Unleashing potential of world's largest hydrocarbon deposit

Conference · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA)

OSTI ID:5567149

Rottenfusser, B A; MacGillivray, J R ^[1]

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1. Alberta Research Council, Edmonton (Canada)

The largest single hydrocarbon deposit in the world occurs in the McMurray/Wabiskaw interval of the Athabasca oil sands of northeastern Alberta. The deposit is estimated to contain 144 {times} 10{sup 9} m{sup 3} (906 {times} 10{sup 9} bbl) of bitumen. Resource characterization studies are revealing the size, structure, depositional environments, and reservoir geometries of this huge deposit. A variety of innovative recovery projects are beginning to tap the vast potential. The sediments of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation and Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater Formation consist primarily of unconsolidated sands and muds. The McMurray Formation was deposited in fluvial and estuarine environments with more fluvial influence lower in the section. The Wabiskaw Member sediments were deposited in shallow marine environments as the Clearwater Sea transgressed from the north. About 10% of the McMurray/Wabiskaw deposit is shallow enough for surface mining techniques. Two surface mines produce an average of 29 {times} 10{sup 3} m{sup 3} (180 {times} 10{sup 3} bbl) of synthetic oil/day. The 90% of the bitumen which lies too deep for surface mining must be recovered by in-situ methods. The enormous potential and difficulty of producing the bitumen has led to numerous piloting strategies. Steam drive or steam stimulation techniques have been the preferred strategies, with one attempt to use a combustion thermal drive. An innovative technique that seems to be having good initial success is the gravity drainage process, being tested at the Underground Test Facility and operated by the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority. Two shafts have been bored and a kilometer of tunnels excavated in the Devonian limestone beneath the oil sands. The tunnels access drilling chambers from which steam injection and production wells are drilled upward and then horizontally into the overlying oil sands.

• OSTI ID: 5567149
• Report Number(s): CONF-8910195--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA) Journal Volume: 73:9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040100* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Reserves & Exploration-- (-1989)
ALBERTA
ATHABASCA DEPOSIT
BITUMENS
CANADA
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
MESOZOIC ERA
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SAND DEPOSITS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
STEAM INJECTION
TAR