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Upgrading represents a significant business investment,
is energy intensive, and is accompanied by processing
emissions. Thus, the S&T challenge to make
upgrading a more attractive business investment within
Canada is to find lower cost, more energy efficient
breakthrough technologies.
Major
S&T strategies include:
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Address
environmental issues |
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Whether proposing new
primary upgrading technologies or changes
to current technologies, due consideration
must be made of potential environmental
impacts. NCUT uses eco-efficiency analyses
to assess the environmental and economic
impacts of new process modifications
and developments. |
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Develop
primary upgrading process enhancements |
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NCUT has a track record
of creating breakthrough technologies
through in-house research and facilitating
emerging technologies in general by
holding workshops to highlight those
technologies; through having the best
analytical facilities and making those
facilities available to outside researchers;
through joining these researchers to
accelerate their planning; and, through
being a resource that accumulates and
spreads knowledge. |
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Develop
conditioning technologies that improve
the performance, cost, and environmental
impacts of primary upgrading processes |
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Reductions in cost and
emissions from upgrading are likely
to occur through the removal of undesirable
hydrocarbons prior to upgrading. These
will both reduce energy needs during
upgrading, and improve the product quality.
Further gains could be realized if the
implementation were done synergistically
with mining and extraction. |
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