GE to provide electric motors for bitumen refinery in Canada

US-based GE’s Power Conversion business will supply electric motors for a bitumen refinery in Canada, which is a joint venture between North West Redwater Partnership and Canadian Natural Resources.

As a part of the $14m contract, GE will supply its Series 9000-RCM large electric motors, which will power the refinery’s reciprocating compressors.

Transporting and processing crude bitumen, which is extracted from oil sands, is very tough and expensive because it is a tarry, sludgy solid or semisolid substance that doesn’t flow easily at normal oil pipeline temperatures.

Reciprocating compressors will be used to process the bitumen, as it offers very high compression ratios.The refinery will turn Alberta’s vast oil sands tarry bitumen crude into clean-burning diesel fuel by minimising environmental impacts.

It will include an integrated CO2 management system and produce 150,000 barrels-per-day.

The refinery is expected to produce clean diesel fuel by 2015, with less emissions and with 30% higher fuel efficiency than gasoline, and is the first refinery in the world specifically designed to reduce environmental impacts as it turns tarry bitumen crude into clean-burning diesel fuel.

Clean diesel has strong demand in North America, China, and south-east Asia.

GE Power Conversion Rotating Machines sales leader Alberto Peluzzo said refineries are complex and expensive undertakings, where reducing risk and increasing investment return is key priority for their owners.

"GE’s Series 9000-RCM motors are seeing increased use throughout Canada’s oil sands region because of their proven, reliable performance," Peluzzo added.

"Along with GE’s expert technical services, they will help enable the North West Redwater Partnership to achieve world-class operational performance and efficiencies at this landmark refinery."

GE’s Series 9000-RCM motors, which holds ratings of up to13.8kV and up to 22,000 HP (16,000kW) will be used to drive reciprocating compressors in the petrochemical industry.

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Image: GE’s Power Conversion business will supply Series 9000-RCM large electric motors to bitumen refinery in Canada. Photo: Courtesy of GE.