Learn more about Laricina’s oil sands innovations, including initiatives in the carbonate formation, use of core imaging tools, and solvent-assisted process development. Click to watch.
Bitumen is a black, oily, viscous material that is a naturally-occurring organic byproduct of decomposed organic materials. Also known as asphalt or tar.
bitumen blend includes upgraded heavy sour crude oil, and bitumen to which light oil fractions (ie diluent or upgraded crude oil) have been added in order to reduce its viscosity and density to meet pipeline specifications.
Cyclic steam-assisted gravity drainage, a in situ process used to recover bitumen from the Grosmont carbonates, which involves alternating cycles of steam injection and bitumen production from a single horizontal well.
a mixture of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons which are in the gaseous state under reservoir conditions and which become liquid when temperature or pressure is reduced; often blended into bitumen to reduce viscosity and increase density.
The Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (COGE Handbook) defines contingent resources as quantities of petroleum estimated as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from known accumulations using established technology under development, but which are not currently considered to be commercially recoverable due to one or more contingencies. Contingencies may include factors such as economic, legal, environmental, political and regulatory matters, or lack of markets. It is appropriate to classify as contingent resources the estimated discoverable recoverable quantities associated with a project in early evaluation status.
(CSS) a method of producing heavy oil which involves injecting steam, allowing time for the steam to heat and soften the heavy oil and producing the oil from the same wellbore used to inject the steam.
a sedimentary rock rich in calcium carbonate and magnesium in which oil or gas reservoirs are often found; originating as limestone but transformed into domomite through exposure to water of high salinity. See also limestone.
(EOR) any method that increases oil production by using techniques or materials that are not part of normal pressure maintenance or water flooding operations. For example, natural gas can be injected into a reservoir to "enhance" or increase oil production.
the act of searching for potential subsurface reservoirs of gas or oil. Methods include the use of magnetometers, gravity meters, seismic exploration, surface mapping, and exploratory drilling.
a large class of liquid, solid or gaseous organic compounds, containing only carbon and hydrogen, which are the basis of almost all petroleum products.
a type of topography formed when slightly acidic rainwater dissolves or leaches the carbonate rock. Sink holes, caves and pockmarked surfaces are typical features of a karst topography.
are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than proved reserves. It is equally likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will be greater or less than the sum of the estimated proved reserves plus probable reserves.
a component of natural gas consisting of three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms, condenses into a liquid at relatively low temperature and pressure.
the COGE Handbook defines prospective resources as quantities of petroleum estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. Prospective resources have both an associated chance of discovery and a chance of development.
Proved reserves are those reserves that can be estimated with a high degree of certainty to be recoverable. It is likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will exceed the estimated proved reserves.
(Solvent-Cyclic SAGD) a proprietary process developed by Laricina whereby solvents are applied to the steam in base SAGD or C-SAGD over certain time intervals. This process is expected to result in improved product value, lower steam to oil ratio and carbon emissions for the same volume of bitumen produced by thermal processes.
a geographical area, such as the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, in which much of the rock is sedimentary (as opposed to igneous or metamorphic) and is therefore likely to contain hydrocarbons.
involves collecting data on induced shock wave reflections from underground layers of rock which are used to create detailed models of the underlying geological structure. This data in turn is used to help determine the most optimal location for drilling wells.
those people with an interest in industry activities located in surrounding areas. They may include nearby landowners, municipalities, Aboriginal communities, recreational land users, other industries, environmental groups, governments and regulators.
(SOR) an operating parameter used to monitor the efficiency of oil production based on steam injection. It measures the volume of steam required to produce one unit volume of oil.
the application of heat to a petroleum reservoir in order to alter the physical properties of the crude oil such as viscosity, specific gravity and interfacial tension so it can be brought to surface.