Oil Sands The Orinoco and Athabasca Basins Authored

Oil Sands: The Orinoco and Athabasca Basins Authored By: Adam Gorecki

Oil Sands Ores l Types of Ore l Crude Bitumen l l ~10% Bitumen in silica sands with trace amounts of water and clay § 10, 000 < Centipoise viscosity § Principle Ore of Athabasca Heavy-Crude Oil l Heavy oil in silica sands § § § l 1, 000 > Centipose viscosity < 10, 000 Principle Ore of Orinoco Secondary Ore of Athabasca Natural Gas § § Secondary Ore of Athabasca Secondary Ore of Orinoco Crude Bitumen (Courtesy of )

Oil Sands Recovery and Processing l Processing Extra-Heavy Oil Processing (Courtesy of )

Oil Sands Recovery and Processing l Recovery Methods l l Well Pumping Surface Mining Extraction of Athabasca oil sands (Courtesy of ) l In-Situ Leaching l Steam is pumped into reservoirs, heating the bitumen. This decreases the viscosity of the medium, thus making it easier to pump to the surface In-Situ Leaching (Courtesy of )

Oil Sands Mining Operations l Orinoco Basin l Mineable Area l l 54, 000 sq. km Daily Production l 600, 000 barrels (Source: http: //www. oilandgaseurasia. com/news/p/0/news/1967) l Reserves l 692, 000 barrels crude and heavycrude oil § The World’s largest Hydrocarbon Deposit (Source: Galavis and Velarde 1967) l Well Pumping and In-Situ Leaching l Depths between 610 m to 1, 220 m (Source: Galavis and Velarde 1967) The Orinoco Basin (From Isea, 1987)

Oil Sands Mining Operations l Athabasca Basin l Mineable Area l l Daily Production l l 3, 400 sq. km 760, 000 barrels Reserves l 335, 000 barrels § § l 315, 000 barrels cude bitumen 19, 700, 000 heavy-crude oil Surface Mining and In-Situ Leaching (Source: http: //www. mining-technology. com/projects/athabascasands/) The Athabasca Basin Deposits Athabasca, Peace River, Cold Lake (From Crerar and Arnott, 2007)

Oil Sands Deposition Setting l Transgression – Regression Sequences l Athabasca Basin l l l Orinoco Basin l l l Prograding Delta l l l Transgressive Unit Beach-Barrier Island System l Regressive Reservoir Unit Restricted (Low Energy) Marine Environment l l Miocene Period Oficina Formation Facies l l Cretaceous Period, Albian Stage Mc. Murray Formation Sealing Unit Abundant Marine Life Stable Tectonic Setting Ganges River, a modern estuarine delta (Courtesy of NASA’s Earthobservatory)

Oil Sands Deposition Setting Schematic Oil Sands Deposition Setting (Courtesy of Gorecki, 2009)

Oil Sands Deposits l Reservoir Rock l Sandy Basal Interval l l Medium to coarse-grained partially sorted silica-rich sands Relatively high porosity § l Sealing Unit l Shaly Interval l ~30% to ~90% Acts as a cap isolating hydrocarbons from exposure to air and water Relatively low porosity Minimal Tectonic Alteration l Eliminates air and water interaction impenetrable An outcrop of the Mc. Murray Formation in Alberta (Courtesy of )

Oil Sands Deposits (Courtesy of Gorecki, 2009)

Oil Sands: The Orinoco and Athabasca Basins QUESTIONS?