| Barrel |
Generally accepted non metric measurement of oil. One cubic metre of oil equals 6.29 Canadian barrels. |
| Bitumen |
A thick, sticky, naturally occurring viscous mixture of hydrocarbons that may contain sulphur compounds and that, in its naturally occurring state, is not recoverable at a commercial scale through a well.
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| Bucketwheel |
A mining machine that uses toothed buckets mounted on the rim of a revolving wheel to scoop up oil sands and deposit the sand on conveyers to the extraction plant. Bucketwheels are often considered dated technology and are being phased out in favour of truck and shovels for commercial oil sands mining.
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| Coke |
After volatile hydrocarbons have been removed from bitumen by distillation, the solid, black hydrocarbon remaining is referred to as coke.
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| Coker |
The equipment used to crack bitumen into its fractions and when coke is removed to begin converting bitumen to upgraded crude oil.
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| CONRAD |
The Canadian Oil sands Network for Research and Development is a research partnership between industry, government, and organizations such as the ERCB.
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| Consolidated tailings (CT) |
Process using gypsum and mature fine tailings to allow sooner reclamation of tailings ponds to a dry landscape. |
| Conventional crude oil |
Oil that can be recovered through a well at a commercial state.
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| Conversion |
Converting of bitumen into synthetic crude; upgrading.
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| Cracking |
Breaking down large, heavy, complex hydrocarbon molecules into simpler, lighter molecules.
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| Downstream |
Business segment that manufactures, distributes, and markets refined products from crude oil.
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| Dragline |
A machine used in mining oil sands that drops a large, toothed bucket on a cable from the end of the boom into the oil sands. The bucket is dragged through the deposit, scooping up the oil sands. After it is full, the contents of the bucket are placed on a conveyer belt and head for the extraction plant. Draglines are often considered dated technology, and are being phased out in favour of truck and shovels for commercial oil sands mining.
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| Extraction |
Bitumen is separated from sand, water, and other impurities.
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| Fines |
Minute particles of solids, such as clay or sand.
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| Fractionation |
Processing with heat to separate hydrocarbons into their components.
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| Froth |
A mixture of air, water, and bitumen that rises to the surface of the primary separation vessel.
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| Heavy crude oil |
Crude oil with a density of 900 kilograms or more per cubic metre.
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| Hydrocarbons |
An organic chemical compound containing only hydrogen and carbon atom. These compounds form the basis of all petroleum products. Hydrocarbons can be liquid, solid, or gaseous.
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| Injection well |
A well used in in situ methods of bitumen recovery through which steam is injected to create heat and pressure necessary to force the oil to produce bitumen.
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In situ |
Latin for "in place."
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| Muskeg |
A wet layer of decaying plant material about 1 to 3 metres thick, found on top of overburden.
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| Nonconventional crude oil |
Heavy crude oil that cannot be recovered by conventional methods from a well at a commercial rate.
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| Oil sands |
Sand and other rock material that contains crude oil and bitumen.
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| Oil sands deposit |
A natural reservoir that contains an accumulation of oil sands separated from any other accumulation.
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| Overburden |
Layers of sand, gravel, and shale that overlie oil sands and must be removed before the oil sands can be mined.
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| Pilot plant |
A small facility for testing development processes under real production conditions.
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| Primary separation vessel |
Where the first separation of bitumen from sand takes place.
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| Proven recoverable reserves |
Reserves that have been established through production or testing to be recoverable with existing technology and under present economic conditions.
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| Reclamation |
Reconstruction of developed land to a stable, biologically productive state. Reclaimed land is returned to the Province of Alberta at the end of an oil sands operation's life.
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| Royalty payment (oil sands) |
Payment to the government for the rights to recover and market oil sands resources.
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| Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) |
A method of in situ technology to extract bitumen from deep oil sands reserves. The process involves lowering the viscosity of the bitumen by adding heat and energy through wells, which allows the resource to flow into producing wells and up to the surface.
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| Tailings |
Waste products from the mining, extraction, and upgrading processes.
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| Tailings pond |
An enclosure to contain tailings.
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| Truck/shovel mining |
Large electric or hydraulic shovels remove oil sands and load large mining trucks, which transport and dump the oil sand where it is crushed and then transported to an extraction facility. This process is replacing the older use of bucketwheels and draglines.
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| Upgrading |
By increasing the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio, heavy bitumen is converted into a lighter crude oil. Results are achieved through the removal of carbon (coking) or the addition of hydrogen (hydro processing). |
| Viscosity |
The ability of a liquid to flow. The lower the viscosity, the more easily the liquid will flow. |
| Waterflooding |
A secondary recovery method that injects water into an oil reservoir to force additional oil out. |
