ENVIRONMENT: Shell starts commercial-scale tailings field demonstration

ALBERTA - Shell Canada of Calgary has started up a commercial-scale tailings field demonstration at its Muskeg River oil sands mine near Fort McMurray. The atmospheric fines drying demonstration was approved by the Energy and Resources Conservation Board early last month.

Atmospheric fines drying involves using a large barge to collect mature fine tailings (MFT) from the tailings pond and transferring them to the drying area. The mature fine tailings are then mixed with flocculants and placed on a sloped surface to help speed up the release of water from the clay. The released water runs down the sloped surface to a collection area and is returned to the external tailings facility for reuse in the extraction process. What remains are deposits that are further dried to meet strength and reclamation requirements.

The demonstration project covers 30 ha and is to create 250,000 tonnes of dry tails.

The Muskeg River mine is owned 60% by Shell Canada, 20% by Chevron Canada and 20% by Marathon Oil Sands.

For more information on Shell's tailings management visit www.Shell.ca/Tailings.