美国轻质油生产繁荣 大部分进口为重质原油

中国石化新闻网讯 据今日油价网站8月23日消息 能源信息管理局（EIA）在周五的一项分析中表示，美国目前是世界上最大的原油生产国，但它仍然需要进口各种重质原油，因为美国国内大部分产量往往是轻质原油，而炼油厂则在使用各种原油，包括重质原油。

美国石油协会本周早些时候表示，2018年美国原油产量增长了17%，创造了近1100万桶/日的新产量记录，其中二叠纪对产量增长作出了较大贡献。EIA表示，去年美国击败沙特阿拉伯成为最大的石油生产国。EIA指出，去年美国的增长是历史上最大的石油和天然气绝对产量增长之一。

尽管拥有这些创纪录的数据，美国仍继续进口重油。因为二叠纪、伊格尔福特和巴肯主要生产相对轻质原油，而炼油厂也需要重油。

EIA补充称：“美国的整体炼油能力是针对不同范围的原油投入，因此仅以轻质或重质原油运营一些炼油厂是不经济的。”

美国经济增长最快的是页岩地层，据EIA估计，美国石油学会重力指标（API）为40-50，由于二叠纪和伊格尔福特的存在去年德克萨斯州API 40-50的石油占了产量的56%。

虽然轻油生产正在蓬勃发展，但炼油厂仍需要较重的原油，而美国大部分石油进口都是由重油组成的。EIA称，去年750万桶/日（97%）的进口原油的API比重为40或更低。

尽管如此，在过去十年里美国减少了其原油进口总量，同时显著提高了其原油总产量。EIA指出，自2008年以来进口下降了21%，而国内生产则猛增了120%。

王磊 摘译自 今日油价

原文如下：

U.S. Imports Mostly Heavy Crude As Light Oil Production Booms

The United States is currently the world’s largest crude oil producer, but it still needs to import heavy varieties of oil, as most of the domestic output tends to be light crude while refineries are running on a diverse range of crudes, including heavy oil, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in an analysis on Friday.

Crude oil production in the U.S. jumped by 17 percent in 2018, setting a new production record of almost 11.0 million bpd, with the Permian contributing to most of the production growth, the EIA said earlier this week. Last year, the United States beat Saudi Arabia to become the single largest petroleum producer, the EIA said, noting that “Last year’s increase in the United States was one of the largest absolute petroleum and natural gas production increases from a single country in history.”

Despite these record-setting figures, America continues to import heavy oil because the Permian, the Eagle Ford, and the Bakken produce mostly relatively light crude oil, while refineries need heavy oil, too.

“Overall U.S. refining capacity is geared toward a diverse range of crude oil inputs, so it can be uneconomic to run some refineries solely on light or heavy crude oil,” the EIA added.

The fastest-growing U.S. production is from shale formations and with API gravity of 40 to 50 degrees, the EIA has estimated, adding that oil with 40-50 degrees gravity accounted for 56 percent of the production in Texas last year, thanks to the Permian and the Eagle Ford.

While light oil production is booming, refineries still need heavier crudes, and most of the U.S. oil imports consist of heavy oil. Last year, 7.5 million bpd, or 97 percent, of all imported crude oil had an API gravity of 40 or lower, the EIA says.

Still, over the past ten years, the U.S. has reduced its overall crude oil imports while it has significantly boosted its total crude oil production. Since 2008, imports have declined by 21 percent, while domestic production has soared by 120 percent, the EIA noted.