Synthetic crude is the output from a bitumen/extra heavy oil upgrader facility used in connection with oil sand production. It may also refer to shale oil, an output from an oil shale pyrolysis. The properties of the synthetic crude depend on the processes used in the upgrading. Typically, it is low in sulfur and has an API gravity of around 30. It is also known as "upgraded crude".
Synthetic crude is an intermediate product produced when an extra-heavy or unconventional oil source is upgraded into a transportable form.
"Synthetic crude" may also refer to crude-like hydrocarbon mixes generated from other processes. Examples are manure-derived synthetic crude oil and greencrude.
See also
- Albian Sands
- Canadian Centre for Energy Information
- History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)
- Scotford Upgrader
- Suncor
- Syncrude
References
External links
- Scotford Upgrader (Shell Canada website)
- Scotford Complex (Shell Canada website)
- Muskeg River Mine (Shell Canada website)
- Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol - Times Online