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COSIA's Hub for Innovators

Welcome, Innovators!

Simplifying the path to net zero 

InsituSIM: a versatile tool for evaluating technology solutions for oil sands in situ facilities 

Join COSIA and Process Ecology for this live webinar on InsituSIM, a versatile, online tool that assesses the impact of new technologies on Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) facilities. Find out how it can be used to evaluate the path to net zero. Spoiler alert: it’s also applicable to carbon capture, natural gas decarbonization, fuel cells and much more! 

insituSIM

Innovating with COSIA

The first step to innovating with COSIA is to review our Innovation Opportunities, Research and Stories. COSIA's Innovation Opportunities provide focused, actionable descriptions of the current state of opportunities related to environmental processes and impacts of the oil sands industry. Each represents a possibility that, if realized, would contribute towards the achievement of COSIA's environmental aspirations.

Check out what we're up to! We've also curated a collection of blogs just for innovators. Read more here

Check out our collection of blogs just for innovators! 

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

TUNE INTO INNOVATIVE MINDS

Innovative Minds launched in late 2020 with Not Just Birdwatching, an interview with Ole Mrklas and Tyler Veness who steer COSIA’s Monitoring Priority Area and industry’s participation in one of Canada’s best kept secrets, the Oil Sands Monitoring Program, one of the largest and most comprehensive environmental monitoring programs in the world.

For Innovators

 

Next steps 

Let us help you navigate the world of COSIA innovation! Once you've reviewed COSIA's Innovation Opportunities, explore the following areas/resources which address the most common supports that prospective innovators require.

Do you need samples for research you are conducting?

Do you have a new tailings technology you would like to test? InnoTech Alberta offers a mature fine tailings sample bank where you can purchase tailings samples from the Athabasca oil sands region. Access the InnoTech Alberta Mature Fine Tailings Sample Bank to learn more. 

Do you need business support or resources?

The following provides an overview of available funding sources to support industry projects. Looking for funding support? Check out the organizations below. 

  • Alberta Innovates. The Clean Resources program focuses on three key areas relevant to the oil sands:
    • The advanced Hydrocarbons portfolio (Cleaner Hydrocarbon Production and Innovative Hydrocarbon Products) 
    • The Clean Technology portfolio consisting of three programs: Renewable and Alternative Energy, Bioenergy, and Carbon Capture and Utilization 
    • Environmental Innovation supports investments in knowledge and technology gaps in two major programs: Water Innovation Program and Land and Biodiversity
  • Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Provides venture debt on deals from a few million dollars up to twenty million dollars.
  • Calgary Economic Development. Works with business, government and community partners to attract busines, investment and foster trade.
  • Emission Reduction Alberta - Innovator Support PilotWorks with innovators, government and industry to help address gaps – often though convening additional partners ad resources.
  • Foresight/Platform Cleantech Accelerator. Focused exclusively on cleantech, this program provides a suite of services through a local Alberta accelerator targeting early stage tech ventures. They offer detailed training programs focused on developing the value and proposition and a technology roadmap. 
  • Government of Canada's Clean Growth Hub - A is a free service by the Government of Canada, and works with clean technology producers and adopters to help find federal programs and services to advance clean tech projects. 
  • Mitacs. Funds highly qualified researchers to advance your research project. 
Want to gain a better understanding of the oil sands and the unique environmental demands for oil sands innovations? 

COSIA

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers

  • Canada’s Oil Sands Fact Book - Understanding the value of Canada's oil sands in our energy future. 
  • Oil Extraction - How oil is extracted is geology-dependent. 
  • Oil Sands 101 - Explanation, History, Extraction Processes
  • Oil Sands Virtual Tour
  • What are the Oil Sands - History, Locations, Processes, Economic Benefits & Innovation
  • SAGD Virtual Tour - In CAPP's newest immersive experience, virtual reality takes you deep underground to learn how steam heats bitumen to make it flow, a technology that has revolutionized oil sands production with less land disturbance than surface mining. You'll also find fascinating quick facts and get inside an actual in situ operation. 

Government of Alberta

  • Oil Sands 101 - Learn the oil sands process, from initial permit applications through to reclamation of the site. 

Oil Sands Magazine

  • Oil Sands 101 - Oil sands geology, properties, extraction processes, bitumen upgrading, refining, transportation & environmental footprint. 
Do you need local facilities or infrastructure to support your research?
Virtual Tools

These are useful tools to support the development of your innovation submissions to COSIA.

  • Development of a SAGD Reference Facility - This tool helps technology vendors become more familiar with SAGD operations, including the material and energy balances for various kinds of oil sands facilities. It helps them better identify how their technologies might integrate with existing equipment so they can better quantify the potential GHG and water benefits of their technology. 
  • Cost Benefit Analysis Tool - The COSIA Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) Tool (Version 1.0) is an MS-Excel based tool used to assist solution providers with providing technology submissions to COSIA. The CCBA Tool is a screening tool used to provide a consistent directional basis to assess technology submissions.
  • InsituSIM - InsituSIM is an interactive cloud-based software that innovators can use to help design their solution so that it can be more easily integrated in an oil sands facility. This tool can also provide a high level indication of the costs and benefits of the technology which innovators can use to promote their offering.
  • Material and Energy Balance for an Oil Sands Surface Mining and Bitumen Extraction Reference Facility - This report provides a description of an oil sands surface mining bitumen extraction process, and a methodology used to create material and heat balances and calculate GHG emissions for the process. The resulting Material and Energy balances are intended to facilitate the evaluation of GHG reduction opportunities and water and heat recovery possibilities by providing a common basis of process information needed for prospective technology developers to better quantify the benefits and complete the analysis of their technologies.

 

E-Tap

COSIA’s Environmental Technology Assessment Portal (E-TAP) is the mechanism through which prospective innovators can submit non-confidential information to us for consideration.

Learn More

 

Contact Us

If you have questions beyond those addressed here or are looking for further assistance in getting started, feel free to book a meeting with Kerri Romanetz or email info@cosia.ca

Kerri Romanetz | B.Mgmt
Advisor, Communications & Engagement 
Book a meeting with me!