ST3

Product Definitions, Standards of Measurements, Notes

This section includes product definitions for the products in the statistical tables, Registry Product Groupings, standards of measurement and definitions of activities that are included in the tables.

Additional definitions can be found in Manual 011: How to Submit Volumetric Data to the AER.

Butanes - means, in addition to its normal scientific meaning, a mixture mainly of butanes that ordinarily may contain some propane or pentanes plus.

Condensate - means a mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbon that may be contaminated with sulphur compounds, that is recovered or is recoverable at a gas well from an underground reservoir and that may be gaseous in its virgin reservoir state but is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured.

Crude Bitumen - means a naturally occurring viscous mixture, mainly of hydrocarbon heavier than pentane, that may contain sulphur compounds and that, in its naturally occurring viscous state, will not flow to a well.

Crude Oil - means a mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that may be contaminated with sulphur compounds, that is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and that is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated, and includes all other hydrocarbon mixtures so recovered or recoverable except raw gas, condensate or crude bitumen. For production measurement and reporting purposes, crude oil is deemed to be "light" if it has a density less than 850 kg/m³, "medium' if it has a density equal to 850 and less than 900 kg/m³, "heavy" if it has a density equal to 900 and less than 925 kg/m³ and "ultra-heavy" if it has a density of equal to 925 kg/m³ or greater. Oil sands production is now separated into upgraded and non-upgraded (formerly crude bitumen).

Ethane - means, in addition to its normal scientific meaning, a mixture mainly of ethane that ordinarily may contain some methane or propane.

Gas - means raw gas or marketable gas or any constituent of raw gas, condensate, crude bitumen or crude oil that is recovered in processing and that is gaseous at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated.

Marketable Gas - means a mixture mainly of methane originating from raw gas, if necessary through the processing of the raw gas for the removal or partial removal of some constituents, and that meets specifications for use as a domestic, commercial or industrial fuel or as an industrial raw material.

Natural Gas Liquids - means ethane, propane, butanes, or pentanes plus, or a combination of them, obtained from the processing of raw gas or condensate.

Oil - means condensate or crude oil, or a constituent of raw gas, condensate or crude oil that is recovered in processing, that is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated.

Pentanes Plus - means a mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that ordinarily may contain some butanes and which is obtained from processing of raw gas, condensate or crude oil.

Propane - means, in addition to its normal scientific meaning, a mixture mainly of propane that ordinarily may contain some ethane or butanes.

Raw Gas - means a mixture containing methane, other paraffinic hydrocarbons, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, helium and minor impurities, or some of them, that is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and that is gaseous a the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated.

Skim Oil - refers to produced oil that is carried over with produced water and accumulates in water storage tanks at an injection facility. This is oil recovered from a water disposal injection facility (subtype 503). This oil is usually skimmed off the tank, treated, and then sold.

Sulphur - is an element produced as a by-product from the sour gas processing, oil sands upgrading, and refinery operations. It can be extracted and/or stored in a prill, slate, block, or molten form.

Synthetic Crude Oil - means a mixture, mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons, that may contain sulphur compounds, that is derived from crude bitumen and that is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated, and includes all other hydrocarbon mixtures so derived.

Product Grouping describes the combination of specific component products that comprise larger groupings, such as oil, gas, etc. The balancing of facilities is performed at the product grouping level, where the totals of the individual component products are grouped according to the Product Grouping Table for performing balancing calculations.

Products included;

• Crude Oil and Equivalent (OIL, BITUMEN, COND, SYNCRD, IC5-SP, NC5-SP, C5-SP, C6-SP)
• Gas GAS, ACGAS, CO₂, N2)
• Ethane (C2-SP)
• Propane (C3-SP)
• Butanes (IC4-SP, NC4-SP, C4-SP)
• NGL (IC5-MX, NC5-MX, C5-MX, C6-MX, IC4-MX, NC4-MX, C4-MX C3-MX, C2-MX, LITEMX, C1-MX, C02-MX)
• Sulphur (SUL, SPRILL, SMOLT, SBASE, SBLOC, SFORM, SLATE)

Standards of Measurements

Crude Oil and Equivalent: m³ at 15°C
Gas: 10^{3 3} at 101.325 kPa and 15°C
Ethane: m³ at 15°C
Propane: m³ at 15°C
Butane: m³ at 15°C
Natural Gas Liquids: m³ at 15°C
Sulphur: tonnes

GAS: STORAGE INJECTION 
Volume of raw or marketable gas injected into a commercial underground reservoir for storage, as approved by the AER under the requirements outlined in Directive 065: Resources Applications.

GAS: STORAGE WITHDRAWALS
Withdrawal of raw or marketable gas from a AER approved commercial underground reservoir.

GAS: OTHER INJECTION
Volume of gas injected into an underground reservoir for the purpose of proprietary storage, disposal, or to increase recovery efficiency.

GAS: RAW
Volume of gas derived from upstream facilities such as battery, gas gathering system, and gas plant (excluding mainline straddle plants) facilities.

GAS: PROCESSED 
Volume of gas derived from straddle plant facilities, pipelines, distributors, and transportation facilities.

PLANT PROCESS (Plant Production)
Volumes of gas byproducts extracted from the gas stream received at a gas processing or gas gathering system facility. It is referred to as gas processing plant or gas gathering system production on the publication.

FRACTIONATION YIELD 
Volumes of gas byproducts fractionated when a facility receives natural gas liquids as a mixed product and then fractionates (splits) the mix product into component products (spec propane, butanes, etc.) for delivery to market.