This paper looks at the potential of bitumen blends for refinery and petrochemical applications. Bitumen mixed with diluents and synthetic oils have refinery applications but this process is expensive with current realities, hence the need for cheaper alternatives. In this study, Bitumen was mixed with crude oils, condensate oil and the transport and product properties compared to standard pipeline specification and refinery application evaluated. Bitumen/oil blend ratio of (50:50) was found to pass the North American oil transport pipeline specification of viscosity less than 350 cSt. The bitumen blends were further upgraded via catalytic processes to study the potential of the products. The gas analysis of the products confirmed it is rich in methane and with other components such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which are potential for energy and syngas production. This confirms the economic potential of bitumen blends with reservoir oils as a candidate material for cost-effective downstream feed/refinery and petrochemical applications.
Key words: Keywords: bitumen, blends, upgrade, transport, refinery, petrochemicals
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