GUIDE TO WORLD CRUDES: Saqqara crude comprises Gulf of Suez Blend

April 4, 2011
BP issued an assay of its Gulf of Suez Blend crude oil in late 2008. Start of production from Saqqara field earlier that year prompted the new assay.

BP issued an assay of its Gulf of Suez Blend crude oil in late 2008. Start of production from Saqqara field earlier that year prompted the new assay.

The Gulf of Suez Petroleum Co. (GUPCO), a joint venture owned equally by BP and the Egyptian General Petroleum Co. (EGPC), is responsible for oil and gas production in the Gulf of Suez, the Western Desert, and the Nile Delta

GUPCO operations include Hapi field and Akhen field, which lie 50 km from the Mediterranean coast. Production capacity of the two wells of Akhen field (WA-1 and WA-2), says BP's web site, is 80 MMcfd and 5,200 b/d of condensates. GUPCO owns Idfu field in the Gulf of Suez with production capacity of 20,000-25,000 bo/d with expected reserves of 30 million bbl of oil.

Saqqara field, discovered by GUPCO in 2003, lies 12.5 km offshore in the central Gulf of Suez. First oil was achieved on May 15, 2008, and following commissioning the field ramped up to more than 30,000 b/d.

Saqqara is developed with a jacket and unmanned topsides, four wells, and a 13-km pipeline to new dedicated onshore separation and gas processing plant at Ras Shukeir, Gulf of Suez.

Whole crude

API gravity at 60/60° F.: 31.3

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8685

Total sulfur, wt %: 1.41

Mercaptan sulfur, wt %: 0.0001

Vis. at 20° C., cst: 16.10

Vis. at 30° C., cst: 11.60

Vis. at 40° C., cst: 8.74

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 6.79

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 5.41

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 2.63

Pour point, °C.: –9.0

Wax, wt %: 9.0

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 1,980

Basic nitrogen, ppm (wt): 589

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.056

Carbon residue, wt %: 5.08

Asphaltenes, wt %: 2.43

Vanadium, ppm (wt): 43.7

Nickel, ppm (wt): 28.5

Iron, ppm (wt): 12.3

H2S, wt (ppm)*: 2.0

C2, wt %: 0.04

C3, wt %: 0.27

i-C4, wt %: 0.17

n-C4, wt %: 0.69

C5 to 95° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 5.75

Yield on crude, vol %: 7.30

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.6817

Sulfur, wt %: 1.41

Total sulfur, wt %: 0.001

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0005

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0151

Research octane no.: 66.1

Paraffins, wt %: 74.4

n-Paraffins, wt %: 30.4

Naphthenes, wt %: 22.5

Aromatics, wt %: 3.0

95-175° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 11.925

Yield on crude, vol %: 13.56

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7613

Sulfur, ppm: 0.019

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0001

Total nitrogen, wt (ppm): 0.07

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0328

Research octane no.: 48.7

Paraffins, wt %: 50.4

n-Paraffins, wt %: 22.1

Naphthenes, wt %: 34.5

Aromatics, wt %: 15.1

C5 to 149° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 13.476

Yield on crude, vol %: 16.19

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7205

Sulfur, ppm: 0.004

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0003

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0232

Research octane no.: 59.4

Paraffins, wt %: 60.9

n-Paraffins, wt %: 26.3

Naphthenes, wt %: 30.2

Aromatics, wt %: 8.9

149-232° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 12.753

Yield on crude, vol %: 13.87

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.7956

Sulfur, ppm: 0.113

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0002

Vis. at 40° C., cst: 1.10

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 0.87

Total nitrogen, wt (ppm): 0.88

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0434

Aromatics, vol %: 17.71

Smoke point, mm: 23

Freezing point, °C.: –60

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 42.5

Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4205

Naphthalenes, vol %: 0.8

232-342° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 18.702

Yield on crude, vol %: 19.10

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8477

Sulfur, ppm: 0.876

Mercaptan sulfur, ppm: 0.0002

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 2.75

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 1.30

Cloud point, °C.: –11

Pour point, °C.: –12

Wax, wt %: 5.7

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 125.0

Basic nitrogen, wt %: 46

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0431

Smoke point, mm: 17

Freezing point, °C.: –4.0

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 53.3

Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4513

Aromatics, vol %: 24.2

Aromatics, wt %: 27.5

Naphthalenes, vol %: 8.2

342-369° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 4.653

Yield on crude, vol %: 4.57

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.8805

Sulfur, ppm: 1.410

Vis. at 50° C., cst: 6.98

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 2.47

Cloud point, °C.: 18.0

Pour point, °C.: 18.0

Wax, wt %: 17.3

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 778

Basic nitrogen, wt %: 165.0

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0455

Aniline point, °C.: 77.5

Cetane index (ASTM D4737-90): 60.3

Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4701

369-509° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 21.599

Yield on crude, vol %: 20.63

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9063

Sulfur, ppm: 1.580

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 18.90

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 6.24

Pour point, °C.: 36

Wax, wt %: 19.3

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 1,520

Basic nitrogen, wt %: 424

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0494

Carbon residue, wt %: 0.0541

Asphaltenes wt %: 0.004

Aniline point, °C.: 87.4

Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.4846

509-550° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 4.9

Yield on crude, vol %: 4.54

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9345

Sulfur, ppm: 1.950

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 92.70

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 19.40

Wax, wt %: 18.1

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 2,580

Basic nitrogen, wt %: 710

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0507

Carbon residue, wt %: 1.28

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.147

Aniline point, °C.: 94.8

Refractive index at 70° C.: 1.5025

550-585° C.

Yield on crude, wt %: 3.799

Yield on crude, vol %: 3.46

Density at 15° C., kg/l.: 0.9494

Sulfur, ppm: 2.210

Vis. at 60° C., cst: 214.0

Vis. at 100° C., cst: 34.40

Wax, wt %: 18.3

Total nitrogen, ppm (wt): 3,110

Basic nitrogen, wt %: 840

Acidity, mg KOH/g: 0.0514

Carbon residue, wt %: 3.43

Asphaltenes, wt %: 0.529

Aniline point, °C.: 96.3

*Dissolved in liquid.

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