Exploitation mode oriented heavy oil-oil sand recoverable reserves calculation methods

Heavy Oil and Tar Sand Bitumen

Overreporting Oil Reserves

An increasing number of oil market experts argue that OPEC members substantially overstate their oil reserves. While the economic implications could be dire, the incentives for overreporting remain unclear. This paper analyzes these incentives, showing that oil exporters may overreport to raise expected future supply, thereby discouraging oil-substituting R&D and improving their own future mark...

A brief overview of the geology of heavy oil, bitumen and oil sand deposits

Introduction There are three major oil sand areas in Canada, all in Alberta. There is also an oil sand deposit on Melville Island in the Arctic. The three major oil sand areas are from highest to lowest volume of reserves-in-place (AEUB 2003) Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River oil sand areas notwithstanding that bitumen reserves are also evident in subcropping carbonate rocks in Athabasca and...

Pumping Oil Sand Froth

Froth is the basis to the extraction of bitumen from oil sand. Its components include sand, bitumen, water, and air. The technology of extraction and processing is evolving toward lower temperature of operation where the volumetric content of air and viscosity of bitumen challenge pumping. To improve the efficiency of froth handling pumps it is important to adapt the technology from other indus...

ESTIMATION of PRIMARY OIL RESERVES

This paper reviews the methods currently in use for estimating primary oil reserves and discusses the principles on which these methods are based. Particular emphasis is placed on how these methods change with the type of information available during the life cycle of an oil property. This paper contains various novel estimating methods and shortcuts heretofore unpublished.