Sweet crude oil


Sweet crude oil is a type of petroleum. The New York Mercantile Exchange designates petroleum with less than 0.5% sulfur as sweet.
Petroleum containing higher levels of sulfur is called sour crude oil.
Sweet crude oil contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. High-quality, low-sulfur crude oil is commonly used for processing into gasoline and is in high demand, particularly in industrialized nations. Light sweet crude oil is the most sought-after version of crude oil as it contains a disproportionately large fraction that is directly processed into gasoline, kerosene, and high-quality diesel.
The term sweet originates from the fact that a low level of sulfur provides the oil with a relatively sweet taste and pleasant smell, compared to sulfurous oil. Nineteenth-century prospectors would taste and smell small quantities of oil to determine its quality.

Producers

This list is derived from standard industry assays:
  • Africa:
  • * Angola: CLOV, Girassol, Mondo Blend, Pazflor, Saxi Batuque
  • * Chad: Doba
  • * Equatorial Guinea: Zafiro Blend
  • * Mozambique: Coral Condensate
  • * Nigeria: Bonga, Ebok, Erha, Qua Iboe, Usan, Yoho
  • Asia Pacific:
  • * Australia: Gippsland Condensate, Gorgon
  • * Indonesia: Banyu Urip
  • * Malaysia: Tapis, Terengganu
  • * Papua New Guinea: Kutubu
  • Middle East/Central Asia:
  • * Azerbaijan: Azeri BTC, Azeri Light
  • The North Sea:
  • **Norway
  • **United Kingdom
  • North America:
  • * United States: Bakken, Domestic Sweet, WTI Light
  • South America:
  • * Guyana: Golden Arrowhead, Unity Gold

    Pricing

The term "price of oil", as used in the U.S. media, generally means the cost per barrel of West Texas Intermediate Crude, to be delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, during the upcoming month. This information is available from NYMEX or the U.S. Energy Information Administration.