Assessment of International Tar Sands Recovery and Upgrading Processes

摘要

This assessment highlights and evaluates foreign technologies that might aid in the future development of heavy oil deposits in the United States. This information on foreign technology developments would aid in formulating and directing policy decisions on future research programs within the United States. Emphasis of the study was on post-1978 developing technologies. Scope included sizing the resource base and reviewing and evaluating past, present, and planned research and field developments on processes for mining, producing, extracting, and upgrading very heavy oils recovered from tar sands. This report is presented in three major sections with supporting appendices and an executive summary. The characteristics and location of the world's principal tar sands resources are presented in Chapter III. Production methods, both above ground and in-situ, factors inherent in choosing between methods and the commercial and pilot application of those methods are discussed in Chapter IV. Chapter V then presents the factors which affect the process selection for upgrading bitumen and very heavy oils so they can be pipelined and/or refined to a desired mix of consumer products. Chapter V also contains a review of conventional upgrading methods and recent developments, both foreign and domestic. A more detailed discussion of selected US upgrading processes is presented in Appendix I. (ERA citation 06:016527)