BP Oil International Ltd. conducted an assay of the Azeri Light crude that recently started production in the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan.
BP Group LLC, operator of the 10-company consortium Azerbaijan International Operating Co., began oil production Dec. 30, 2005, from the West Azeri (WA) field, part of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) complex.
Giant ACG, 100 km east of Baku, has reserves of 5.4 billion bbl of oil and is planned as a 30-year development and production project (OGJ Online, Sept. 24, 2004).
WA production began from the first of three predrilled wells in 118 m of water. Production rates are to increase through 2006 as other predrilled wells come on stream. Plans call for more drilling.
Plateau production from WA will be 300,000 b/d in addition to the expected plateau production of 340,000 b/d from Central Azeri (OGJ Online, Feb. 15, 2005).
The WA facilities include a 30-in. oil pipeline tie-in to the expanded onshore Sangachal terminal. Associated gas from WA will flow via subsea pipelines to a compression and water injection platform for reinjection into the reservoir for pressure maintenance or to be used as fuel. Surplus gas will be exported via subsea pipeline to the Sangachal terminal and onward via a new pipeline for Azeri use.
BP holds 34.1% of the consortium. Other participants are Unocal Corp. 10.3%, State Oil Co. of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) 10%, Tokyo-based Inpex Corp. 10%, Statoil ASA 8.6%, ExxonMobil Corp. 8%, Turkish Oil Corp. (TPAO) 6.8%, Devon Energy Corp. 5.6%, Japan’s Itochu Corp. 3.9%, and Amerada Hess Corp. 2.7%.
Fig. 1 shows a true boiling point (TBP) curve for the whole crude. These data are from BP.
Whole crude
- Gravity, °API: 34.8
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8505
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.15
- Viscosity at 40° C., cst: 6.27
- Viscosity at 50° C., cst: 5.03
- Viscosity at 60° C., cst: 4.13
- Pour point, °C.: -21
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.26
- Carbon residue, wt %: 1.4
- Asphaltenes, wt %: <0.01
- Vanadium, ppm (wt): <2
- Nickel, ppm (wt): 3
- Iron, ppm (wt): 3
- Arsenic, ppb (wt): 17
- Cadmium, ppb (wt): <2
- Copper, ppb (wt): 14
- Lead, ppb (wt): 1
- Mercury, ppb (wt): <1
- Salt, lb/1,000 bbl: 7
- Water, vol %: <0.05
Distillates
- TBP cut point, °C.: C 5-95
- Yield, wt %: 4.3
- Yield, vol %: 5.3
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.6924
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.003
- Mercaptan sulfur, wt %: 0.0022
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.026
- Paraffins, wt %: 66.4
- Naphthenes, wt %: 30.3
- Aromatics, wt %: 3.3
- n-Paraffins, wt %: 32.7
- RON: 69.4
- TBP cut point, °C.: 95-175
- Yield, wt %: 10.9
- Yield, vol %: 12.1
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7635
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.015
- Mercaptan sulfur, wt %: 0.0026
- Paraffins, wt %: 46.4
- Naphthenes, wt %: 38.4
- Aromatics, wt %: 15.2
- n-Paraffins, wt %: 21.9
- TBP cut point, °C.: C 5-149
- Yield, wt %: 11.5
- Yield, vol %: 13.4
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7305
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.01
- Mercaptan sulfur, wt %: 0.0025
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.222
- Paraffins, wt %: 53.2
- Naphthenes, wt %: 36.9
- Aromatics, wt %: 9.9
- n-Paraffins, wt %: 25.8
- TBP cut point, °C.: 149-232
- Yield, wt %: 12.9
- Yield, vol %: 13.75
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7964
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.020
- Mercaptan sulfur, wt %: 0.0026
- Viscosity at 40° C., cst: 1.15
- Viscosity at 60° C., cst: 0.9
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.613
- Aromatics, vol %: 12.7
- Smoke point, mm: 26
- Freezing point, °C.: -57
- Cetane index, ASTM D976: 40.1/43.4
- Hydrogen, wt %: 13.9
- Naphthalenes, vol %: 1.00
- TBP cut point, °C.: 232-342
- Yield, wt %: 24.55
- Yield, vol %: 24.85
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8377
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.067
- Viscosity at 50° C., cst: 2.85
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 1.35
- Cloud point, °C.: -10
- Pour point, °C.: -12
- Wax, wt %: 4.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 74
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.25
- Aromatics, vol %: 16.0
- Smoke point, mm: 21
- Freezing point, °C.: -7
- Cetane index, ASTM D976: 53.6/59.1
- Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4443
- Aromatics, wt %: 17.7
- Aromatics, one ring, wt %: 10.8
- Aromatics, two ring, wt %: 6.2
- Aromatics, three ring, wt %: 0.7
- Naphthalenes, vol %: 5.42
- TBP cut point, °C.: 342-369
- Yield, wt %: 5.45
- Yield, vol %: 5.35
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8645
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.14
- Viscosity at 50° C., cst: 7.23
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 2.56
- Cloud point, °C.: 15
- Pour point, °C.: 15
- Wax, wt %: 18.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 360
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.25
- Aromatics, vol %: 20.0
- Cetane index, ASTM D976: 53.4
- Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4595
- TBP cut point, °C.: 369-509
- Yield, wt %: 24.8
- Yield, vol %: 23.5
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8951
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.17
- Viscosity at 60° C., cst: 19.39
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 6.34
- Pour point, °C.: 36
- Wax, wt %: 17.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 930
- Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 315
- Organic oxygen, wt %: 0.1
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.10
- Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4744
- TBP cut point, °C.: 509-550
- Yield, wt %: 4.95
- Yield, vol %: 4.6
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9173
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.27
- Viscosity at 60° C., cst: 91.8
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 19.44
- Wax, wt %: 18.0
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,200
- Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 650
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.15
- Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4890
Residues
- TBP cut point, °C.: 342
- Yield, wt %: 50.1
- Yield, vol %: 46.55
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9135
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.24
- Viscosity at 50° C., cst: 87.7
- Pour point, °C.: 33
- Wax, wt %: 17.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,285
- Carbon residue, wt %: 2.8
- Asphaltenes, wt %: <0.01
- Vanadium, ppm (wt): <2
- Nickel, ppm (wt): 6
- Iron, ppm (wt): 6
- TBP cut point, °C.: 369
- Yield, wt %: 44.65
- Yield, vol %: 41.2
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.92
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.27
- Viscosity at 50° C., cst: 137.0 (extrapolated)
- Viscosity at 60° C., cst: 82.1
- Viscosity at 80° C., cst: 35.4
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 18.34
- Viscosity at 120° C., cst: 10.84 (extrapolated)
- Pour point, °C.: 36
- Wax, wt %: 17.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,520
- Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 740
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.15
- Carbon residue, wt %: 3.1
- Asphaltenes, wt %: <0.01
- Vanadium, ppm (wt): <2
- Nickel, ppm (wt): 7
- Iron, ppm (wt): 7
- Saturates, wt %: 63
- Aromatics, wt %: 30
- Resins A, wt %: 7
- Resins B, wt %: 0
- TBP cut point, °C.: 509
- Yield, wt %: 19.85
- Yield, vol %: 17.7
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9535
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.41
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 117.5
- Viscosity at 120° C., cst: 54.8
- Viscosity at 150° C., cst: 22.65
- Penetration at 25° C., mm: 5,300
- Softening point, °C.: 11.0
- Pour point, °C.: 39
- Wax, wt %: 17.5
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 4,505
- Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 1,270
- Carbon residue, wt %: 7.0
- Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.05
- Vanadium, ppm (wt): <2
- Nickel, ppm (wt): 16
- Iron, ppm (wt): 16
- TBP cut point, °C.: 550
- Yield, wt %: 14.9
- Yield, vol %: 13.1
- Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9665
- Sulfur, wt %: 0.45
- Viscosity at 100° C., cst: 258
- Viscosity at 120° C., cst: 108.0
- Viscosity at 150° C., cst: 39.55
- Penetration at 25° C., mm: 1,070
- Softening point, °C.: 23.0
- Pour point, °C.: 39
- Wax, wt %: 17.0
- Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 5,270
- Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 1,475
- Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.05
- Carbon residue, wt %: 9.2
- Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.05
- Vanadium, ppm (wt): <2
- Nickel, ppm (wt): 22
- Iron, ppm (wt): 21
- Saturates, wt %: 30
- Aromatics, wt %: 54
- Resins A, wt %: 15
- Resins B, wt %: 1
Oil & Gas Journal has periodically published assays of world crudes. This special report carries on this tradition by featuring assays of some of the largest fields to start up in 2005-06.
Featured assays include the Azeri field in Azerbiajan, the Kissanje blend crude from the Kizomba B project in Angola, and the Clair oil field off the UK.
