The Athabasca oil sands, also known as the Athabasca tar sands, are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil (viscosity of 5,000-10,000 centipoises) that constitute unconventional resources, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada – roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray.
Where is bitumen found in Canada?
Canada’s bitumen reserves — the oil sands — are located in three parts of Alberta: Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River. The Wabiskaw-McMurray deposit (in the Athabasca oil sands area) surrounding Fort McMurray is largest and nearest the surface.
Where is Alberta bitumen refined?
Once extracted, the bitumen is refined. Some refining is done within the oil sands region or other Alberta refineries, but most is sent to refineries all over North America via pipeline, rail or marine transport.
How much bitumen does Alberta produce?
In 2021, in situ bitumen production increased by 11.6 per cent to 264.6 thousand cubic metres per day (103 m3/d) or 1665.1 thousand barrels per day (103 bbl/d).
What is Alberta bitumen used for?
Refining. Most North American refineries receive either diluted bitumen or SCO via pipeline from Alberta. Refineries transform upgraded diluted bitumen or SCO into usable petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene, butane and other hydrocarbons.
Where do you find natural bitumen?
A handful of countries have bitumen mines, including Canada, Iraq, Australia, Russia and Venezuela. Major natural bitumen resources are in Alabama, Alaska, California, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Utah is estimated to contain about 18,680 MMBO in 10 major accumulations.
Where is natural bitumen found?
pitch lakes
bitumen, dense, highly viscous, petroleum-based hydrocarbon that is found in deposits such as oil sands and pitch lakes (natural bitumen) or is obtained as a residue of the distillation of crude oil (refined bitumen).
Why doesn t Alberta refine bitumen?
There’s actually a very good reason why North America’s refining hub is in Louisianna and Texas, and not Alberta. That’s because large volumes of refined products can only be transported by ship, not pipelines. Refining crude oil is actually a low margin business, especially when crude oil prices are high.
Where does most bitumen come from?
The first is where it occurs naturally — normally found in the mud at the bottom of lakes and other water sources. Naturally occurring bitumen can be found all over the world, with the largest deposit being in Canada. The second source of bitumen is where it’s derived from existing sources of petroleum.
Why doesn t Canada refine tar sands?
The big refineries are mostly in the east. Those in central and eastern Canada mostly process lighter crude oils, with western refiners more focused on locally available oil sands crude. Because of Canada’s relatively small population, the high capital demands and long-term payback period for refining are problematic.
What is Alberta’s top 3 natural resources?
Alberta has large coal, oil and gas deposits in the Western Sedimentary Basin, which covers most of the province. Its oil resources have been heavily exploited.
Which country has the highest bitumen in the world?
World’s largest bitumen deposits
In Venezuela, the Orinoco Belt contains huge deposits of oil sands, known as the Orinoco Oil Sands or the Orinoco Tar Sands.
Where is bitumen mined?
Athabasca oil sands region
The oil type mined in the Athabasca oil sands region is bitumen. This naturally occurring oil is so viscous that even at room temperature it acts like cold molasses. The oil sand is quartz sand; each grain of sand is surrounded by a thin film of water, and then covered in the heavy oil.
What is the problem with bitumen?
In the long-term, bitumen exposure can cause lung and stomach cancer, pigment changes in the skin, bronchitis and emphysema. In addition, bitumen additives may cause damage to the liver, kidneys and nervous system. When hot bitumen releases hydrogen sulphide gas into the air, suffocation and even death may occur.
Which is most commonly used type of bitumen?
3– Petroleum Asphalts are the bitumen which is derived from petroleum. These are solid and semi-solid bitumen which is directly produced through distillation from petroleum or by additional operations such as air blowing. Compared with the other types, they are more commonly used and have more applications.
Is bitumen still used?
Bitumen has been utilised for its adhesive and waterproofing qualities for over 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest known engineering material still used today. It is particularly popular in the roofing industry, as it can create a watertight structure which is proven to stand the test of time.
How do I find bitumen content of a field?
Procedure of Test
Take exactly 500 grams of the representative sample and place it in the bowl of the extraction apparatus (W1). Add benzene to the sample until it is completely submerged. Dry and weigh the filter paper and place it over the bowl of the extraction apparatus containing the sample (B).
How do I get bitumen?
In addition to being found naturally in seeps and the oil sands, bitumen can be produced by removing lighter fractions from crude oil during the refining process. Fractions that are removed are liquid petroleum gas, gasoline, and diesel.
How do you identify a bitumen?
The following tests are usually conducted to evaluate different properties of bituminous materials.
- Penetration test.
- Ductility test.
- Softening point test.
- Specific gravity test.
- Viscosity test.
- Flash and Fire point test.
- Float test.
- Water content test.
Is bitumen found in oil sands?
Oil sands are a mixture of sand, clay, water, and bitumen. Bitumen is extra-heavy crude oil, some of which is so viscous that it cannot flow on its own.
What does bitumen look like?
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (UK: /ˈbɪtjʊmɪn/, US: /bɪˈtjuːmən, baɪ-/), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum.