An evaluation of the potential end uses of a Utah tar sand bitumen. [Tar sand distillate]

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:6272314

Thomas, K P; Harnsberger, P M; Guffey, F D

To date the commercial application of tar sand deposits in the United States has been limited to their use as paving materials for county roads, parking lots, and driveways because the material, as obtained from the quarries, does not meet federal highway specifications. The bitumen in these deposits has also been the subject of upgrading and refining studies to produce transportation fuels, but the results have not been encouraging from an economic standpoint. The conversion of tar sand bitumen to transportation fuels cannot compete with crude oil refining. The purposes of this study were two-fold. The first was to produce vacuum distillation residues and determine if their properties met ASTM asphalt specifications. The second was to determine if the distillates could serve as potential feedstocks for the production of aviation turbine fuels. The bitumen used for this study was the oil produced during an in situ steamflood project at the Northwest Asphalt Ridge (Utah) tar sand deposit. Two distillation residues were produced, one at +316/sup 0/C and one at +399/sup 0/C. However, only the lower boiling residue met ASTM specifications, in this case as an AC-30 asphalt. The original oil sample met specifications as an AC-5 asphalt. These residue samples showed some unique properties in the area of aging; however, these properties need to be investigated further to determine the implications. It was also suggested that the low aging indexes and high flow properties of the asphalts may be beneficial for pavements that require good low-temperature performance. Two distillate samples were produced, one at IBP-316/sup 0/C and one at IBP-399/sup 0/C. The chemical and physical properties of these samples were determined, and it was concluded that both samples appear to be potential feedstocks for the production of aviation turbine fuels. However, hydrogenation studies need to be conducted and the properties of the finished fuels determined to verify the prediction. 14 refs., 12 tabs.

• Research Organization: Western Research Inst., Laramie, WY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FC21-83FE60177
• OSTI ID: 6272314
• Report Number(s): DOE/FE/60177-2423; ON: DE88000142
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040403* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Refining
040500 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Properties & Composition
040600 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Products & By-Products
ASPHALTS
AVIATION FUELS
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BOILING POINTS
BUILDING MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL FEEDSTOCKS
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
DATA
DENSITY
DISTILLATES
DISTILLATION
DUCTILITY
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INFORMATION
INFRARED SPECTRA
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MELTING POINTS
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SAND DEPOSITS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROCESSING
REFINING
RESIDUES
ROADS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTRA
STEAM INJECTION
TAR
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
USA
USES
UTAH
VISCOSITY