Heavy Crude Oils

Heavy oils, extra-heavy oils and tar sands are major players for the future of energy.They represent a massive world resource, at least the size of conventional oils. They are found all over the world but Canada and Venezuela together account, by themselves, for more than half of world deposits. They share the same origin as the lighter conventional oils, but their geological fate drove them into thick, viscous tar-like crude oils. Most of them result from alteration processes mediated by microbial degradation. They are characterized by a low content of lighter cuts and a high content of impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen compounds and metals ; so, their production is difficult and deployment of specific processes is required in order to enhance their transportability and to upgrade them into valuable products meeting market needs, and honouring environmental requirements.Although these resources are increasingly becoming commercially producible, less than 1% of total heavy crude oil deposits worldwide are under active development. The voluntarily wide scope of this volume encompasses geology, production, transportation, upgrading, economics and environmental issues of heavy oils. It does not pretend to be exhaustive, but to provide an authoritative view of this very important energy resource.

Within the last 10 years the world has come to a point where the easily explorable oil deposits have now been found, and it is anticipated that such deposits will be depleted by the beginning of the Twenty-first Century. However, the increasing demand of man kind for energy has caused technologists to look into ways of find ing new sources or to reevaluat:e unconventional sources which, in the past, have not been economical. In this respect, heavy crude and tar sand oils are becoming important in fulfilling the world's energy requirements. What are heavy crude and tar sand oils? There is still some confusion as to their definitions, inasmuch as they vary among organizations and countries. In an effort to set agreed meanings, UNITAR, in a meeting in February 1982 in Venezuela, proposed the following definitions (see also Table 1): 1. Heavy crude oil and tar sand oil are petroleum or petroleum like liquids or semi-solids naturally occurring in porous media. The porous media are sands, sandstone, and carbonate rocks. 2. These oils will be characterized by viscosity and density. Viscosity will be used to define heavy crude oil and tar sand oil, and density (oAPI) will be used when viscosity measurements are not available. 3. Heavy crude oil has a gas-free viscosity of 100-10000 mPa.s (cp) 3 o at reservoir temperatures, or a density of 943 kg/m (20 API) 3 o o to 1000 kg/m (10 API) at 15.6 C and at atmospheric oressure.

Unconventional reservoirs of oil and gas represent a huge additional global source of fossil fuels. However, there is much still to be done to improve techniques for their processing to make recovery and refining of these particular energy sources more cost-effective. Brief but readable, Heavy and Extra-heavy Oil Upgrading Technologies provide readers with a strategy for future production (the up-stream) and upgrading (the down-stream). The book provides the reader with an understandable overview of the chemistry and engineering behind the latest developments and technologies in the industry as well as the various environmental regulations. Clear and rigorous, Heavy and Extra-heavy Oil Upgrading Technologies will prove tool for those scientists and engineers already engaged in fossil fuel science and technology as well as scientists, non-scientists, engineers, and non-engineers who wish to gain a general overview or update of the science and technology of unconventional fossil fuels in general and upgrading technologies in particular. The use of microorganisms and a number of physical methods, such as ultrasound, median microwave, cold plasma, electrokinetic and monocrystalline intermetallics, etc., will be discussed for the first time. Overview of the chemistry, engineering, and technology of oil sands Microorganisms and a number of physical methods such as ultrasound, median microwave, cold plasma, electrokinetic and monocrystalline intermetallics Evolving and new environmental regulations regarding oil sands production processes

Heavy oil is a crude oil of typically less than 20�API gravity and higher than 200 cp (centipoise) viscosity at reservoir conditions. It is characterized by a viscous, dense, and asphaltic nature. Heavy oil reservoirs are considered as some of the world's largest reserves. Extraction, recovery, and production of heavy oil are the main challenges in the heavy oil industry. This book provides current research on heavy and crude oils.

Unconventional Petroleum Geology, Second Edition presents the latest research results of global conventional and unconventional petroleum exploration and production. The first part covers the basics of unconventional petroleum geology, its introduction, concept of unconventional petroleum geology, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, and the origin and distribution of unconventional oil and gas. The second part is focused on unconventional petroleum development technologies, including a series of technologies on resource assessment, lab analysis, geophysical interpretation, and drilling and completion. The third and final section features case studies of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, including tight oil and gas, shale oil and gas, coal bed methane, heavy oil, gas hydrates, and oil and gas in volcanic and metamorphic rocks. Provides an up-to-date, systematic, and comprehensive overview of all unconventional hydrocarbons Reorganizes and updates more than half of the first edition content, including four new chapters Includes a glossary on unconventional petroleum types, including tight-sandstone oil and gas, coal-bed gas, shale gas, oil and gas in fissure-cave-type carbonate rocks, in volcanic reservoirs, and in metamorphic rocks, heavy crude oil and natural bitumen, and gas hydrates Presents new theories, new methods, new technologies, and new management methods, helping to meet the demands of technology development and production requirements in unconventional plays

As conventional-oil resources are depleted worldwide, vast heavy oil reserves available in various parts of the world become increasingly important as a secure future energy source. Brief but readable, Heavy Oil Production Processes discusses the latest improvements in production processes including; thermal methods (steam floods, cyclic steam stimulation, SAGD) as well as non-thermal methods (cold flow with sand production, cyclic solvent process, VAPEX). The book begins with an overview of the chemistry, engineering, and technology of heavy oil as they evolve into the twenty-first century. The preceding chapters are written to provide a basic understanding of each technology, evolving processes and new processes as well as the various environmental regulations. Clear and rigorous, Heavy Oil Production Processes will prove useful for those scientists and engineers already engaged in fossil fuel science and technology as well as scientists, non-scientists, engineers, and non-engineers who wish to gain a general overview or update of the science and technology of fossil fuels. The not only does the book discuss the production processes but also provides methods which should reduce environmental footprint and improve profitability. Overview of the chemistry, engineering, and technology of oil sands Updates on the evolving processes and new processes Evolving and new environmental regulations regarding oil sands production

Heavy crude oils and bitumen represent more than 50% of all hydrocarbons available on the planet. These feedstocks have a low amount of distillable material and high level of contaminants that make their production, transportation, and refining difficult and costly by conventional technologies. Subsurface Upgrading of Heavy Crude Oils and Bitumen is of interest to the petroleum industry mainly because of the advantages compared to aboveground counterparts. The author presents an in-depth account and a critical review of the progress of industry and academia in underground or In-Situ upgrading of heavy, extra-heavy oils and bitumen, as reported in the patent and open literature. This work is aimed to be a standalone monograph, so three chapters are dedicated to the composition of petroleum and fundamentals of crude oil production and refining. Key Features: Offers a multidisciplinary scope that will appeal to chemists, geologists, biologists, chemical engineers, and petroleum engineers Presents the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies considered Discusses economic and environmental considerations for all the routes evaluated and offers perspectives from experts in the field working with highlighted technologies