Hot water generation for oil sands processing from enhanced geothermal systems: Process simulation for different hydraulic fracturing scenarios

In this paper, we investigate how and whether or not the required hot water can be generated from the granitic basement rocks beneath the oil sands mining areas near Fort (Ft.) McMurray, located in the north east of Alberta. Hydraulic fracturing and resulting reservoir scenarios were simulated for different expected conditions in the region in order to find suitable fracturing strategies and conditions for an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). The simulations show that suitable fracturing treatments can increase the hydraulic performance of the system and that EGS heat generation can significantly reduce the environmental impact at comparable costs associated with the current processing technology. With this effort, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and natural gas consumption can be achieved.