The Kela 2-5 well in Tarim Oilfield's Kela 2 gas field in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Photo: screenshot of CMG's report

Cumulative ethane production at the Tarim Oilfield in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has exceeded 4 million tons, reaching 4.08 million tons as of Saturday. This marks a new milestone in the deep processing of natural gas in the Tarim Basin, China Central Television (CCTV) reported, citing China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the oilfield's operator.

Ethane is an important component of natural gas and a core feedstock for ethylene production. Further processing of ethylene yields plastics, chemical fibers, and other industrial materials, making ethane a fundamental raw material for the modern petrochemical industry. 

The Tarim Energy Co, located in Xinjiang's Luntai County, has an annual natural gas processing capacity of 25 billion cubic meters (bcm). The company's Lunnan natural gas deep-processing project is one of the largest single-unit natural gas deep-processing facilities at an oil and gas field in China, according to the CCTV report. The Tarim Energy Co operates under CNPC's Tarim Oilfield.

Since its commissioning, it has processed 56 bcm of natural gas, and produced 4.08 million tons of ethane and 2.8 million tons of light hydrocarbons and liquefied petroleum gas. 

The project has also achieved independent and controllable production, with core equipment such as propane refrigeration machines, compressors, and high-speed regeneration gas compressors having all been replaced by domestically produced alternatives, an engineer at the Tarim Energy Co told CCTV. 

In recent years, theTarim Oilfield has advanced the "West-to-West" gas utilization strategy, promoting large-scale processing of natural gas resources and extending the downstream chemical industry chain. To date, the oilfield has built a pipeline network of more than 5,400 kilometers around the Tarim Basin, supplying more. than 7 bcm of gas annually to southern Xinjiang.

Natural gas in the Tarim Basin is rich in ethane. The deep extraction of the heavier components from pipeline gas significantly increases the value of the natural gas resources and also provides China's ethylene industry with an independent, controllable and low-cost source of feedstock, the report said.

Global Times