What is MCST?
MSAR Combustion and Sequestration Technology (MCST) is a proprietary process that burns a hydrocarbon such as MSAR in a steam generator and injects the flue gas to an underground reservoir like a depleted oil and gas field. This creates a virtually zero emissions process and is ideal for SAGD and thermal recovery projects in the northern Alberta oil sands. MCST technology is covered by patent number CA2505449.
In SAGD technology, the oil company drills a pair of horizontal wells into the reservoir. Then steam is generated on the surface and is injected into the upper well. As the heat in the steam is transferred to the bitumen, the bitumen essentially melts and flows down into the lower well to be pumped to the surface for processing. MSAR is the ideal low-cost fuel for this process and it can be made on site from the bitumen that is produced.
The MCST process also extracts the water from the combustion gas and reuses the water in the manufacture of more MSAR and to supply water for steam production. This greatly reduces the need for water for the SAGD operation, saving water for uses outside of the oil and gas industry.
MCST can also be used to pressurize a natural gas reservoir that overlays a bitumen reservoir. There are several areas where natural gas is not obtainable because extracting the natural gas in the upper reservoir decreases the production of bitumen in the lower reservoir. The MCST process can pressurize the gas reservoir so that the natural gas can be produced without harming the production of the bitumen. Models show that this pressurization will also increase the production of the bitumen in the lower reservoir.
Key Benefits of the MCST technology are:
- reduction of Flue Gas Treatment capital for SAGD projects
- elimination of emissions
- creation of potential CO2 credits, if a credit system comes into effect in Canada
- acceleration of gas cap production and revenue – shut-in gas wells are put back on-stream
- production of MSAR water and water of combustion – may make a SAGD project self-sufficient
- stabilization of reservoir pressure
- addition of bitumen recovery of more than 10 percent
- utilization of mostly conventional equipment
- utilization in the creation of a Zero Emissions Power Plant (ZEPPTM)