I just returned from an informative 1.5 days back in my old “stomping grounds” in Fort McMurray and the annual Oil Sands Conference where I not only had a chance to reconnect with my former colleagues but also learn about several new exciting developments in the oil sands industry. The conference featured a couple presentations by Steve Rubin; one on the use of cameras in industrial settings, and the second a recap/forecast of the HMI industry. Other topics ranged from how to control the bitumen/sand separation vessels, the economics of upgrading, slurry transportation, land reclamation, a geology primer (how did all the oil get here in the first place), the potential for the use of hybrid energy sources, and Asset Management.
Plans are underway for the 2012 event to be held March 13 -14 (always the second Tuesday and Wednesday in March) with an increased focus on the rapidly developing area of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage – including the measurement and control challenges in that environment. Information on this event is maintained at http://www.isaedmonton.ca/OilSands/
Watch http://www.cpca-assoc.com/events.php for the opportunity to listen to the banquet/keynote presentation about the impact of the oil sands on the global energy balance on Wednesday evening April 13 at the ISA Calgary conference.
