WorldWide Drilling Resource

Get the Facts About Oil Sands Compiled by Bonnie Love, Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Canada’s oil sands have taken center stage throughout the Keystone Pipeline de- bate, but what exactly are oil sands? Oil sands are a natural geologic formation which can be found in about 70 countries around the world, including Brazil, Cuba, Jordan, Russia, Spain, and even the United States. The largest deposit is located in Canada. Oil sands are a mixture of sand, clay or other minerals, water, and bitumen, which is a heavy and extremely viscous oil which must be treated before it can be used by refineries to produce fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Unlike conventional petroleum, which is in natural liquid form, the bitumen in oil sands needs to be separated from the sand before it can be used. More than two trillion barrels of the world's petroleum lies in oil sands. Shallow reserves make up about 20% of oil sands and surface mining is used to recover them. Once mined, the oil sands are taken to a processing plant where it is crushed and treated with hot water and chemicals to release the bitumen. The bitumen is then separated from the water, blended with lighter hydrocarbons to reduce its viscosity, and taken to a refinery. Deep deposits are recovered with in situ techniques. Using wells drilled down into the oil sands, steam and chemicals are pumped into the well to soften the bitumen and reduce its viscosity. The softened bitumen is pumped through an extraction well to the surface where it is cleaned, blended with lighter hydrocarbons, and sent to the refinery. Bitumen has been used by mankind for centuries and was found on stone tools used by Neanderthals 40,000 years ago. Egyptians used bitumen on their mummies at the end of the New Kingdom (after 1100 B.C.). In fact, the Arabic word for bitumen is mumiyyah, which is where we get the word mummy. Although the most common uses of oil derived from oil sands today are for heating and fuels, it’s also used to make asphalt, plastics, machinery lubricants, and synthetic fabrics. Congratulat ions to: Jim Flanders Stanley, NC Winner for October! Time for a Little Fun! October Puzzle Solution: Mills Machine Company Better Water Industries Can you identify which ads in this issue these two photos came from? Win a prize! Send your completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 or fax to: 850-547-0329 _______________ _______________ 52 NOVEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®