I worked at Suncor and Syncrude in the mid 1980's. The companies were great to work for but Ft McFlrurry (I call it that since we had snow in August) was pretty isolated and not too many ladies to date for single guys. Lot's of hunting/fishing/ORV trails though. I worked at petrochemical plants and a refinery also over the years and retired in 2015 due to our polypropylene plant closing due to reduction in feed stock due to our supplier switching to nat gas as a feed stock vs crude oil. While at Suncor (Syncrude was down due to a large fire at the fluid coker) I was unloading bitumen from trucks as the mine at Syncrude was still operational and Suncor could process more than it could extract in the winter. The temperature got close to -60 F one night. I could only stay outside for about 10 minutes at a time. One operator bought a brand new GM auto with the cold weather package and even with the battery and block heaters plugged in it would not start. Three of the younger operators where I worked for the last 25 years went to the Koch oil refinery in Minnesota and one of them worked in the cokers. I think they refined synthetic crude from Alberta there. I had worked in the cokers at Suncor.
I always like how people have to post negative comments about the oil sands. But all of these people use oil and gas every day in their lives and no nothing about the history of mankind. oil and gas has changed the lives of basically everybody on earth for the good.People live longer and better lives because of oil and gas.
Asbestos is a product my mom’s boyfriend was involved with in shipping for a decade they use to play with it all the time like snowballs etc, he’s turning 93 this July 4th he did smoke for 50 yrs to maybe that saved him.
EXCELLENT Presentation. I knew some of what is done in the Processing of these Oil Sands. I was amazed as to how much Oil is thought to be locked into these Sands.
Having run this crude as a refinery operator, I can attest to the large water and sludge content. This stuff would cause havoc to our desalters. Interesting finding out how it gets extracted. Thank you 🙋🏼
Oil has to stay above $80 us a barrel and a ton of money has to be investigated for Canada to get rich of it. The new pipeline, next to the 1 that's been around 80 years to the Pacific ocean is a good idea. It really is 6 months of absolute freezing cold up there, moving some dirt around isn't going to wreak the planet.
I've spent a lot of time in Ft. Mcmurray doing catalyst change outs on the Cat Crackers at, I think, Syncrude. I remember being there once in February and one day the temperature got up to 40 degrees below zero!
I work in that shit all the time, last winter the thermostat stuck open in my truck while driving home. Truck ran fine but made zero heat, I drove as long as I could while scrapping frost off the inside of windshield but was too dangerous so I had to pull over and call a tow truck. I've never been so cold in my entire life and there was fuck all I could about it. Waited an hr in - 55, in a running truck. It was a really odd feeling knowing if the tow truck didn't come I'd freeze to death while my truck sat on a approach idling fine. The shit people do in this country for money just to hand most of it over to a spineless government is mind boggling.
I hafta add that it took four phone calls to find someone that wasn't a selfish prick and willing to come get me. Two of them were willing to leave me there just because I chose to not have a credit card anymore. That's our country now. PATHETIC
As has been said in previous comments- Excellent presentation. I knew nothing about the processes involved, but thanks to you, I have learned quite a bit. Many years ago, there was an attempt to develop the oil sands at Setchey in Norfolk, UK, not very far from my home but it was later abandoned. Having seen the processing equipment that would be needed, it would have been uneconomic. The huge reserves in Alberta make all the difference.
@@echoeversky Then what should we make plastics from? How do you make a computer without oil products. How do you lubricate the wheels of your electric car or insulate the battery and wiring? Wood?
@@echoeversky The global energy consumption charts for 2022 consistently show energy produced by coal is still close to 10 times that produced by solar. Or are you talking about one specific country?
Very interesting about the oil sands and the Alberta it is a big operation in Canada there will be a lot of professional jobs going and labouring jobs going it's a place that I like to go and have a look at fort McMurray a very interesting region
Great video. I'd love to know what type of plants and vegetation grows on top of Oil Sands. What was/is the surrounding natural environment like? Species found there?
You would never know that there is bitumen just by looking, in some waterbodys you will see a rainbow sheen, but other then that it just looks like normal forests an wetlands. A 100 years ago, you could fine at surface level, the natives used it to waterproof canoes an other things.
@auntysocialist your talking old times buddy most of the ground level sites have been tapped, most of those "dead"/stunted forests are muskeg(too much water not enough time to dry nothing to with oil). Like I said you can see a little sheen in some waterways but bitumen here is closer to asphalt then oil. You can smell it though. I both live an work in the oil sands area Also we don't have elk or caribou here unless they got lost, they are usually in the more Easter side of Alberta.
To the best of my knowledge, once it’s processed, it is used to fill in the mine once it’s spent so it can be replanted. They’ve started to recover an area just before syncrude north of Fort mac for the purpose of replanting.
Thats my thought too. China, the gulf states and many others use a lot of concrete and need a lot of course sand. Probably better just to back fill though.
That’s just crazy talk. We already are rich. No need too put your scammer jammers in office. There is already a group of scammers there already! Focus instead on being more Canadian and less like Americans.
@@anthonymorris5084 I’m already rich. Living here in Canada. 🇨🇦 Just look up. No bombs falling on our heads. You can’t get freedom without sacrifice. There is no more wealthy place to live. You should look around. Breath in the fresh air that has already been payed for in life’s. if you can’t make it here without whining try some other country. Trudeau is not the problem and has done his job well. It’s a long path to be a politician. Years of work. If you want change try to do his job. My golf instructor would often remind me not to blame the club.
@@wakeupthebear Nowhere did I say we weren't rich and yet you go on this continuous tirade and self righteous lecture misrepresenting what I stated. Trudeau is a high school teacher with zero qualifications to run a nation. His policies have sent Canada into decline by almost every measurement you care to examine. Data proves this. Our GDP per capita has been in steady decline.
Great explainer, but it's really strange to see no mention of the huge pollution caused by tar sands. No, i am not talking about the air emissions mentioned here. Really cute to hear about the "totally clean bitumen"!
The costs of combating you "activists" could be used to develop cleaner technologies but no you people need to make yourself feel as if you made a difference in this world. There are actual real ways to make yourself useful but adding costs to inevitable projects is far from actually making a difference in this world.
It’s a crying shame that all that planning, investment, efficiency, care of the planet, and genius is now threatened by the impossible “net zero” goal.
Canada exports 4 million barrels of oil a day to the US. The US exports 800K barrels a day to Canada. Nice gig that.....buy Canadian oil at at WCS ,then sell back to the original country at WTI prices plus pipeline fees.....sweet
@@stevecadman137 ?....*!......is English your second language.If yes I suggest that enrolling yourself in an ESL course is in order. If not then you need to go back and finish grade school
@@paulchristensen2854 Really? Seriously? Snowflake much? What is your problem? I didn't say anything offensive, just gave a bit of information and you react like that? And please, correct my grammar and spelling. This will be interesting.
At the rate climate change is hitting Canadian forests, it is unlikely there will still be an extractive industry for internal combustion. But, asphalt for roadways will still be in demand.
The energy return on investment (EROI) of the Canadian oil sands (or tarsands) is a measure of how many units of energy are gained for every unit of energy invested in extraction, processing, and transportation. This is expressed as a ratio of energy output (in BTUs) to energy input. For the **oil sands**: ### **BTU Output vs. Input**: - **Output**: For every **1 BTU** of energy extracted from the oil sands, approximately **0.2 to 0.3 BTUs** of energy are required as input, giving an EROI of around 4:1 to 5:1. This means that for every 4 to 5 BTUs of energy produced, 1 BTU is consumed in the process. - **Input**: This input includes the energy used in mining or in-situ extraction (like steam-assisted gravity drainage, or SAGD), upgrading bitumen into synthetic crude oil, and transporting the final product. ### **Comparison to Other Sources**: The EROI of oil sands is relatively low compared to conventional oil, which typically has an EROI of 10:1 or higher. This is because the process of extracting bitumen from oil sands is more energy-intensive than extracting conventional crude oil. ### **Factors Affecting EROI**: 1. **Extraction Method**: In-situ extraction (like SAGD) typically has a lower EROI (higher energy input) than surface mining. 2. **Energy Source**: The energy used in extraction often comes from natural gas, and its efficiency can impact the overall EROI. 3. **Upgrading Process**: Turning bitumen into synthetic crude oil requires additional energy, which lowers the overall EROI compared to raw bitumen. In summary, the EROI for oil sands extraction is about 4:1 to 5:1, meaning that for every BTU of energy input, 4 to 5 BTUs of output are gained. However, this is lower than conventional oil, reflecting the higher energy costs of extracting and processing bitumen.
They tried to do that years ago (Bruce Power was going to build a CANDU reactor nearby), but activists shut that down. Projects are being built that will capture nearly all the CO2 produced in the production process, but I agree that having nuclear there to provide process heat and power would be very useful. It's just a shame that those American oil funded activists keep blocking nuclear development here 🤷♀
@11:27, the carbon stored is only the carbon produced as result of production correct? So about 10% of the CO2 production from Well to Wheel is scheduled to be stored? The other 90% is the end user's responsibility?
I had that thought too. But I think the issue is more, why build a complex refinery, when they already exist? It's cheaper to build a pipeline and just sell it to the existing refineries in the US. I've no doubt that Canada could build a complex refinery, but does it make economic sense?
A refinery does not make any returns for 5 to 7 years, so people don't like to invest in them. The newest refinery NWR has been running for 6 years and has not turned a profit yet.
We have a ton of complex refineries here in Edmonton (that have enough capacity to supply Alberta and a lot of Western Canada). It's stupid to refine it here, because it's way easier and cheaper to transport upgraded oil than hundreds of other derived products. That would make the problem caused by a lack of pipelines even worse. We need more pipelines to the coast.
It's unfortunate that companies have been investing heavily in pipeline capacity and not in upgrading/refining capacity. Given that it takes approximately the same amount of time to bring either project online (apx 10 years) the economic benefits of increased refining capacity in country seem like a no brainier.
As most of it is an open pit mine, that is self explanatory as all open pit mines aren't the greatest but these oil sands companies do reclaim the land they dig up into near perfect condition of which they found it. It generates massive, massive profit for Canada and it employs people from all around the country. Hundreds of companies with thousands of employees.
other than the emissions that all oil production has there is Zero long term environmental impact. The top soil is removed and stockpiled then the oil sand is dug up the oil stripped from the sand, the sand is then put back free of oil the top soil replaced and native fauna planted. In some areas the environment is better off afterwards. In the muskeg river area the Oil sand is literally right a the surface under 6" top soil. All the standing water in the bush is contaminated as is the ground water. After mining all this removed and the environment is much healthier.
I remember a couple of talking points about the oil sands I heard YEARS ago... The oil sands mines cover and area about the same size as greater Toronto. There is a reclamation plan in place (and continuously ongoing) for the oil sands to re-plant the whole area and return it to its pre-extraction condition......There is no plan in place to do the same for Toronto. If aliens from outer space landed in Fort McMurray they would probably comment that these earth people sure go out of their way to clean up a little oil from the ground!!!
Like on Vancouver Island where they will protest mining, but don't see any problem with stripping the trees off a mountain and blasting it away to build sprawling suburbia! At least mines get reclaimed!
@@MOTOMINING and where on V.I. did you see that???? The only place that can afford to "blast off a mountain" to build suburbia is in Victoria !!! And that's ALL solid rock to begin with....any trees that grew on that were mercifully put out of their misery! And as far as mines getting reclaimed....only the profitable/successful ones do...maybe....the rest being the majority are abandoned and do environmental damage for decades.....taxpayers end up picking up the tab.....Britannia Mines on Howe Sound is a very old example...a more recent one is the copper mine on Mt Washington that killed the Tsolum River....despite local efforts for years and YEARS it's still DEAD... Nothing is black and white, fella.....it's ALL varying shades of GREY
There is a lot more recoverable oil in Alberta than 161 billion barrels. That said, looming like an odious spectre over Alberta's energy future (and its future overall well-being) is Canada's federal government, representing the views and interests of Ontario and Quebec. This federal government is historically hostile to Alberta, and the most that Alberta can hope from Canada's federal government is that it will be largely left alone.
I’m no math, science, bill nye the science guy. But she said (1800 billion bbls in the ground, we only use 1 bbls (2/3 of canadas usage in a year) wouldn’t that mean we are good for another 1800 years?? Seems decent
Tar Sands. (Edit: And there is no oil there like the video keeps talking about. This is not Saudi Arabia What the Tar Sands have is called crude bitumen.)
Lots of indigenous communities benefit from the oil and gas industry. The indigenous people who sue the energy companies only counts a minor portions of the entire indigenous populations
First nation cancer rates down stream from Ft Mac are much higher. The deformed fish found in the river down stream are another thing seldom mentioned.
@@paulchristensen2854 I understand those issues. Nothing is free. It's a yes or no question. If you want economic developments, then environment will be disturbed someway from small or large. If you want better environment, then, it's another way around.
@@paulchristensen2854 Lets ignore the fact that the Athabasca River cuts directly through these tar sands and assume none of this leeches into the river naturally as it carves a path through it.
@@Tek0nn lol...your weak attempt at deflection/obfuscation only highlights the fact that down stream from Ft Mac has higher rate of cancer in the indigenous communities and the only deformed fish in the river. Nice try son
@@paulchristensen2854 if you saw how bad the people in those communities eat (lots of grease and junk food in their daily diets) and the high rates of cigarette smoking amongst the members, no wonder many are getting cancer. I am First Nations myself, so you can't claim I'm being racist, either. I see the exact same problem on my own community, and it's nowhere near any oilsands site.
Doesnt anybody see the flaw here... Its like asking Apple to review its own product! Video is good, but many downsides were just quickly brushed away or simply left out!
There's a bunch of em but not enough. Corruption is the reason, massive corruption. I'd explain but it's way too much typing. Start by looking into Paul martin(former prime Minister, current dirtbag) and his fancy boats that haul Arab oil to Eastern Canada.
Let me sum up 17 years of the oil patch. The only positive they can actually state is $$$ its hell on the local communities as its a boom and bust cycle that only bankruptcy trusties will win in the end. It is far better to get Alberta and Sask to get into other industries far from carbon.
It's a dirty messy process but, as long as the producers are required to set aside the resources to fund the end of life cleanup of their sites, I don't have an issue with this specific production process. A lot of manufacturing is smelly and ugly. Just clean it up after. Don't let firms make millions in the market then declare bankruptcy in hard market times and walk away from poor producing sites and form a new numbered company to start over elsewhere. The global carbon issue is a whole other topic that needs a deeper dive.
Go Canada! Canadian oil is at least democratic oil. I switched to EV with political motives. Most of our money buying gasoline in Finland goes to dictatorships. You never know how much of it goes to terroruzzia.
