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{{Infobox industrial process
| name = Alberta Taciuk process AOSTRA Taciuk process
| image =
| caption =
| type = Chemical
| sector = [[Chemical industry]] [[oil industry]]
| technologies =
| feedstock = [[oil shale]] [[oil sand]]s organics-bearing materials
| product = [[shale oil]] [[synthetic crude]]
| companies = [[UMATAC Industrial Processes]] [[Queensland Energy Resources]] [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]
| facility = [[Stuart Oil Shale Project|Stuart Oil Shale Plant]]
| inventor = William Taciuk
| year = 1975
| developer = [[UMATAC Industrial Processes]]
}}
The '''Alberta Taciuk process''' (ATP; known also as the '''AOSTRA Taciuk process''') is an above-ground dry thermal [[Shale oil extraction|retorting]] technology for extracting oil from [[oil sand]]s, [[oil shale]] and other organics-bearing materials, including oil contaminated soils, sludges and wastes. The technology is named after its inventor [[William Taciuk]] and the [[Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority]].<ref name=qian>{{Cite conference
|last = Qian
|first = Jialin
|author2 = Wang Jianqiu
|title = World oil shale retorting technologies
|publisher = International Oil Shale Conference
|date = 2006-11-07
|location = [[Amman]], [[Jordan]]
|url = http://www.sdnp.jo/International_Oil_Conference/rtos-A118.pdf
|accessdate = 2008-12-25
|conference =
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234146/http://www.sdnp.jo/International_Oil_Conference/rtos-A118.pdf
|archive-date = 2008-05-27
|url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name=brandt>
{{Cite journal
| last= Brandt | first= Adam R.
| title= Converting Green River oil shale to liquid fuels with the Alberta Taciuk Processor: energy inputs and greenhouse gas emissions
| publisher = [[American Chemical Society]]
| journal = [[Energy & Fuels]]
| pages = 6253–6258
| volume = 23
| issue = 12
| date = 2009
| issn = 0887-0624
| doi =10.1021/ef900678d
}}</ref>

==History==
The research and development of the ATP technology started in 1970.<ref name=fossilenergy>
{{Cite journal
| title =Strategic Significance of America's Oil Shale Resource. Volume II Oil Shale Resources, Technology and Economics
| publisher = [[United States Department of Energy]]
| year = 2004
| s2cid = 6915574
}}
</ref> In 1975, its inventor, William Taciuk, formed the [[UMATAC Industrial Processes]] (now part of [[Polysius]]) to further its development.<ref name=umatac>
{{cite journal
|publisher= [[United States Department of Energy]]
|title= FY-09 Summary Report to the Office of Petroleum Reserves on the Western Energy Corridor Initiative Activities and Accomplishments
|url= http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/978357-jvKo77/978357.pdf
|page = 10
|date=January 2010
|doi= 10.2172/978357
|accessdate=2010-10-31
|last1= Thomas r. Wood
|osti= 978357
|s2cid= 109882218
}}</ref> The first ATP pilot plant was constructed in 1977.<ref name=odut>{{Cite conference
|title = Alberta Taciuk Process (ATP) Technology – Recent Developments and Activities
|last = Odut
|first = Steven
|author2 = Taciuk, Gordon W.
|author3 = Barge, John
|author4 = Stamatis, Vicki
|author5 = Melo, Daniel
|conference = 28th Oil Shale Symposium
|location = [[Golden, Colorado]]
|publisher = UMATAC Industrial Processes
|date = 2008-10-14
|url = http://www.umatac.ca/includes/media/downloads/Oil_Shale_Symposium_Presentations_2008.pdf
|accessdate = 2019-09-21
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111007144155/http://www.jeml.co.uk/_assets/files/Odut%20-%20Steven%20OSS2008_0035.pdf
|archive-date = 2011-10-07
|url-status =
}}</ref>

The ATP was originally developed for pyrolysis of oil sand.<ref name=qian/><ref name=fossilenergy/> However, its first commercial application in 1989 was dedicated to the [[environmental remediation]] of contaminated soils.<ref name=umatac/> From 1999 to 2004, ATP technology was used for [[shale oil extraction]] at the [[Stuart Oil Shale Project|Stuart Oil Shale Plant]] in Australia.<ref name=qian/><ref name=umatac/><ref name=alex>
{{cite news
| url= http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cns01260.htm
| title= Stuart Oil Shale project ready for restart
| publisher=Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections
| date= 2000-01-31
| accessdate=2008-12-25}}
</ref> During that time, {{convert|1.5|Moilbbl|sp=us|2}} of shale oil was extracted before the owner, Southern Pacific Petroleum Pty Ltd went into receivership. The subsequent owner, [[Queensland Energy Resources]] closed and dismantled the plant.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/aimr/commodity/shale_oil_09.jsp
|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia – Australian Mines Atlas
|year=2009
|title=Shale Oil
|accessdate=2010-01-15
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217233509/http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/aimr/commodity/shale_oil_09.jsp
|archivedate=2011-02-17
}}
</ref>

In 2002, Estonian company [[Viru Keemia Grupp]] tested this technology; however, it was not taken into use.<ref name=bnn090902>
{{cite news
| url = http://bbn.ee/Default.aspx?PublicationId=9739967b-b64e-47da-8644-9c7c9e6b978f
| title = Estonian oilshale group tests new technology in Canada
| publisher = BNN
| date = 2002-09-09
| accessdate = 2011-07-09}}
</ref>

==Technology==

The ATP is an above-ground oil-shale retorting technology classified as a [[Shale oil extraction|hot recycled solids]] technology. The distinguishing feature of the ATP is that the drying and pyrolysis of the oil shale or other feed, as well as the combustion, recycling, and cooling of spent materials and residues, all occur within a single rotating multi-chamber horizontal retort.<ref name=qian/><ref name=umatac/><ref>{{Cite patent|country=US|number=5366596|pubdate=1994-11-22|title=Dry thermal processor|assign1=[[Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority]]|inventor1-last=Taciuk|inventor1-first=William|inventor2-last=Caple|inventor2-first=Roderick|inventor3-last=Goodwin|inventor3-first=Sean|inventor4-last=Taciuk|inventor4-first=Gordon}}</ref> Its feed consists of fine particles.
[[Image:Alberta Taciuk Processor.PNG|thumb|540px|center|Alberta Taciuk Processor (ATP) retort]]
In its shale-oil applications, fine particles (less than {{convert|25|mm|in|1}} in diameter) are fed into the preheat tubes of the retort, where they are dried and preheated to {{convert|250|°C|°F|-1}} indirectly by hot shale ash and hot flue gas.<ref name=qian/> In the pyrolysis zone, oil shale particles are mixed with hot shale ash and the pyrolysis is performed at temperatures between {{convert|500|°C|°F|-1}} and {{convert|550|°C|°F|-1}}. The resulting [[shale oil]] vapor is withdrawn from the retort through a vapour tube and recovered by condensation in other equipment. The char residues, mixed with ash, are moved to the combustion zone, and burnt at about {{convert|800|°C|°F|-1}} to form shale ash. Part of the ash is delivered to the pyrolysis zone, where its heat is recycled as a hot solid carrier; the other part is removed and cooled in the cooling zone with the combustion gases by heat transfer to the feed oil shale.<ref name=qian/><ref name=brandt/>

The advantages of the ATP technology for shale oil extraction lie in its simple and robust design, energy self-sufficiency, minimal process water requirements, ability to handle fine particles, and high oil yields.<ref name=fossilenergy/> It is particularly suited for processing materials with otherwise low oil yield.<ref name=opik>
{{Cite journal
| last = Õpik | first = Ilmar
| title = Black scenario of oil shale power generating in Estonia
| journal =Oil Shale. A Scientific-Technical Journal
| publisher = Estonian Academy Publishers
| volume = 16
| issue = 3
| pages =193–196
| year = 1999
| doi = 10.3176/oil.1999.3.01
| s2cid = 252572222
| url= http://www.kirj.ee/public/oilshale/ed-page6.html
| issn = 0208-189X
| accessdate =2008-12-25| doi-access = free
}}
</ref> The mechanical transfer of solids through the machine does not involve moving parts and it achieves improved process efficiencies through solid-to-solid heat transfer.<ref name=fossilenergy/> Most of the process energy (over 80%) is produced by combustion of [[Char (chemistry)|char]] and produced [[oil shale gas]]; external energy inputs are minimal.<ref name=brandt/> The oil yields are about 85–90% of [[Fischer Assay]].<ref name=qian/> The organic carbon content of the process residue ([[spent shale]]) is less than 3%.<ref name=fossilenergy/> The process produces only small amounts of contaminated water with low concentrations of [[phenols]].<ref name=oilshale2>
{{Cite journal
|last=Mölder
|first=Leevi
|title=Estonian Oil Shale Retorting Industry at a Crossroads
|journal= Oil Shale. A Scientific-Technical Journal
|publisher=Estonian Academy Publishers
|volume=21
|issue=2
|pages =97–98
|year=2004
|doi=10.3176/oil.2004.2.01
|s2cid=252707682
|url=http://www.kirj.ee/public/oilshale/1_ed_page_2004_2.pdf
|issn=0208-189X
| accessdate =2008-12-25}}
</ref> These advantages also apply to its [[oil sands]] applications, including increased oil yield, a simplified process flow, reduction of bitumen losses to [[tailings]], elimination of the need for tailing ponds, improvement in energy efficiency compared with the [[Athabasca oil sands#Bitumen extraction|hot water extraction process]], and elimination of requirements for chemical and other additives.<ref name=peis>{{Cite web
| title = Tar sands development background and technology overview.Appendix B
| publisher = Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Information Center
| date = December 2007
| url = http://ostseis.anl.gov/documents/fpeis/vol3/OSTS_FPEIS_vol3_App_B.pdf
| accessdate = 2010-10-31
| journal =
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720192435/http://ostseis.anl.gov/documents/fpeis/vol3/OSTS_FPEIS_vol3_App_B.pdf
| archive-date = 2011-07-20
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

A complication of the ATP is that retorting operations can reach temperatures at which [[carbonate]] minerals within the shale decompose, increasing [[greenhouse gas emissions]].<ref name=brandt/>

==Operations==
As of 2008, ATP was used by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] at a [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]]-contaminated site near [[Buffalo, New York]], and at the [[Waukegan, Illinois|Waukegan Harbor]], Illinois.<ref name=alberta>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.aeri.ab.ca/sec/suc_sto/suc_sto_001_3.cfm
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030118013438/http://www.aeri.ab.ca/sec/suc_sto/suc_sto_001_3.cfm
|url-status = dead
|archive-date=2003-01-18
|title=AOSTRA-Taciuk Process (ATP)
|publisher=[[Executive Council of Alberta|Alberta Energy Research Institute]]
|accessdate=2008-12-25
}}
</ref>

[[UMATAC Industrial Processes]] runs a 5 tons of oil shale per hour pilot processor in [[Calgary]], Alberta for large scale tests of different oil shales.<ref name=cep>
{{Cite journal
|last=Parkinson
|first=Gerald
|title=Oil Shale: The U.S. Takes Another Look at a Huge Domestic Resource
|journal=Chemical Engineering Progress
|volume=102
|issue=7
|pages=7–10
|year=2006
|url=http://www.aiche.org/uploadedFiles/Energy_Website/Publications/060707_Oil_Shale.pdf
|accessdate=2008-12-27
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717113727/http://www.aiche.org/uploadedFiles/Energy_Website/Publications/060707_Oil_Shale.pdf
|archivedate=2011-07-17
}}
</ref> The [[Fushun Mining Group]] of China has built a 250 tonnes per hour ATP plant that began commissioning in 2010.<ref name=Alberta2>
{{Cite journal
| last=Chandler | first=Graham
| title=US eyes Alberta as model for developing oil shale
| journal=Alberta Oil Magazine
| volume=2
| issue =4
| pages=16–18
| year=2006
| url= http://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/?p=519
|accessdate=2008-12-25}}
</ref> Jordan Energy and Mining Ltd planned to use the ATP technology for extracting oil from Al Lajjun and Attarat [[oil shale in Jordan|oil shale deposits in Jordan]].<ref name=JEML>
{{cite web
|publisher=Jordan Energy and Mining Limited
|title=Main project description
|url=http://www.jeml.co.uk/keyprojects/processingtechnology/
|accessdate=2009-05-30
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923231053/http://www.jeml.co.uk/keyprojects/processingtechnology/
|archivedate=2009-09-23
}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Shale oil extraction]]
* [[Galoter process]]
* [[Petrosix|Petrosix process]]
* [[Kiviter process]]
* [[TOSCO II process]]
* [[Fushun process]]
* [[Paraho process]]
* [[Lurgi–Ruhrgas process]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:Oil shale technology]]
[[Category:Bituminous sands]]
[[Category:Waste treatment technology]]
[[Category:Petroleum industry in Alberta]]

Alberta Taciuk process - Revision history

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