Gravity Gradient Surveying for Clean Oil Sand Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for locating economically viable oil sand deposits beneath the surface are expensive and inefficient, requiring extensive drilling and seismic exploration, and cannot distinguish between clean and shale-containing deposits without physical sampling.
Innovation Solution
The use of gravity gradient surveying to measure and analyze gravitational components over terrain, allowing for the identification of clean oil sand deposits by detecting density differences between bitumen-saturated clean sand and shale, using sensitive gravity gradiometers to produce accurate records of subsurface mass anomalies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If drilling exploration wells and conducting seismic exploration are used to locate clean oil sand deposits, then the deposits can be identified, but the exploration costs are extremely high and the landscape is disfigured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical drilling and seismic exploration systems with a gravity gradient measurement system. Gravity gradiometers detect subsurface density variations caused by bitumen-saturated sand versus shale, enabling deposit identification without physical intrusion or complex mechanical operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces gravity gradient measurements as an intermediary method between surface observation and direct subsurface sampling. The gravity field acts as a mediator that transmits information about subsurface density variations (bitumen vs. shale) to surface instruments, enabling indirect detection of clean oil sand deposits.
2Measurement precision
If drilling exploration wells is conducted to determine volumes of clean sand, then accurate deposit characterization is achieved, but the exploration time is extended due to seasonal drilling limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces time-constrained mechanical drilling operations with continuous gravity gradient measurements that can be conducted year-round. The gravity measurement system operates independently of seasonal conditions, eliminating weather-related delays and extending the exploration window.
3Loss of information
If a systematic grid of core holes or exploration wells is drilled, then clean oil sand deposits can be located, but the method cannot distinguish between clean and shale-containing deposits without physical sampling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses gravity gradient measurements as an intermediary to obtain deposit cleanliness information without physical sampling. The density difference between bitumen-saturated clean sand and shale creates distinct gravity signatures that reveal deposit composition and cleanliness status.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits changes in the physical parameter of density to distinguish between clean oil sand and shale-containing deposits. Bitumen-saturated sand has a different density than shale, creating measurable gravity gradient variations that indicate deposit cleanliness without requiring core sampling.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the economic identification and localization of clean oil sand deposits, reducing exploration costs and time by distinguishing between viable and non-viable deposits without the need for extensive drilling, thereby optimizing in situ extraction processes.
Implementation Method 1
selecting an instrument for measuring one or more components or combinations of components of the gravitational gradient, moving said instrument over said terrain in a selected pattern to measure one or more components or combinations of components of the gravitational gradient
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method of locating, in terrain containing oil sand deposits and also containing shale, clean oil sands deposits (i.e. those not containing significant shale) which are large enough for economic exploitation. The method includes flying a high sensitivity gravity gradiometer over the terrain and measuring at least one component, preferably the vertical component, of the local gravity gradient field at a number of points in a grid pattern on the terrain. The densities of sand and shale are normally approximately the same, making it difficult to distinguish them. However in an oil sands environment, there can be a sufficient difference in bulk density such that by using a very sensitive gravity gradiometer, or by otherwise reducing the noise signal using appropriate surveying methods, large clean oil sand deposits can be distinguished from other oil sand deposits not large enough for economic exploitation.