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Petroleum Properties – lecture Two

Dr. Basim H. AL Hayi
API Gravity
Density
Coefficient of expansion

Class Second

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Many Various Crude Oil Types

Ninian, North Sea
Altamont, Utah 36° API
Arabian Light
42° API
33° API
1 - Conventional Crudes
• Virgin Crudes Barrow Island,
Australia
• Blended Crudes 38° API Sumatran Light
35° API

2 - Unconventional Crudes Boscan, Venezuela

• Shale Oils 10° API

• Oil Sands
Nigerian Light
Three benchmark oil products 37° API Offshore
Empire Mix, Louisiana California
Gulf
1. North America's West Texas. 30° API
18° API

2. North Sea Brent Crude.

3. UAE Dubai Crude
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EGEE 102-Pisupati 3
 Classification Crude Oil
Frist: Depending by API gravity:
A- Baum Gravity.
B- American Petroleum Instituted ( API)
Second : Depending on Structural Hydrocarbon
or by the Origin for crude oils.
Paraffinic Base, Asphaltic Base, Mixed Base, Hybrid Base
Third: Depending on (Key fraction) distillation of crude oil.
Four – Depending on Sulfur content %
Sulfur content % by :
1- Sour-Acidic ( > 1.5 - 6 ) % Heavy crude oil.
2- Sweet ( < 0.5 ) % Light crude oil.
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Some crude oil qualities

Name API Degree Sulfur Content %

Malaysia 45.2 0.03

Brent - UK 38.7 0.31
WT – Blend USA 38.7 0.45
Arabian light-Saudi 33.4 1.80
Dubai - UEA 31.4 2.0
Venezuela 16.5 2.5

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Crude Oil Yield Structure Various Crudes

0% Light Gases

20% Naphtha

40% Kerosene

Distillate
Fuel –
60% Gas Oil

Heavy
80% Products

API 40.1 39.1 37.5 32.1 27.9 20.6

Sulfur Content
Wt.% 0.13 0.35 0.40 0.93 2.85 3.34
100%
Eagle WTI Brent ANS Arab WCS
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The API gravity is used to classify oils as light, medium,

heavy, or extra heavy:

1. • Light – API > 31.1

2. • Medium – API between 22.3 and 31.1
3. • Heavy – API < 22.3
4. • Extra Heavy – API < 10.0
API Gravity of an oil is the largest determinant of its market value.
Less dense oil or “light oil” is preferable to more dense oil as it
contains greater quantities of hydrocarbons that can be converted
to gasoline and diesel fuel.

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 MEASURING
Density, specific gravity and API gravity measured by :

1- Volumetric flask.
2- Hydrometer .
3- Digital density analyzer (ASTM D5002).
4- Digital density meter ( ASTM D4052, IP 365 ).

Depending this method on:

1- Surface Tension .
2- Chemical Composition of crude oil.
3- Natural of crude oil ( light, medium and heavy )
Specific gravity
Is influenced by the chemical composition of petroleum, but
quantitative correlation is difficult to establish. Nevertheless, it
is generally recognized trends between the density of petroleum
and one or another of the physical properties.
For example, that increased amounts of aromatic compounds
result in an increase in density,
whereas an increase in saturated compounds results in a
decrease in density. Indeed, it is also possible to recognize
certain preferred approximate correlation exists between the
density (API gravity) and sulfur content, viscosity, and nitrogen
content.
 S. G ( Relative Density )
Relative density or (specific gravity):( without unite).
Is the ratio between density of crude oil to density of water
at the same temperature
Density of crude oil = S .g × density of water (1) at 4C
Density of crude oil = S . g
Or the ratio between the mass of crude oil to the mass the
same volume of water.
Measuring of Specific gravity by:
UK unite at 60/60F.
Metric unite at 20/4 or 15/4.
 Relationship between density
and chemical composition
• Increase the density when increase of
number of carbon.
• Increase the density of the homogenous
groups ( the same number of carbon )
shown at below:
• Linear Paraffinic < Branch Paraffinic <
Naphthenic < Aromatic compounds
 Relationship between S.G and
chemical composition

1. S.G value 0.7500 More lighter

Linear (saturated compounds )

2 . S.G value 0.8300 – 0.9000 Lighter crude oil.

Linear or Branching(saturated compounds )

3 . S.G value more than1.00 Heavy crude oil and bitumen

unsaturated compounds ( more aromatic)
 Digital density meter D 4050
Measuring the total mass by determining
natural frequency of vibration
ASTM D 4050 states that temperature should stay within  0.25C of
the test temperature. Our setup easily meets this requirement.
Stability @ 5°C
Stability @ 60ºC
Coefficient Expansion
The variation of density with temperature in Table, effectively the coefficient
of expansion, is a property of great technical importance, since most petroleum
products are sold by volume and specific gravity is usually determined at the
prevailing temperature (21 °C, 70 °F) rather than at the standard temperature
(60 °F, 15.6 °C). The tables of gravity corrections (ASTM D1555) are based on
an assumption that the coefficient of expansion of all petroleum products is a
function (at fixed temperatures) of density alone.
Coefficient Expansion API
0.00035 0 -14
0.00040 15 – 34.9
0.00050 35 – 50.9
0.00060 51 – 63.9
0.00070 64 – 78.9
0.00080 79 – 88.9
0.00085 89 – 93.9
0.00090 94 - 100
 Example
Calculated the volume expansion in petroleum
barrel that API = 19 when heating from 60 – 400 F.

Solution:
From coefficient expansion in table we now that
value is 0.00040.
Increase of volume = 0.0004 × ( 400 – 60 )
= 0.136
 Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion
Thermal Expansion

Specific Volume

V

 Temperature

(Use in Steam Injection Processes)