| 摘要 |
There is a general need for improved efficiencies in the bitumen and heavy oil recovery and extraction industry. The present invention is directed to a method and system for integrating an in-situ bitumen recovery operation with a bitumen mining operation for improved efficiencies and synergies therebetween. The method comprises the basic steps of obtaining a production fluid from the in-situ bitumen recovery operation, directing the production fluid to the bitumen mining operation, and incorporating the production fluid into the bitumen mining operation. The basic integrated system comprises a production well for recovering production fluid from the in-situ bitumen recovery operation, a bitumen mining and extraction facility, and a transporter for directing the production fluid from the production well to the bitumen mining and extraction facility for incorporation into the mining and extraction operation. The in-situ recovery operation may be a thermal operation, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), or a derivative thereof. The integrated method and system of the present invention provide the potential to reduce capital investment, operating costs, overall land footprint and fluctuations in mine production, compared with stand-alone in-situ recovery and mining operations. The integrated method and system of the invention also provide the potential for commercial development of smaller scale in--situ recovery operations.
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