Building Alberta’s Oil Sands Industry

Canada holds the third largest oil reserves in the world. Most of the recoverable reserves are located in Alberta as oil sands deposits. As conventional oil supplies are getting depleted the oil sands are increasingly used to satisfy our energy needs. The investment in building new extraction and processing facilities was significant over the last decade and it is estimated that will continue to grow substantially between now and 2035. Most of the new facilities are located in the province’s northeast region which is known for the long and harsh winters. Construction occurs all year around with welding being performed often at sub-zero ambient temperatures. The paper illustrates the challenges and current PCL practices when welding in sub-zero ambient temperatures on pressure equipment and structural steel components.