oil sands

The Alberta Oil Sands With a focus on the Athabasca


By Dave Henderson














Table of Contents
1) Introduction
2) History
3) Geology
4) Composition
5) Extraction Processes
6) Effects of Kyoto
7) Bibliography
Introduction
For hundreds of years the oil sands have been used as a source of energy and a product of bitumen. Oil sands are deposits of bitumen and have been used in a variety of ways such as boat repairing agents by the Native Americans to a major Canadian energy source. Bitumen is a heavy black viscous oil that must be rigorously treated to convert it into an upgraded crude oil before it can be refined into gasoline and diesel fuels. Oil sands, previously known as tar sands comprise the world’s largest sources of bitumen. The two largest deposits are in Alberta and Venezuela. The Alberta deposits comprise one third of the total bitumen. Oil sands are found in three places in Alberta: Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake regions. These thr...