What is the difference between light and heavy oils?

What is the difference between light and heavy oils?

Light Crude oil is liquid petroleum that has low density and that flows freely at room temperature. It is referred to as “heavy” because its density or specific gravity is higher than that of light crude oil. Heavy crude oil has been defined as any liquid petroleum with an API gravity less than 20°.

How much does condensate sell for?

Condensate prices continue to slide as discount widens to record high

STREAM CLOSE L
BRENT $76.89 57.17
WTI $67.33 51.29
CDN LT $39.33 38.43
C5+ $52.83 52.83

Is light crude better than heavy?

Any oil with an API gravity below 22 is considered “heavy oil.” Less dense, or “light oil” has an API gravity of greater than 31. Light oil is preferable to heavy oil because a higher percentage of the hydrocarbons are converted into things like gasoline. That’s why light oil trades at a premium to heavy oil.

What does condensate look like?

It looks like a dense little lump in the bottom of the magnetic trap/bowl; kind of like a drop of water condensing out of damp air onto a cold bowl. When it first forms, though, the condensate is still surrounded by the normal gas atoms, so it looks a bit like a pit inside a cherry.

Is condensate and NGL the same?

In U.S. usage, a “plant condensate” is the equivalent of products classified as “pentanes+” and natural gasoline, and these are considered NGLs. On the other hand, U.S. usage typically does not consider “field or lease condensate” as an NGL, instead classifying these commodities as crude oil.

Is condensate flammable?

Like all fossil fuels, condensate contains toxicants which are harmful to the environment, animals and humans. It is generally more flammable and explosive than normal crude oil.

What does condensate mean in oil and gas?

The term refers broadly to any type of oil that “condenses” into a liquid after being freed from high-pressure wells, where it often lurks in gas form, or separated from gas. But once it becomes a liquid, there is no agreed way to tell condensate from ordinary crude.

What is the flashpoint of crude oil?

60°C.

How is condensate formed?

Condensate is the liquid formed when steam passes from the vapor to the liquid state. In a heating process, condensate is the result of steam transferring a portion of its heat energy, known as latent heat, to the product, line, or equipment being heated.

Is condensate a gas or oil?

The Nature of Condensate Condensate is an oil, but an extremely light one. Condensate is, as mentioned, a byproduct of hydrocarbon drilling and it may be in either liquid or gas form, depending on the pressure and temperature at the time it’s released.

What is the main component of the condensate?

Typically, condensates are composed mainly of alkanes (saturated hydrocarbons, such as butane, pentane and hexane) and are low in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) which are typically found in crude oils. Condensates have a very low solubility in water and are highly volatile.