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 is then shipped to oil refineries where it is further upgraded into finished products.
Syncrude Canada and Suncor Energy Inc. are the two largest worldwide producers of synthetic crude.
See also
- Canadian Centre for Energy Information
- History of the petroleum industry in Canada (oil sands and heavy oil)
- Scotford Upgrader
- Syncrude
- Suncor
- Albian Sands
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
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