Author: bomuo

Liquid petroleum as produced from the ground. Unrefined liquid petroleum. It ranges in gravity from 9°API to 55°API and in color from yellow to black. Its main usages are for transportation both road and air, for heating and as feedstock for the petrochemical industry. Global reserves of crude oil currently suffice for about 40 years, but more fields are discovered from time to time. There are hundreds of different types of crude oil, but the two most common and the most quoted in the press is Brent and WTI. The most important characteristic of crude oil is its API (a number that defines its relative gravity). The lower the gravity the higher the API number and thus usually the cost is higher because it includes a greater proportion of light components.

A tank farm which accepts, stores and delivers crude oils.
In Israel – EAPC Eilat terminal, EAPC Ashkelon terminal, Tashan Haifa terminal

Panamax (50kt-80 kt), Aframax (75kt-115kt), Suez-Max (130kt-160kt), VLCC (160kt-320kt), ULCC (320kt-550kt)

Sampling can be done manually or automatically, it can be done in the tankers or in the pipeline. It is important that the product that enters the sampling bottle remains undisturbed by the sampling process itself and thus the type of bottle used must be adequate for crude oil (simple plastic bottle will not be suitable). Oil contains both particles and water which are not found homogeneously throughout the crude oil and thus it is important to sample the oil in a manner that will best be representative of the oil in place. Sampling should thus be carried out at the top, middle and bottom of the tank

Crude oil is a commodity, whose price is determined by the quality of the oil, the place where it is transferred, the time of the transfer, the size of the container and shipment options. The quality of the oil depends on whether it is light or heavy (API, gravity), whether it is sweet or sour (low or high sulfur content).

Advantages: efficient and safe, low risk of pollution, unlimited distances, large flow rates, continuous flow independent of weather conditions, long life span. Disadvantages: relative lack of flexibility, high capital investment, need to fund working inventory (petroleum in pipeline), operational plan required, comingling of various types of petroleum