GUIDE TO WORLD CRUDES: BP issues assay for Azeri crude loaded at Ceyhan

Nov. 1, 2010
BP Oil International Ltd. in January 2009 published an assay of Azeri crude oil that is loaded for export at the Mediterranean Sea crude oil terminal at Ceyhan, Turkey.

BP Oil International Ltd. in January 2009 published an assay of Azeri crude oil that is loaded for export at the Mediterranean Sea crude oil terminal at Ceyhan, Turkey.

Initially, Azeri crude is produced from a cluster of discoveries in the Caspian Sea, known collectively as Azeri, Chirag, deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field and contains some condensate from Shah Deniz gas field and other third-party crude oil from the Caspian region, according to BP.

Azeri Light (OGJ, June 19, 2006, p. 44) represents oil transported via the Western export pipeline that runs from Baku to the port of Supsa, Georgia, on the Black Sea. The oil comes from the ACG development in the Caspian Sea. Throughput is around 100,000 b/d.

To avoid confusion, BP refers to the load port to help distinguish between the grades: Azeri Light (Supsa) and Azeri (Ceyhan).

Azeri (Ceyhan) moves from Baku, Azerbaijan, by a 1,760-km (1,093 miles) pipeline to Tblisi, Georgia, and on to the oil terminal at Ceyhan.

Line-fill of the BTC pipeline began at the Sangachal oil terminal in Azerbaijan in May 2005; first export of crude oil from Ceyhan began in June 2006, according to BP's web site.

The BTC pipeline can move up to 1 million b/d of crude oil through the pipeline: 42 in., 445 km in Azerbaijan; 46 in., 245 km in Georgia; and 42-34 in., 1,070 km in Turkey, creating the first direct pipeline link between the landlocked Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean,

The VLCC loading capability of the Ceyhan terminal means that Azeri can move to markets in North and South America, Canada, Northwest Europe and the Pacific Rim in addition to the core marketing base in the Mediterranean region, says the web site.

Ceyhan can load 320,000-dwt tankers; minimum vessel size is 80,000 dwt with the minimum cargo size 600,000 bbl.

Whole crude

API gravity at 60/60° F.: 36.6

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8415

Total sulfur, wt %: 0.16

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0027

H2S, ppm (wt): 3.0*

Vis. at 20° C., cst: 8.21

Vis. at 30° C., cst: 6.31

Vis. at 40° C., cst: 4.99

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 4.04

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 3.34

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 1.78

Pour point, °C.: -3.0

Wax, wt %: 8.0

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 987

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 278

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.312

Carbon residue, wt %: 1.27

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.0285

Vanadium, ppm (wt): 0.3

Nickel, ppm (wt): 3.7

Iron, ppm (wt): 6.0

C2, wt %: 0.04

C3, wt %: 0.31

i-C4, wt %: 0.24

n-C4, wt %: 0.74

i-C5, wt %: 0.68

n-C5, wt %: 0.79

C5 to 95° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 5.70

Yield on crude, vol %: 6.97

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.6868

Total sulfur, wt %: 0.008

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.005

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.131

Research octane no.: 68.2

Paraffins, wt %: 69.3

n-Paraffins, wt %: 27.4

Naphthenes, wt %: 27.8

Aromatics, wt %: 2.8

95-175° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 12.547

Yield on crude, vol %: 13.76

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7651

Sulfur, ppm: 0.026

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0067

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 1.75

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.328

Research octane no.: 55.3

Paraffins, wt %: 43.1

n-Paraffins, wt %: 21.7

Naphthenes, wt %: 41.3

Aromatics, wt %: 15.7

C5 to 149° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 14.117

Yield on crude, vol %: 16.27

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7279

Sulfur, ppm: 0.017

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0054

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 0.02

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.227

Research octane no.: 63.4

Paraffins, wt %: 51.7

n-Paraffins, wt %: 24.4

Naphthenes, wt %: 38.1

Aromatics, wt %: 10.2

149-232° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 14.037

Yield on crude, vol %: 14.81

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7953

Sulfur, ppm: 0.034

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0080

Vis. at 40° C., cst: 1.13

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 0.89

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 12.9

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.411

Aromatics, vol %: 14.13

Smoke point, mm: 28

Freezing point, °C.: –57

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 44.0

Refractive index at 70 °C.: 1.4193

Naphthalenes, vol %: 0.9

232-342° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 24.49

Yield on crude, vol %: 24.54

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8372

Sulfur, ppm: 0.091

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0029

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 2.75

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 1.30

Cloud point, °C.: –13

Pour point, °C.: –14

Wax, wt %: 4.7

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 61.0

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 28

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.305

Smoke point, mm: 24

Freezing point, °C.: –13

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 58.3

Refractive index at 70 °C.: 1.4481

Aromatics, vol %: 15.09

Aromatics, wt %: 17.4

342-369° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 5.388

Yield on crude, vol %: 5.22

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8667

Sulfur, ppm: 0.186

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 7.07

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 2.52

Cloud point, °C.: 14.0

Pour point, °C.: 13.0

Wax, wt %: 13.1

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 260

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 95

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.293

Aniline point, °C.: 84.6

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 67.2

Refractive index at 70 °C.: 1.4621

369-509° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 23.595

Yield on crude, vol %: 22.18

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8926

Sulfur, ppm: 0.202

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 17.4

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 5.92

Pour point, °C.: 32

Wax, wt %: 15.1

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 909

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 281

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.291

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.0001

Aniline point, °C.: 95.4

Refractive index at 70 °C.: 1.4744

509-550° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 4.248

Yield on crude, vol %: 3.88

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9179

Sulfur, ppm: 0.287

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 87.3

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 19.1

Wax, wt %: 13.9

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,120

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 608

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.255

Carbon residue, wt %: 0.011

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.004

Aniline point, °C.: 104.6

Refractive index at 70 °C.: 1.4888

550-585° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 2.793

Yield on crude, vol %: 2.52

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9300

Sulfur, ppm: 0.339

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 184.0

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 32.5

Wax, wt %: 13.7

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,770

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 776

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.236

Carbon residue, wt %: 2.67

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.0145

Aniline point, °C.: 107.0 OGJ

*Dissolved in liquid.

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