GLOSSARY
307
Strata: Layers including the solid iron-rich inner core, molten outer
core, mantle, and crust of the earth.
Superheated steam: Steam that is hotter than boiling temperature
for a given pressure.
Surfactant: A type of chemical, characterized as one that reduces
interfacial resistance to mixing between oil and water or changes
the degree to which water wets reservoir rock.
Sustainable: An ecosystem condition in which biodiversity,
renewability, and resource productivity are maintained over
time.
Synthetic crude oil (syncrude): A hydrocarbon product produced
by the conversion of coal, oil shale, or tar sand bitumen that
resembles conventional crude oil; can be refined in a petroleum
refinery.
Synthetic ethanol: Ethanol produced from ethylene, a petroleum
by-product.
T
Tar sand (bituminous sand): A formation in which the bituminous material (bitumen) is found as a filling in veins and
fissures in fractured rocks or impregnating relatively shallow sand, sandstone, and limestone strata; a sandstone reservoir that is impregnated with a heavy, extremely viscous,
black hydrocarbonaceous, petroleum-like material that cannot be retrieved through a well by conventional or enhanced
oil recovery techniques; (FE 76-4): The several rock types
that contain an extremely viscous hydrocarbon which is not
recoverable in its natural state by conventional oil well production methods including currently used enhanced recovery
techniques.
Tertiary recovery: Enhanced recovery methods for the production
of oil or gas; enhanced recovery of crude oil requires a means
for displacing oil from the reservoir rock, modifying the properties of the fluids in the reservoir and/or the reservoir rock to
cause movement of oil in an efficient manner, and providing the
energy and drive mechanism to force its flow to a production
well; chemicals or energy is injected as required for displacement and for the control of flow rate and flow pattern in the
reservoir, and a fluid drive is provided to force the oil toward a
production well.
307
Strata: Layers including the solid iron-rich inner core, molten outer
core, mantle, and crust of the earth.
Superheated steam: Steam that is hotter than boiling temperature
for a given pressure.
Surfactant: A type of chemical, characterized as one that reduces
interfacial resistance to mixing between oil and water or changes
the degree to which water wets reservoir rock.
Sustainable: An ecosystem condition in which biodiversity,
renewability, and resource productivity are maintained over
time.
Synthetic crude oil (syncrude): A hydrocarbon product produced
by the conversion of coal, oil shale, or tar sand bitumen that
resembles conventional crude oil; can be refined in a petroleum
refinery.
Synthetic ethanol: Ethanol produced from ethylene, a petroleum
by-product.
T
Tar sand (bituminous sand): A formation in which the bituminous material (bitumen) is found as a filling in veins and
fissures in fractured rocks or impregnating relatively shallow sand, sandstone, and limestone strata; a sandstone reservoir that is impregnated with a heavy, extremely viscous,
black hydrocarbonaceous, petroleum-like material that cannot be retrieved through a well by conventional or enhanced
oil recovery techniques; (FE 76-4): The several rock types
that contain an extremely viscous hydrocarbon which is not
recoverable in its natural state by conventional oil well production methods including currently used enhanced recovery
techniques.
Tertiary recovery: Enhanced recovery methods for the production
of oil or gas; enhanced recovery of crude oil requires a means
for displacing oil from the reservoir rock, modifying the properties of the fluids in the reservoir and/or the reservoir rock to
cause movement of oil in an efficient manner, and providing the
energy and drive mechanism to force its flow to a production
well; chemicals or energy is injected as required for displacement and for the control of flow rate and flow pattern in the
reservoir, and a fluid drive is provided to force the oil toward a
production well.