The exploitation of bituminous deposits and seeps dates back to Paleolithic times. See also: History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil) 6.8 Combustion Overhead Gravity Drainage (COGD).6.5 Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD).6.3 Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS).2 Cost of oil sands petroleum-mining operations.
In Canada, oil sands production in general, and in-situ extraction, in particular, are the largest contributors to the increase in the nation's greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2017, according to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). According to the Oil Climate Index, carbon emissions from oil-sand crude are 31% higher than from conventional oil. Together with other so-called unconventional oil extraction practices, oil sands are implicated in the unburnable carbon debate but also contribute to energy security and counteract the international price cartel OPEC. The 19 oil price increases, and development of improved extraction technology enabled profitable extraction and processing of the oil sands. Natural bitumen and extra-heavy oil differ in the degree by which they have been degraded from the original conventional oils by bacteria. The Orinoco Belt in Venezuela is sometimes described as oil sands, but these deposits are non-bituminous, falling instead into the category of heavy or extra-heavy oil due to their lower viscosity. At room temperature, it is much like cold molasses. Ĭrude bitumen is a thick, sticky form of crude oil, so viscous that it will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons such as light crude oil or natural-gas condensate. Proven reserves of bitumen contain approximately 100 billion barrels, and total natural bitumen reserves are estimated at 249.67 Gbbl (39.694 × 10 ^ 9 m 3) worldwide, of which 176.8 Gbbl (28.11 × 10 ^ 9 m 3), or 70.8%, are in Alberta, Canada. The estimated worldwide deposits of oil are more than 2 trillion barrels (320 billion cubic metres) the estimates include deposits that have not been discovered. Significant bitumen deposits are reported in Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Venezuela. Oil sands are either loose sands or partially consolidated sandstone containing a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and water, soaked with bitumen, a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum. Oil sands, tar sands, crude bitumen, or bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Tar sandstone from California, United States