MELBOURNE, Feb. 2�Australian companies Southern Pacific Petroleum NL and Central Pacific Minerals NL, along with Canadian joint venture partner Suncor Energy Inc., produced 16,000 bbl of naphtha and medium shale oil in a December test run at the Stuart project near Gladstone in Queensland.
The companies said the demonstration plant has produced 17,000 bbl of naphtha and 18,000 bbl of medium shale oil since late in 1999.
More continuous production is expected during 2001. Oil sales will begin in the second quarter when sufficient volumes are in storage.
The companies said results of the December run showed good progress with a emissions reduction program implemented in 2000.
Feedstock rates were kept to 160 tonnes/hr of oil shale (64% of plant capacity). The plant removed more than 95% of SO2, a quarter of the plant license limit. There was more than a 60% cut in odors and dioxins. Shale dust emissions dropped to a third of the plant license limit.
The companies said the improvements resulted from an 8-week turnaround in the third quarter that included installation of turboscrubbers on the processor flue gas systems, addition of a second thickener vessel to increase the capacity of the shale dust scrubbing, operation of the shale dryer in a low-odor mode, and partial incineration of the processor pre-heat flue gas stream in the main stack burner.
Southern Pacific and Central Pacific said the plant will be restarted in February and will gradually increase feed rates during the year.