Partial Upgrading Technologies Development in Canada; Fundamentals and Concept

The decrease in recovery cost and the increase in oil price in the last decade resulted in tremendous increase in oil sands-derived bitumen production in Canada. Oil sands-derived bitumen has the same properties as heavy crude or vacuum residue. In the last decade, different technology development companies were engaged in developing partial upgrading technologies. In these technologies, bitumen properties are improved to meet the pipeline specifications. Some of these technologies are in pilot plant stage and some are in demo plant development stage. In this paper, oil sand reserves in Canada and its production are reviewed. Then premium partial upgrading technologies are presented and discussed. Technology development history, concept, and economics are the main focus in this study. As high fuel oil production is one of the main challenges of Iranian refineries, this paper could be a useful preliminary as a roadmap for researchers and the industry.