Chairholder Profile

Murray Gray

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
University of Alberta

Chair Title

NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Advanced Upgrading of Bitumen

Chair Program

Industrial Research Chairs Program

Role

Senior Chairholder since 2000

Summary

Over 20 percent of Canada’s liquid hydrocarbons are currently produced from oil sands. The liquid hydrocarbon production from Alberta’s oil sands will continue to increase to 50 percent of Canada’s supply in the next decade, while the production of conventional oil in Alberta will decline. Increased production of synthetic crude requires the development of new technologies and the improvement of existing ones. The overall objective of this Chair program is to improve our understanding of bitumen upgrading, leading to more sustainable production of crude oil from the oil sands of western Canada. An additional objective is to provide qualified personnel for the oil sands industry by increasing the number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working on oil sands-related projects.

Areas of research in the Chair program build on Dr. Gray’s expertise in chemical reactor engineering and the chemistry of the oil sands. Major activities in Phase II of the chair include the development of innovative methods to separate the metal contaminants from bitumen, catalyze the gasification of the asphaltenes, and investigate alternative reaction schemes for hydrogenation of bitumen components. The above areas of research address specific problems, the solutions to which will increase product quality and yield, and decrease energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the oil sands industry.

Close collaboration between Dr. Gray and Imperial Oil, the industrial sponsor of the Chair, ensures that research results are applied in oil sands processing. Researchers from Imperial Oil are involved in a number of projects, providing expertise, equipment, and analytical support.

Partners

• Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Alberta Energy Research Institute
• Champion Technologies
• Imperial Oil Ltd./Compagnie Pétrolière Impériale Ltée

Contact Information

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
University of Alberta
536 Chemical and Materials Engineering Building
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2G6

Tel.: 780-492-7965
Fax: 780-492-2881
E-mail: murray.gray@ualberta.ca

Web site:
 http://www.ualberta.ca/~gray