Bitumen is a low-grade of crude oil which is composed of complex, heavy hydrocarbons. In an oil reservoir, bitumen is a thick, viscous fluid and must be extracted from the ground. When extracting it, a lot of heat and effort must be used to upgrade it to a better product. The mixture — called slurry — is sent to separation vessels where the bitumen-rich froth is skimmed from the top. This froth generally contains about 65 per cent oil, 25 per cent water and 10 per cent solids. When the coarse sand settles it is pumped to disposal sites. Generally, 88-95 per cent of the bitumen in the mined oil sand is recovered. 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). In some areas, particularly in the United States, bitumen is often called asphalt, Industry insiders long considered bitumen to be a “garbage” crude. But now that the light, sweet oil we covet has become more scarce and its price has skyrocketed, bitumen has become worth the trouble to recover. At room temperature, bitumen has the consistency of peanut butter, thick enough to hold in your hands.
7 Sep 2015 Yet despite this heavy carbon content, bitumen can justifiably claim to be one of the most environmentally friendly crude oil products. What!? Bitumen, also known as asphalt in the United States, is a substance that forms through the distillation of crude oil. It has waterproofing and adhesive properties. Bitumen production through distillation removes lighter crude oil components, such as gasoline and diesel, leaving the “heavier” bitumen behind.
Unconventional petroleum resources are typically defined by being of low mobility — either high viscosity oil (e.g. heavy oil or bitumen) or low permeability The heavy oil extracted from oil sands is called bitumen. The Alberta oil sands have helped Canada becoming a leading oil producer.
25 Jun 2018 Bitumen is a low-grade of crude oil which is composed of complex, heavy hydrocarbons. In an oil reservoir, bitumen is a thick, viscous fluid and 21 Aug 2012 But this oil is no ordinary crude oil, and it carries with it risks that we're only beginning to understand. Its core ingredient — bitumen — is not The steam to oil ratio required for SAGD bitumen production is typically (2–3) m3· m−3 on a liquid volume basis. For a steam to oil ratio of 2.5, the SAGD energy 8 Aug 2013 Whereas conventional crude oil flows freely, bitumen does not. At room temperature it looks like cold molasses, and must be either heated or Bitumen includes hydrocarbons such as asphalt and mineral wax. Typically solid or nearly so, Synonyms: ultra heavy oil. 3. n. [Shale Gas]. The fraction of
It also produces flasher tops, or light vacuum gas oil, and flasher bottoms, or heavy vacuum gas oil, which are sent to a catalytic cracker offsite. From this tower, the asphalt is moved to storage tanks.