Alberta oil sands systems guide

Diluted bitumen and transportation

Raw bitumen is often blended with lighter hydrocarbons so it can move through pipelines to refineries or upgraders.

DilbitTransport

Editorial review: August 11, 2026 · Colin T. Ashcombe

Process role

Diluent lowers viscosity and creates transportable blend products.

How the system fits together

Pipelines, terminals and storage form the next stage of the infrastructure chain.

Environmental and reclamation context

Transportation creates its own integrity, spill-prevention and emergency-management obligations beyond the extraction site.

What to keep in mind

A production-site explanation is incomplete if it stops before transportation interfaces.

High-level industrial education only. Oil sands mines, thermal wells, extraction plants, upgraders and tailings facilities are hazardous regulated operations; this site does not provide operating setpoints, chemical recipes or equipment procedures.