A Comparison of the Properties of Diluted Bitumen Crudes with other Oils
A Comparison of the Properties of Diluted Bitumen
Crudes with other Oils
POLARIS Applied Sciences, Inc. (2013)
Abstract
Diluted bitumen (dilbit) crude oil represents a range of oils produced from bitumen extracted from oil
sands in Western, Canada. As these reserves are increasingly in demand, more transportation options
are being sought to deliver the product to refineries both in North America and abroad. Concerns over
potential spills have been the point of discussion with questions raised about applicable
countermeasures and limitations, the possible fate and behavior of these oils, and environmental
effects. Limited related research has been conducted on these oils over the past 30 years although
recent testing was completed in 2013. Laboratory and mesoscale weathering experiments show dilbits
have physical properties very much aligned with a range of intermediate fuel oils and other heavy crude
oils and generally, depending the initial blend and the state of weathering, and are not characterized as
nonfloating oils. This paper provides a review of dilbit oil properties, applicable countermeasures, and
potential fate and behavior for spills to land, freshwater, and marine settings and compares these oils to
other oil commodities transported and used over the past decades.
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