Bitumen, a heavier form of petroleum, is too thick to flow in a pipeline at ground temperature, so it needs to be thinned with a very light petroleum product called diluent. The resulting homogeneous mixture is referred to as “diluted bitumen” or dilbit.
Counter-Point: Diluted Bitumen behaves similar to other crude oil types and in fact does float.
Title: Dilbit Corrosivity Author: Canadian Energy Pipelines Association Publisher: Penspen Integrity Date: 2013 Full Report Here Summary: The corrosion risks associated with Dilbit and Synbit are considered to be no greater than with conventional crude oils in transmission pipelines, and existing integrity management techniques are capable of mitigating these risks.
Title: A STUDY OF FATE AND BEHAVIOR OF DILUTED BITUMEN OILS ON MARINE WATERS Author: Witt O’Brien’s, Polaris Applied Sciences, and Western Canada Marine Response Corporation Publisher: Witt O’Brien’s Date: November 22nd, 2013 Full Report Here Summary: Both AWB and CLB dilbits exhibited properties typical of a heavy, “conventional” crude
Title: Diluted Bitumen-Derived Crude Oil: Relative Pipeline Impacts Author: Barry Hindin, Brian Leis Publisher: Battelle Memorial Institute Date: July 20th, 2012 Full Report Here Summary: The relative measure of similarity developed in this project did not indicate that crude oil derived from diluted bitumen is significantly more corrosive than any other
Title: A Comparison of the Properties of Diluted Bitumen Crudes with other Oils Author: POLARIS Applied Sciences, Inc. Publisher: POLARIS Applied Sciences, Inc. Date: 2013 Full Report Here Summary: Laboratory and mesoscale weathering experiments show dilbits have physical properties very much aligned with a range of intermediate fuel oils and other
Title: Federal Government Technical Report: Properties, Composition and Marine Spill Behaviour, Fate and Transport of Two Diluted Bitumen Products from the Canadian Oil Sands Author: Environment Canada Publisher: Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of the Environment Date: 2013 Full Report Here Summary: Like conventional
Title: Crude Quality Inc. Report regarding the U.S. Department of State Supplementary Draft Environmental Impact Statement Author: Crude Quality Inc. Publisher: Crude Quality Inc. Date: May 31, 2011 Full Report Here Summary: Any risks that are associated with a dilbit are equally applicable to conventional crude products and are equally manageable
Title: TRB Special Report 311: Effects of Diluted Bitumen on Crude Oil Transmission Pipelines Author: National Academy of Sciences. Publisher: National Academy of Sciences. Date: 2013 Full Report Here Summary: The committee does not find any causes of pipeline failure unique to the transportation of dilutedbitumen. Furthermore, the committee does not
Title: Comparison of the Corrosivity of Dilbit and Conventional Crude Author: Jenny Been, PEng, Ph.D., PMP Publisher: Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures Date: September 2011 Full Report Here Summary: In the absence of energy storage or hydro generation, the only way wind can operate is as an appendage to coal or
