Oil sands are developed using a couple of primary methods; the method used is determined by how close the oil sand deposit is to the surface.
In-Situ Methods for Oil Sands Development
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What is it? In-situ methods are used when oil sand deposits are too deep to be accessed through surface mining. These methods involve accessing the oil sands directly where they are, without requiring digging.
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Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD):
- SAGD is currently the most common in-situ oil recovery method as referenced in the reference material.
- This method uses two horizontal wells that are drilled into the oil sands.
- The top well injects steam into the oil sands deposit to heat it, reducing the oil’s viscosity to make it easier to extract.
- The heated oil then flows down to the lower well, where it is pumped to the surface.
Method Depth Applicability Description SAGD Deeper Uses steam injection in wells to heat oil, reducing viscosity and enabling extraction
Currently, about 80% of oil sands reserves are accessible via these in-situ techniques.
