Petrobras’ oil & natural gas output up 4% in Brazil in June to 2.4M boed
17 July 2011
Petrobras’ oil and natural gas output in Brazil was 2,407,366 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in June, 4% more than the 2,315,117 barrels produced a year earlier and a 2% increase over May 2011. Domestic natural gas production was 57.317 million cubic meters per day in June. This was 6.9% more than the same month in 2010, and 0.7% above last May.
Figuring in the exclusive production of oil from domestic fields, the company had an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous month’s output, and of 3.5% over June 2010. The resumption of production at platforms that had been undergoing scheduled maintenance in the Campos Basin, and operations starting at another well connected to platform P-57, in the Jubarte field (Espírito Santo portion of the Campos Basin), contributed to these results. The Extended Well Test (EWT) for the Aruanã field, in the Campos Basin, was also kicked off in late June.
The volume of oil and natural gas lifted from fields located in countries where Petrobras has operations reached 234,142 boed in June, 4% more than the previous month due to the greater demand for Bolivian gas and to the growth in production at the gas fields in Argentina. Compared with June 2010, there was a 5.6% slump due to operating issues and to the payment of taxes in Akpo, Nigeria.
Overseas, the exclusive production of oil amounted to 133,071 barrels/day, while natural gas output was 17.17 million cubic meters per day in June.
Petrobras’ average oil and natural gas production (Brazil and abroad) added up to 2,641,508 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), 2.13% more than the total in May 2011.
Are Brazilians using natural gas for vehicle fuel to any great extent? They are known to use many vehicles that can switch from alcohol to gasoline.
Posted by: ronwagn | 17 July 2011 at 09:51 AM
The use true FFVs that can run ethanol, gasoline or methanol. I have heard of no great effort there to run natural gas.
Posted by: SJC | 17 July 2011 at 02:03 PM
ronwagn,
Yes we do have a program with incentives to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles in Brasil.
CNG is called GNV "Gas Natural Veicular" at the service stations here.
People adopting it benefit from lower annual taxes, and lower recurring fuel costs. Those who drive a lot and use a lot of fuel find it more economical with a very reasonable ROI.
Most of the Taxis (cabs) in the metropolitan areas or Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo use CNG.
While there are factory made vehicles already prepared for CNG use, most notably FIAT's Siena Tetra-fuel, most are adapted over regular alcohol or flex-fuel vehicles.
Factory models and some adaptations use modern electronically controlled port injection, but most old adapted ones use some row throttle body mixers, a less precise and effective setup (both in consumption and emissions).
Not everyone stands the added burden of the CNG tanks (weight and space), leaks, special inspections, etc. Those who use do it for economy like it.
There are announcements of VW/MANN dual-fuel buses diesel+CNG for Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. (Green washing for the 2016 Olympic games or real ?).
Bosch has been developing locally the underlying technologies delivering the ability to adapt regular diesel cycle buses with CNG displacing part of the required energy (not all).
Buses would have nearly the same specs as original diesel ones, displaces a large amount of diesel whenever CNG is available, reduces emissions when using CNG with less a lot less soot and SOx, can be sold to markets where CNG is not available when substituted (as they still work solely on diesel when needed).
There are parallel experiments with ethanol+additive (SCANIA) diesel substitution in Sao Paulo, as well as synthetic diesel derived from sugar cane (Amyris, Gevo,...).
SJC,
whe have Gasoline (really E18..E25 mix here); Ethanol (HE100-hydrous ethanol at 100%, 95%C2H5OH + ~5%water); and CNG/GNV. Methanol is not dispensed in service stations cause it requires special care for it's human toxicity. Regular Flex vehicles are designed to use any combination of our gas (E18..E25) mixed in any proportion to HE100 our ethanol. Most will tolerate E0 from Argentina, or other neighbors.
Methanol is not used by the regular public (for the same old toxicity issue), but is used for some quarter-mile-like competitions where people make all kind of "monster" adaptations extracting up to some 800-1000HP from some 2.0L four bangers... Methanol cooling ability is very useful in these extreme situations.
Posted by: CelsoS | 18 July 2011 at 01:01 AM
CelsoS, thanks for the information. It helps to have the real information from someone that knows. I was under the impression that they could blend methanol, thanks for the correction.
Posted by: SJC | 18 July 2011 at 07:49 AM
You're welcome. I'm glad to help whenever I can. Regards.
Posted by: CelsoS | 19 July 2011 at 10:20 PM