• Tar Sands, Athabasca River, Alberta, n.d. Source: Geological Survey of Canada/Library and Archives Canada, PA-038166

    The Geological Survey of Canada initiates exploration of the oil sands of the Athabasca region on the part of the federal government.

    Tar Sands, Athabasca River, Alberta, n.d.
    Source: Geological Survey of Canada/Library and Archives Canada, PA-038166

  • Drilling plant at Victoria, Alberta, 1898. Source: Glenbow Archives, NA-302-11

    Drilling in search of a basement reservoir of oil is the initial focus of development in Alberta’s oil sands.

    Drilling plant at Victoria, Alberta, 1898
    Source: Glenbow Archives, NA-302-11

  • Alfred von Hammerstein on horseback, ca. 1900. Source: Glenbow Archives, PA-3920-1

    Alfred von Hammerstein is the first independent entrepreneur to attempt to capitalize on the petroleum riches of the oil sands.

    Alfred von Hammerstein on horseback, ca. 1900
    Source: Glenbow Archives, PA-3920-1

  • Sidney Ells at Clearwater River tar sands plant, August 1931. Source: Canada. Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys/Library and Archives Canada, PA-014454

    The federal government renews its investigation of the oil sands by sending Sidney Ells to Athabasca to conduct field and survey work.

    Sidney Ells at Clearwater River tar sands plant, August 1931
    Source: Canada. Dept. of Mines and Technical Surveys/Library and Archives Canada, PA-014454

  • View of demonstration experimental pavement laid in Edmonton, Alberta, 1915. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, A3399

    Throughout the 1920s, efforts to commercially develop the oil sands focused upon its possible use as a paving surface for roads and sidewalks.

    View of demonstration experimental pavement laid in Edmonton, Alberta, 1915
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, A3399

  • Henry Marshall Tory, the first president of the University of Alberta, was instrumental in founding the Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta, n.d. Source: University of Alberta Archives, 69-152-003

    The Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta is founded.

    Henry Marshall Tory, the first president of the University of Alberta, was instrumental in founding the Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta, n.d.
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, 69-152-003

  • Karl Clark and Sidney Blair built a model oil sands separation plant in the basement of the University of Alberta power plant. Source: University of Alberta Archives, 69-97-457

    Karl Clark builds his first model hot-water separation plant.

    Karl Clark and Sidney Blair built a model oil sands separation plant in the basement of the University of Alberta power plant.
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, 69-97-457

  • Absher’s set-up on Saline Creek, near Fort McMurray, 1929. Source: University of Alberta Archives, 77-128-27

    Jacob Absher attempts in situ extraction of oil from oil sands.

    Absher’s set-up on Saline Creek, near Fort McMurray, 1929
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, 77-128-27

  • Prospectus for the International Bitumen Company Ltd., n.d. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1971.0356.544a,b.ProspectusOf.IBC.1

    Robert Fitzsimmons founds the International Bitumen Company Ltd.

    Prospectus for the International Bitumen Company Ltd., n.d.
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1971.0356.544a,b.ProspectusOf.IBC.1

  • Karl Clark’s third model plant is relocated to the Clearwater River. Sidney Ells is placed in charge of mining operations. Source: University of Alberta Archives, 77-128-13

    Federal and provincial governments cooperate to develop Clearwater River oil sands separation plant.

    Karl Clark’s third model plant is relocated to the Clearwater River. Sidney Ells is placed in charge of mining operations.
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, 77-128-13

  • Max Ball, ca. 1940. Source: University of Alberta Archives, 89-120-008

    Max Ball, J.M. McClave and B.O. Jones of Denver, Colorado, organize Abasand Oils Ltd.

    Max Ball, ca. 1940
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, 89-120-008

  • Abasand Oils Ltd. plant, ca. 1941. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1985.0333.DevelopmentofAthabaska.O.S.DeskCopy.021 - detail

    Construction of Abasand Oils Ltd. oil sands separation plant on Horse River is completed.

    Abasand Oils Ltd. plant, ca. 1941
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1985.0333.DevelopmentofAthabaska.O.S.DeskCopy.021 - detail

  • Little was left of the Abasand plant after the fire. Source: University of Alberta, 84-25-132

    Abasand Oils Ltd. oil sands separation plant burns down.

    Little was left of the Abasand plant after the fire.
    Source: University of Alberta, 84-25-132

  • The completed Alberta Government Oil Sands Project plant, ca. 1950. Source: University of Alberta, 91-137-070 - detail

    Alberta Government Oil Sands Project Plant at Bitumount succeeds in separating crude oil from oil sands.

    The completed Alberta Government Oil Sands Project plant, ca. 1950
    Source: University of Alberta, 91-137-070 - detail

  • Cover of Sidney Blair’s Report on the Alberta Bituminous Sands commissioned by the Government of Alberta, 1950. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1971.0345.box24.503

    Alberta government issues report on oil sands potential.

    Cover of Sidney Blair’s Report on the Alberta Bituminous Sands commissioned by the Government of Alberta, 1950
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PR1971.0345.box24.503

  • Sidney Kidder, Sidney Blair, George Hume, and Elmer Adkins (l to r) at the Edmonton portion of the Athabasca Oil Sands Conference at the University of Alberta, 1951. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PA3152

    Athabasca Oil Sands Conference establishes an Alberta oil sands policy and stimulates commercial interest in the resource.

    Sidney Kidder, Sidney Blair, George Hume, and Elmer Adkins (l to r) at the Edmonton portion of the Athabasca Oil Sands Conference at the University of Alberta, 1951
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, PA3152

  • Montreal-businessman Lloyd Champion incorporates Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. (GCOS) in 1953. Champion later sells most of his shares in the company before the GCOS plant opens under Sun Oil Company’s financing and leadership. Source: Courtesy of University of Alberta Archives, #83-160

    Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. incorporates.

    Montreal-businessman Lloyd Champion incorporates Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. (GCOS) in 1953. Champion, shown here ca. 1960s, later sells most of his shares in the company before the GCOS plant opens under Sun Oil Company’s financing and leadership.
    Source: University of Alberta Archives, #83-160

  • A cross-section of the Cold Lake area deposit shows the depth of the oil sands layer that makes the bitumen in this deposit recoverable only through in situ extraction methods. Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

    Early in situ pilot tests begin on the Peace River and Cold Lake area oil sands deposits; underground experiments along the Cold Lake deposit lead to the development of the Cyclical Steam Stimulation (CCS) bitumen recovery method.

    A cross-section of the Cold Lake area deposit shows the depth of the oil sands layer that makes the bitumen in this deposit recoverable only through in situ extraction methods.
    Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

  • Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. plant during its first week of operation, north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, 1967. Source: Courtesy of Suncor

    Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. begins production.

    Great Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. plant during its first week of operation, north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, 1967
    Source: Courtesy of Suncor

  • Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, November 1, 1977; Trudeau and Lougheed clash over oil sands ownership, export taxation and natural resource revenue sharing arrangements. Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, J3672.2

    Global oil crisis heightens conflict between Alberta and Ottawa.

    Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, November 1, 1977; Trudeau and Lougheed clash over oil sands ownership, export taxation and natural resource revenue sharing arrangements.
    Source: Provincial Archives of Alberta, J3672.2

  • A map of Alberta shows AOSTRA/industry <em>in situ</em> pilot projects that emerge in the 1970s and 1980s.<br/> Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

    Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) forms as a Crown corporation.

    A map of Alberta shows AOSTRA/industry in situ pilot projects that emerge in the 1970s and 1980s
    Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

  • A news story published in the Winnipeg Tribune on February 4, 1975, reports the anticipated agreement that enables completion of the Syncrude consortium’s mega-project. Source: The Winnipeg Tribune

    Historic Winnipeg meeting between government and industry leads to agreement on Syncrude consortium mega-project.

    A news story published in the Winnipeg Tribune on February 4, 1975, reports the anticipated agreement that enables completion of the Syncrude consortium’s mega-project.
    Source: The Winnipeg Tribune

  • Syncrude operations near Mildred Lake north of Fort McMurray, late 1970s. Source: Courtesy of Syncrude Canada Ltd.

    Syncrude opens oil sands mining and bitumen upgrading mega-project in northeastern Alberta.

    Syncrude operations near Mildred Lake north of Fort McMurray, late 1970s
    Source: Courtesy of Syncrude Canada Ltd.

  • AOSTRA-sponsored technology develops through the late 1970s and early 1980s; the Cyclical Steam Stimulation (CCS) bitumen recovery process along the Peace River deposit injects steam through one well below the base of the oil sands atop the water-sand layer, resulting in a heat zone that mobilizes the overlying bitumen so that it can be pumped to the surface through a second production well. Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

    Partnership between industry and the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) leads to commercialization of in situ recovery methods.

    AOSTRA-sponsored technology develops through the late 1970s and early 1980s; the Cyclic Steam Stimulation bitumen recovery process injects steam through one well below the base of the oil sands, resulting in a heat zone that mobilizes the bitumen so that it can be pumped to the surface through a second production well.
    Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

  • A diagram of AOSTRA’s Underground Test Facility operations. Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

    Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) formally opens its Underground Test Facility to field test in situ oil sands mining theory including the industry-changing Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage method (SAGD).

    A diagram of AOSTRA’s Underground Test Facility operations
    Source: Courtesy of Alberta Innovates

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Glossary

Aggregate: A mixture of various sized stones, crushed rock, and sand used in making asphalt or concrete.

API gravity: American Petroleum Institute gravity. A measure of how light or heavy an oil is, compared with water. If oil has an API gravity greater than 10°, it will float on water. If its API gravity is less than 10°, it will sink. The API of light crude is typically from 35° to 40°, while heavy oil is from 9° to 11° API. Bitumen has an API gravity of from 8° to 14°.

Barrel: The traditional measurement for crude oil volumes. One barrel equals 42 US gallons (159 litres). There are 6.29 barrels in one cubic metre of oil.

Bitumen: A naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is so thick and viscous (like molasses) that it will not flow at room temperature. Bitumen extracted from Alberta’s oil sands typically has an API gravity of 8° to 14°. Bitumen typically makes up about 10 percent by weight of oil sands, but saturation varies.

Bucket-wheel excavator: A mining machine that uses toothed buckets mounted on the rim of a revolving wheel to scoop up oil sand and deposit it on a conveyor system.

Catalyst: A substance that plays a role in a chemical reaction, but is not itself altered by the reaction.

Coke: A solid, black hydrocarbon that is left as a residue after the more valuable hydrocarbons have been removed from bitumen by heating it to high temperatures.

Coking: An upgrading/refining process used to convert the heaviest fraction of bitumen into lighter hydrocarbons by removing carbon as coke.

Condensate: A mixture of extremely light hydrocarbons recoverable from gas reservoirs. Condensate is also referred to as a natural gas liquid and is used as a diluent to reduce bitumen viscosity for pipeline transportation.

Consortium: An association typically of companies and/or financers that pool their resources in order to accomplish a goal that is beyond the means of any one of the individual members and to distribute the risk amongst all members.

Consumer Price Index (CPI): An indicator of changes in the cost of goods and services for the typical customer.

Conventional crude oil: Naturally occurring hydrocarbons in liquid form that are capable of being pumped from an underground reservoir without processing or dilution. Crude oil is categorized as being light, medium or heavy according to its API gravity. Heavy oil is harder to extract and more expensive to refine than light crude oil because it is dense and viscous and so requires heat or dilution to flow through a pipeline.

Cracking: A process for breaking or “cracking” large, complex hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, simpler, more useful and valuable hydrocarbon molecules.

Crown corporation: A semi-independent company or agency of the federal or provincial government organized as a corporation to benefit Canada’s national interest.

Diluents: Light petroleum liquids used to dilute bitumen and heavy oil so they flow through pipelines. Historicaly, naphtha was used.

Dragline: A mining machine that drops a large, heavy, toothed bucket on a cable from the end of a boom into the oil sands, then drags the bucket through the deposit, scooping up the sands.

Effluent: Liquid waste.

Emission: A mixture of gaseous elements released into the air (by processing equipment and plants).

Extraction: Any process that separates bitumen from oil sands, typically using hot water or steam and sometimes chemical agents such as caustic soda.

Fraction: One of several constituent hydrocarbons that together form crude oil and that can be separated from each other by distillation. For example, naptha is a very light fraction, while asphaltenes are very heavy.

Froth: A layer of bubbles that forms on top of a liquid when it is heated or agitated.

Froth treatment: A technique to recover bitumen from the “froth” composed of a mixture of water, bitumen, and solids that is produced by the hot water extraction method, typically used in mining-based recovery.

Hydrocarbons: A large class of gaseous, liquid or solid organic compounds that are comprised of only hydrogen and carbon molecules and are the basis of almost all petroleum products.

Hydrocracking: A refining process using hydrogen, high temperatures, high pressure and a catalyst to reduce heavy hydrocarbons into lighter fractions.

Hydrotransport: A method that transports oil sands to an extraction plant through a pipeline as a slurry rather than on a conveyor belt as a solid.

In situ: A Latin term meaning “in the original location or position.” Methods for extracting bitumen from deposits too deep below the ground to surface mine are referred to as in situ. The primary methods used today are the thermal techniques of Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI), Vapor Extraction Process (VAPEX) and Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) are additional techniques that are productive in some circumstances.

Lease: A legal document giving an operator the right to extract bitumen from oil sands existing within a specified lease area. The land must be reclaimed and returned to the Crown at the end of operations.

Muskeg: A boggy type of soil found in the boreal forest. Muskeg can be up to three meters thick and is composed of decaying plants, peat, moss and water. It is found atop the overburden, which lies over the oil sands.

Naphtha: A flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture that is derived from bitumen and used as a solvent and diluent.

Oil sands: A naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, silt, rocks, other minerals and bitumen, also known as tar sands or bituminous sands. If the oil sands deposits are close to the surface, bitumen can be recovered from the oil sands by open-pit mining and hot-water processing methods. Deeper deposits require in situ methods. Alberta’s oil sands are found mainly in three areas–Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake.

Overburden: The rock, clay, sand, soil and muskeg that lies on top of an oil sands deposit and is removed to allow it to be mined.

Process gas: Gas produced from the upgrading process that is not distilled as a liquid. It is usually burned as a fuel.

Reserves: The recoverable portion of resources available for use based on current knowledge, technology and economics.

Royalty: The price charged by the energy resource owner for the right to develop those resources.

Scow: A large, flat-bottomed, rectangular boat used primarily for transporting bulk goods.

Synthetic crude oil: A manufactured crude oil produced by upgrading bitumen extracted from oil sands.

Thermal recovery: Any process by which thermal energy, or heat energy, is used to reduce the viscosity of bitumen in situ in order to facilitate its recovery.

Truck-and-shovel mining: A method in which large electric or hydraulic shovels are used to remove the oil sand and load it on very large trucks. The trucks haul the oil sand to dump pockets where it is conveyed to the extraction plant as a solid or mixed with water and hydrotransported. Trucks and shovels are more economical to operate than the bucket-wheel reclaimers and draglines they have replaced.

Upgrading: The process of converting bitumen extracted from oil sands into lighter synthetic crude oil. The term “synthetic crude oil” is used interchangeably with “upgraded crude oil.”

Viscosity: A description of how easily a liquid will flow. Internal friction between the molecules in a liquid causes it to resist changing its shape. The more complex the molecules, the greater the resistance, the higher the viscosity of the liquid, and the less likely it is to flow easily. The lower the viscosity, the more easily the liquid will flow.

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