TSX: COS: 20.56 +0.02

Quotes delayed up to 20 minutes.

VIEW DETAILED SHARE PRICE

Canadian Oil Sands Limited 2500 First Canadian Centre 350–7th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 3N9

Tel: 403 218 6200
Fax: 403 218 6201

VIEW CONTACT PAGE

Search for a word or look it up alphabetically on our glossary page.

VIEW FULL GLOSSARY

Why Invest
in COS? Canadian Oil Sands is the premier pure-play investment in Canada’s oil sands.
Responsible
water use Syncrude recycles over 85% of the water it uses.
Reducing CO2
emissions Syncrude has reduced CO2 emissions per barrel 39% since 1982.
Innovation &
collaboration With a long history of innovation, Syncrude operates the industry's only dedicated R&D lab.

Canadian Oil Sands Limited provides a pure investment opportunity in the oil sands through its 36.74% interest iin the Syncrude Project. Syncrude is a leader in Canada’s oil sands industry, operating since 1978 with a productive capacity of 350,000 barrels per day of light, high-quality crude oil.

Presentations & Events

July 27, 2012 Second Quarter 2012 Results View the live Webcast.
October 29, 2012 Third Quarter 2012 Results View the live Webcast.

July 27, 2012
Second Quarter 2012 Results

October 29, 2012
Third Quarter 2012 Results

View All

April 30, 2012 Canadian Oil Sands Announces First Quarter 2012 Financial Results and a 17 Per Cent Dividend Increase to $0.35 Per Share
April 25, 2012 Canadian Oil Sands to Hold Annual General Meeting
March 26, 2012 Canadian Oil Sands Prices US$700 Million of Senior Notes

Investor Briefcase

April 30, 2012	2012 Guidance Document	100 KB
April 30, 2012	First Quarter 2012 Report	195 KB
February 26, 2012	2011 Annual Report	5.71 MB
February 25, 2012	2011 Annual Information Form	1.39 MB
February 24, 2012	2011 Management Proxy Circular	1.89 MB
December 4, 2010	Monthly Syncrude Production

Quick Links

We have updated our brand

Syncrude is a joint venture of seven companies.

LEARN MORE

Syncrude upgrades 100% of its production to high-quality, light crude oil

We are commited to sustainable oil sands development.

LATEST PRESENTATION

VISIT OUR GALLERY

Alberta Oil Sand(s) Deposits

The four deposits, Athabasca, Peace River, Cold Lake and Wabasca, have total resource in place estimated at 1.7 trillion to 2.5 trillion barrels. The Athabasca Oil Sands deposit, Alberta's largest and most accessible source of bitumen, contains more than one trillion barrels of bitumen over an area encompassing more than 30,000 square kilometers.

Ammonium sulphate slurry

A solid-liquid mixture produced from a flue gas scrubber that can be used to manufacture marketable ammonium sulphate fertilizer.

top of page

Bitumen

The molasses-like substance that comprises up to 18 per cent of oil sands. Bitumen, in its raw state, is black, asphalt-like oil. It requires upgrading or blending to make it transportable by pipeline and usable by conventional refineries.

Bitumen cracking

A process that breaks large, complex hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, simpler compounds by means of heat.

top of page

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)

A non-toxic gas produced from decaying materials, respiration of animal life, and combustion of organic matter, including fossil fuels; carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas produced by human activities.

Cokers

Vessels in which bitumen is cracked into its fractions and from which coke is withdrawn to start the process of converting bitumen to upgraded crude oil.

Conventional oil

Petroleum found in liquid form, flowing naturally, or capable of being pumped without further processing or dilution.

Cyclofeeder

Specialized equipment that receives oil sand feed and turns it into a slurry form for transport to the pump box.

top of page

Debottleneck

An undertaking to systematically remove plant capacity limitations through modifications of existing facilities and/or addition of capital facilities.

Diesel cetane count

A quality specification important in the production of diesel fuels.

Dragline

A large machine that digs oil sand from the mine pit and piles it into windrows.

top of page

Extraction

The process of separating bitumen from oil sand.

top of page

Feedstocks

Raw material supplied to refinery, oil sands upgrader, or petrochemical plant.

Fines (fine tailings)

Essentially muddy water—about 85% water and 15% fine clay particles by volume—produced as a result of extraction.

Flue gas scrubber/desulphurizer

Equipment that removes sulphur dioxide and other emissions.

Fluid coking

A major part of the upgrading process whereby high temperatures in a coker break down the complex bitumen molecules, reject carbon and cause bitumen molecules to reformulate into lighter fractions that become the main ingredients in upgraded crude oil.

top of page

Greenhouse gases

Any of the various gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect.

top of page

LC-Finer hydroprocessor

A major upgrading unit that breaks down bitumen by adding hydrogen with the aid of a catalyst to produce gas oil.

Line-out

The process of optimizing an operational unit or facility to reach its design capacity.

Low-energy extraction

A process for extracting bitumen that uses about one-third of the energy of the traditional process, bringing significant cost and environmental benefits.

top of page

Middle distillates

A classification of refined petroleum products that includes kerosene, diesel, and jet fuel.

Mine train

Modular units for crushing and mixing the oil sands with warm water to facilitate the extraction of bitumen from the oil sands.

top of page

Naphtha

A refined petroleum product in the lighter classification that is often used to make gasoline.

Netback

Average realized selling price, after hedging, less operating costs and Crown royalties.

top of page

Oil sand(s)

A composition of sand, bitumen, mineral-rich clays and water.

Oil sand(s) lease

A long-term agreement with the provincial government that permits the leaseholder to extract bitumen, other metals and minerals contained in the oil sands in the specified lease area.

Ore grade

The percentage of bitumen by weight in the oil sands.

Overburden

Layer of rocky, clay-like material that lies under muskeg and above oil sands deposits.

top of page

Strip ratio

The ratio of waste (overburden material that covers mineable ore) to ore; used to define the quality of an oil sands ore body.

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂)

A compound of sulphur and oxygen produced by burning sulphur.

Synbit

Typically, a synbit blend is a ~50/50 mix of bitumen and synthetic crude oil.

Syncrude joint venture

Formed for the purpose of exploiting the Athabasca Oil Sands, which includes the Syncrude plant, facilities and leases acquired or developed in connection therewith; participants include: Canadian Oil Sands Limited (36.74%); Imperial Oil Resources (25%); Mocal Energy Limited (5%); Murphy Oil Company Ltd. (5%); Nexen Oil Sands Partnership (7.23%); Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership (9.03%); and Suncor Energy OIl and Gas Partnership (12%).

Synthetic crude oil (SCO)

A high-quality product resulting from the mining, extraction and upgrading of bitumen.

top of page

Tailings

A combination of water, sand, silt, fine clay particles and residual hydrocarbon that is a by-product of removing bitumen from oil sand.

Tailings systems

Separation of water from sand and clay to enable incorporation of solids into reclamation landscapes and recycling of water back into the operations.

Tar sands

Oil sands are also referred to as tar sands. Oil sands are a naturally occurring combination of clay, sands, water and bitumen (a heavy, black viscous oil), whereas tar is a man-made substance.

Total volume to bitumen in place (TV/BIP)

The ratio of total ore plus overburden volume to total bitumen in place.

Turnaround

A unit shutdown essential for good maintenance of the mining, producing and upgrading facilities. A turnaround reduces production but does not usually halt it entirely as the various operating units are often duplicated.

top of page

Upgrader

A facility that upgrades bitumen (extra heavy oil) into synthetic crude oil.

Upgrading

The conversion of heavy bitumen into a lighter crude oil by increasing the ratio of hydrogen to carbon, either by removing carbon (coking) or adding hydrogen (hydroprocessing).

top of page

Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU)

Capable of processing 285,000 barrels of bitumen a day, the VDU pulls streams of light and heavy-gas oil from hot bitumen feed delivered by the diluents recovery unit.

top of page

Site designed by Craib Design & Communications Inc.