Industrial globalization and urbanization has placed man on a path for the quest of energy. Conspicuously there are various types and forms of energy with established technologies on harnessing and utilization wherein fossil fuel still remains the cheapest with straightforward application. Although, conventional fossil fuel resources are depleting because of population growth, unconventional reservoirs are exploited daily with limited production due to inadequate and expensive technology making them stand at approximately 9.1 trillion barrels poised to quell the world’s energy insecurity for the next 100 years. The underlying basis for the high-cost of unconventional reservoirs upgrading is the hydrogen required to seal the alkyl chain after cracking to form low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Therefore, in this chapter we aim to provide a comprehensive review of in-situ generation of hydrogen from syngas via water gas shift reaction for the catalytic upgrading of heavy crude oil and bitumen by analyzing the gas chromatography results of gaseous effluents for the presence of syngas in the various works cited. Although, heavy crude oil and bitumen are non-renewable the upgrading method selected is tenable, appropriately the overall technology is partially sustainable.
Part of the book: Sustainable Alternative Syngas Fuel