By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, June 21 -- Genoil Inc. has completed an agreement with Synenco Energy Inc. to test Genoil's pilot heavy oil upgrading technology.
Both firms are based in Calgary. Synenco has bitumen reserves of up to 2 billion bbl at its Athabasca oil sands lease and coal reserves of over 100 million tonnes on a neighboring lease. It is planning a world-class heavy oil upgrading facility with a minimum capacity of 75,000 b/d.
Genoil said its technology for upgrading oil sands bitumen to high-quality synthetic crude oil has potential lower capital and operating costs than other upgrading technologies.
The company said after retrofitting it in Edmonton, it has moved its pilot upgrader to Kerrobert, Sask. The remaining hydrogen generation and compressor equipment will be installed next week.
The unit will be field tested with 8°-gravity bitumen and other heavy oil feedstocks. Genoil said demonstration of the technology at Kerrobert could lead to a commercial demonstration plant in 2002.
Separately, Genoil said it is buying the Watergas/Hydrogen technology and other assets of FT Canada Ltd. for cash and warrants. Watergas is created with a patent pending generator design that delivers hydrogen and oxygen in the expected ratio of 2:1. Watergas/Hydrogen is of interest to Genoil for its upgrading process that uses hydrogen.
Genoil said the technology also could be used in stationary power equipment, fuel cells, industrial cutting equipment, furnace fuel, and flare gas emission remediation.
