Heavy oil and tar sands resources of western Canada

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5950126

McIntosh, R A; Beckie, K N

Western Canada contains about 2.5 trillion bbl of crude bitumen and heavy oil in an area of some 20,000 mi/sup 2/. Of this, an estimated 11%, or 280 billion bbl, is thought to be recoverable. This compares with 17.0 billion bbl of recoverable conventional crude oil discovered to date in Western Canada. The majority of the recoverable bitumen/heavy oil resources must be produced by in-situ thermal processes since only 12% is recoverable by surface mining and about 1% by conventional production practices. Current production is about 550,000 b/d with 45% being conventionally produced heavy oil, 33% surface-mined bitumens, and the remainder in-situ bitumen production. Western Canada's bitumen/heavy oil resources and associated gas are mostly entrapped in shallow Lower Cretaceous fluvio-deltaic sands at depths of less than 3000 ft, and mostly along the western flank of a regional anticline caused by drape over an underlying salt solution escarpment. Additional reserves of bitumen are also entrapped in Devonian and Mississippian carbonates which subcrop the Cretaceous. Commercial bitumen production commenced in 1967 using surface mining techniques, but development of more such mines is unlikely without significant technology changes, cost reductions, or substantially higher oil prices. Bitumen recovered by in-situ thermal methods is economically favorable to surface mining as demonstrated by the initiation of 29 experimental plants and 8 commercial projects, all of the latter having started in the last five years. The uncertainties of crude oil prices, and in-situ project costs require substantial efforts by governments to provide encouraging economic and regulatory environments to ensure continuing development of these large resources.

• Research Organization: Alberta Energy Co. Ltd., Calgary (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 5950126
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 72:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040100* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Reserves & Exploration-- (-1989)
ALBERTA
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CANADA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
MATERIALS
MESOZOIC ERA
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
TAR