Introduction and selection of letters by Mary Clark Sheppard
Foreword by James S. Edwards, PC
2005
342 pp. /38 halftones /4 line diagrams
(hardcover)
ISBN 0-9680844-4-3
The Athabasca oil sands have reserves second only to Saudi Arabia. Unlocking this vast resource came about through the efforts of Dr. Karl A. Clark at the Alberta Research Council, who developed the so-called hot water process now used by all companies producing oil from these sands.
This book is a companion to Oil Sands Scientist: the letters of Karl A. Clark, 1920-1949, published by the University of Alberta Press, 1989. The fifteen years chronicled through the letters in the present volume record the transition between fundamental oil sands research and the advent of industrial production.
The year 1949 marked a turning point in oil sands history. That summer the pilot plant built by the Alberta government on the banks of the Athabasca River at Bitumount proved the technical viability of Clark’s hot water separation process. This signalled to the oil companies that it was time to take serious notice that the Athabasca deposit represented a potential new source of crude oil.
That year was also a turning point for Dr. Clark’s work at the Alberta Research Council. It drew away from separation studies and focused on information that would be needed by commercial interests promoting a new industry. More had to be known about the oil itself, the geology of the deposit, and the engineering principles governing machinery to be used. Knowledge gained was made freely available to all who showed an interest – potential developers, fellow scientists, engineering companies, and even some enthusiastic amateurs. His letters are warm, well written, and informative.
“In the history of the development of the oil sands industry, Dr. Clark’s work played an outstandingly significant role. Clark’s hot water separation process was the key to unlocking the vast potential of the Athabasca oil sands. To call him the Father of the Oil Sands would not be far off the mark.”
Eric Newell, LLD (Chancellor, University of Alberta, former CEO Syncrude)
“Today, what some call the world’s greatest industrial project owes much of its success to Dr. Clark and his research.”
The PEGG, June 2006
“…Sheppard’s introduction provides a clear, concise, jargon-free history of oil sands research and development.”
“Mary Sheppard has made a worthwhile contribution by drawing attention to a neglected corner of Alberta’s history and inviting further study.”
Legacy, Fall, 2006