Utilities Support

	The utilities operation supplies energy for the operation

To produce a barrel of Syncrude Sweet Blend, the entire operation relies on the energy supplied by our on-site utilities plant.

The utilities operation supplies steam, electricity, air, water and nitrogen for both the Base mine and Aurora project. Fuel for utility steam and power production is primarily from coker burner overhead gas and plant fuel gas (at Aurora, natural gas is also used as a source of fuel).

In 1997, two Once-Through Steam Generators (OTSGs) were installed to produce steam from the waste heat of two gas turbines. Part of a $50 million suite of projects aimed at improving Syncrude's energy efficiency and environmental performance, the addition of the OTSGs reduced Syncrude's greenhouse gas emissions by 1.7%. 1n 1999, an 80 megawatt gas turbine generator and hot water heat recovery generators were installed at Aurora.

Steam

• supplied by seven boilers;
• produced from each of five boilers which are rated at 340,000 kg/hr of steam or 750,000 lbs/hr at a pressure of 915 psig. and a temperature of 499° C (930° F);
• produced from each of two OTSGs using exhaust from gas turbines is rated at 105,000 kg/hr of steam or 233,000 lbs./hr;
• generated in upgrading is also managed within the utilities area.

Electricity

	Power engineers inspect an electrical panel

• produced by seven generators (four steam turbines and three gas turbines) with a total installed capacity of 350 megawatts at 13.8 kv. The normal Mildred Lake load requirement is 225 megawatts. The Aurora project uses an additional 55 megawatts.
• distributed at five voltage levels. Utilities operates high voltage distributionsystems (72 kv, 25 kv, 22.9 kv, 13.8 kv, 5 kv) for all plant users and a 260 kv transmission system between Aurora and Base mine.
• produced at Aurora by an 80 megawatt gas turbine generator; the 80 megawatt is equivalent to 0.5% of Alberta's entire electrical generating capacity.

Air

• supplied by four high speed centrifugal air compressors, for plant instrumentation and general use.

Water

	Demineralizer

• (for the boilers and process heaters) is produced by eight demineralizer trains averaging about 1,400 m³/hr or 6,000 USgpm.
• (for cooling) is continuously cycled through three cooling towers which keep plant cooling water at approximately 50º C.
• is recycled through the extraction process at an average rate of 11,400 m³/hr or 65,000 usgpm of recycled water. This water comes from the tailings settling basin and is heated through a series of heat exchangers located in the upgrading cooling water system and in the diluent recovery and coker units. The water is split into two streams, tumbler water at 95^o C and flood water at 70^oC. Mildred Lake and Aurora allows warm recycled water to transfer to Aurora.

Nitrogen

• produced in an air fractionation plant, and supplemented by purchased nitrogen for use in the plant.