3.3 Oil Sands
Completion requirements
Module 1
Lesson 3.3 Oil Sands
Key Concepts
Alberta has immense oil reserves. Most of these reserves, however, are not in the form of liquid crude oil, but rather they are in the form of bitumen. Bitumen is a mixture of hydrocarbons that covers the sand grains of Alberta's oil sands. This hydrocarbon mixture contains a large proportion of large aromatic hydrocarbons whereas crude oil contains a higher proportion of aliphatic hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons in bitumen undergo so many changes during the refining process that the product is termed "synthetic oil". Many people consider the synthetic crude oil sold by Alberta to be "dirty oil" because of the environmental damage caused by extracting and refining bitumen.
Fig. 1 Oil-rich sand of Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fig. 2 Oilsands Refinery, Fort McMurray
Watch
Oil Sand Separation Demonstration
© Government of Alberta
© Government of Alberta
Check Your Understanding
Go to your textbook and complete Section 9.5 Questions 6 and 7 on page 397.
Check your work by clicking on the link below.
Page 397 Section 9.5 Question 6
The chemical processes used to upgrade bitumen are coking, hydrotreating, and hydrocracking.
Page 397 Section 9.5 Question 7
a) There is a higher proportion of aromatic compounds in bitumen, as compared to crude oil.
b) A chemical difference between synthetic and conventional crude oil is that synthetic oil is produced using chemical reactions involving the upgrading of bitumen.
The chemical processes used to upgrade bitumen are coking, hydrotreating, and hydrocracking.
Page 397 Section 9.5 Question 7
a) There is a higher proportion of aromatic compounds in bitumen, as compared to crude oil.
b) A chemical difference between synthetic and conventional crude oil is that synthetic oil is produced using chemical reactions involving the upgrading of bitumen.