JACOS
Encyclopedia
Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited (JACOS) is an oil sands
extraction company. It is the operator of the Hangingstone oil sands project. JACOS is a subsidiary of JAPEX
(Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Limited), which owns 86% share in the company. Minor shareholders are Inpex
(5%), Mitsui
(4%), and Japanese financial institutions (3%).
, Canadian Occidental (Nexen)
and Imperial Oil to form the PCEJ group. It was the first Asian-owned oil company to exploit the Athabasca oil sands
. JACOS and its partners experimented with a cyclic steam stimulation
(CSS) pilot project on the Hangingstone Lease from 1984 to 1994.
In 1992, JACOS parent company JAPEX
participated in the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
(AOSTRA) steam assisted gravity drainage
(SAGD) pilot experiments at the underground test facility (UTF) site. With the positive results from the UTF project, JACOS decided to further pursue SAGD technology at the Hangingstone site. A 3-phase demonstration project was designed and constructed with the first phase becoming operational in 1999.
JACOS (75%) and Nexen (25%) are pursuing development plans for the larger portion of the Hangingstone lease. An extensive 3-D seismic program was conducted over part of the prospective bitumen area in 2002. Additional exploration core-hole drilling and a 3-D seismic survey began in the winters of 2007 and 2008 to further delineate and define the size and extent of the bitumen resource. The company plans to drill more than 100 delineation wells
. This is the first step for setting up a commercial venture with capacity of up to 35000 oilbbl/d. The potential start-up of the new facilities would be by 2014.
JACOS together with N-Solv is currently working on a demonstration plant, to be operational in 2008. The pilot plant will use N-Solv in-situ extraction technology. This technology uses solvent
s to extract bitumen from in-situ oil sand reserves. The plant would have a peak capacity of about 2000 oilbbl/d of bitumen production. Total pilot plant construction costs are expected to be about US$45 million.
Tar sands
Bituminous sands, colloquially known as oil sands or tar sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen...
extraction company. It is the operator of the Hangingstone oil sands project. JACOS is a subsidiary of JAPEX
JAPEX
is a hydrocarbon exploration, production and transportation company. JAPEX explores and produces crude oil, natural gas and liquefied natural gas reserves worldwide. JAPEX has proven reserves of 272 million barrels in Japan and the rest of the world. Aside from operations in Hokkaido, Akita,...
(Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Limited), which owns 86% share in the company. Minor shareholders are Inpex
Inpex
is a Japanese oil company established in 1966 as North Sumatra Offshore Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.In 2006, INPEX acquired Japanese oil company Teikoku Oil.- Projects :...
(5%), Mitsui
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
(4%), and Japanese financial institutions (3%).
History
JACOS started oil sands activities in the Athabasca area in 1978 on leases held by Petro-CanadaPetro-Canada
Petro-Canada was a crown corporation of Canada in the field of oil and natural gas. It was headquartered in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary, Alberta. In August, 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor Energy, a deal in which Suncor investors received approximately 60 per cent ownership of the...
, Canadian Occidental (Nexen)
Nexen
Nexen Inc. is an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.-History:Nexen started in 1969 under the name "Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.", aka CanOxy, and was 80% owned by Occidental Petroleum, a Los Angeles-based oil company...
and Imperial Oil to form the PCEJ group. It was the first Asian-owned oil company to exploit the Athabasca oil sands
Athabasca Oil Sands
The Athabasca oil sands are large deposits of bitumen, or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada - roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray...
. JACOS and its partners experimented with a cyclic steam stimulation
Steam injection (oil industry)
Steam injection is an increasingly common method of extracting heavy oil. It is considered an enhanced oil recovery method and is the main type of thermal stimulation of oil reservoirs. There are several different forms of the technology, with the two main ones being Cyclic Steam Stimulation and...
(CSS) pilot project on the Hangingstone Lease from 1984 to 1994.
In 1992, JACOS parent company JAPEX
JAPEX
is a hydrocarbon exploration, production and transportation company. JAPEX explores and produces crude oil, natural gas and liquefied natural gas reserves worldwide. JAPEX has proven reserves of 272 million barrels in Japan and the rest of the world. Aside from operations in Hokkaido, Akita,...
participated in the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority
The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority was an Alberta crown corporation to promote the development and use of new technology for oil sands and heavy crude oil production, and enhanced recovery of conventional crude oil. It was funded by the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund...
(AOSTRA) steam assisted gravity drainage
Steam assisted gravity drainage
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage is an enhanced oil recovery technology for producing heavy crude oil and bitumen. It is an advanced form of steam stimulation in which a pair of horizontal wells are drilled into the oil reservoir, one a few metres above the other...
(SAGD) pilot experiments at the underground test facility (UTF) site. With the positive results from the UTF project, JACOS decided to further pursue SAGD technology at the Hangingstone site. A 3-phase demonstration project was designed and constructed with the first phase becoming operational in 1999.
Operations
The JACOS Hangingstone SAGD facilities are located on Lease OSL70, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Fort McMurray and 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the community of Anzac. It currently operates 15 horizontal well pairs and the production is approximately 8,000-8,500 barrels of bitumen per day.JACOS (75%) and Nexen (25%) are pursuing development plans for the larger portion of the Hangingstone lease. An extensive 3-D seismic program was conducted over part of the prospective bitumen area in 2002. Additional exploration core-hole drilling and a 3-D seismic survey began in the winters of 2007 and 2008 to further delineate and define the size and extent of the bitumen resource. The company plans to drill more than 100 delineation wells
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
. This is the first step for setting up a commercial venture with capacity of up to 35000 oilbbl/d. The potential start-up of the new facilities would be by 2014.
JACOS together with N-Solv is currently working on a demonstration plant, to be operational in 2008. The pilot plant will use N-Solv in-situ extraction technology. This technology uses solvent
Solvent
A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
s to extract bitumen from in-situ oil sand reserves. The plant would have a peak capacity of about 2000 oilbbl/d of bitumen production. Total pilot plant construction costs are expected to be about US$45 million.
See also
- Tar sandsTar sandsBituminous sands, colloquially known as oil sands or tar sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen...
- History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)Canada's oil sands and heavy oil resources are among the world's great petroleum deposits. They include the vast oil sands of northern Alberta, and the heavy oil reservoirs that surround the small city of Lloydminster, which sits on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan...