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86 comments on Ghawar reserves update and revisions (1)

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Euan Mearns on May 1, 2007 - 2:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The Hawiyah NGL recovery programme will produce an additional 310,000 barrels of ethane and NGL products

Yes - but ethane - C2H6 - is a light gas that will only go liquid if cooled. Methane (CH4), Ethane, Propane and Butane are all gasses. It is only when you get to Hexane (C6H14) and higher chanes that you would call it NGL.

I'm not 100% sure on this but it was the comment about 310,000 bbls bpd ethane that led me to say the report was equivocal.

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Matt on May 2, 2007 - 5:59am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Ethane is used in LPG (liquified petroleum gas) in varying proportions together with propane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquified_petroleum_gas

LPG drives many taxis in Australia. It is liquid under pressure and ambient temperature and therefore requires a special tank which is fitted in the boot

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pondlife on May 2, 2007 - 6:15am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I think propane and butane compress to a a liquid at ambient temp.

Ethane would be too high a pressure for basic domestic use. And it's a chemical feedstock, so too useful to burn??

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elwoodelmore on May 2, 2007 - 6:32am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

i think you are refering to condensate (c6+). which is more or less stable at stock tank conditions. lpg (primarily propane) is stored in a pressurized vessel. ngl refers to the whole range of intermediate components (c2 - c6) which can be liquified by cooling and are components of gasoline and chemical feedstocks. lng is liquified methane.
and with all of these designations, it is important to remember that they arent a pure single component. condensate will contain a small fraction of methane for example.

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Rob-Organic-Chemist on May 2, 2007 - 3:56pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

methane b.p. -161 ºC, ethane b.p. -88 ºC , propane b.p. -42.1 ºC, butane b.p. -0.5 ºC, pentane b.p. 35-36 ºC and hexanes 68-70 ºC

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86 comments on Ghawar reserves update and revisions (1)

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