Oil Sands

1
Oil Sands

• Michael Cibicki

2
Oil Sands aka Tar Sands

• What are they?
• Where are they found?
• How are they extracted?

3
What are they?

• A mixture of sand or clay, water and extremely
  viscous petroleum called bitumin
• Often referred to as unconventional oil

4
Where are they found?

• Historically used by ancient Egyptians,
  Sumerians, and Persians for waterproofing uses
• Primary reserves found in Canada (Alberta) and
  Venezuela
• 20 of US oil comes from Canada, 50 oil sands
• Alberta has 54,000 sq miles of oil sands
  containing 95 of Canadian oil reserves and 75
  of North American oil reserves

5
Extraction

• 40-60m under the surface, underlain by limestone
• Shovel and truck strip mining operation
• After excavation, hot water and caustic soda
  (NaOH) are added and mixture is agitated,
  creating a liquid with oil rising to the top
• Bitumen is much thicker and must be mixed with
  lighter petroleum or gas before it can be
  transported via pipeline to a refinery.
• 2-4 times the amount of green house gases as
  conventional extraction
• 2 tons of oil sand needed to create 1 barrel of
  oil
• 90 extraction

6
Extraction

• Steam assisted gravity drainage
• Two pipes, one on top for steam, one under to
  catch oil
• 60 recovery
• Cyclic Steam generation
• Steam injected into a well at 300-340 degrees C
• Injected for a period of weeks to months
• Drained for a period of weeks to months
• 20-25 recovery

7
References

• http//www.energy.alberta.ca/OilSands/793.asp
• http//www.ienearth.org/
• http//hornriver.files.wordpress.com/
• http//scienceblogs.com/framing-science/