Crude Oil & Oil Sands

Conventional Crude Oil

Conventional crude oil is a mixture mainly of pentane and heavier hydrocarbons recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and liquid at atmospheric pressure and temperature.
Unlike bitumen, crude oil flows through a well without stimulation and through a pipeline without processing or dilution. In Canada, conventional oil includes light, medium and heavy crude oils.

Crude Oil Extraction & Uses

A major focus of Alberta's oil industry is on finding innovative, more efficient ways to extract a higher percentage of crude oil from conventional reservoirs.

Most of Alberta's crude oil is exported to other markets. The crude oil that remains in the province is refined into transportation fuels and other oil products to:

  • generate electricity 
  • heat homes and buildings 
  • manufacture lubricants, waxes, plastics, synthetic rubber and asphalt

Oil Sands

The oil sands are a thick, viscous mixture of bitumen hydrocarbons combined with water, sand, heavy metals and clay.  The bitumen is separated from the oil sands through heating processes and is then upgraded into higher valued products for end-use markets.

Alberta's Major Oil Sands Deposits

Alberta's three major oil sands deposits cover over 140,800 square kilometres. The oil sands are reported to contain 1.7 trillion barrels of bitumen in place with over 173 billion barrels that can be produced under current economics and commercial technologies.

Alberta's largest deposit is the Athabasca oil sands deposit with an estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of bitumen in place followed by Cold Lake's 200 billion barrels of bitumen deposit; the third major deposit is the Peace River oil sands with around 130 billion barrels in place.

Oil Sands Separation Techniques

Ninety percent of the 1.7 trillion barrel reserve can be recovered using insitu technologies, where as only 10 per cent of the total can be recovered using mining techniques.  Oil sands located up to 75 metres below the surface can be mined but deposits located deeper than this are extracted using the insitu technologies.

Two of the most common insitu technologies used in the oil sands are:

  • Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS)

    The main recovery system in the Cold Lake oil sands. Steam is pumped into vertical wells and the oil is allowed to soak for a period of months. The oil is then produced until production is slowed and the cycle starts again.
  • Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD)

    A widely used technique which involves the horizontal drilling of two wells on top of one another. Steam is then used in the top well to heat the bitumen, which flows to the bottom well where it can be pumped to the surface.

For more information on conventional oil or oil sands, see:

  • Alberta Department of Energy

    Provincial government department that oversees energy resource development and use in Alberta. The Alberta Energy website has detailed information on Alberta's diverse natural energy resources.
  • Alberta's Oil Sands
    Combined website with information from the provincial departments of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.  Provides easy access to research and technology, consultations and development of oil sands in Alberta over the long term.
  • Oil Sands Developers Group (OSDG)
    OSDG is an association of oil sands developers and related stakeholders interested in shared development issues related to the Wood Buffalo region of the oil sands.
  • Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)
    CAPP is an industry association focused on fostering sustainable and responsible economic growth in the Canadian upstream petroleum industry, and has background information on crude oil and oil sands development in Alberta.
  • Canadian Heavy Oil Association (CHOA)
    The CHOA is an educational, technical and social forum for heavy oil and oil sands industry employees and associates.
  • Oil Sands Secretariat (OSS)
    The Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat was created by the Government of Alberta in the summer of 2007 to address rapid growth issues in the oil sands regions of Alberta. The Secretariat collaborates with ministries, industry, communities and stakeholders to address the social, infrastructure, environmental and economic impacts of oil sands development. It acts as a main point of contact for inquiries from the public, industry and stakeholders on the government’s plan for managing growth in the oil sands.

Date Updated: Nov 24, 2008
RDP-962