Funding
Services
Coaching & Support
Tools & Resources
Impact
Strategic Initiatives
About
Who We Are
What We Do
Innovation Ecosystem
Subsidiaries
Not sure where to start?
Home > Impact > Funded Projects > Steam Additive to Improve Thermal Bitumen Recovery
ChampionX has developed and patented a chemistry that enables significant reductions in Steam to Oil Ratio (SOR) at thermal bitumen production operations. This specialty chemical additive can be injected directly to steam and requires no solvent recovery equipment, making it easily deployable at brownfield or greenfield assets.
This project also has the potential to be compatible and complementary with other SAGD SOR reduction initiatives such as solvent-based steam additives. The project was initiated to confirm performance of the technology under steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) conditions. Results of the third-party investigation were very favourable and support advancing the technology to a field-scale pilot with a major producer in Alberta.
This project was undertaken to evaluate ChampionX’s patented steam additive through large-scale third-party evaluations representative of SAGD conditions. Testing confirmed repeatable and significant SOR reductions through Steak Soak and Gravity Drainage testing at InnoTech Alberta. These results have enabled ChampionX to continue scoping work on a field pilot with a major oilsands producer.