Tar sands, Future technologies, Production effectiveness
Tar sands occur in tailings and they are sometimes referred to as oil sands. There is no clear distinction between the two. The concept of oil sands or tar sands is well understood from Canada ( Cerclay 2) which has many industries that mine the resource. Processes have evolved over time with new technologies being discovered on how to effectively mine the oil. The bitumen go through a series of processes before it can become useful. The whole process is known as upgrading (Nikiforuk 29). Scientific method being developed by scientists currently is the solvent process. Suitable solvents are used to absorb the impurities and leave no traces in the bitumen.
Future technologies that use steam by injecting it to the ground is underway the method is almost completed and has been used in some industries. Steam is preferred to some of the inventions since recycling is done and water conserved. In general, the other convention oil wells are easier to mine than the numerous tar sands (Cerclay et al 57). Production effectiveness is compared between the scientific extraction and the traditional methods. Though most effective, the scientific methods need expertise to carry out the operation. These tailings have been found to affect the environment and appropriate measures are being taken to curb the problem. This can only be achieved if research is done and more effective technologies are invented.
[...] Upgrading is needed before refining the bitumen. Numerous scientific methods or technologies are used. Recovery technology is the very fast method to be depending on viscosity, grade and depth of the area. In-situ technology is used in deeper and less warm resources. The tar must be less viscous for this technology. Other methods include stream injection, solvent vapor. Cerclay recommends Cold Heavy Oil Production with sand chops. Tar sands exist in ecosystems known as tailings. To manage them, ponds are normally used. [...]
[...] Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology (2008): 1-10 Print. Nikiforuk, Andrew. Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and Future of a Continent. Vancouver: Greystone/David Suzuki Fdtn Print. Sheppard, Mary C. Oil Sands Scientist: The Letters of Karl A. Clark. Edmonton: University of Alberta Print. [...]
[...] The trucks transport the load to the extraction plant. Alternatively it can be piped to this point. The mixture is piped into basins or tailing ponds to settle. The separation then takes place and the extracted bitumen are sent to be upgraded further. Bitumen at this stage gets upgraded to get a crude oil that is synthetic in nature (Brown p .26). One limitation of this method is cost effectiveness. The costs of transportation to the separation center can be high. The material used here is mainly water. [...]
[...] The report covers the solvent method. Ionic separation by the use of cations of ILs is a big step in the technological inventions. This study brings out clearly the type of materials used in the extraction. Steam is a major component used in vapor method. Water is used in almost all the methods, be it ionic on mechanical methods. Hydrocarbons like heptane are used due to their stability and that they boil at low temperatures. Most people in the world are not of the emissions of the tar sands. [...]
[...] This method has been developed to have a scaled container put on top of a table and loads of tar sand added to it. Eco- friendliness of this technology has been making it become more popular among oil sands producing companies. Works cited Brown, Chrales E. World energy resources. New York City: Springer Print Cerclay, Hilda. Tar sands: The Golden Calf. Bloomington: iUniverse Print. Larter, S et al. Origin, Prediction and Impact of Oil Viscosity Heterogeneity on the Production Characteristics of Tar Sand and Heavy Oil Reservoirs”. [...]
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