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47-628: Like coal and oil, bitumen occurs naturally and is obtained from the world's largest deposit in the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela . The deposit is estimated to be more than 1,300 billion barrels (190 billion m) of bitumen, an amount approximately equivalent to the world's estimated proven oil reserves . Raw bitumen has an extremely high viscosity and specific gravity between 8 and 10 API gravity at ambient temperatures , making it unsuitable for direct use in conventional power stations. Orimulsion

94-535: A diluent is added at regular distances in a pipeline carrying heavy crude to facilitate its flow. Dilbit (diluted bitumen ) is a means of transporting highly viscous hydrocarbons. Per the Alberta Oil Sands Bitumen Valuation Methodology, "Dilbit Blends" means "Blends made from heavy crudes and/or bitumens and a diluent usually condensate , for the purpose of meeting pipeline viscosity and density specifications, where

141-741: A 2009 report, the National Toxics Network, citing data provided by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center of the government of the United States and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), stated that emissions of CO 2 per unit of energy produced were ~84% of those for coal (0.078/0.093) - higher than CO 2 emissions of conventional oil. Environmental Research Web has reported that "because of

188-680: A consortium to develop the Junin bloc 6 of the Orinoco belt in Venezuela. The formation waters from the boreholes show a main Na-Cl level (TDS up to 30g/L) with a dilution trend toward Na-HCO 3 composition (down to 1g/L). The stable isotope ratio of oxygen and hydrogen of water molecule reveal that the seawater mother water was modified during a high-temperature thrusting event (120–125 °C), forming O-enriched diagenetic water (up to +4‰), which

235-493: A discount to lighter ones. The increased viscosity and density also makes production more difficult (see reservoir engineering ). On the other hand, large quantities of heavy crudes have been discovered in the Americas, including Canada , Venezuela and California . The relatively shallow depth of heavy oil fields (often less than 3,000 ft (910 m)) can contribute to lower production costs; however, these are offset by

282-626: A lighter crude oil can make this blend more profitable as a crude oil on the world market than by selling it as Orimulsion. An example of this is the popular Merey blend (Orinoco bitumen and Mesa crude oil). ConocoPhillips along with PDVSA operate the Merey Sweeny 58,000-barrel-per-day (9,200 m/d) (bpd) delayed coker, vacuum tower and related facilities at ConocoPhillips' refinery in Sweeny, Texas, U.S.A. for processing and upgrading heavy sour Merey crude oil. Air pollutant control technology that

329-411: A more severe environmental impact than light ones. With more difficult production comes the employment of a variety of enhanced oil recovery techniques, including steam flooding and tighter well spacing, often as close as one well per acre. Heavy crude oils also carry contaminants. For example, Orinoco extra heavy oil contains 4.5% sulfur as well as vanadium and nickel . However, because crude oil

376-472: A number of attractive characteristics: While Orimulsion is little different to fuel oil in relation to environmental impacts when burnt, being similarly susceptible to pollution mitigation techniques, it is more problematic in spill situations. If a spill occurs during shipping over water, the Orimulsion mixture de-emulsifies, causing the bitumen to separate and no longer remain in suspension. Orimulsion

423-540: A reservoir viscosity of more than 10,000  centipoises . Heavy oils and asphalt are dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). They have a low solubility and a viscosity greater than, and density higher than, water. Large spills of DNAPL will quickly penetrate the full depth of the aquifer and accumulate at the bottom. Heavy crude oil is closely related to natural bitumen from oil sands . Petroleum geologists categorize bitumen from oil sands as 'extra-heavy oil' due to its density of less than 10° API. Bitumen

470-430: A result, China continues to receive supplies of Orimulsion, while the rest of the world either had their supply terminated or is still in the process of winding down. Despite these developments, Orimulsion still holds great potential for domestic consumption. Another reason given by current PDVSA management is that with rising crude oil prices, it has been found that mixing or diluting Orinoco bitumen (extra-heavy oil) with

517-684: Is Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco (Orinoco Petroleum Belt). The Orinoco Belt is located in Guárico and south of the Anzoátegui , Monagas , and Delta Amacuro states, and it follows the line of the river. It is approximately 600 kilometres (370 mi) from east to west, and 70 kilometres (43 mi) from north to south, with an area about 55,314 square kilometres (21,357 sq mi). The Orinoco Belt consists of large deposits of extra heavy crude . Venezuela's heavy oil deposits of about 1,200 billion barrels (1.9 × 10  m ), found primarily in

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564-448: Is asphaltic and contains asphaltenes and resins . It is "heavy" (dense and viscous) due to the high ratio of aromatics and naphthenes to linear alkanes and high levels of NSOs ( nitrogen , sulfur , oxygen and heavy metals ). Heavy oil has a higher percentage of compounds with over 60 carbon atoms and hence a high boiling point and molecular weight. For example, the viscosity of Venezuela's Orinoco extra-heavy crude oil lies in

611-415: Is refined before use, generating specific alkanes via cracking and fractional distillation , this comparison is not valid in a practical sense. Heavy crude refining techniques may require more energy input though, so its environmental impact is presently more significant than that of lighter crude if the intended final products are light hydrocarbons (gasoline motor fuels). On the other hand, heavy crude

658-509: Is a better source for road asphalt mixes than light crude. With present technology, the extraction and refining of heavy oils and oil sands generates as much as three times the total CO 2 emissions when compared with conventional oil, primarily driven by the extra energy consumption of the extraction process (which may include burning natural gas to heat and pressurize the reservoir to stimulate flow). Current research into better production methods seek to reduce this environmental impact. In

705-502: Is about 11,593 square kilometres (4,476 sq mi). On January 7, 1936, Standard Oil of New Jersey, with the drilling of the well "La Canoa-1" located near the community of La Canoa (state of Anzoategui), began the exploitation of the Orinoco Oil Belt (FPO). That well was active for 44 days, producing approximately one thousand net barrels of crude oil per day. But by then, the exploitation activities were abandoned due to

752-584: Is centered on 200,000 barrels per day (32,000 m /d). Junin block 4 is developed in cooperation with CNPC (40%). It is expected to produce 400 thousand barrels per day (64 × 10 ^  m /d); however, the commissioning date is not announced. Junin block 5 is developed in cooperation with Eni (40%). It is expected to produce 75 thousand barrels per day (11.9 × 10 ^  m /d) by 2013 with late production of 240 thousand barrels per day (38 × 10 ^  m /d). The development will include an oil refinery for production of motor fuels. Junin block 6

799-427: Is classified as a non-Newtonian fluid , and if its temperature drops below 30 °C , it undergoes a process referred to as 'setting'. Once set, it becomes extremely difficult to pump, and restarting operations or restoring the flow through the pipeline becomes impossible. Orimulsion is currently used as a commercial boiler fuel in power plants worldwide, including countries such as Japan , Italy and China . Its usage

846-506: Is commonly available can limit emissions from Orimulsion to levels considered " Best Available Control Technology ", as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency . Orinoco Belt The Orinoco Belt is a territory in the southern strip of the eastern Orinoco River Basin in Venezuela which overlies the world's largest deposits of petroleum . Its local Spanish name

893-678: Is developed in cooperation with Repsol YPF (11%), Petronas (11%), ONGC (11%), Indian Oil Corporation (3.5%), and Oil India (3.5%). It consists of Carabobo block 1 North and block 1 Central. The expected production output will be 400 thousand barrels per day (64 × 10 ^  m /d) by 2013. The upgrader is expected to be ready by 2017. Carabobo 3 is developed in cooperation with Chevron Corporation (34%), Suelopetrol (1%) pct, and Mitsubishi Corporation and Inpex (5%). It consists of Carabobo block 2 South, block 3, and block 5. The expected production output will be 400 thousand barrels per day (64 × 10 ^  m /d) by 2013. The upgrader

940-428: Is developed in cooperation with a consortium of Russian oil companies, including Rosneft , Gazprom Neft , Lukoil , TNK-BP and Surgutneftegaz . It is expected to produce 450 thousand barrels per day (72 × 10 ^  m /d); however, the commissioning date is not announced. Junín block 7 was discovered in 2009 and developed by PDVSA . The oil field is operated and owned by PDVSA . The total proven reserves of

987-472: Is expected to be ready by 2017. Carabobo 2 will be developed in cooperation with Rosneft and Corporation Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP) - a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil and gas company PDVSA. The agreement, signed by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Venezuelan Oil Minister, PDVSA chief Rafael Ramirez in the presence of President Hugo Chávez , establishes a joint venture to develop the Carabobo 2 bloc in

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1034-493: Is expected to produce 200 thousand barrels per day (32 × 10 ^  m /d) by 2011. The development will include also a heavy crude upgrader; however, its commissioning date is not specified. Junín Block 3 was discovered in 2009 and developed by PDVSA . The oil field is operated and owned by PDVSA . The total proven reserves of the Junín-3 oil field are around 4.26 billion barrels (677,000,000 m ), and production

1081-586: Is more viscous than cold molasses and does not flow at ambient conditions. According to the World Resources Institute , concentrations of remarkable quantities of heavy oil and oil sands are found in Canada and Venezuela. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported in 2001 that the largest reserves of heavy crude oil in the world were located north of the Orinoco river , in

1128-436: Is produced by mixing the bitumen with approximately 30% fresh water and a small amount of surfactant . The resulting mixture behaves similarly to fuel oil . Recently, an alcohol -based surfactant has replaced the original phenol -based version, improving the transport properties of the fuel and eliminating the health concerns associated with the phenol group of surfactants. As a fuel for electricity generation, Orimulsion has

1175-401: Is referred to as "heavy" because its density or specific gravity is higher than that of light crude oil . Heavy crude oil has been defined as any liquid petroleum with an API gravity less than 20°. Physical properties that differ between heavy crude oils and lighter grades include higher viscosity and specific gravity, as well as higher molecular weight hydrocarbon composition. In 2010,

1222-491: Is sometimes described as oil sands, but these deposits are non-bituminous, falling instead into the category of heavy or extra-heavy oil due to their lower viscosity. Natural bitumen and extra-heavy oil differ in the degree by which they have been degraded from the original conventional oils by bacteria . Thirty or more countries are known to have reserves. Production, transportation, and refining of heavy crude oil present special challenges compared to light crude oil. Generally,

1269-691: Is the heaviest, thickest form of petroleum. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, bitumen is further distinguished as extra-heavy oil with a higher viscosity (i.e., resistance to flow): "Natural bitumen, also called tar sands or oil sands, shares the attributes of heavy oil but is yet more dense and viscous. Natural bitumen is oil having a viscosity greater than 10,000 cP." "Natural bitumen (often called tar sands or oil sands) and heavy oil differ from light oils by their high viscosity (resistance to flow) at reservoir temperatures, high density (low API gravity), and significant contents of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur compounds and heavy-metal contaminants. They resemble

1316-605: The US Geological Survey increased the estimated reserves to 513 billion barrels (8.16 × 10  m ) of oil which is "technically recoverable (producible using currently available technology and industry practices)." No estimate of how much of the oil is economically recoverable was made. The Orinoco Belt is currently divided into four exploration and production areas. These are: Boyacá (formerly Machete), Junín (formerly Zuata), Ayacucho (formerly Hamaca), and Carabobo (formerly Cerro Negro). The current exploration area

1363-526: The World Energy Council (WEC) defined extra heavy oil as crude oil having a gravity of less than 10° and a reservoir viscosity of more than 10,000 centipoises. When reservoir viscosity measurements are not available, extra-heavy oil is considered by the WEC to have a lower limit of 4° API. In other words, oil with a density greater than 1000 kg/m (or a specific gravity greater than 1) and

1410-411: The 270-mile long by 40-mile wide Orinoco Belt , in eastern Venezuela . At that time Venezuela began authorizing "joint ventures to upgrade the extra-heavy crude resources." Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) at that time estimated that there were 270 billion barrels of recoverable reserves in the area, the same amount as the conventional oil reserves of Saudi Arabia . The Orinoco Belt in Venezuela

1457-558: The Junín-7 oil field are around 31 billion barrels (4.9 × 10  m ), and production is centered on 200,000 barrels per day (32,000 m /d). Junín block 8 was discovered in 2009 and developed by PDVSA . The oil field is operated and owned by PDVSA . The total proven reserves of the Junín-8 oil field are around 40 billion barrels (6.4 × 10  m ). The same year, PDVSA and Sinopec signed an agreement to collaborate on

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1504-630: The Orinoco Petroleum Belt, are estimated to approximately equal the world's reserves of lighter oil. Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. has estimated that the producible reserves of the Orinoco Belt are up to 235 billion barrels (3.74 × 10  m ) which would make it the largest petroleum reserve in the world, slightly ahead of the similar unconventional oil source in the Athabasca oil sands , and above Saudi Arabia . In 2009,

1551-426: The annual interest rate of LIBOR+5.5 percent. To develop the Carabobo 2 bloc Rosneft will invest a total of $ 16 billion, according to CEO Igor Sechin. The Carabobo 2 bloc's reserves total 6.5 billion metric tons of crude. Commercial oil production at the bloc is expected to hit 400,000 barrels per day. Rosneft, along with several Russian oil companies ( Gazprom Neft , Lukoil , TNK-BP and Surgutneftegaz ), have formed

1598-547: The density of the diluent included in the blend is less than 800 kg/m ." Heavy crude oils provide an interesting situation for the economics of petroleum development. The resources of heavy oil in the world are more than twice those of conventional light crude oil. In October 2009, the United States Geological Survey updated the Orinoco deposits (Venezuela) recoverable value to 513 billion barrels (8.16 × 10  m ), making this area one of

1645-495: The development of the block, whose future production was estimated to be 200,000 barrels per day (32,000 m /d). The Junín block 10 was discovered in 2009 and developed by PDVSA . The oil field is operated and owned by PDVSA . The total proven reserves of the Junín-10 oil field are around 10.5 billion barrels (1.67 × 10  m ), and production is centered on 220,000 barrels per day (35,000 m /d). Carabobo 1

1692-629: The difficulties of production and transport that render conventional production methods ineffective. Specialized techniques are being developed for exploration and production of heavy oil. Production of heavy oil is becoming more common in many countries, with 2008 production led by Canada and Venezuela. Methods for extraction include Cold heavy oil production with sand , steam assisted gravity drainage , steam injection , vapor extraction , Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI) , and open-pit mining for extremely sandy and oil-rich deposits. With current production and transportation methods, heavy crudes have

1739-450: The difficulty in extracting the extra-heavy hydrocarbons. In 1938, the first well discovering hydrocarbons was drilled with the name "Zuata 1" Source:The data in this section are taken directly from the official PDVSA web page. Venezuela power policy guidelines until the year 2030 are drawn up in the " Oil Sowing Plan " ( "Plan Siembra Petrolera" ), which includes six development projects and consists of two stages: one to be executed in

1786-424: The energy needed for extraction and processing, petroleum from Canadian oil sands has higher life cycle emission" compared with conventional fossil fuels; "up to 25% more." Most geologists agree that crude becomes 'heavy' as a result of biodegradation , in which lighter oils are preferentially consumed by bacterial activity in the reservoir, leaving heavier hydrocarbons behind. This hypothesis leans heavily on

1833-527: The period 2005–2012, and another, to be developed in the second stage, 2012 and 2030. For the first period of this Plan, an overall investment of around US$ 56 billion has been estimated between 2005 and 2012. 70% of that amount will be financed by Venezuela — state operator — and the rest by the private sector. Oil Sowing Plan 2005–2012 includes six fundamental axes: Production blocks will be developed by PDVSA in cooperation with foreign partners. In all partnership PDVSA owns 60%. Junín block 1

1880-488: The range 1000–5000 cP (1–5 Pa·s ), while Canadian extra-heavy crude has a viscosity in the range 5000–10,000 cP (5–10 Pa·s), about the same as molasses, and higher (up to 100,000 cP or 100 Pa·s for the most viscous commercially exploitable deposits). A definition from the Chevron Phillips Chemical company is as follows: The "heaviness" of heavy oil is primarily the result of

1927-472: The residuum from the refining of light oil. Most heavy oil is found at the margins of geologic basins and is thought to be the residue of formerly light oil that has lost its light-molecular-weight components through degradation by bacteria, water-washing, and evaporation. Conventional heavy oil and bitumens differ in the degree by which they have been degraded from the original crude oil by bacteria and erosion. ( Meyer & Atanasi 2003 , p. 1) Often, bitumen

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1974-503: The southern Orinoco extra-heavy crude belt in Venezuela. The signed memorandum established Rosneft's share will be 40 percent. Rosneft will pay CVP a bonus of $ 1.1 billion, paid out in two installments: $ 440 million within ten days after the establishment of the joint venture, and the rest after Rosneft makes the final decision on the project. In addition, Rosneft will issue a $ 1.5 billion loan to CVP for five years. The loan will be provided in tranches of not more than $ 300 million annually at

2021-611: The techniques of petroleum geochemistry . Poor geologic reservoir sealing exposes the hydrocarbons to surface contaminants, including organic life (such as bacteria) and contributes to this process. Heavy oil can be found in shallow, young reservoirs, with rocks from the Pleistocene , Pliocene , and Miocene (younger than 25 million years). In some cases, it can also be found in older Cretaceous , Mississippian , and Devonian reservoirs. These reservoirs tend to be poorly sealed, resulting in heavy oil and oil-sands. Heavy oil

2068-419: The world's largest recoverable oil deposits. However, recovery rates for heavy oil are often limited from 5-30% of oil in place. The chemical makeup is often the defining variable in recovery rates. New technology utilized for the recovery of heavy oil is constantly increasing recovery rates. On one hand, due to increased refining costs and high sulfur content for some sources, heavy crudes are often priced at

2115-455: Was diluted in recent times by glacial meltwater and presentday meteoric water. The hypothetical presence of flood by a meteoric paleo-water also offers new hints to explain the low API gravity (<10°API biodegraded, extra heavy oil) and composition of the local crude. Heavy crude Heavy crude oil (or extra heavy crude oil ) is highly viscous oil that cannot easily flow from production wells under normal reservoir conditions. It

2162-482: Was discovered in 2009 and developed by PDVSA . The oil field is operated and owned by PDVSA . The total proven reserves of the Junín-1 oil field are around 2 billion barrels (320,000,000 m ), and production is centered on 200,000 barrels per day (32,000 m /d). Junin block 2 is under development in cooperation with Petrovietnam . SNC-Lavalin was awarded the engineering contract on March 10, 2010. It

2209-644: Was previously more widespread, and there was an increasing demand for it. However, following the Venezuelan general strike of 2002–03 , many engineers from PDVSA were dismissed. Since Orimulsion had been highly regarded by these engineers, it lost favor among key political leaders. Consequently, the Venezuelan government has been attempting to gradually phase out the Orimulsion program, except for its sales to China . The Venezuelan government maintains close ties with China, similar to its relationship with Cuba . As

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