Export of light crude oil

The lighter a crude oil, the more expensive it is. “Light Crude oil is liquid petroleum that has low density and that flows freely at room temperature. It has low viscosity, low specific gravity and high API gravity due to the presence of a high proportion of light hydrocarbon fractions. It generally has a low wax content as well.” The reason light crude oil is more expensive than heavier crude is because it produces the most gasoline and the most diesel, the two most sought-after elements of crude oil.

While API gravity and sulfur content are the two most common measures of crude oil quality, there is a third: total acid content (TAN). Total acid content is an important measure of quality because TAN directly affects the price of a barrel of crude oil.