This is good also: THIS IS A PGM MINE IN THE INFANCY:
A Must Read on a 22 Year Mine that is this NOW YEAR being moved next door to allow renewal of lots of possibilities:
ragingbull.com
How much wood can a wood chuck chuck, and using a D-11; who much dirt can a drag bucket drag:
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd -
Athabasca's Syncrude JV three-month operating reuslts
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd GOU
Some news on Alberta Area Concerns:
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd -
Syncrude Aurora generator starts up
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd GOU
Shares issued 348,950,044 1999-07-13 close $5.95
Wednesday Jul 14 1999
See Athabasca Oil Sands Trust (AOS.UN) News Release
Mr. Peter Marshall of Syncrude reports
The first unit of Syncrude's Aurora project -- an 80 megawatt gas turbine generator -- officially started up on July 7, two months ahead of the Aug. 31 schedule which was in place last year when construction began.
"To have finished construction and started up the GTG well ahead of our schedule is an extraordinary achievement," said Derrick Kershaw, general manager of the Aurora project. "Our commitment to streamline the various aspects of engineering, construction and commissioning allowed us to meet and beat our goal for startup of the GTG. I am very proud of all of the people who accomplished this feat."
In addition to the GTG, the project also includes two substations at Aurora and Mildred Lake, as well as a 260-kilovolt transmission power line to the main Mildred Lake site. The new GTG will provide power to the Mildred Lake site in advance of the Aurora startup, which is scheduled for May, 2000.
The 80 megawatts produced by the GTG is equivalent to 1 per cent of Alberta's entire electricity generating capacity (7.6 thousand megawatts according to the EUB's Alberta's Energy Resources-1998 in Review). The GTG produces enough power for a city of roughly 100,000. With the GTG in operation, Syncrude will draw less power from the provincial grid, meaning more power is available for other users.
"There are many benefits from the new GTG. Besides having another assured power supply for our operations right here at Syncrude, the new GTG uses natural gas as a fuel and is a greenhouse gas efficient source of power," said Mr. Kershaw. "We will also be able to reduce our import of power from the grid, which will result in operating cost savings for us this year."
As with all of Syncrude's gas turbine generators, waste heat recovery systems have been installed. GTG exhaust gases will be used to heat water used in the extraction process of separating the bitumen. Waste heat recovery by Syncrude already reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 150,000 tonnes per year.
Although Syncrude is increasing its electrical generating capacity, the company remains very focused on reducing energy demands in the extraction and production processes. New technologies used by Syncrude, including a low energy hydrotransport/extraction process, will use 40 per cent less energy than current processes. Other energy efficient measures taken by Syncrude include replacing the dragline and bucket-wheel mining processes with more energy efficient trucks and shovels.
Syncrude has established a target of a 1.6-per-cent energy efficiency gain per year. From 1988 to 1997 Syncrude has reduced the energy used to produce a barrel of crude oil by 12 per cent. By 2008, Syncrude will reduce CO2 emission per barrel by 45 per cent.
The $60-million GTG is the first unit to be completed of the second stage of Syncrude 21. Approved by Syncrude's owners last June, the $900-million second stage includes the first production train of the Aurora project and the second phase of the upgrader debottleneck.
The Syncrude project is a joint venture operated by Syncrude Canada Ltd. and owned by AEC Oil Sands, LP, AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Ltd., Murphy Oil Company Ltd. and Petro-Canada.
(c) Copyright 1999 Canjex Publishing Ltd. canada-stockwatch.com
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Gulf Canada Resources Ltd -
Alberta Energy retires dragline No. 2 Discovery
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd GOU
Shares issued 348,950,044 1999-07-08 close $5.9
Thursday Jul 8 1999
See Alberta Energy Company Ltd (AEC) News Release
Mr. Jim Carter reports
The beginning of an end to an era of mining in the oil sands occurred today when Syncrude held a ceremony to retire dragline No. 2, nicknamed Discovery.
Until today, Syncrude operated four draglines in its base mine at Mildred Lake, Alta. The first-generation mining equipment is gradually being replaced with trucks and shovels and hydrotransport at North mine and the Aurora project.
The height of a 25-storey building with a bucket the size of a two-car garage, Discovery was manufactured by Bucyrus-Erie and has been in continuous use with Syncrude since August, 1977. Assembly of the massive dragline took 18 months and 375,000 person-hours. Known as a walking dragline, Discovery could make a giant step every 40 seconds when time came to move its location in the mine.
During its lifetime, Discovery worked over 105,000 operating hours and mined over 312 million bank cubic metres of oil sand on the east side of the base mine. It also walked 1,100 kilometres within the Syncrude mine site, enough for a round trip from Mildred Lake to Red Deer. The 1,100 kilometres required over a half million steps to be made.
"This is a historic occasion. We're here to commemorate the passing of an era: the retirement of Discovery after 22 years of continuous, safe and steady service at Syncrude," said Jim Carter, president and chief executive officer, at the ceremony held in the field.
"The crews of the draglines had a slogan: 'we dig the business' and it was certainly true of Discovery. Over the years, we have worked to improve the productivity of our draglines. We added bigger buckets and lighter-weight, longer-wearing materials.
"It is no small feat to be able to not only maintain and operate a machine of this class for close to a quarter century, but also to upgrade its capabilities during this period.
"It takes grace, skill, good judgment, sound planning and co-ordination to operate a dragline safely and well, and the operators of Discovery have done that for 22 years and that's an impressive accomplishment in anyone's books. In fact, Discovery was operating at a higher utilization rate and greater annual production rate today than when it was brand new. That's a great testament to our operating, maintenance and engineering divisions."
Discovery's operating companion, bucket wheel reclaimer No. 2, retired in March. Plans call for another dragline and bucket wheel train to retire early in 2000.
Joint venture ownership
The Syncrude project is a joint venture operated by Syncrude Canada Ltd. and owned by AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Ltd., Murphy Oil Company Ltd., and Petro-Canada.
BACKGROUNDER
Mining at Syncrude
First-generation mining equipment comprises a train of dragline, bucket wheel reclaimer and conveyor systems. Syncrude employed four similar trains in its base mine, each located in its own quadrant.
The oil sand is mined by draglines and piled in windrows along the sides of the surface mine. Bucket wheel reclaimers dig the oil sand from the windrows and place it on the conveyor system where it is transported to the dump pocket and fed to the extraction plant. Approximately 70 per cent of oil sand production is completed by this method, although this proportion will drop to around 50 per cent with the retirement of the units in the east side of the base mine.
Oil sand from the East mine is being replaced by North mine. Additional production will come from the first train of Aurora when it starts up in May, 2000. Both North and Aurora mines will use large heavy hauler trucks and shovels to replace the draglines and bucket wheels and hydrotransport will replace the conveying systems.
Dragline facts
Dragline No. 2 (Discovery) was designed and constructed by Bucyrus-Erie. Of the four draglines operated by Syncrude, two were Bucyrus-Erie machines and two were manufactured by Marion. The four units were assembled at Mildred Lake in 1977 and 1978 by Bechtel Canada. Each of the draglines has a name.
Discovery began production in the third quarter of 1977 and collected over 312 million bank cubic metres (624 million tonnes) of oil sand in over 105,000 operating hours. To put this in perspective, this is a third more material than was moved for the construction of the Panama Canal.
Manufacturers: Bucyrus-Erie BE 2570 or Marion 8750
Replacement cost: $75-million
Assembly: 18 months and 375,000 person-hours
Boom length: 360 feet or 110 metres
Bucket size: 61 cubic metres (80 cubic yards) and 68 cubic metres (89 cubic yards), roughly the size of a two-car garage
Boom operating radius: 340 feet or 104 metres
Power: The draglines are electrically-powered and fed by a 25 kilovolt trailing cable, which is stepped down by on-board transformers to supply the multitude of electric motors, which power the drag, hoist, swing and propel functions. The equivalent power of the electric motors is about 28,000 horsepower.
Operating weight: 6,200 tonnes
Average production rate: 6,500 tonnes per hour
Annual production rate: 18 million bank cubic metres (36 million tonnes)
Speed: nine feet per minute or three metres per minute
Walking method: 80-foot-long steel shoes on the side of the dragline lift the front end of the circular tub forming the base of the dragline. With each step, the tub slides forward. Between steps the tub rests on the ground, waiting to be lifted again by the shoes
Crew: three -- operator, oiler and grounds person
Crew functions: the operator is largely concerned with the 60-second dig and dump cycle and mining strategy. The oiler oversees the automatic lubrication system and the motor control house as well as other mechanical parts. The grounds person operates a Caterpillar D-11 (one of the world's largest) to prepare the mine surface behind the dragline as well as a rubber-tired tractor equipped with both a cable hoop, to relocate the trailing cable (a 25 kilovolt extension cord), and a hydraulic hammer for working on the bucket wear components. A typical crew member is trained in all three positions and the crew rotates positions during the course of an operating shift to maintain peak production.
Amenities: panelled walls, comfortable seats, radios, cellular telephones, air conditioning, full galley and lunchroom equipped with a conventional kitchen, coffee maker, water cooler, microwave and refrigerator.
(c) Copyright 1999 Canjex Publishing Ltd. canada-stockwatch.com
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Shares issued 348,950,044 1999-05-04 close $6.1
Tuesday May 4 1999
See Athabasca Oil Sands Trust (AOS.UN) News Release
Mr. Eric Newell of Syncrude reports
First Quarter ended March 31, 1999, Operating Results
Shipments of Syncrude Sweet Blend totalled 19.9 million barrels for the quarter for an average of 221,000 barrels per day, which represents a new quarterly record. This is 4.1 million barrels ahead of the first quarter of last year and 1.8 million barrels ahead of the previous best first quarter, which occurred in 1996. (A maintenance turnaround occurred during the first quarter of 1998.)
The overall unit cost for the three months, was $12.51 per barrel, setting a new record for first quarter performance. These unit costs include production, general and administrative costs, research and certain financing costs, and Syncrude 21 Development expenditures. This compares with unit costs of $18.88 per barrel for the same period in 1998 (due to lower shipments).
Total expense for the quarter was $249-million, compared with $298-million for the same period in 1998. Direct operating expenditures were $230-million, compared with $283-million in 1998.
Capital investment
Capital expenditures were $190-million, $106-million higher than the same period in 1998. Major capital projects in the first quarter included continuing work on the second train of North mine, the second phase of the Upgrader Debottleneck, construction of the first train of the Aurora project, and engineering for the planned Upgrader Expansion.
The company is pleased with Syncrude's first quarter results which put it well on track toward its goal of shipping 82 million barrels for the year.
The first quarter is typically a difficult one due to cold weather and yet the company's maintained a reliable operation and set new records for shipments and cost performance. The company also successfully conducted planned shutdown maintenance and debottleneck revamps on the LC-Finer and light gas-oil hydrotreater units.
Employees throughout the organization have responded well to the challenge of reducing operating costs so that it can maintain a record level of capital spending on its Syncrude 21 projects, which are proceeding space.
Syncrude is a joint venture owned by AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Ltd., Murphy Oil Company Ltd., and Petro-Canada.
OPERATING RESULTS
Three months ended March 31
1999 1998
Shipments
Millions of
barrels 19.9 15.6
Thousands of
barrels per day 221 176
------ ------
Total expense
Millions of
dollars 249 296
Total unit cost
per barrel 12.51 18.88
------ ------
Capital expenditures
(millions of dollars) 190 84
Investment/
development 188 62
Sustaining 2 22
------ ------
Safety performance *
Syncrude 1.36 0.99
Contractors 1.65 1.60
(c) Copyright 1999 Canjex Publishing Ltd. canada-stockwatch.com
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd -
Gulf Canada declares dividend
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd GOU
Shares issued 348,950,044 1999-07-29 close $5.9
Friday Jul 30 1999
An anonymous director reports
The dividend rate for the month of July, 1999, for Gulf Canada Resources Limited's fixed/adjustable rate senior preference shares, Series 1, has been calculated at 2.1 cents per share. The dividend is payable Aug. 12, 1999, to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 30, 1999.
Chucka - Buy BHMNF-OTCBB and NBL : VSE if one wants a part of 3 million acres, add more Mills acres and start with MMU on the west side of ALTA...but get some spread arround...what 5 million weird acres in Alberta...??? ? Put some 5% of the PFs portifilios into all of the leaders, start re reading.
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