Oil Sands Michael Cibicki Oil Sands aka Tar

Oil Sands Michael Cibicki

Oil Sands aka “Tar Sands” • What are they? • Where are they found? • How are they extracted?

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

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

Extraction • 40 -60 m under the surface, underlain by limestone • Shovel and truck strip mining operation • After excavation, hot water and caustic soda (Na. OH) 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

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

References • http: //www. energy. alberta. ca/Oil. Sands/793. a sp • http: //www. ienearth. org/ • http: //hornriver. files. wordpress. com/ • http: //scienceblogs. com/framing-science/