Unconventional Oil
Arno de Klerk
Abstract
Unconventional oil refers to crude oil that is in deposits where the oil is difficult to produce and/or transport in its native state. Oil sand is a mixture of high-viscosity organic matter (bitumen) and mineral matter. The properties of bitumen largely reflect the limited amount of light material present in native bitumen, which causes it to have a high density, high viscosity, and high heteroatom content. The chapter focuses on Canadian oilsands to illustrate how oilsands differ from conventional crude oil with respect to properties, recovery, and transport. The production of bitumen from oilsands by mining and recovery by extraction, as well as the subsurface recovery of bitumen from oilsands deposits, is described. The difference between upgrading to produce a pipeline transportable oil product and refining to final products that are of use to society is explained.