U.S. tar sand oil recovery projects (1982)

As the demand for energy in the United States increases and the reserves of conventional petroleum decrease, the interest in development of less conventional energy sources is increasing dramatically. This interest, plus the recent decontrol of crude oil prices, has resulted in widespread activities aimed at commercialization of the U.S. tar sand resource. Although the U.S. currently has little commercial oil production from tar sand, considerable hope exists that in-situ steam and combustion technologies, proven successful for heavy oils in California, and various mining and plant extraction processes will enable significant production from tar sand. Continued research and field testing in 63 reported oil recovery projects (a majority of, but not all, field projects in U.S. tar sands) is providing the base of knowledge and experience for the economic exploitation of this energy resource. Five projects in reservoirs containing oils with less than 10 Pa.s viscosity are included because the unique oil recovery methods, if successful, are expected to be applicable to tar sands. Cost data from several of the field projects indicate costs per cubic meter of produced oil in the $100 to $125 range. These data, primarily capital investments and operating costs, are still incomplete but do provide encouragement for commercial development. The status of the reported projects includes time (completed, current, or planned) and type (commercial, pilot, or research). Planned pilot and planned commercial status are nearly synonymous because nearly all commercial projects are preceded by successful pilots.