As domestic production continues to increase, the average density of crude oil that the US produces continues to become lighter. The average API gravity (a measure of a crude oil’s density where higher numbers mean lower density) of US crude oil increased in 2017 and through the first half of 2018, EIA reports.
Crude oil production with an API gravity greater than 40 degrees increased by 310,000 barrels per day to more than 4.6 million b/d in 2017. This increase indicates 53% of total Lower 48 production in 2017, an increase from 50% in 2015.
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This increase in light crude oil production was caused by the growth in crude oil production from tight formations due to improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
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 crude oil.
On the other hand, EIA notes that it is not possible to run some refineries on heavy crude oil without producing significant quantities of low-valued heavy products such as residual fuel.
Oil produced in North Dakota’s Bakken formation seems to be less dense and lighter. About 90% of North Dakota’s 2017 crude oil production had an API gravity of 40 to 50 degrees. The oil coming from the Federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is more dense and heavier. More than 34% of the crude oil produced in the GOM in 2017 had an API gravity of less than 30 degrees and 65% had an API gravity of 30 to 40 degrees.
On the contrary, imported crude oil continues to be heavier. In 2017, 96% of imported crude oil had an API gravity of 40 or below, compared with 48% of domestic production.
