrading unit 52 receives bitumen, which may be diluted with naphtha, through conduit 104 from the bitumen recovery unit 44 of the in-situ extraction process. Unit 52 converts the bitumen to synthetic crude oil (SCO) which may be transported to another location for further processing, typically by pipeline. The bitumen upgrading process increases the relatively low H:C ratio of the bitumen by a process referred to as "coke rejection". The coke by-product generated by bitumen upgrading is typically considered a waste product which is stockpiled or landfilled. However, in the integrated process and system 200 according to Figure 2, the coke is incorporated into the carbon-containing feed stream which is fed to the syngas generation unit 16 of the XTL
process through conduit 106, either on its own or in combination with natural gas. In this regard, the natural gas conduit 14 is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 to show that natural gas is optionally not included in the carbon-containing feed stream containing coke. It will be appreciated that the syngas generation unit 16 of this embodiment may include both a reforming unit to convert natural gas to syngas and a gasification unit in order to convert the coke to syngas.
The co-gasification of carbon- containing materials in one unit could also be considered.
[0076] The coke is fed to the syngas generation unit 16 through conduit 106 as aqueous slurry. The slurry may be prepared by combining process water with the coke in a wet mill 54, and feeding the slurry to the syngas generation unit 16 where it is gasified or co-gasified (where natural gas is present), and - converted to syngas by reaction with steam and oxygen.
[0077] System 200 also includes an acid removal unit 108 which removes carbon dioxide and sulfur from the syngas produced by unit 16. Figure 2 shows that the carbon dioxide is exhausted, however, it is possible to achieve further integration by using this carbon dioxide in the in-situ extraction process. In this regard, the carbon dioxide produced by the acid removal unit may be transferred through a conduit (not shown) from the acid removal unit to the mixing station 35, where it is combined with steam, and optionally with LPG and/or naphtha.
The presence of carbon dioxide in the steam which is injected into reservoir can have a positive effect on bitumen recovery.
[0078] Figure 3 illustrates an integrated process and system 300 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a third embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 300 includes many of the same elements as integrated systems 100 and 200, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of systems 100, 200 and 300.
[0079] System 300 also includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which, as in Figures 1 and 2, may comprise SAGD or SA-SAGD. The primary difference between systems 300 and 200 is that system 300 uses a different type of bitumen upgrading process which leads to process integration different from that of system 200.
[0080] Rather than upgrading bitumen by coke rejection, system 300 upgrades the bitumen by hydrogen addition in a bitumen upgrading unit 52.
Bitumen upgrading by hydrogen addition also increases the H:C ratio of the bitumen and converts the bitumen to SCO. Because the bitumen upgrading process of system 300 does not produce a carbon-containing by-product, the carbon-containing feed stream in system 300 comprises natural gas, as in system 100. However, system 300 produces additional process integration in , a = CA 02806044 2013-02-13 i that a portion of the hydrogen separated from the syngas by the hydrogen 19 = separation unit 20 is diverted through hydrogen conduit 56 and is used in the bitumen upgrading unit 52.
[0081] Figure 4 illustrates an integrated process and system 400 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 400 includes many of the same elements as integrated systems 100, 200 and 300, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of systems 100, 200, 300 and 400.
[0082] System 400 also includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which, as in Figures 1 and 2, may comprise SAGD or SA-SAGD. The primary difference between systems 400 and 100 is that system 400 also includes a solvent deasphalting unit 58 in which asphaltene is separated from diluted bitumen. The removal of the asphaltene fraction decreases the viscosity of the bitumen. The deasphalted bitumen may be transported off-site as dilbit or may be subjected to upgrading in a bitumen upgrading unit, for example by hydrogen addition as in system 200, to produce SCO. This variation is described below in connection with Figure 5.
Alternatively, the deasphalted bitumen may be thermally cracked in a cracking unit (not shown) to produce SCO.
[0083] The separated asphaltene is incorporated into the carbon-containing feed stream through conduit 110 and is fed to the syngas generation unit 16, either on its own or in combination with natural gas. As in Figure 2, the natural gas conduit 14 is shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 to show that natural gas is optionally not included in the carbon-containing feed stream to syngas unit 16.
[0084] Additional integration is provided by using a C5 hydrocarbon fraction produced by FT upgrading unit 30, received through conduit 112, as solvent make-up in the solvent deasphalting unit 58, and/or by using the off-gas from the solvent deasphalting unit 58 through conduit 114, the off-gas which contains C1-C4 hydrocarbons, as a feed for the OTSG steam generation unit 38.
[0085] Figure 5 illustrates an integrated process and system 500 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 500 includes many of the same elements as integrated systems 100 to 400, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of these systems.
[0086] System 500 also includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which, as in Figures 1 to 4, may comprise SAGD
or SA-SAGD. In particular, system 500 is substantially the same as system 400 except that the deasphalted bitumen produced by solvent deasphalting unit 58 is subjected to a bitumen upgrading process by hydrogen addition in a bitumen upgrading unit 52. This converts the deasphalted bitumen to SCO.
[0087] Figure 6 illustrates an integrated process and system 600 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a sixth embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 600 includes many of the same elements as integrated systems 100 to 500, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of these systems.
[0088] System 600 also includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which, as in Figures 1 to 5, may comprise SAGD
or SA-SAGD. In particular, system 600 is substantially the same as system 100 of Figure 1, except that steam generator unit 38, which is an OTSG in Figures 1to 5, is replaced by a direct contact steam generator (DSG). A mixture of steam and flue gas is produced in DSG 38 from combustion of natural gas and off-gases in contact with process water contaminated with hydrocarbons, fed to DSG by process water conduit 116. The presence of flue gas in the steam injected into the well may enhance recovery of bitumen by the SAGD or SA-SAGD process.
[0089] Figure 7 illustrates an integrated process and system 700 for production of first and second hydrocarbon product streams according to a seventh embodiment of the invention. Integrated system 700 includes many of the same elements as integrated systems 100 to 600, and like reference numerals are used to show like elements of these systems.
[0090] System 700 includes the production of a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process and a second hydrocarbon stream by an in-situ oil sands extraction process which comprises HABR. The XTL process of system 700 is similar or identical to that described above with reference to systems 100-600.
However, the in-situ oil sands extraction process of system 700 is significantly different from those described above in that it does not utilize steam for injection into the reservoir 36. Rather, in system 700, only solvent is injected into the reservoir 36 to extract the oil product.
[0091] Therefore, system 700 does not include a dedicated steam generation unit for the in-situ oil sands extraction process, but rather includes a solvent heater 60 for heating the solvent from make-up stream 88 before it is injected into the reservoir 36. While the extraction process of system 700 does not include a steam generation unit, an auxiliary boiler 31 and a steam and condensate system 19 are provided, at least in part for generating steam to be fed to solvent heater 60 through steam conduit 118, to heat the solvent in solvent heater 60 before it is injected into the reservoir 36. Condensate from solvent heater 60 is returned to steam and condensate system 19 through conduit 120.
[0092] As in the embodiments described above, the solvent which is injected into the reservoir 36 in the HABR process of Figure 7 may comprise LPG
and optionally naphtha from the XTL process, as well as solvent recovered from the bitumen recovery unit 44.

, - , CA 02806044 2013-02-13 [0093] Although a number of the processes described above utilize natural - gas as a feed material for the XTL process, either on its own or in combination with coke or asphaltene, it will be appreciated that the carbon-containing feed material can include other carbon sources, such as coal and/or biomass, either in addition to or instead of natural gas.
[0094] Although the word "conduit" is used in the above description to describe means for transferring gases, liquids and solids between various system components, the use of the word "conduit" does not limit the means by which gases, liquids and solids are transferred between system components. In some cases, the conduits may be process piping, but this is not necessarily the case.
For example, solids are generally transferred by means other than process piping.
[0095] Furthermore, because the drawings illustrate the systems and processes of the invention in a schematic manner, the routing of conduits, the connections between two or more conduits, and the connections between the conduits and system components, is not necessarily as shown in the drawings.
[0096] Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments which may fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (35)

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated process for producing at least two hydrocarbon product streams, the integrated process comprising:
(a) converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a first hydrocarbon product stream by an XTL process, wherein steam is produced by said XTL
process;
(b) diverting at least a portion of the steam produced by said XTL
process to an in-situ extraction process for extracting an oil product from an oil sands reservoir;
(c) extracting said oil product from the oil sands reservoir by said in-situ extraction process; and (d) converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product stream.

2. The integrated process of claim 1, wherein the XTL process comprises the steps of:
(i) converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen;
(ii) cooling said syngas with water, whereby said syngas cooling converts at least a portion of said cooling water to a first portion of said steam produced by said XTL process;
(iii) converting at least a portion of said syngas to a first hydrocarbon product stream by a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process, wherein said F-T process produces a second portion of said steam produced by said XTL process.

3. The integrated process of claim 2, wherein said in-situ extraction process comprises steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD); solvent-assisted SAGD (SA-SAGD) or hydrocarbon-assisted bitumen recovery (HABR).

4. The integrated process of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said carbon-containing feed stream comprises natural gas, a carbon-containing by-product from said step of converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product, or a mixture thereof.

5. The integrated process of claim 2, wherein said carbon-containing feed stream is converted to said syngas by a reforming, gasification or co-gasification reaction.

6. The integrated process of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said first hydrocarbon product stream comprises one or more of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel and naphtha.

7. The integrated process of claim 1, wherein said oil product is bitumen or heavy crude oil, and at least a portion of said steam diverted to said SAGD
process is injected into said oil sands reservoir to assist in recovery of said oil product from said reservoir.

8. The integrated process of claim 3, wherein said in-situ extraction process is a SAGD or SA-SAGD process, and wherein at least a portion of said steam diverted to said SAGD process is injected into said oil sands reservoir.

9. The integrated process of claim 8, wherein a steam generation unit generates additional steam which is injected into the reservoir.

10. The integrated process of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said steam diverted to said in-situ extraction process is used to generate power for both the in-situ extraction and XTL processes.

11. The integrated process of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said steam diverted to said in-situ extraction process is used to heat solvent for the in-situ extraction process.

12. The integrated process of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the oil product comprises bitumen and wherein the integrated process further comprises diluting said bitumen with a sufficient amount of a diluent such that the diluted bitumen is transportable by a pipeline; and wherein the diluent comprises naphtha produced by said XTL process.

13. The integrated process of claim 4, wherein the oil product comprises bitumen, wherein said step of converting said oil product to a second hydrocarbon product comprises a bitumen upgrading process, and wherein the carbon-containing by-product of said bitumen upgrading process comprises coke or asphaltene.

14. The integrated process of claim 13, wherein the carbon-containing feed stream comprises said carbon-containing by-product in combination with natural gas.

15. The integrated process of claim 1, wherein said first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and naphtha, and wherein at least a portion of the LPG and/or the naphtha is diverted to said in-situ extraction process and is injected into said oil sands reservoir to reduce viscosity of said oil product while it is present in said reservoir.

16. The integrated process of claim 2, further comprising separation of air into an oxygen stream and a nitrogen stream, wherein the oxygen stream is reacted with said carbon-containing feed stream in the conversion of the carbon-containing feed stream to said syngas.

17. The integrated process of claim 16, wherein the nitrogen stream is used for providing an inert atmosphere in process equipment used in said XTL
process, said in-situ extraction process, and/or the conversion of said oil product to said second hydrocarbon product stream.

18. The integrated process of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the XTL
process and the in-situ extraction process are co-located in close proximity to one another.

19. An integrated system for producing at least two hydrocarbon product streams, comprising:
(a) a syngas generation unit for converting a carbon-containing feed stream to a syngas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen;
(b) a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) unit for converting at least a portion of said syngas to a first hydrocarbon product stream;
(c) a steam generation unit for supplying pressurized steam to an in-situ extraction process for extracting an oil product from an oil sands reservoir;
and (d) a syngas steam conduit for transporting steam from said syngas generation unit to said in-situ extraction process.

20. The integrated system of claim 19, further comprising a F-T steam conduit for transporting steam from said F-T unit to said in-situ extraction process.

21. The integrated system of claim 19, further comprising a well located in an oil sands reservoir, wherein said steam supply means comprises a steam source and a steam conduit connecting said steam source to said well.

22. The integrated system of claim 19, wherein said steam generation unit generates steam from combustion of natural gas.

23. The integrated system of claim 19, wherein said syngas generation unit comprises a steam reformer, a gasification unit or a co-gasification unit.

24. The integrated system of claim 19, wherein said first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel, naphtha, or combinations of any two or more thereof.

25. The integrated system of claim 24, further comprising an F-T product upgrading unit in which a product from the F-T unit is converted to said first hydrocarbon product stream.

26. The integrated system of claim 19, further comprising an air separation unit for separating oxygen from air, wherein the oxygen stream is reacted with said carbon-containing feed stream in the syngas generation unit.

27. The integrated system of claim 19, further comprising a bitumen recovery unit in which bitumen recovered from said in-situ extraction process is diluted with naphtha produced by said XTL process, and wherein a conduit for transporting naphtha extends from the XTL process to a bitumen recovery unit.

28. The integrated system of claim 19, wherein the oil product comprises bitumen, and wherein said system further comprises a bitumen upgrading unit which produces coke or asphaltene as a by-product.

29. The integrated system of claim 28, wherein at least a portion of the coke or asphaltene by-product is optionally incorporated into the carbon-containing feed stream.

30. The integrated system of claim 28 or 29, wherein the by-product is coke, and said system further comprises a wet mill in which said coke is combined with process water to form aqueous coke slurry.

31. The integrated system of claim 30, wherein said system further comprises a conduit for transporting said aqueous coke slurry to said syngas generation unit.

32. The integrated system of claim 18, wherein said first hydrocarbon product stream comprises liquefied propane gas (LPG) and/or naphtha, and wherein the system further comprises solvent make-up conduit for transporting said LPG
and/or naphth to said in-situ extraction process.

33. The integrated system of claim 32, wherein the solvent make-up conduit delivers the solvent to a mixing station where the solvent is mixed with pressurized steam.

34. The integrated system of any one of claims 19 to 33, further comprising an integrated water treatment system which receives process water from the XTL

process and the in-situ extraction process, wherein the integrated water treatment system includes a single water treatment unit to treat said process water.

35. The integrated system of any one of claims 19 to 34, wherein the XTL
process and the in-situ extraction process are co-located in close proximity to one another.