Piloting Details

SGS has a long history of providing independent, third party pilot testing services. With over 65 years of piloting experience, SGS has worked with many companies to prove and improve mineral and heavy oil separation processes. SGS employs some of the world’s leading processing experts that will provide design and operational input into your pilot plant and troubleshoot as necessary. Your pilot project with SGS is staffed by our experienced pilot plant operators, so you do not need a lengthy hiring and training process.

The existing modular piloting infrastructure enables “plug-and-play” style operation, for cost effective set-up and execution. This reduces overall capital requirements when compared to single-use pilot facilities. Together we can design a piloting program to suit your needs, whether you’re testing an:

• existing extraction method
• generating data for equipment sizing
• evaluating experimental or confidential technology

The Applied Research and Training Facility in Fort McKay, Alberta, is an amalgamation of this experience and expertise, adapted to the unique challenges of the oil sands.

EXTRACTION TESTING – 12,500 sq. ft.

• Test new or refine proven extraction methods on your ore
• Confidentially evaluate experimental technologies
• Integrated piloting circuit with 2 tonnes per hour nominal throughput
• Fully instrumented piloting circuit ensures accurate and timely data
• Capacity available and piloting can be scheduled in advance
• Located in close proximity to oil sands projects

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

• Seasoned oil sands operating, supervisory and data handling staff
• Ability to operate 24/7
• Additional staff available through SGS network

EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT

• Large inventory of modular equipment
• “Plug and play” setup
• Minimal commissioning time
• No infrastructure costs to client
  (for flowsheets employing equipment already in our inventory)

FROTH TREATMENT – 5,000 sq. ft.

• 350 kg per hour froth treatment circuit

ANALYTICAL SUPPORT

• SGS provides rapid turnaround for critical control assays
• Accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for specific registered tests

ORE STORAGE – 11,000 sq. ft.

• 2,500 tonnes on-site sample storage capacity
• Refrigerated facility to maintain sample quality

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

• Familiarize engineering, operational and supervisory staff with process and instrumentation
• Reduce start-up training issues
• Address and minimize potential safety concerns

INTEGRATED ASSET VALUATION SOLUTIONS

Bench Scale Lab Testing

• Batch extraction
• Froth treatment solvent screening
• Tailings geotechnical testing

In-Situ Spatial Modeling of Process Parameters and Cash Flow

• Block mine estimations of process parameters generated from laboratory programs
• Create dataset for process estimation

Process Modeling Based on Pilot Data to Forecast Yield and Quality for Conditions Not Explicitly Tested

• Creation of process models
• Tune models to pilot data
• Simulation using block-by-block process data
• Extend the value of pilot data through computer simulation of ore types not part of pilot bulk samples