Condensado de gas natural

El condensado de gas natural es una mezcla de hidrocarburos líquidos de baja densidad que están presentes como componentes gaseosos en el gas natural crudo. El condensado de gas natural también se denomina simplemente condensado o condensado de gas, o a veces gasolina natural, porque contiene hidrocarburos dentro del rango de temperatura de ebullición de la gasolina. El gas natural crudo puede proceder de tres tipos de pozos:

Pozos de petróleo crudo— El gas natural que procede de pozos de petróleo crudo se denomina gas asociado. Este gas puede existir separado del crudo en la formación subterránea, o puede estar disuelto en el crudo. El condensado de los pozos de petróleo se suele llamar condensado de explotación (lease condensate), porque se suele separar en la propia explotación del yacimiento.
Pozos de gas seco— Estos pozos producen sólo gas natural, y no contiene cantidades apreciables de crudo, por lo que también puede llamarse gas no asociado. Los condensados contenidos en el gas seco son extraídos en las plantas de procesamiento de gas natural, y se suele denominar por tanto condensado de planta.
Pozos de condensado— Estos pozos producen gas natural junto a cantidades importantes de hidrocarburos líquidos. Este gas se puede denominar también gas húmedo.

Referencias

↑ International Energy Glossary (a page from the website of the Energy Information Administration)
↑ Natural gas processing Archivado el 4 de marzo de 2011 en Wayback Machine. (a page from the website of the Energy Information Administration)
↑ ^a ^b U.S. Crude Oil Production Forecast- Analysis of Crude Types, Washington, DC: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 29 de mayo de 2014, p. 7, «A final point to consider involves the distinction between the very light grades of lease condensate (which are included in EIA's oil production data) and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) that are produced from the wellhead as gas but are converted to liquids once separated from methane at a natural gas processing plant. These hydrocarbons include ethane, propane, butanes, and hydrocarbons with five or more carbon atoms – referred to as pentanes plus, naptha, or plant condensate. Plant condensate can also be blended with crude oil, which would change both the distribution and total volume of oil received by refineries.» .

Datos: Q2328318

[1] International Energy Glossary (a page from the website of the Energy Information Administration)

[2] Natural gas processing Archivado el 4 de marzo de 2011 en Wayback Machine. (a page from the website of the Energy Information Administration)

[Crude_Types-3] U.S. Crude Oil Production Forecast- Analysis of Crude Types, Washington, DC: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 29 de mayo de 2014, p. 7, «A final point to consider involves the distinction between the very light grades of lease condensate (which are included in EIA's oil production data) and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) that are produced from the wellhead as gas but are converted to liquids once separated from methane at a natural gas processing plant. These hydrocarbons include ethane, propane, butanes, and hydrocarbons with five or more carbon atoms – referred to as pentanes plus, naptha, or plant condensate. Plant condensate can also be blended with crude oil, which would change both the distribution and total volume of oil received by refineries.» .