Knowledge Center / Oil Sands Project Experience
Golder PasteTec™ has also applied our dewatering and pumping experience to the fine tailings challenges experienced in the Oil Sands Projects industry. Our engineers and technicians have worked at a grassroots level to understand the physical and chemical relationships that cause these fine tailings to exhibit their hydrophilic characteristics and unstable deposition properties.
Our projects have provided extensive laboratory testing, field pilot studies, pre-feasibility level designs and cost estimates to support our client’s initiatives for improved tailings deposition performance, better water recycling and accelerated closure.
SUNCOR ENERGY
Project: Pre-Feasibility Study on Applying Paste Technology to Oil Sands Projects Tailings Management
Golder PasteTec™ investigated whether paste technology could be applied to Suncor Energy’s tailings fines and, if so, would the application translate into the benefits currently being realized with paste in other mineral processing industries (e.g. reduced water consumption, improved deposition angles and densities, etc.).
The project included a site visit, several presentations to the client, extensive laboratory testing on NRU and flotation tailings, a conceptual flowsheet design, plant layouts and capital and operating cost estimates to allow the client to make an informed decision on this tailings technology.
SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD.
Project: Paste Technology Services for Surface Waste Disposal
Golder PasteTec™ investigated the application of paste technology as one possible solution towards the Surface Disposal of Syncrude’s tailings waste stream. Advancements in dewatering technology and successes on similar projects indicate the technology may be suitable to Syncrude’s challenges by improving water recovery, increasing the placement densities and decreasing disposal area footprints.
