Western Research Institute (WRI) is developing the Recycle Oil Pyrolysis and Extraction (ROPE) process for recovering oil from tar sand and for coprocessing heavy crude oil with tar sand. WRI has constructed and operated a 2-inch-diameter process development unit with a throughput of 5 to 10 lb/hr and a 6-inch-diameter bench-scale unit with a throughput of 50 to 100 lb/hr to develop the ROPE process. Based on experimental results to date, a preliminary commercial design has been performed for a 2500-ton/day Asphalt Ridge, Utah, tar sand plant. Major equipment items and their sizes were determined from the process flow diagram and heat and material balance results. No major technical uncertainties were discovered during the design of the 2500-ton/day plant. The total capital investment for the 2500-ton/day Asphalt Ridge tar sand plant was estimated at $53,336,000 in mid-1989 dollars including 16% contingency. This is equivalent to 27,240 dollars per barrel of daily oil production. The annual operating cost is estimated at $9,683,000 in mid-1989 dollars or $14.28/bbl including 5% contingency. Tar sand mining cost (27.1%) is the highest, followed by maintenance cost (23.1%), and plant operating labor (18.5%). Tax and insurance cost is 17.5% of total operating expenses. From an economic perspective, the best market for the ROPE product oil will be realized if the ROPE process facility is located near sites where there are already commercially developed heavy oil and bitumen extraction/processing facilities and existing pipelines for transporting the blend to distant refineries. These sites would be located in the countries of Canada and Venezuela and possibly the states of Utah, Wyoming, and California. 27 refs., 20 figs., 14 tabs.