Resumen

GOMEZ-ROJAS, Olga Patricia et al. Preliminary bulk characterization of Picacho tar sands, Pesca municipality (Boyacá, Colombia). bol.geol. [online]. 2018, vol.40, n.2, pp.87-99. ISSN 0120-0283.  https://doi.org/10.18273/revbol.v40n2-2018005.

The tar sands are mined in Colombia for paving the local roads. An example of this use is the tar sands of the Picacho Formation, located in the municipality of Pesca, Boyacá. The objective of this study is providing a preliminary bulk characterization to evaluate this resource as a possible source of unconventional hydrocarbons in this area. The study is limited to two fronts of exploitation named the La Emilia and Santa Teresa mines. The methods used comprise elemental analysis, physico-mechanical test, SARA and pyrolysis. The results determine that the unit is composed of siliceous sandstones. The percentages of sulfur are low in most of the samples, except one that reaches 5%, the API gravity between 22.4 and 9.2 indicates that they range between medium and extra heavy crude, the oil fractional composition reflects a higher proportion of resins and asphaltenes, the pyrolysis indicates a high volatile content that completely distill at temperatures below 500ºC.

Palabras clave : tar sands; Picacho Formation; heavy oil.

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