Trapping of Bubbles in Oil Sands Tailing Ponds

Abstract

Oil sands tailings ponds are significant emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Canada. To move beyond making surface or atmospheric measurements of GHG release, it is necessary to understand the physical mechanisms by which gas is generated, bubbles form and then are either released or remain trapped in the pond. We present a review of the physical description of tailings ponds, relevant to gas release models. In particular, we target rheological variations within a pond and how these directly affect the distribution of trapped gas bubbles with depth. Within the limits of the available data, we show how gas content may vary significantly across ponds, and develop data-driven one-dimensional models of gas distribution and rheology.

Keywords

• GHG emissions
• oil sands tailings ponds
• yield stress
• modelling
• rheology