Day-Stirrat, Ruarri J. and Hillier, Stephen and Nikitin, Anton and Hofmann, Ronny and Mahood, Robert and Mertens, Gilles
(2021).
Natural gamma-ray spectroscopy (NGS) as a proxy for the distribution of clay minerals and bitumen in the Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Alberta, Canada.
Fuel. 288
, 119513
[Journal article]
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Abstract
Detailed examination of the mineralogy of the Cretaceous McMurray Formation within a facies framework is used to assess the use of natural gamma-ray spectroscopy (NGS) and a pulsed neutron generator (PNG) tool in delineating variation in clay mineral and bitumen contents. Characterization of the mixed-layer (interstratified) clay phases in the McMurray Formation provides an improved understanding of clay interaction in bitumen processing and tailings settling behavior, important for mine planning and tailings remediation schemes. Mineral diversity in the McMurray Formation was determined on facies attributed samples using whole rock X-ray diffraction (XRD), cation exchange capacity (CEC) measurements, elemental analysis (XRF), clay size fraction (<2 mu m) XRD analysis, reflected light microscopy, and cryogenic-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). Kaolinite was ubiquitous in the entire McMurray Formation with lower and middle McMurray Formation sediments also containing mixed-layered illite-smectite (I-S) with a low expandability approximate to 20-30%. Upper McMurray Formation sediments by contrast had higher expandability (approximate to 60-70%). In floodplain sediments of the lower McMurray Formation an additional clay mineral was quantified as a kaolinite-expandable mixed-layer (clay) mineral. The associated CEC values of this mineral are 10 times the baseline for the McMurray Formation. NGS spectra from cores showed that yields of potassium (K), uranium (U), and thorium (Th) had distinct facies associations, correlated with a clay mineral signature. The resultant indicator is capable of highlighting zones within an oil sands ore body that are empirically known, by industry, to process poorly through extraction plants. A bitumen indicator from the carbon yield derived from a PNG logging tool assesses bitumen content. NGS and PNG allow a full assessment of clay mineral (fines) and bitumen profiles, with the future prospect that these techniques could be used to assess ore and tailings behavior in near-real time.
Authors/Creators: | Day-Stirrat, Ruarri J. and Hillier, Stephen and Nikitin, Anton and Hofmann, Ronny and Mahood, Robert and Mertens, Gilles | ||||||
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Title: | Natural gamma-ray spectroscopy (NGS) as a proxy for the distribution of clay minerals and bitumen in the Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Alberta, Canada | ||||||
Series Name/Journal: | Fuel | ||||||
Year of publishing : | 2021 | ||||||
Volume: | 288 | ||||||
Article number: | 119513 | ||||||
Number of Pages: | 19 | ||||||
Publisher: | ELSEVIER SCI LTD | ||||||
ISSN: | 0016-2361 | ||||||
Language: | English | ||||||
Publication Type: | Journal article | ||||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||||
Version: | Published version | ||||||
Copyright: | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 | ||||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 105 Earth and Related Environmental Sciences > Geochemistry | ||||||
Keywords: | Oil sands, McMurray formation, Kaolinite, Vermiculite, Kaolinite-expandable mixed-layer mineral, Natural gamma-ray spectroscopy | ||||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-110411 | ||||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-110411 | ||||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 22121 | ||||||
Faculty: | NJ - Fakulteten för naturresurser och jordbruksvetenskap | ||||||
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Soil and Environment (S) > Dept. of Soil and Environment | ||||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||||
Deposited On: | 04 Feb 2021 13:44 | ||||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 04 Feb 2021 13:51 |
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