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Oil Sands Discovery Centre Offers Energy Solutions Education

Posted on March 1, 2012 by admin

Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada: Home of the Oil Sands Discovery Center

While new energy solutions are being discovered and in development, it is important to educate how these new energy solutions will fit with current energy production. This philosophy motivated private companies, individual donations, and the government of Alberta to create the Oils Sands Discovery Centre (OSDC). The Discovery Centre is strategically located in the heart of one of the world’s largest oil deposits. This facility is dedicated to educating people on the vast energy potential held in oil sands, as well as the history, extraction methods, and refining of this great resource.

Oil Sands Discovery Centre (OSDC)

Their Mission: The mission of the Oil Sands Discovery Centre is simple — to serve as the gateway to Alberta’s oil sands by presenting its history, science, and technology; to promote appreciation and provide learning opportunities to all visitors.

The Oil Sands Discovery Centre has many educational opportunities for students and the entire family as well. They use interactive exhibits and demonstrations while incorporating educational videos, so visitors can achieve the highest level of learning.

Dr. Karl A. Clark Exhibit Hall: The main exhibit hall displays and educates on the history, science, and technology behind the oil sands operations. These displays allow the visitor much interaction so that they can learn by being a part of the experience.

Extraction Demonstration: The OSDC also educates its visitors in using this alternate energy – how the bitumen is extracted and separated from the oil sands. A ten-minute live presentation demonstrates how this process is achieved.

Every day, interpretive staff at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre demonstrate the bitumen extraction process.

Video Presentations: The “Quest for Energy” film is a 16-minute overview of the geology, history, mining, and extraction processes of Athabasca Oil Sands. Another video presentation the OSDC offers is “Pay Dirt – Alberta’s Oil Sands: Centuries in the Making.” This presentation lasts 45 minutes, highlighting the history/development of Athabasca Oil Sands. These videos present the energy power solutions that can be harnessed from the oil sands.

The OSDC offers different ways to learn about the energy potential sorted within the oil sands reserves. Educating how this alternate energy can supplement current energy initiatives can gain important support for new energy and power solutions. To learn more about OSDC, visit http://history.alberta.ca/oilsands/default.aspx.

What to Learn More?

Victory Energy supports educating the public on the importance of utilizing oil sources found in Athabasca Oil Sands. Victory Energy assists the oil sands by providing custom boilers for oil sands extraction, as well as providing the energy necessary in food processing, universities, and utilities plants. Victory Energy products help facilities run smoothly by increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste. Contact Victory Energy to learn how their custom boiler solutions can save energy and increase production in your facilities. www.victoryenergy.com

Posted in Blog, Energy Production, Heat Recovery Steam Generator, Industrial Boilers, Oil Sands | Tagged energy solutions | Leave a comment

Clean Energy: Oil Company Commits to Environmental Responsibility

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

As our society continues to become more and more environmentally conscious, it is important to maintain a high level of clean energy production and environmental responsibility. With energy production on the rise, new and innovative ways must be discovered to assist cleaner energy initiatives. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) published an article that explains some of the initiatives oil companies are taking to protect Canadian wildlife.

Tailings ponds that are responsible for recycling 80 percent of the water used in oil sands production attract animals that could be harmed in the process. Shell Canada has implemented a new system at their Muskeg River Mine to protect birds and other native wildlife and improve their level of safety. Bird Avert is a system that uses radar to detect incoming birds and wildlife. When birds are detected in close proximity to the tailing ponds a radio signal activates several stages of deterrents: cannon sounds, strobe lights, scarecrow, and a mechanical falcon that flaps its wings and screeches.

Bird Avert also uses sophisticated software to track all information about wildlife patterns in a database, so that Shell can present an open book of information to regulatory inspectors. This system is a vast improvement from the traditional system that includes only a cannon sound that blares in scheduled intervals. The new system not only lessens noise complaints from the community but it is a more effective way of improving the environmental impact of energy production.

Another way that Shell Canada is improving upon their environmentally sound practices is by employing a full-time staff dedicated to keeping wildlife away from the operation. Educating employees about on-site hygiene and waste control greatly improves the safety of the animals that might otherwise be tempted to wander on-site to forage for leftovers. Shell Canada sees the value in improving clean energy practices to protect the environment through environmental responsibility. Click here for the full article.

Victory Energy Operations is a proponent of clean energy. Not only do they support Canada’s oil sands by providing energy through steam essential to the operation, but they implement NOx burners on their boilers to greatly reduce carbon emissions. To learn more about clean energy solutions visit victoryenergy.com.

Posted in Blog, Energy Production | Tagged clean energy | Leave a comment

Industrial Boiler Transportation: Discoveries across America

Posted on February 23, 2012 by admin

166,000 lb D-style boiler being prepped for transportation.

Transporting industrial boilers can be a complex and challenging process requiring precision and transportation expertise. It is important for the industrial boiler manufacturer to know the “ins and outs” of the transportation process, ensuring the unit is delivered safely and on time. It’s not as easy as craning a boiler on a truck and driving off – much planning and engineering is needed before a unit can be mounted for transport. Now, the question is raised: how to transport two 250,000 PPH D-Style boilers from Collinsville, Oklahoma to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that weigh 166,000 lbs. each?

A four-phase plan has been developed accommodating the transport of the two watertube boilers. Needless to say, months of planning and preparation went into a strategy in transporting two units 43 feet long and 18 feet tall.

Boilers are shrink-wrapped for shipment by rail, to the Port of Catoosa.

Phase 1: The two boilers will be loaded onto rail cars. Victory engineers work out the details of how the units will be secured, ensuring a stable transport. After a railroad inspection, they will begin their journey with a brief 10-mile train ride, only to stop at the nearby Port of Catoosa (which feeds into the Arkansas River). Once there, the boilers will be off-loaded from their rail cars and loaded via a 200-ton gantry crane into an adjacent barge on the Arkansas River.

Boilers are moved from the railcar to the barge with a 200-ton gantry crane.

Phase 2: The boilers will then be secured to the barge deck. The securing of the units is based on an engineered plan, anticipating barge stability and sea-state during the voyage to Philadelphia. The barge route follows the Arkansas River, connects to the Mississippi River, and ends in New Orleans. Then the barge will leave its tow and connect with an ocean-going tugboat, continuing along the Gulf Coast to Fort Meyers, Florida. The boilers will cross Florida by canal and enter into the Intercostal Waterway to travel north toward their destination. They will travel up the Atlantic Coast into the Delaware Bay, continuing on the Delaware River to Philadelphia and the offload site.

Phase 3: Upon arrival at the offload site, the barge will be secured and the sea fastenings removed. A floating crane will then lift the boilers onto heavy, pre-positioned heavy-hall trailers to continue to the site.

Phase 4: Due to the boilers’ large size, a challenge arises with trying to pass the boilers under an overhead pipe rack. Upon arriving at the rack, the boilers will be offloaded to pre-staged “skates” that will allow the boilers to roll under the pipe rack unimpeded. After clearing the rack, they will be reloaded to the transporter and continue to the install destination.

A GPS unit is attached to the one of the D-style boilers to report an accurate location at all times.

It is clear to see how transporting industrial boilers of this magnitude is no easy feat. Countless hours go into the planning and preparations necessary to complete boiler transport. Victory Energy not only specializes in industrial boiler manufacturing, but is experienced in the transportation methods required to deliver a boiler safely and on time. Join Victory Energy on Facebook to follow the two Discovery Boilers’ trip across America or contact us today to find the right custom boiler solution for your application.

Posted in Blog, Boiler Rental, Boiler Transportation, Industrial Boilers | Tagged industrial boilers | Leave a comment

Oil Sands History: Extracting Energy Resources

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

The possibility of using the oil sands as a viable supplement to current energy resources is a notion that is becoming increasingly popular. When looking at the oil sands as a means for energy production it is important to consider how the region was discovered and the history behind the development of extracting and processing the resources from the oil sands. Did you know that the history of the oil sands dates back over 200 years when Europeans spotted bitumen along the banks of the Athabasca River?

Early History of the Oil Sands

In 1778 Peter Pond was among the first to discover the oil sands during his quest for harvesting Fur trees in the surrounding areas. A decade later, Alexander Mackenzie noted his observations on the oils sands. He documented bituminous fountains, and how the fluid state of the mixture could serve as a water sealant for canoes.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie

Many other explorers were also intrigued by the oil sand mixture. In 1875 the Canadian government started funding exploration of the oil sands, which led to several expeditions that confirmed the region of Northern Canada would produce great economic value when the time came to develop the expansive territory. It was obvious, even 200 years ago, that the oil sands could be a sound economic venture that opens new doors in energy resources and energy production.

Industrial Development of the Oil Sands

The first attempts to extract oil from bitumen were made under the assumption that there were large oil wells beneath the concentrations of bitumen. Between 1906 and 1917 two dozen wells were drilled in the hopes of striking it rich, but no such result occurred.

In 1913 came the first attempt to use a hot water flow to separate the oil sand mixture. The extracted material was shipped to various cities in Canada to be tested as a new way to pave roads; however, it could not compete with asphalt. Though oil sands were not as economical as asphalt, the groundwork for extracting and separating the oil sand mixture with hot fluid was seen as viable.

In 1920 entrepreneur R.C. Fitzsimmons opened the first bitumen processing plant, which used hot water flow to separate the bitumen to yield oil. Fitzsimmons had the right idea; however, the financial climate was not suitable for such a costly means of energy production. By the early 1950s the plant shut down.

By 1962 the government in Alberta realized the value of extracting and refining bitumen from the oil sands, not to replace conventional oil, but to supplement oil by using other types of energy. In 1967 Suncor opened the first oil sands production plant. Two years later Syncrude was approved for oil sands production. Syncrude started building a plant in 1973, and five years later their first barrel of oil was shipped. Production grew, and by 1998 Syncrude shipped their 1 billionth barrel of oil.

A proposed 1,700-mile pipeline would allow crude oil processed from Canada’s oil sands to travel to refineries along the Gulf Coast.

The oil sands continue to develop into one of the leading resources to supplement current oil production.

Want to know more?

Victory Energy Operations is a custom industrial-duty boiler manufacturer who specializes in AB and NASB certified steam energy production equipment. Providing custom boilers for enhanced oil sands extraction, food processing, universities and utilities plants; Victory Energy products help facilities run smart by increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste. Contact Victory Energy to learn how their custom boiler solutions can save energy and increase production in your facilities.

Posted in Blog, Energy Production, Industrial Boilers, Industrial Steam Boilers, Oil Sands | Tagged energy resources | Leave a comment

A Look at U.S. Energy Production by Source

Posted on January 30, 2012 by admin

It is important to consider energy production by source when it comes to evaluating energy use in the United States. Understanding the relationship between primary and secondary sources of energy sheds light on the current energy production as well as the types of energy used to facilitate a given sector. An article by the U.S. Information Administration communicates the relationship between a given energy source and its end user.

Primary sources of energy such as oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewable energy produce secondary energy such as electricity. The major sectors that use primary energy include: residential and commercial buildings, industry, transportation, and electric power. Each of these sectors uses varying amounts of each primary energy source (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, renewables). In 2010, 98 quadrillion Btu of energy was used by the United States: 37% in the form of oil, 25% natural gas, 21% coal, 9% nuclear power, and 8% renewable energy. Each sector used varying amounts of the different types of primary energy sources.

A power plant in California utilizes small, flat mirrors to track the sun and reflect the sun’s heat to a tower-mounted steam boiler. This steam powers a turbine and generator to produce electricity. Photo furnished by Victory Energy Operations, LLC and eSolar.

Residential and Commercial Buildings: Residential and commercial buildings use 11 quadrillion Btu annually, which translates to 11% of the energy consumption in the United States. This sector is responsible for 34% of all natural gas used to create energy.

Industrial: The industrial sector uses a variety of primary energy sources to create secondary energy. It uses 33% of natural gas sources, 22% of the oil source, and 28% of the renewable energy source.

Transportation: Seventy-one percent of oil (petroleum) is used in the transportation sector, thus policies focused on reducing oil consumption are focused on the transportation sector.

Electric Power: Ninety-two percent of the coal source is used to facilitate the electric power sector. Only 1% of the oil source is used for this sector, this means that policies affecting electricity generation will have a much larger impact on coal, than on oil. One hundred percent of all nuclear electric power generated is used in the electric power sector as well as 50% of the renewable energy source.

This information is essential when exploring new energy solutions. The mix of primary energy sources varies among the different demand sectors. Energy policies are influenced by relationships between the energy source and the sector that uses that source.

Victory Energy is an advocate of new energy solutions that support U.S. energy efficiency. Victory Energy assists the commercial sectors, as well as industrial and electric power sectors, by providing a variety of all types of custom engineered steam boilers and enhanced heat recovery systems to increase efficient and clean energy production. To learn more about our quality clean solutions visit, www.victoryenergy.com.

Posted in Blog, Boiler Rental, Energy Production, Heat Recovery Steam Generator, Industrial Boilers, Industrial Steam Boilers | Tagged Energy Production by Source | Leave a comment

The Future of US Fossil Fuels: 2020 Outlook

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

Recent studies by consulting firm PFC Energy conclude that the future of U.S. fossil fuels will be a major contributor to energy on a global scale. Part of the nation’s strategy in managing the stewardship of these fossil fuels will rely partly on industrial boiler manufacturers innovating technologies in order to increase efficiencies. The analysis of the study suggests that the United States will become the world’s top producer of fossil fuels by 2020.

An industrial boiler manufacturing facility located in central Oklahoma.
© 2012 Victory Energy Operations, LLC

The United States is on pace to top its previous peak production of fossil fuels, taking into account, oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Saudi Arabia will continue to be the leader in oil production; however, natural gas reserves in the United States and Canada will make them larger players in the fuel production market. It is predicted that the combined U.S. and Canadian oil production will reach an all-time high by 2016.

By the year 2020, the United States will hit 22 million barrels of oil equivalent. It is important to note that natural gas will make up 58 percent of the 22 million barrels. Technology is one of the driving forces behind the bright future of U.S. fossil fuels.

Enhanced oil recovery methods, as well as other forms of extraction from shale gas formations, will be contributors to the growth of fossil fuel production.

Enhanced Oil Recovery: Enhanced oil recovery will be contributor to the future of U.S. fossil fuels. Processes such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) will make accessible resources that previously have been too costly to extract and refine.

Extraction of Shale Gas: Technology improvements, including hydraulic fracturing, have allowed energy companies to access natural gas from shale rock that was once too complex to access economically.

While more sustainable and renewable energy sources continue to emerge, Victory Energy looks to support them and is committed to making the most out of our finite resources in fossil fuels. Jeff Coale, Vice President of Victory Energy, reinforces that concept by stating: “Parallel to the significant reserves of new domestic oil and gas North America continues to develop, we will innovate and leverage technology to maximize the productive use of all energy sources.” Victory Energy supports the future of U.S. fossil fuels by being a progressive and innovative industrial boiler manufacture. To learn more on how Victory Energy can assist your energy application visit victoryenergy.com.

An industrial boiler being prepared for shipment by rail.
© 2012 Victory Energy Operations, LLC

Posted in Blog | Tagged the future of U.S. fossil fuels | Leave a comment

Victory Energy Operations, LLC is proud to announce the addition of Mr. Michael Butcher as Applications Engineer.

Posted on January 16, 2012 by admin

Victory Energy Operations, LLC is proud to announce the addition of Mr. Michael Butcher as Applications Engineer.

Michael J. Butcher
Applications Engineer

Mr. Butcher is an Applications Engineer with 7+ years of professional experience in salesproposal generation, improving sales processes, and developing customer relationships. His background in software engineering has provided an avenue to improve the in-house methods for sales as well as order implementation; thus improving the sales to customer relationship in many facets. He has significant experience in analyzing procedural flow and innovating software to provide faster sales turnarounds as well as more accurate and user friendly customer communications.

Mr. Butcher is customer service driven, and believes that “When improving internal procedures and processes, it should be done in a way to improve the customer experience; because when you make it easy to do business, customers will keep coming back.” When asked what he liked about working at Victory Energy, Mr. Butcher stated, “The driving force at Victory is not just the financial bottom line but going that extra step to make a better marketplace with the products we provide.”

Birthday: August, 1982

Career experience:

Pressure Vessels – package boilers and economizers.
Enhanced Heat Recovery – design and manufacture of heat exchangers from economizers to HRSG modules.
Industrial Maintenance and Construction – maintaining & replacing heavy equipment within the manufacturing line of large casting plants.

Core competencies:

Estimating
Customer Relations
Technical Assistance
Software Development
Process Improvement
Personnel Management
Sales Network Creation

Key achievements:

7+ years experience in sales and customer relations.
Duties have included: sales, negotiation of contracts, web and desktop based programming, product line development, conceptual design, fabrication and maintenance.

Education: Oral Roberts University – Bachelor of Science –Computer Engineering

Organizations: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE)

Hobbies: Hunting, working out, watching the NY Giants, and renovating classic cars.

Family: Happily married with plans to have kids in the future, but for now my wife and I are just enjoying our time together.

Community involvement: Church and community service projects.

Favorite sports: Football & Softball

Favorite vacation spot: Pensacola, FL – visiting family, dinners with old friends, and the emerald coast… it can’t get much better.

Posted in Bios | Tagged Victory Energy staff | Leave a comment

US Energy Efficiencies Create Jobs

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

In a day and age when the national unemployment rate is hovering around 9%, job creation is at a premium. One of the most effective ways of creating new jobs is through improving U.S. energy efficiencies. How then, does an industrial plant facility become more energy efficient? Many facilities have implemented HRSG’s (Heat Recovery Steam Generators) and Economizers to maximize efficiency, which results in more job creation on a broad scale.

How can Energy Efficiency create Jobs?

The American Counsel for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) produced findings that help show the importance of U.S. energy efficiencies when achieving job creation. Improvement in energy efficiencies can create jobs in one of two ways:

The initial investment into energy efficiencies creates opportunities for workers via infrastructure improvements, which stimulate opportunities for the construction sector and the industries that support it.
The energy savings that result from the investment can be put to use in many ways that, in turn, support job creation.

How Are Industrial Facilities Increasing Energy Efficiency?

Two common ways plants increase their savings through energy efficiencies are through the implementation of HRSG’s and Economizers.

HRSG – A Heat Recovery Steam Generator, also known as an HRSG, captures heat that would otherwise exit a stack, and uses that heat to make steam. This steam provides added energy support to the operation, so that the plant can run more efficiently, and generates dollars in savings as well.

Economizer – An economizer, as the name suggests, economizes or saves fuel. It does so by using the energy contained in the hot exhaust flue gas from the boiler to preheat the feed water before it enters the boiler. The fuel that would have been consumed in the boiler for this thermal duty is consequently saved.

HRSGs and Economizers save an operation money, which can then be used to aid job creation. U.S. energy efficiencies will continue to advance with the growing demand for alternative sources of energy.

Victory Energy supports job creation by improving U.S. energy efficiencies through the design and manufacturing of HRSGs and Economizers that are engineered specifically with your unique application in mind.

Jeff Coale, VP of Victory Energy, gives his stance on how energy efficiencies stimulate the economy: “I agree that energy can drive a sustainable economic recovery. Not only will you employ engineering, manufacturing and construction support for energy projects, but once the project is complete, the end user is able to realize long term savings in their energy costs.”

To find out how your operation can save money by becoming more energy efficient visit victoryenergy.com. Not only can your operation save money, it can improve job creation.

Posted in Blog, Boiler Rental, Economizers, Heat Recovery Steam Generator, Industrial Steam Boilers, Oil Sands | Tagged U.S. Energy | Leave a comment

Co-generation Technology Impacts Carbon Emissions & Efficiency

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

Co-generation technology has the ability to significantly reduce a power plant’s carbon footprint and increase efficiency. Compared to the 30-35% energy efficiency produced by conventional fossil fuel fired power plants, a combined heat and power (CHP) process can boast over 80% efficiency due to effective waste heat recovery. The CPH process now provides nearly 17% of our nation’s electricity and reduces expenses to the customer by 50%. In this video, industrial boiler manufacturer, Victory Energy discusses the process and dramatic benefits of co-generation technology and how it can improve your facility operations. To learn more about co-generation technology and efficient heat recovery processes visit: http://victoryenergy.com.

Posted in Blog, Heat Recovery Steam Generator, Industrial Boilers, Industrial Steam Boilers | Tagged co-generation technology | Leave a comment

Victory Energy: Top Blogs of 2011

Posted on December 21, 2011 by admin

Economizers and the Cost of HRSG Operations

Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) operations, such as those used in ethanol plants, have long used “economizers” to help reduce their fuel costs for years.

The purpose of HRSG Economizers is actually pretty simple: remove as much heat as possible from what would otherwise be exhausted from the plant, then use that thermal energy to preheat the incoming water so it uses less fuel to become steam. Bottom line, there is no reason to allow the fuel dollars, that you have already paid for, to go up the stack. What otherwise would be “waste heat” becomes recovered (and useful) heat.

In ethanol plants, a considerable amount of water is used in the cooking operations. In addition, a significant amount of steam is used up in the process and not returned as condensate, accounting for high amount of make-up water.

To read the rest of this blog click here.

The Application of Waste Heat Recovery Boilers

Waste Heat Recovery Boilers create energy in the form of steam by repurposing wasted heat from many different types of processes. One power plant in Pennsylvania recently experienced the full benefits of innovative Waste Heat Recovery Boilers.

In the past, this plant supplied electricity to the surrounding area by using coal-fired boilers to turn a steam turbine. The coal-fired boilers have been decommissioned; however, the steam turbine is intact. The plant installed two gas turbines to take the place of the coal-fired units. With the addition of the two gas turbines, this power plant reaped the benefits of recovering heat from their exhaust. With the implementation of two waste heat recovery boilers the plant improved efficiencies by routing steam to the existing steam turbine and in turn reduced its carbon footprint.

To read the rest of this blog click here.

What is a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)?

There are many different types of industrial boilers used for various projects and applications. A Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) is a boiler that captures the exhaust from a natural gas or diesel engine, a combustion turbine, or other process and uses it to generate steam. In other words, it is used to recover the energy produced by hot exhaust gases in power generation or other thermal process and then uses this energy to produce steam that can then be used in other processes like that of driving a steam turbine. There are a few variations on the standard design. Some include supplemental or duct firing, which provide more energy, which in turn produces more steam. Other variations include diverter valves to control the inlet flow, or emissions controls (i.e. Selective Catalytic Conversion or SCR) to help reduce the nitrogen oxides.

To read the rest of this blog click here.

Refining the Oil Sands

Once bitumen (a heavy, carbon rich form of natural oil, also known as the oil sands) is extracted from the ground, a refining process must take place before it can be pipelined and used in refineries. The subject of how to turn bitumen into usable synthetic oil has been debated for years. There are different ways to take oil sands and process them into suitable synthetic oil.

Carbon Rejection through Thermal Cracking: The most common way of refining the bitumen gained from oil sands is called carbon rejection. This uses a coking process to break down the bitumen. This is one of the more cost-effective ways of converting the oil sands into synthetic oil. In this process, the heavy fuels, like bitumen, are heated under pressure in large vessels until it reaches the point of “thermal fracture,” breaking down the mixture. The downside to this process is that it creates a significant amount of a solid waste byproduct called coke.

To read the rest of this blog click here.

Oil Pipeline Project Expands Energy Resources

With gasoline prices hovering near $4 per gallon, unemployment above 9 percent and crude oil prices between $90 and $100 per barrel, aren’t you looking for some concrete actions to address these issues?

Well, there is an oil pipeline project that will help address many of those issues if and when approval is granted for it to go forward. It is the Keystone XL Pipeline project.

What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?

The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project will expand an existing pipeline, bringing crude oil obtained from tar sands in Canada to existing refineries in Texas. It might help to know that extracting oil from tar sands and shipping it via pipelines is not a new technology. Approximately 50,000 miles of pipelines already carry oil and gas, some of it from tar sands, throughout the United States.