Acceleware Innovations: Electromagnetic Heating Technology Using Radio Waves to Heat and Mobilize Heavy Oil and Bitumen 

Acceleware has developed and substantially advanced Electromagnetic (EM) Heating Technology for heavy oil and bitumen extraction, unlocking new possibilities for cleaner, more efficient oil recovery.  

The project, funded by CRIN, Alberta Innovates, Emissions Reduction Alberta, and Sustainable Development Technology Canada, generated 12 new patents, 16 new jobs, and revenue growth of $5 million as it showcased enhanced oil recovery (EOR) while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reducing surface disturbance and eliminating the need for fresh water in the heating process.  

Launched in 2022 and concluding in 2024, the project demonstrated the potential of Acceleware’s RF XL technology, which is an all-electric, scalable, on-demand and efficient heating technology that uses radio frequency (RF) energy to economically decarbonize production of heavy oil and oil sands. 

The goal was to validate pathways to significantly lower GHG emissions, eliminate the need for fresh water in the extraction process, and noticeably lower both capital and operating costs. Additionally, RF XL offers the potential to tap into vast reserves of oil previously deemed inaccessible.   

Traditional thermal EOR techniques such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), have struggled with reservoirs that are very deep, too thin, have cracked or fractured rock, are shallow, or are smaller and of high quality, where up to 90% of the oil remains in the ground. RF XL offers a breakthrough alternative method; by using EM waves instead of steam, the technology enables EOR in reservoirs that have been abandoned due to inefficiencies in conventional methods. 

Acceleware achieved initial objectives through the deployment of its RF XL technology in the first phase commercial-scale pilot in Marwayne, Alberta. The project involved extensive testing and validation of the EM heating technology, which included seven consecutive months of EM power injection. This phase demonstrated the efficacy and efficiency of the core of Acceleware’s heating technology – the surface installed power supply dubbed the Clean Tech Inverter (CTI). 

The project also successfully demonstrated that the CTI can run very high-power and high-temperature industrial process heating applications, and is deployable in the subsurface. The benefits of the technology included a significant reduction in surface disturbance and the ability to heat without added freshwater. The project validated the scalability of the RF XL system, which can be moved to different wells or pads to optimize productivity and returns. 

With the success of this pilot, Acceleware is now focused on refining downhole components to improve performance and longevity, as well as further testing and validation to move closer to full-scale commercial deployment.  

In parallel with continued effort to progress a second phase of heating at Marwayne, the company is also investigating the opportunity for Acceleware, as an operator, to acquire a suitable heavy oil property, and apply RF XL as a secondary recovery method that could potentially improve the property’s production and ultimate recovery.

The project's broader impacts include the potential for RF XL to be a transformative technology for the oil and gas industry, enabling cleaner, more economical production methods and setting a precedent for sustainable innovation in other industrial applications. 

"RF XL not only has the potential to materially lower the cost of heavy oil production while cutting emissions but could also enable the production of barrels that were not previously considered viable for development, which would be a boon to the Canadian economy,” said Geoff Clark, CEO of Acceleware.