Heavy Oil
Seminar Sponsors Western Economic Diversification Government of Alberta Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Development (Canada) Export Development Canada PEMEX
Alberta Oil Sand
Heavy Oil Not recoverable in its natural state through a well by ordinary production methods. Heavy - its density or specific gravity is higher than that of light crude oil Usually classified by viscosity (measure of resistance to flow) and density Viscosity >100 cp or mpa.s, Density < 22 0 API (specific gravity of 0.922)
What are Oil Sands? Thick, sticky mixture of sand, water, and bitumen About 6 to 12 degrees API Immobile at reservoir conditions (8-12 deg. C) Unconsolidated very porous & permeable Exploited by mining & in situ techniques Source: Suncor Energy
Bitumen and Water within Oil Sands Source: Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI)
Some Characteristics of Bitumen Bitumen is a complex hydrocarbon mixture formed from the biological degradation of an original conventional oil with the light ends (commonly C 1 to C 10 ) largely removed. Saturates Bitumen properties demonstrate a wide range areally and vertically across geological formations. Aromatics Bitumen commonly retains non-hydrocarbon components including sulphur, various metals and water. Resins Bitumen in the ground is a semi-solid that does not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons. Asphaltenes Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.
Chemical Spectra of Bitumen Source: Geoffrey Maitland, Imperial College London Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.
(C84) (C88) (C92) (C96) (C100) Bitumen Compositional Analysis 10 Athabasca Bitumen 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd. Wt % (<C7) (C9) (C11) (C13) (C15) (C17) (C20) (C24) (C28) (C32) (C36) (C40) (C44) (C48) (C52) (C56) (C60) (C64) (C68) (C72) (C76) (C80) Carbon No.
Definitions Oil Shale (contains oil of any API) Very fine consolidated grain, low porosity ~ 8%, very low permeability < 10md Low viscosity, API Bitumen (oil sands) (is typically 6 to 12 API) Large uncemented sands, 32-34% porosity, Permeability 1-6 D 200,000 to 2 million cp at reservoir temperature No universal division between conventional oil and heavy oil ~12-14 API
Oil Density and API Gravity kg/m 3 Water @1000
Viscosity: Keeping it all together Typical Viscosities of Common Materials Window Putty Caulking Compound Bitumen In Situ Baking Lard Peanut Butter Ketchup or Mustard Chocolate Syrup Blackstrap Molasses Corn Syrup or Honey Motor Oil SAE60 or Glycerin Motor Oil SAE40 or Castor Oil Motor Oil SAE30 or Maple Syrup Motor Oil SAE10 or Mazola Corn Oil Anti-Freeze or Ethylene Glycol Blood or Kerosene Water @ 70 F 0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1E+06 1E+07 1E+08 1E+09 Viscosity (centipoise) Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.
Oil Gravity and Viscosity Source: Geoffrey Maitland, Imperial College London Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.
Petroleum Comparisons Source: Geoffrey Maitland, Imperial College London Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.
Bitumen Viscosity vs. Temperature 10,000,000 1,000,000 100,000 Bitum en at Virgin Re se rvoir Condition Peanut B utter Ketchup 10,000 Viscosity (cp) 1,000 100 10 Maple Syrup Olive Oil Cream Bitumen under SAGD 1 Water 0 50 100 150 200 250 Temperature (deg C) Source: B. Kearl
The Magic of Temperature Athabasca Bitumen Viscosity Correlation 100,000,000 Viscosity (cp) 10,000,000 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 1,000 API 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 14.0 10 C 100 90 C 10 1 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Temperature (C) Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd. & RPS Energy
Typical Bitumen Properties Courtesy of Laricina Energy Ltd.