Alberta Research Council - AACI Research Team

For as long as he can remember, Dr. Doug Lillico has been designing and building things. Born in Chilliwack, BC,  and raised in Fort St. John, he won numerous science prizes in school, so it was only natural he would study Mechanical Engineering when he got to the University of British Columbia. His early promise gave way to success as he finished first in his class. It was time for a new challenge and he headed to the University of Alberta for his graduate degrees, where his supervisors were Dr. Douglas Dale and Dr. Jacob Masilyah (also nominated for an ASTech Award this year). The quality of Dr. Lillico’s work led to his being presented an Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) opportunity to conduct oilsands research at the Alberta Research Council (ARC). In effect, he was paid to complete his Master’s degree and his PhD, and his excellent results led to a permanent position with ARC, where he has remained ever since, concentrating his efforts on heavy oil extraction technologies.

As ARC’s Manager, Heavy Oil and Oil Sands and leader of the Alberta Energy Research Institute/Alberta Research Council Core Industry (AACI) Research Program, Doug is able to engage in the kind of in situ heavy oil research and development he so enjoys. In so doing, he collaborates with a team whose achievements have been nothing short of spectacular. And the team is not confined to AACI scientists. In fact, Dr. Lillico states that one of the elements that make the program both successful and enjoyable has been the support and participation of industry partners. The following companies are contributing both financially and through the direct involvement of their own researchers and engineers:

  • BP Exploration
  • Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. 
  • ChevronTexaco
  • Computer Modelling Group
  • ConocoPhillips
  • Devon Canada
  • ENI 
  • Husky Oil
  • Imperial Oil
  • JACOS
  • Nexen
  • Norsk Hydro
  • North American Oil Sands
  • Oilsands Quest
  • Petro-Canada
  • Repsol
  • Schlumberger
  • Shell International
  • Statoil
  • Suncor
  • Total

 

One would think, from the many nationalities represented by the exceptional companies listed above, that the AACI research must be at once successful and have an impact that extends far beyond Alberta. And one would be correct. In its 2003 report, Evaluation of the Impact and Value of the AACI Program, The Centre for Innovation Studies (THECIS), concluded that for every dollar it spends on R&D, the program yields $12 of value. This is nothing short of staggering from what is, effectively, public-sector research—albeit with a significant practical side. Among the AACI’s major accomplishments are: