Emergent Thermanl Extraction Technology: THAI
- Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI)
- Only one or two planned commercial applications in Canada
- Process where by the subsurface bitumen is ignited and supported
with air injected from the surface.
- As the fire front advances, the heat warms the bitumen, reducing
its viscosity and retorting it. In combination, these
transformations result in moveable oil that flows towards the
production wells surrounding the ignition area.