What is an oil upgrader?
Upgraders. Upgraders are facilities that improve (or ‘upgrade’) the quality of crude oil products such as bitumen, which is very viscous and dense, to synthetic crude oil. This is done by breaking down large oil molecules into smaller ones by injecting fluids or adding heat.
What is a refinery upgrader?
An upgrader is a plant used to lower the density of extra-heavy crude oil (bitumen) before sending it to market. Upgraders employ standard refining bottoms conversion processes such as cokers and resid hydrocrackers to crack extra-heavy crude into a mix of lighter components.
What is an oil sands upgrader?
An upgrader is a facility that upgrades bitumen (extra heavy oil) into synthetic crude oil. Upgrader plants are typically located close to oil sands production, for example, the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada or the Orinoco tar sands in Venezuela.
How is bitumen turned into crude oil?
BITUMEN UPGRADING Upgrading is a process by which bitumen is transformed into a lighter and sweeter crude by fractionation and chemical treatment. This improves the quality of the oil, reducing its viscosity and sulphur content. The SCO product is then sent to a downstream refinery for conversion into final product.
What is Dilbit used for?
Dilbit (diluted bitumen) is a bitumen diluted with one or more lighter petroleum products, typically natural-gas condensates such as naphtha. Diluting bitumen makes it much easier to transport, for example in pipelines.
How does an upgrader work?
The purpose of an upgrader is to, essentially, improve (or ‘upgrade’) the quality of an oil product so that it flows more easily and is more valuable. This is done by breaking very large oil molecules down into smaller ones, mostly by using high heat and pressure.
What does the Husky upgrader do?
Engineers designed Husky’s heavy oil upgrader in Lloydminster and continue to improve production at the plant. An expansion project underway in 2020 will help the company increase diesel production from 6,000 to 9,000 barrels per day.
What does a bitumen upgrader do?
Bitumen upgrading is the chemical treatment of bitumen that is used in an attempt to increase its value by creating a substitute for high quality crude oil, known as a synthetic crude oil. Generally this involves reducing the viscosity of the bitumen to allow for shipment.
What is Synbit and Dilbit?
Synbit is a mixture of synthetic crude and bitumen, typically a 50/50 blend. Since Synbit has a lower fraction of bitumen than Dilbit, it is slightly better in quality. Synbit volumes have diminished in recent years in favour of Dilbit production.
Is bitumen crude oil?
The bitumen is a form of crude oil that can be separated out from the mixture. In its natural state, it is very dense and highly viscous. In order to transport the oil sands, the natural bitumen is processed or diluted.
What is bitumen made from?
What is bitumen? Bitumen is known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties, and is created through the crude oil distillation process. The process removes lighter crude oil materials such as diesel and gasoline, and leaves the heavier bitumen behind.
Is petroleum a bitumen?
bitumen, dense, highly viscous, petroleum-based hydrocarbon that is found in deposits such as oil sands and pitch lakes (natural bitumen) or is obtained as a residue of the distillation of crude oil (refined bitumen).
How many upgraders are there in Alberta?
Figure 1: Western Canada’s upgraders and bitumen refineries
| Active Upgraders Capacity | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 203.0 | 1 277.0 |
| Saskatchewan | 20.7 | 130.5 |
| Western Canada | 223.8 | 1 407.5 |
What is crude bitumen used for?
Bitumen is a by-product of crude oil which is known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties. In ancient times, bitumen was mainly used for binding building materials together. Nowadays, this material has more than 250 applications; including paving roads, roofing, waterproofing, sealing, and insulating.
What is SCO in oil and gas?
Surface-Contaminated Object.
What is the difference between crude oil and bitumen?
What makes bitumen different from regular or conventional oil? Conventional crude oil is a liquid that can be pumped from underground deposits. It is then shipped by pipeline to refineries where it’s processed into gasoline, diesel and other fuels. Bitumen is too thick to be pumped from the ground or through pipelines.