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Show Canada and U. S. to cooperate in tar sands research Canada and the United States have greed to establish a formal amework for cooperation in research "-nd development activities related to ie extraction and processing of tar inds and heavy oil. The agreement is in the form of a lemorandum of understanding efining areas of possible cooperative jsearch and development efforts. The lemorandum was signed by U.S. and anadian energy officials in separate ;remonies-one on June 1 at the teaprtment of Energy (DOE) in 'ashington, D.C., and the second on jne 4 at the First International onference on the Future of Heavy rude and Tar Sands, being held in dmonton, Alberta, Canada. This International Conference in-udes in-udes a presentation by L. C. Mar-iant, Mar-iant, C.Z Cupps (both of Laramie), id J. J. Stosur of Washington, D.C., scribing current tar sand activities in ie United States. Participants in the joint R&D efforts ill be DOE, representing the U.S., id, for Canada, the Alberta Oil Sands jchnology and Research Authority OSTRA) of the Province of Alberta, ie Department of Mineral Resources I the Province of Saskatchewan, and A coordinating committee, with members from each nation, will be responsible for general supervision of the program. It will identify potential studies and projects and will prepare the basis of agreement and management structure appropriate to each. DOE is currently directing technical attention to ways of expanding the development of America's tar sands and heavy oil resources, which are estimated tocontain 130 billion barrels of oil in place. DOE's Laramie (Wyoming) Energy Technology Center is the lead center for tar sand research and development and for activities related to the U.W.Canadian U.W.-Canadian agreement. Canada has long been concerned with the technological development of its immense resources of tar sands and heavy oil, located in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These resources are estimated to contain 800 billion barrels of oil in place. Two tar sands plants in Alberta are producing synthetic crude oil, which may account for as much as seven percent' of Canada's 1979 crude oil supply. ie Canadian Department of Energy, lines and Resources. iUnder the agreement, Canadian and is. researchers will seek solutions to irious technical, economic and en-ronmental en-ronmental problems which are ndering the development of tar sands id heavy oil. A number of possible areas of loperation are outlined in the ;reement. They include studies of the lysical and chemical characteristics tar sands and heavy oil; the com-rative com-rative economics and efficiencies of earn flooding and in-situ combustion fethods for recovering the oil; design d evaluation of results of per-teability per-teability enhancement methods; satment and use of water produced Iring resource development; and eam-flooding with additives, pooperation at the working level is pected to take the form of staff ex-anges, ex-anges, task-sharing arrangements, change of current scientific and chnical information, topical minars, and shared use of research cilities. |