Effects of Diluted Bitumen on Crude Oil Transmission Pipelines

TRB has released Special Report 311: Effects of Diluted Bitumen on Crude Oil Transmission Pipelines that analyzes whether shipments of diluted bitumen have a greater likelihood of release from pipelines than shipments of other crude oils. The oil sands region of Canada is the source of diluted bitumen shipped by pipeline to the United States.

The committee that produced the report did not find any pipeline failures unique to the transportation of diluted bitumen or evidence of physical or chemical properties of diluted bitumen shipments that are outside the range of those of other crude oil shipments. The committee’s comprehensive review did not find evidence of any specific aspect of the transportation of diluted bitumen that would make it more likely than other crude oils to cause pipeline releases.

A four page summary and a press release on the report are available.

A summary of the report was also published in the January-February 2014 issue of the TR News.