Shipping Alberta’s fast-rising bitumen production to market through pipelines or on insulated rail cars depends on sufficient supplies of diluent, a variety of light hydrocarbons that, when blended with molasses-like bitumen, reduce the viscosity of the resulting mix. The problem is, in-region production of diluent — an economically favorable alternative to pipeline imports from the U.S. — has been growing more slowly than it was a few years ago, and increased demand for imported condensate could result in those pipelines being maxed out. In today’s RBN blog, we delve into what may be behind the slowing pace of Western Canadian diluent production and what the implications might be.
We have blogged many times about Alberta’s fast-rising production of oil sands bitumen, most recently in Higher Power. We’ve also discussed how diluent reaches the oil sands in our four-part series He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Diluent. And, in Closer to Home, we examined the blending ratios needed for “dilbit” —the diluent-bitumen blend used in pipelines — and for “railbit” — the blend used in insulated rail cars.
Before we go any further, we have to cover a few definitions. First, as alluded to earlier, diluent is any form of light liquid hydrocarbon that can be mixed with bitumen that reduce its viscosity and allow it to be transported by pipeline or in insulated rail cars. Diluent can take a number of forms such as a light crude oil, butane, or condensate. It’s that last word — condensate — that require some exact definitions since the U.S. and Canadian energy industry throw around the word a bit too loosely sometimes.
In the U.S., field condensate refers to a light liquid hydrocarbon with an API gravity in the range of 55 to 60 degrees that is produced at or near the wellhead using a stabilizer unit. In Canada, this is often referred to more simply as condensate. Another important term used in the U.S. is natural gasoline, an extremely light liquid hydrocarbon produced at gas processing plants that has an API gravity at or greater than 80 degrees. In Canada, natural gasoline is often referred to as C5+ or pentanes plus. To make matters slightly more confusing, because of the way pentanes plus and condensate are used in Canada — almost exclusively as diluent for bitumen — both are often lumped together under the term condensate.
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About the song
“Not What I Had in Mind” was written by Jack Clement and appears as the fifth song on side two of George Jones’s 19th studio album, George Jones Sings More New Favorites. Released as a single in February 1963, it went to #7 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Personnel on the record were: George Jones (lead vocals), George Riddle (rhythm guitar, high harmonies), Dwayne Phillips (lead guitar), Gary Boggs (steel guitar), Johnny Paycheck (bass), and various Nashville session players.
George Jones Sings More New Favorites was recorded in Nashville in 1963, with Pappy Daily producing. Released in February 1964 on United Artists, the album did not make the charts. Jones released two different albums on two different labels in February 1964, with a total of five LPs released during the year. One single was released from the LP.
George Jones was an American country music singer and songwriter. He has been called the greatest male country singer of all time, and his influence is still felt in country music today. Jones got his first guitar when he was 9, and was busking on the streets of Beaumont, TX, during his early teen years. He left home at 16 and started performing on radio shows at KTXJ and KRIC in Jasper, TX. He released his first record, the self-penned “No Money in This Deal,” on Starday Records in 1954. As a solo artist, Jones released 87 studio albums, three live albums, 43 compilation albums, and 134 singles. With Tammy Wynette, he released nine studio albums, five compilation albums, and 14 singles. He had 69 Top 10 hits and 10 #1 singles. Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2008 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Jones died in Nashville in April 2013 at the age of 81.
