By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 13 -- Statoil ASA introduced a new light, low-sulfur oil grade, Asgard Blend, based on condensate and crude from the Asgard, Kristin, and Mikkel fields in the Norwegian Sea.
It consists of Asgard Crude, Asgard Condensate, and Kristin Crude, replacing the previous practice of separate crude and condensate liftings from the field, and will be marketed as a crude mix, the company said.
The oil is stored on Asgard, where the Kristin and Mikkel well streams are also processed. Output from the Asgard A oil production ship and B gas platform was previously piped to two separate stores, with Kristin production held on the Asgard C storage ship.
The first consignment of the new grade left Asgard earlier this month for Statoil's Kalundborg refinery in Denmark. The next two loadings are to go to a Dutch plant in Rotterdam and Statoil's Mongstad facility near Bergen. Statoil expects 80-90 Asgard Blend cargoes of 500,000-855,000 bbl to be lifted annually. Production is 180,000 b/d.
The Asgard Blend assay is based on samples taken from each stream contributing to the blend. Since Kristin production is not as high as expected, Asgard Blend export quality will most likely be slightly lighter than shown in assay, a difference of about 1° API, Statoil said.
Characteristics of the new crude blend are: gravity, 48.9°; specific gravity, 0.7842; sulfur content, 0.08 mass %; pour point, -27° C.; total acid number, <0.01 mg KOH/g; nickel, <0.1 ppm (wt); vanadium, <0.1 ppm (wt); viscosity at 20° C., 1.63 cst.
