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The Canadian oil sands are found in three main regions in Northern Alberta. These regions are the Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River deposits.
With an estimated 175 billion barrels in oil sands reserves, the Canadian oil sands present a reserve base that is second to only Saudi Arabia.
There are two types of recovery methods for the oil sands, Mining and In-Situ. Deposits close to the surface are mined while resources more than 75 metres below the surface require an in-situ recovery.
SAGD
Bitumen is recovered from the deeper deposits using a recovery technique known as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD).
The SAGD process runs two directional wells approximately 5 metres apart. Steam is injected through the upper well allowing the steam to permeate the oil sand and through this heating reduces the oil sands viscosity. The heated oil and condensed steam then flow to the surface through the lower well.
Over time, the steam chamber grows in size resulting in higher production rates. During the rise period the oil production rate increases steadily until the chamber reaches the top of the reservoir.
Injected steam replaces produced oil allowing continuous heating of the reservoir and drainage of the heated oil together with condensed steam.
Mining
On shallow leases, ore is mined using traditional truck and shovel mining techniques generally associated with minerals and stone, although on a much larger scale. Mining shovels dig into the sand and load it into large trucks.
The mined ore passes through crushers where it is prepared for extraction. Hot water is added to create an oil sand slurry. This is fed via hydro transport to the extraction plant where bitumen is extracted in separation vessels. Separating bitumen from sand and water results in tailings which are pumped to ponds where water is recovered and recycled through the process.
Total E&P Canada’s leases are slated for both SAGD and mining technologies.
Guiding Principles
Total E&P Canada is a signatory to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers' (CAPP's) document: "Guiding Principles for Oil Sands Development." This document, available in several translations, outlines the industry's commitment to reducing "its impact on the environment" and providing "economic benefits to society while developing this globally significant resource."
Access the Guiding Principles document at the CAPP website.
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