API Gravity
The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks. API gravity is a measure of the relative density of a petroleum liquid and the density of water, but it is used to compare the relative densities of petroleum liquids. If one petroleum liquid floats on another, it is less dense, and has a greater API gravity. API gravity is graduated in degrees on a hydrometer instrument and designed so that most values fall between 10 and 70 API gravity degrees.
Aromatics
Hydrocarbon species which occurs in unusually high concentrations in bitumen and some derived products, and confers poor quality in distillate fuels.
Asphaltenes
The heaviest and most concentrated aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of bitumen.
Barrel
Generally accepted measurement of oil. One barrel of oil equals 159 liters; one cubic meter contains 6.29 barrels.
Bitumen
Bitumen is the naturally occurring viscous mixture of hydrocarbons that contain high levels of sulphur and nitrogen compounds. In its natural state, it is not recoverable at a commercial rate through a well because it is too thick to flow. Bitumen typically has an API gravity of 10 or lower.
Catalyst
Used in upgrading processes to assist cracking and other upgrading reactions.
Cetane Number
A measure used to describe the combustion characteristics of a diesel fuel. A high Cetane Number indicates a better fuel.
Centipoise
Described as a unit of dynamic viscosity, centipoise is the amount of force necessary to move a layer of liquid in relation to another liquid. Centipoise is considered the standard unit of measurement for fluids of all types. It is one hundredth of a poise. The symbol for centipoise is cP or cps, depending on the source.
Coke
Solid, black hydrocarbon which is left as a residue after the more valuable hydrocarbons have been removed from bitumen by heating the bitumen to high temperatures.
Coking
A process commonly used as the first step in bitumen upgrading. The bitumen is cracked by application of high temperatures.
Condensate
Mixture of extremely light hydrocarbons recoverable from gas reservoirs. Condensate is also referred to as a natural gas liquid and is used as a diluent to reduce bitumen viscosity for pipeline transportation.
Contingent Resources
That portion of Discovered in-Place Resources that is considered to be recoverable, but currently sub-economic due to pricing or technology limitations. It is typically presented as Low, Best and High Estimates based on increasing uncertainty.
Conventional Crude Oil
Mixture mainly of pentane and heavier hydrocarbons recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and liquid at atmospheric pressure and temperature. Unlike bitumen, it flows through a well without stimulation and through a pipeline without processing or dilution.
Cracking
Process of breaking down the larger, heavier and more complex hydrocarbon molecules into simpler, lighter molecules.
Cyclic Steam Stimulation
Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS), also known as Cyclic Steam Soak, is a thermal in situ recovery method in which steam is injected for a short period of time in bitumen or heavy crude oil production wells which enhances well deliverability and, in some cases, increases recovery. The mechanism was discovered accidentally by Shell when one of its Venezuelan steam drive injectors blew out and ended up producing oil at much higher rates than a conventional production well in a similar environment.
Deasphalting
A family of processes that use light solvents to selectively reject highly aromatic or ‘asphaltenic’ fractions.
Delineation Drilling
Delineation drilling is a way to evaluate a newly-discovered reservoir, which involves placing a number of wells in various parts of a reservoir to learn its extent and characteristics.
Discovered in-Place Resources
The portion of Total Petroleum Initially in-Place that is established with some degree of certainty to exist based on drilled wells, seismic and geological mapping. This category includes Production, Reserves, Contingent Resources and Unrecoverable Discovered in-Place Resources.
Ebullated Bed Process
Ebullated Bed Process is a residue conversion process that employs hydrogen, and keeps the solid catalyst in a semi-fluid state to allow continual addition and removal without halting the process.
ET-DSP™
Electro-Thermal Dynamic Stripping Process (ET-DSP™) is a form of electro-thermal heating, ET-DSP basically passes electrical current between electrodes placed in soil, heating the oil in bitumen-rich deposits to allow it to be pumped out. The ET-DSP process allows oil to be recovered from deposits quicker. It is environmentally friendly as small wells are drilled for electrodes and pumps while the rest of the land is disturbed as minimally as possible. It is scalable—as more oil is recovered, more wells can be drilled and more capital generated and less expensive when compared to more conventional methods of oil extraction, such as surface mining.
Heavy Oil
Heavy oil is a type of crude oil with gravity below 22 degrees API which is very viscous and does not flow easily. The common characteristic properties are high specific gravity, low hydrogen to carbon ratios, high carbon residues, and high contents of asphaltenes, heavy metal, sulphur and nitrogen. Specialized refining processing is required to produce more useful fractions, such as: naphtha, kerosene, and gas oil.
Hot Water Extraction
An extraction process whereby oil sand, hot water, steam and reagents such as caustic soda are mixed to extract bitumen.
Hydrocarbons
Organic chemical compounds of hydrogen and carbon atoms that form the basis of all petroleum products. Hydrocarbons may be liquid, solid or gaseous.
Hydrocracking
Refining process for reducing heavy hydrocarbons into lighter fractions.
Hydroprocessing
An upgrading process for reducing heavy hydrocarbons into lighter fractions through the catalytic addition of hydrogen.
Hydro-transport
A slurry process which transports water and oil sands through a pipeline to primary separation vessels located in an extraction plant.
Hydrotreater
Unit that removes sulphur and nitrogen from the components of synthetic crude oil by the catalytic addition of hydrogen. This is a final stage in the upgrading process.
Injection Well
In enhanced recovery procedures, a well through which air, steam or solvent is injected to create heat and pressure necessary to force the oil to a wellbore.
In Situ
Over 80% of oil sands are buried too deep below the surface for open pit mining; therefore the oil must be recovered by in situ techniques. Using drilling technology, heat and/or solvent is injected into the deposit to lower the viscosity of the bitumen. The hot bitumen migrates towards producing wells, bringing it to the surface, while the sand is left in place ("in situ" is Latin for "in place"). In Situ Combustion (ISC), Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS), ET-DSP™ and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) are types of in situ technology used to produce bitumen. Production from in situ already rivals open pit mining and may replace mining as the main source of bitumen production from the oil sands.
In Situ Combustion (ISC)
A process in which air or oxygen is injected in to a reservoir and a fire front established near the injection well. Steam created at the fire front from boiling of the native water in the zone or additional water injected with the air mobilizes the oil ahead of the front, leaving coke on the sand which is the fuel for the combustion process. This very efficient process for the mobilization of oil has seen limited commercial application, usually due to associated operational issues such as difficult emulsions and corrosive produced fluids.
Light Crude Oil
Liquid petroleum with a gravity of 28 degrees API or higher. A high quality light crude oil might have a gravity of about 40 degrees API.
Medium Crude Oil
Medium Crude Oil is liquid petroleum with gravity between 23 and 28 degrees API.
Middlings
Mixture of water, clay, sand and bitumen that remains between the bitumen froth at the surface and the sand at the bottom of a primary separation vessel at the end of the extraction stage. Further processing is required to maximize bitumen recovery.
N-Solv
Novel solvent based technology based on Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) well architecture that focuses on the injection of propane into tar sands in place of steam and expends significantly less energy than conventional steam-extraction methods. In addition, this process requires no water and creates only a fraction of the Green House Gases as compared to SAGD.
Oil Sands
Bitumen-soaked sand, located various places around the world. Large amounts are found in Canada, Venezuela and Russia. Total deposits of bitumen in Alberta, Canada are estimated at 1.7 to 2.5 trillion barrels.
Overburden
A layer of sand, gravel and shale between the surface and the underlying oil sand which must be removed before oil sands can be mined.
Petroleum
A substance composed of a number of hydrocarbons in various combinations with its most familiar form being crude oil.
Pilot Plant
A plant for testing processes under actual production conditions, usually smaller than the anticipated commercial plant, but large enough to prove the process and demonstrate its commerciality.
Pool
Natural underground reservoir containing an accumulation of oil and/or natural gas.
Prospective Resources
Prospective Resources are the portion of undiscovered in-place resources that is considered to be recoverable based on pricing and technology assumptions. They typically presented as Low, Best and High Estimates based on increasing uncertainty.
Proven Recoverable Reserves
Proven Recoverable Reserves have been proven through production or testing to be recoverable with existing technology and current economic conditions.
Reclamation
Returning disturbed land to a stable, biologically-productive state.
Reserves
In the past, referred to as Remaining Reserves, those quantities of petroleum which are anticipated to be commercially recovered from known accumulations from a given date forward. Reserves are typically classified as Proved, Proved + Probable, and Proved + Probable + Possible, with each category reflecting an increasing uncertainty. Proved Reserves are further sub-divided into Developed Proved Reserves and Undeveloped Proved Reserves based on the need for further capital investment to produce and sell the petroleum. In the past, “Reserves” was used to indicate the total of Remaining Reserves and Production.
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD)
Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is an enhanced oil recovery technology for heavy crude oil and bitumen. The In-Situ production process uses two closely spaced horizontal wells, one for steam injection and one for the production of the bitumen/water emulsion.
Steam Methane Reforming
A process commonly used to convert natural gas to hydrogen for upgrading.
Synthetic Crude Oil
A high quality light and sweet crude oil manufactured by upgrading bitumen extracted from oil sands. The mixture is mainly of pentane and heavier hydrocarbons derived from crude bitumen through the addition of hydrogen or the removal of carbon.
Surface Mining
Operations to recover oil sands by open pit mining.
Tailings Settling Basin
The primary purpose of the tailings settling basin is to serve as a process vessel which allows time for tailings water to clarify, and silt and clay particles to settle, so that the water can be reused in extraction.
Thermal Recovery
Thermal Recovery is any process by which heat energy is used to reduce the viscosity of bitumen in situ to facilitate recovery.
Total Petroleum initially in-Place
The estimate of all petroleum already discovered or expected to be discovered in an area. This includes Discovered in-Place Resources and Undiscovered in-Place Resources.
Truck and Shovel Mining
Large electric or hydraulic shovels are used to remove the oil sand and load very large trucks. The trucks haul the oil sand to dump pockets where the oil sand is conveyed or pipelined to the extraction plant.
Unconventional Crude Oil
Crude oil which is not classified as conventional is classified as unconventional crude oil. Examples include synthetic crude oil and bitumen.
Undiscovered in-Place Resources
Undiscovered in-Place Resources are the portion of Total Petroleum Initially in-Place that is expected to be discovered based on geological and engineering data. This category includes Prospective Resources and Unrecoverable Undiscovered in-Place Resources.
Upgrading
Conversion of bitumen into a lighter, sweeter, high-quality crude oil either through the removal of carbon (coking) or the addition of hydrogen (hydroconversion).
Visbreaking
A process designed to reduce residue viscosity by thermal means, but without appreciable coke formation.
Viscosity
Viscosity is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. An easy way of understanding it is to think of viscosity as fluid friction. Thinner liquids, such as water, have lower viscosities, while thicker liquids like oil have higher viscosities.
Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB)
This major land based sedimentary basin in Canada - which covers about 580,000 square miles - extends from British Columbia in the west, eastward through Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and includes portions of the Northwest and Yukon Territories.