Athabasca Oil Sands - From Laboratory to Production - Faculty of Engineering

The Letters of Karl A. Clark, 1950 – 66

On the world petroleum stage the Athabasca Oil Sands are already recognized as a significant new source of crude and within a further decade this newcomer’s long term growth prospects will be rivaled only by Saudi Arabia. Yet we have to remind ourselves that it is just thirty-nine years since the first plant, Great Canadian Oil Sands, now Suncor, began operations at only 45,000 barrels per day. It now reports a throughput of 260,000 bpd and is only one of three such large plants in production, the other two being Syncrude and Albion. All extract the oil using the fundamental principles of the Clark hot water process.

How did this all come about?
It started with a dedicated Alberta Research Council scientist, Canadian born Dr. Karl A. Clark who developed the hot water washing method for recovering the oil from the sand. What began in 1920 as a small laboratory operation has blossomed into a world scale industrial complex that promises North America petroleum security for the foreseeable future.

ATHABASCA OIL SANDS: From Laboratory to Production – The Letters of Karl A. Clark 1950-1966, Geoscience Publishing 2005, describes this fascinating story as seen through Dr. Clark’s letters. The introduction and selection of letters are by his daughter Mary Clark Sheppard, and it forms a companion piece for her earlier book OIL SANDS SCIENTIST: The Letters of Karl A. Clark 1920-1949, U of A Press 1989.

Throughout the fifteen years leading to the beginnings of industrial production, the subject of Sheppard’s second book, it becomes clear that Dr. Clark was sharing his knowledge gained through thirty years of research and encouraging all who found themselves groping their way towards the goal of a commercially viable operation.

He did this with persistence, patience and dedication and his contribution to the thriving and profitable Alberta oil sands industry which exists today is impressive. Alberta, and indeed Canada, owe much to Dr. Clark and this book contributes to the acknowledgement of that debt.

Dr. Karl Clark spent four decades matching his expertise with determination and faith to achieve results. Mary Clark Sheppard, one of four children, matched her father’s diligence to pay honour to her father by painstakingly assembling the contents of both books. She has provided us with a unique viewpoint. Dinner table discussions aside, she had close contacts inside the industry as she was employed by a number of oil companies in different capacities back in the days when a university education for a female still meant learning and utilizing secretarial skills. Not unlike her father, Mary has most certainly an ample supply of tar stuck to her own boots.

Dr. Clark was honoured in the fall of 2005 in Calgary by the Alberta Scientific & Technical Engineering Council (ASTEC) as one of the hundred famous and deserving Albertans. Mary, herself, was recently presented a Centennial Award from the province as recognition of her outstanding service to the people of Alberta.

The book is available from Geoscience Publishing,
Box 79088, Sherwood Park, AB T8A 5S3, $50 including postage and handling.

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