Glossary
Acid gas – Acid gas is any other gas mixture which contains significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
Amine – Amines are derivatives of ammonia and are an essential chemical in post combustion C02 capture.
Cap rock - A thick rock deposit underground, usually limestone, that is typically over 100M thick. This cap rock prevents the upward migration of injected CO2.
Carbon credits - The market based credits that represent one tonne of abated CO2.
Clean Energy Dialogue – The Clean Energy Dialogue was established between the United States and Canada in February 2009 to enhance joint collaboration on topics of energy, security and the environment. These talks have a goal to enhance clean energy science and technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
CO2 - Carbon Dioxide is a colourless, odourless, naturally occurring greenhouse gas. CO2 is formed in many ways, two of the most common being respiration by living organisms and combustion of fossil fuels. Its increased concentration in the atmosphere is one of the major contributors to climate change.
Coal bed methane (ECBM) – When coal forms, it produces methane. This methane remains in the coal bed until the coal deposit is mined.
Distillation column – A mechanical device designed to remove the undesirable components from air, leaving pure oxygen as a by-product.
Effluent – The out-flowing gas from an industrial process.
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) - A series of techniques that can be used to increase the amount of recoverable oil from a reserve.
Flue gas – A product resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.
GHG – Green house gases are atmospheric gases that naturally occur or are produced through human actions. These gases absorb and emit thermal radiation.
Hydrocarbons – Hydrocarbons, more conventionally ‘fossil fuels’, are organic compounds consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon.
IPCC -The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a multi national scientific body which evaluates the risk of climate change.
Low Carbon Fuel Standard – A low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) places a limit on the carbon intensity of unconventional transportation fuels, such as the oil sands, as compared to conventional petroleum fuels. The California government is considering imposing an LCFS on Canadian fuels.
Monoethanolamine (MEA) – A liquid organic compound derived from ethylene oxide and ammonia. It is a chemical often used in carbon capture processes.
Oil sands – Oil sands, or extra heavy oil, are a type of bitumen deposit that occur naturally in mixtures of sand or clay.
Parasitic load – The amount of energy that a carbon capture unit requires. The higher the parasitic load, the less energy a power plant produces for sale.
Parts per Million (PPM) – One part of a substance per million of another.
Point source - A point source of pollution is a single localized source of CO2 emissions, such as a large plant or industrial operation.
Steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) - A process of recovering oil by injecting steam through a horizontal well in an oil sands deposit that is too deep to mine.
Saline aquifer – Geological formations consisting of water permeable rocks that are saturated with salt water, called brine.
Steam methane reforming (SMR) - A widely utilized technology for producing hydrogen and synthesis gas from carbon based fuels.
Solvent - A liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute.
Stripper – The regeneration unit that removes CO2 from the amines in post combustion capture. A stripper can also be used to remove any undesirable chemicals, such as H2S or sulphur in a flue gas.
Supercritical – A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical point. The critical point refers to the specific thermodynamic features that cause a substance to change into another phase. An example of this would be CO2 being transformed to a supercritical state prior to being transported.
Sweetening – The process for removing hydrogen sulfide from sour gas is commonly referred to as ‘sweetening’ the gas.
Syngas (from synthetic gas) – The name given to a gas mixture that contains varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Syngas is the byproduct of gasifying coal in pre-combustion capture.
Upgrading – Petroleum upgrading is a chemical, thermal or mechanical process, generating valuable by-products from low grade hydrocarbons.
Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) - A massive sedimentary basin underlying Western Canada. This area offers the essential geographic conditions necessary for secure permanent storage of CO2.