Isthmus-34 Light
Encyclopedia
Isthmus-34 Light is a sour crude oil produced in Mexico
mainly in the Campeche
zone, in the Gulf of Mexico
along with the extraction centers in Chiapas
, Tabasco
, and Veracruz
. The name derives from the nearby Isthmus of Tehuantepec
and the oil is a component of the OPEC Reference Basket
(despite the fact that Mexico is not a part of OPEC
). It has the following characteristics:
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
mainly in the Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
zone, in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
along with the extraction centers in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
, Tabasco
Tabasco
Tabasco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa....
, and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. The name derives from the nearby Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
and the oil is a component of the OPEC Reference Basket
OPEC Reference Basket
The OPEC Reference Basket ', also referred to as the OPEC Basket is a weighted average of prices for petroleum blends produced by OPEC countries. It is used as an important benchmark for crude oil prices....
(despite the fact that Mexico is not a part of OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
). It has the following characteristics:
| Properties | Isthmus |
| Density Density The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight... (20 °C) |
0.8535 g/cm³ |
| API gravity API gravity The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks... |
33.74 °API |
| Viscosity Viscosity Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity... |
|
| 60 °F (15.6 °C) | 65.6 Saybolt Universal Second Saybolt Universal Second Saybolt Universal second is a measure of kinematic viscosity used in classical mechanics. It is the time that 60 cm3 of oil takes to flow through a calibrated tube at a controlled temperature... s (SUS) |
| 70 °F (21.1 °C) | 57.8 SUS |
| 77 °F (25.0 °C) | 54.5 SUS |
| Sulphur total, weight % | 1.45 |
| Oils, weight % | 89.2 |
| Alkanes, weight % | 8.1 |