Thanks bbqdays for correcting me. In my glee at seeing something positive on the board I overlooked the word "conventional" in the Stelmach article that Jurek posted so I guess I got the answers that I was looking for.

I wonder how long it takes for a type of oil production to become classified as "conventional". SAGD has been in use as far as I know since the early 1980's hasn't it. I believe the first project was Tangleflags in Saskatchewan in which steam was pumped underground to release the heavy oil. As a matter of fact Mr. Gusella was involved in the Tangleflags project. SAGD has been in use for about 30 years and it's still the new kid on the block.... and here I thought that technology was moving along at a rampant pace revolutionizing the oil and gas industry.

Best Wishes; Scott