62 PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY, ECONOMICS, AND POLITICS
Because of the diversity of available information and the continuing attempts to delineate the various world tar sand deposits,
it is virtually impossible to present accurate numbers that reflect
the extent of the reserves in terms of the barrel unit. Indeed, investigations into the extent of many of the world's deposits are continuing at such a rate that the numbers vary from one year to the
next. Accordingly, the data quoted here must be recognized as
approximate with the potential of being quite different at the time
of publication.
The bitumen in tar sand deposits is estimated to be at least,
1.7 trillion barrels (1.7 x 10
12
barrels) in the Canadian Athabasca
tar sand deposits and 1.8 trillion barrels (1.8 x 10
12
barrels) in the
Venezuelan Orinoco tar sand deposits, compared to 1.75 trillion
barrels (1.3 x 10
12
barrels) of conventional oil worldwide, most of
it in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Eighty-one
percent of the world known recoverable bitumen is in the Athabasca
tar sands of Alberta, Canada. In addition, bitumen reserves under
active development are also included in the official estimate of
crude oil reserves for Canada.
In spite of the high estimations of the reserves of bitumen, the
two conditions of vital concern for the economic development of
tar-sand deposits are the concentration of the resource, or the percent bitumen saturation, and its accessibility, usually measured by
the overburden thickness. Recovery methods are based either on
mining combined with some further processing or operation on
the oil sands in situ. The mining methods are applicable to shallow deposits, characterized by an overburden ratio (i.e. overburden
depth to thickness of tar-sand deposit). For example, indications
are that for the Athabasca deposit, no more than 15% of the in-place
deposit is available within current concepts of the economics and
technology of open-pit mining; this 10% portion may be considered
as the proven reserves of bitumen in the deposit.
2.7 References
Ancheyta, J. Speight, J.G. 2007. Heavy Oils and Residua. Hydroprocessing
of Heavy Oils and Residua, Jorge Ancheyta and James G. Speight
(Editors). CRC-Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Florida. 2007.
Chapter 1.
Bailey, N.J.L., Jobson, A.M., and Rogers, M.A. 1973a. Chem. Geol. 11: 203.
Because of the diversity of available information and the continuing attempts to delineate the various world tar sand deposits,
it is virtually impossible to present accurate numbers that reflect
the extent of the reserves in terms of the barrel unit. Indeed, investigations into the extent of many of the world's deposits are continuing at such a rate that the numbers vary from one year to the
next. Accordingly, the data quoted here must be recognized as
approximate with the potential of being quite different at the time
of publication.
The bitumen in tar sand deposits is estimated to be at least,
1.7 trillion barrels (1.7 x 10
12
barrels) in the Canadian Athabasca
tar sand deposits and 1.8 trillion barrels (1.8 x 10
12
barrels) in the
Venezuelan Orinoco tar sand deposits, compared to 1.75 trillion
barrels (1.3 x 10
12
barrels) of conventional oil worldwide, most of
it in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Eighty-one
percent of the world known recoverable bitumen is in the Athabasca
tar sands of Alberta, Canada. In addition, bitumen reserves under
active development are also included in the official estimate of
crude oil reserves for Canada.
In spite of the high estimations of the reserves of bitumen, the
two conditions of vital concern for the economic development of
tar-sand deposits are the concentration of the resource, or the percent bitumen saturation, and its accessibility, usually measured by
the overburden thickness. Recovery methods are based either on
mining combined with some further processing or operation on
the oil sands in situ. The mining methods are applicable to shallow deposits, characterized by an overburden ratio (i.e. overburden
depth to thickness of tar-sand deposit). For example, indications
are that for the Athabasca deposit, no more than 15% of the in-place
deposit is available within current concepts of the economics and
technology of open-pit mining; this 10% portion may be considered
as the proven reserves of bitumen in the deposit.
2.7 References
Ancheyta, J. Speight, J.G. 2007. Heavy Oils and Residua. Hydroprocessing
of Heavy Oils and Residua, Jorge Ancheyta and James G. Speight
(Editors). CRC-Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, Florida. 2007.
Chapter 1.
Bailey, N.J.L., Jobson, A.M., and Rogers, M.A. 1973a. Chem. Geol. 11: 203.