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Tar sands
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Tar sands are a mixture of clay, sand, water, and a black, viscous oil known as bitumen. Tar sands are extracted and processed to develop oil that cannot be pumped the same way as conventional crude oil but must be extracted through surface mining and open pit techniques. According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Approximately 20% of U.S. crude oil and products come from Canada, and a substantial portion of this amount comes from tar sands."[1][2][3]
Background
Bitumen, the black, viscous oil found in tar sands, is similar to oil extracted from conventional oil wells but must first be mined and processed. Operators use separation systems to separate the oil from the clay, water, and sand. After the bitumen is extracted and separated, operators dilute the oil with less viscous (lighter) hydrocarbons so the oil can be transferred through a pipeline. Approximately two tons of tar sands are needed to produce one barrel of crude oil.[2][4][5]
Tar sands near the surface are first extracted through open pit mining, which involves extracting the sands from an open pit. Large water- and electric-powered shovels are used to dig up tar sand to be transported to a processing facility.[2][4][5]
At facilities known as extraction plants, bitumen is separated from the clay, water, and sand by using hot water and agitation to release and collect the bitumen. The remaining clay, sand, and water is transported back to the mine, which is then restored to its original state.[2][4][5]
Production
According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), tar sands in the United States were located primarily in Utah as of January 2015. Utah contained between 12 to 19 billion barrels of bitumen oil in tar sands as of January 2015.[2]
The table below lists the available deposits within the state.
| Tar sand resources in Utah (January 2015) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | Known (millions of barrels) | Additional projected (millions of barrels as of January 2015) |
| Sunnyside | 4,400 | 1,700 |
| Tar Sand Triangle | 2,500 | 420 |
| PR Spring | 2,140 | 2,230 |
| Asphalt Ridge | 830 | 310 |
| Circle Cliffs | 590 | 1,140 |
| Other | 1,410 | 1,530 |
| Total | 11,870 | 7,330 |
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "About Tar Sands" | ||
The map below shows tar sand deposits in Utah as of January 2015.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "About Tar Sands," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Glossary: T," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Canada Association of Petroleum Producers, "What are Oil Sands?" accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Geology.com, "What Are Oil Sands?" accessed May 2, 2017
