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Crude oil is categorized into two types: sour crude oil and sweet crude oil. But how do these types differ? Let’s explore and distinguish between them with NSRP.
Sour crude oil is a type of petroleum that contains a high concentration of sulfur compounds. Generally, crude oil is considered “sour” when its sulfur content exceeds 0.5% by weight.
In addition to sulfur, sour crude oil also contains other acidic compounds, making it highly corrosive. Due to the high costs associated with equipment investment and sulfur removal during refining, sour crude oil is typically priced lower than sweet crude oil.
Because of these characteristics, sour crude oil must undergo complex processing to remove sulfur and acidic compounds before it can be refined into valuable products such as gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products.
Sweet crude oil is petroleum with a low sulfur content, typically below 0.5% by weight. It is easier to refine than sour crude oil because it requires minimal treatment to remove sulfur and corrosive compounds.
The term “sweet” originates from the early days of the oil industry when workers would taste crude oil to assess its sulfur content. Sweet crude oil was found to be less bitter due to the lower concentration of foul-smelling or sour-tasting sulfur compounds.
The low sulfur content of sweet crude oil is its most distinguishing feature, making it less corrosive to refining and transportation equipment. Additionally, harmful sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are present at very low levels, reducing processing costs and environmental impact. Consequently, sweet crude oil typically commands a higher market price than sour crude oil.
However, global reserves of sweet crude oil are lower than those of sour crude oil. Major sweet crude oil reserves are concentrated in regions such as the North Sea, West Africa, and the United States, making access to supply challenging for some countries.
Crude oil extracted from the Bach Ho field—the largest offshore oil field in Vietnam—is sweet crude oil.
Sour crude oil is primarily extracted in regions such as Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Alberta (Canada), the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern areas.
The main difference in processing between sour and sweet crude oil is that sour crude requires extensive sulfur removal during deep refining processes to meet product standards. Before being converted into high-value petroleum products, sour crude must undergo refining processes to remove impurities, particularly sulfur. This step is crucial in refining sour crude, as refineries must eliminate impurities—especially sulfur and other harmful compounds—before moving on to subsequent processing stages. This ensures that petroleum products meet quality and safety standards while minimizing environmental impact.
Each refinery is designed to process a specific type of crude oil or a blend with defined technical characteristics. Once a refinery is configured to process a particular crude type, it operates efficiently with that crude or similar blends. Switching to a slightly different crude requires thorough testing, while switching to a vastly different crude is nearly impossible.
Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical uses crude oil from Kuwait, which is a high-sulfur sour crude. To ensure product quality and comply with strict environmental standards, the refinery employs advanced processing technologies and specialized refining units to remove impurities such as sulfur and metals. These include:
Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical is equipped to process sour crude oil
Sour and sweet crude oil are two prevalent types of petroleum. We hope this article has provided useful insights into their characteristics and the processing of sour crude oil in refineries.
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14th Floor, West Tower, Lotte Center Hanoi, 54 Lieu Giai Street, Cong Vi Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nghi Son Economic Zone, Mai Lam Ward, Nghi Son District, Thanh Hoa Province, Viet Nam
EMAIL : contact@nsrp.com.vn
