A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Capacity - The maximum amount of electricity that a power plant, generating facility or utility can produce under specific requirements. Capacity is measured in megawatts (MW).

Capacity Release - The secondary market for excess capacity previously contracted by a customer.

CFCs - Chlorofluorocarbons or chlorinated fluorocarbons are artificially produced chemicals that are partly responsible for depletion of the ozone layer. CFCs have been used in refrigerants and a variety of other solvents since introduced in mid-1930.

CFM - Cubic feet per minute is a measure of flow rate.

Chiller - A water-cooling device that generally reduces water temperature to approximately 45 degrees Fahrenheit and is used to cool air.

Christmas Tree - The valves and fittings installed at the top of a gas or oil well to control and direct the flow of well fluids.

Circuit - A complete set of electric conductors from the power source to various devices and back to the power source.

Coal Gasification - The process of converting coal into gas. The basic process involves crushing coal to a powder, which is then heated in the presence of steam and oxygen to produce a gas. The gas is then refined to reduce sulfur and other impurities. The gas can be used as a fuel or processed further and concentrated into chemical or liquid fuel.

Coal Liquefaction - A chemical process that converts coal into clean-burning liquid hydrocarbons, such as synthetic crude oil and methanol.

Coal Regions - The following regional definitions are used to report domestic coal reserves, production, and other operating statistics. Eastern Region. Consists of the Northern Appalachian Coal Basin. The following States comprise the Eastern Region: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky. Midwest Region. Consists of the Illinois and Michigan Coal Basins. The following States comprise the Midwest Region: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Western Kentucky. Western Region. Consists of the Northern Rocky, Southern Rocky, Western Interior, and West Coast Coal Basins. The following States comprise the Central Western Region: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Cogenerator - Unit that uses waste heat created by one process to produce steam which in turn is used to spin a turbine to generate electricity.

Cogeneration - Sequential use of energy for the production of electrical and useful thermal energy.

Combined Cycle Plant - Electric generating station using waste-heat from its gas turbines to produce steam for conventional steam turbines.

Comfort Conditioning - Treating the air to simultaneously control humidity, temperature, freshness, and circulation - ensuring occupant comfort.

Company Automotive (Retail) Outlet - Any retail outlet selling motor fuel under a 'reporting company' brand name. (See definition for Branded Product.)

Company Operated - A company 'retail' outlet operated by personnel paid by the reporting company. Lessee. An independent marketer who leases the station and land and has use of tanks, pumps, signs, etc. A lessee dealer typically has a supply agreement with a refiner or a distributor, and purchases products at dealer tank wagon prices. The term 'lessee dealer' is limited to those dealers who are supplied directly by a refiner or any affiliate or subsidiary company of a refiner. 'Direct supply' includes use of commission agent or common carrier delivery. Open. An independent marketer who owns or leases (from a third party-not a refiner) the station or land of a retail outlet and has use of tanks, pumps, signs, etc. An open dealer typically has a supply agreement with a refiner or a distributor, and purchases products at or below dealer tank wagon prices.

Condenser - Heat exchanger in which the refrigerant is compressed to hot air and condensed to liquid by eliminating heat.

Conservation - Proactive measures taken to reduce energy usage including for example improved efficiency, reduced waste, reduced consumption, enhanced building envelop, equipment modifications, etc.

Contribution to Net Income - The FRS segment equivalent of net income. However, many consolidated items of revenue and expense are not allocated to the segments, and therefore they are not equivalent in a strict sense. The largest item not allocated to the segments is interest expense since this is regarded as a corporate-level item for FRS purposes.

Cooperative - An aggregate of consumers, self-organized, joined together to make utility service available in their area.

Crude Oil - A mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in liquid phase in natural underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after passing through surface separating facilities. For FRS reporting, volumes reported as crude include: … Liquids technically defined as crude oil. … Small amounts of hydrocarbons that exist in the gaseous phase in natural underground reservoirs but are liquid at atmospheric pressure after being recovered from oil well (casinghead) gas in lease separators and are commingled with the crude stream without being separately measured. … Small amounts of nonhydrocarbons produced with the oil. Statistical data pertaining to crude oil production and reserves are reported as liquid equivalents at the surface (excluding base sediment and water) measured in terms of stock tank barrels of 42 U.S. gallons at atmospheric pressure, corrected to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Where a state regulatory agency specifies a definition of crude oil which differs from that set forth above for statistical purposes, the state definition takes precedence.