Oil and Gas - Midstream Flashcards
An ultra large crude carrier can carry up to how many barrels of oil?
3 million barrels of oil
Equivalent to the daily oil consumption of Brazil, the world’s 6th largest consumer of oil
How many barrels of oil is the US capable of storing?
730 million barrels of oil and petroleum product
50,000 miles of crude oil pipelines
How many miles of crude oil pipelines are there in the US?
50,000 miles of crude oil pipelines
That is enough to wrap around the circumference of the Earth twice.
What is the problem with natural gas?
It has very low energy density.
You need 1000 litres of natural gas to get the same amount of energy in a litre of diesel.
The high energy density of liquid fuels like gasoline and diesel make them more practical for vehicles with limited tank size.
It also makes it easier and cheaper to move and store liquid fuels than natural gas.
How is natural gas stored/stockpiled?
In the US, small volumes are stored in surface storage tanks, large volumes are injected underground through wells.
In Singapore, we only store liquefied natural gas in cryogenic above-surface tanks at Jurong Island.
But there is research undergoing at NTU to store LNG underground instead.
Does natural gas have a smell?
No, natural gas is naturally odorless.
But a sour-smelling chemical is added to the gas to allow users to quickly recognise and locate a gas leak before any explosion might occur.
What is a stranded natural gas resource?
Reserves are located where it remains either uneconomic to produce the gas or to transport the raw natural gas to a processing plant.
However, over the past decades, many stranded resources have been brought online because of the growing demand for natural gas, triggered by growing population and environmental concerns.
Why is natural gas becoming preferred to coal?
It is cleaner to burn than coal.
But coal remains the dominant fuel burned in generating electricity.
What are the countries that have large, untapped resources of natural gas?
Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and Nigeria
What is a LNG train?
Massive refrigeration plants that purify natural gas and super cool it to -161C.
Plants are known as trains because of their train-like shape.
What is a LNG carrier?
Ships with 4- 6 large circular Thermos-like tanks that hold LNG at -161C.
What is a crude oil transmission pipeline?
Carry crude oil from the wells to a refinery, crude oil storage site, or to a seaport terminal?
What happens at a seaport terminal?
At seaport terminals, the crude is located onto an oil tanker to bring to other countries. The length of crude oil tankers can rival that of the tallest buildings in the world.
How is crude oil stored/stockpiled?
Hollowed out salt domes
Above ground storage tanks
What is a hollowed out salt dome?
A salt dome is a natural geological formation beneath the ground.
Hollowing out the salt dome involves a process called solution mining, whereby the dome is drilled, freshwater is injected to dissolve the salt, and the brine is sucked back to the surface.
The hollowed out dome can then be used to store crude oil or natural gas liquids.
