Synthetic crude starts flowing to markets

The first commercial production of synthetic crude from Athabasca tar sands was scheduled to begin by the middle of 1967. The project was completed in June and is undergoing test runs. As a result, manufactured crude oil will start flowing toward a Canadian refinery on Sept. 30, 1967, at the rate of 45,000 bpd. Athabasca tar sand deposits are particularly attractive because of their location with respect to markets in the U.S. Barring the not too probable discovery of prolific oilfields or the still distant development of shale-oil deposits, imports of oil into the U.S. are estimated to reach 5 million bpd by 1980. Obviously, the country cannot depend too much on overseas imports for its oil supplies. The tar sand is mined by giant electric powered shovels which have cleared the overburden over sufficient deposit to keep the plant operating for about a year and a half. Excavators, each capable of operating at 9,000 short tons per hr, scoop up tar sand and dump it on conveyor belts which transfer it to the plant. The sand goes into horizontal drums where it is agitated and mixed with hot water and steam. The slurry is then fed to vertical separatormore » tanks in which the bitumen rises to the surface to be skimmed off while most of the sand settles on the bottom of the tanks. Further processing is utilized.« less