Oil-sands reservoirs offer huge resource potential with very low decline rates compared to other unconventional exploration targets. Unfortunately, this comes with the trade-off of requiring high initial investment as well as high operating costs. In order for such projects to be economic in the long-term, it is essential that we monitor changes in the reservoir […]

Hydrocarbons are hosted in porous sedimentary rocks which were deposited several million years prior to the ingress of hydrocarbons. Once these sedimentary rocks are deposited, other physical, chemical and biological, all termed diagenetic, processes act to modify their original properties. A major product of this diagenesis is cementation. The cement (minerals) occludes (plugs) the pore […]

Unprecedented climate warming and human disturbance in the border region of the Northwest Territories and northeastern British Columbia (NEBC) has led to widespread permafrost thaw and land cover change that has disrupted the hydrological cycle and the industrial activities that depend upon it. To address this concern, Wilfrid Laurier University in collaboration with Nexen Energy […]

Long-term effects of forest harvest and other land uses on boreal forest birds are unknown, because most studies of forestry practices on boreal birds occur over short periods, while effects of habitat fragmentation may be realized over longer periods and affected by climate change. I will analyze >20 years of forestry treatment and bird abundance […]

Velan Inc. in Montreal, Quebec is one of the world leaders in design and manufacturing of industrial steel valves for applications in chemical, oil and gas, military, mining, and nuclear industries. Velan wishes to optimize its valve design in terms of maximum strength and minimum weight according to latest standard requirements. To achieve that, its […]

Unconventional gas reservoirs are a great energy resource in the province of BC and Alberta and thus for Canada in general. Extracting this resource is not as straight forward as conventional gas reservoirs and requires hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracing or fracking, which has recently become a controversial topic in the public eye. This […]

In-situ recovery methods for oils sands are applied to reservoirs containing bitumen that are too deep for mining. To date there has been only one commercially viable in-situ recovery method, Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), involving high pressure steam injection and bitumen production using horizontal well pairs located near the base of oil sands formations. While […]