Feedstock Sources and Propylene Yields

Updated Table with Propylene Yields and Percentage Estimates

(1) Crude oil well alone: Feedstock derived solely from crude oil extracted from oil wells, processed without involvement of natural gas.
(2) Crude oil well and associated gas: Feedstock sourced from crude oil wells and the natural gas (associated gas) produced alongside the oil from the same well.
(3) Crude oil well and separate gas: Feedstock from crude oil wells combined with natural gas from a distinct gas cap within the same well.
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: Feedstock derived from a crude oil well, including its own associated gas (natural gas produced with the oil) and a separate gas cap (a distinct gas layer) within the same well.
(5) Gas well: Feedstock derived exclusively from natural gas extracted from standalone gas wells, without crude oil involvement.

Source of Feedstock	Feedstock	Process	Intermediate Products	Propylene Yield	Estimated % of Source Used to Generate Feedstock
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)	Naphtha	Steam Cracking	Ethylene, propylene, butadiene	15–20%	(1) 20–30%, (2) 5–10%, (3) 5–10%, (4) 5–15%, (5) 1–5%
(2, 3, 4, 5)	Ethane	Steam Cracking	Ethylene, propylene, methane	1–3%	(2) 10–20%, (3) 15–25%, (4) 15–25%, (5) 20–30%
(2, 3, 4, 5)	Propane	Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH)	Propylene, hydrogen	80–90%	(2) 10–20%, (3) 15–25%, (4) 15–25%, (5) 20–30%
(1) Crude oil well alone	Heavy Oil (VGO)	Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC)	Gasoline, diesel, LPG, propylene	3–6% (up to 10–20% with ZSM-5)	(1) 10–20%
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas	Methanol	Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO)	Ethylene, propylene	30–40%	(4) 5–15% (of gas/syngas fraction)
(2, 3, 4, 5)	Butane	Steam Cracking	Ethylene, propylene, butadiene	10–15%	(2) 5–15%, (3) 10–20%, (4) 10–20%, (5) 15–25%

(1) Crude oil well alone: Crude distillation typically yields 20–30% naphtha (light and heavy fractions combined) from raw crude oil, depending on the crude’s API gravity (lighter crudes yield more).
(2) Crude oil well and associated gas: Associated gas contains NGLs, but only a small fraction (5–10%) is processed into naphtha via condensate splitting, as most NGLs are lighter (ethane, propane).
(3) Crude oil well and separate gas: Similar to (2), the gas cap within the same well yields NGLs, with 5–10% typically converted to naphtha from condensate.
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: Combines (2) and (3), so 5–15% reflects the gas contribution to naphtha via NGLs from both associated gas and the gas cap.
(5) Gas well: Standalone gas wells produce natural gas with condensates; only 1–5% is typically processed into naphtha (e.g., via GTL or condensate refining), as most output is methane, ethane, etc.

(2) Crude oil well and associated gas: Associated gas contains 10–20% ethane by volume, extracted via gas processing.
(3) Crude oil well and separate gas: The gas cap within the same well yields 15–25% ethane, depending on gas richness.
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: Combines (2) and (3), so 15–25% ethane from gas streams within the same well.
(5) Gas well: Standalone gas wells typically yield 20–30% ethane, higher in "wet" gas fields.

(2) Crude oil well and associated gas: Associated gas yields 10–20% propane, similar to ethane but slightly less abundant.
(3) Crude oil well and separate gas: The gas cap within the same well produces 15–25% propane from NGLs.
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: 15–25% propane from combined gas streams within the same well.
(5) Gas well: Gas wells yield 20–30% propane, typical for wet gas.

(1) Crude oil well alone: Vacuum distillation of crude oil residues yields 10–20% VGO, depending on crude type and refinery setup.

(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: Methanol is synthesized from syngas (CO + H₂), often from natural gas reforming. Of the gas fraction (associated gas and gas cap within the same well), 5–15% is typically converted to methanol, factoring in process efficiency and competing uses (e.g., LNG).

(2) Crude oil well and associated gas: Associated gas yields 5–15% butane, less than ethane/propane.
(3) Crude oil well and separate gas: The gas cap within the same well produces 10–20% butane from NGLs.
(4) Crude oil well and associated gas and separate gas: 10–20% butane from combined gas streams within the same well.
(5) Gas well: Gas wells yield 15–25% butane, typical for wet gas fields.

% of Source Used: This is the fraction of the raw source material (crude oil or gas) that becomes the feedstock, not the share of total feedstock supply from each source. For example, naphtha from (1) at 20–30% means 20–30% of crude oil is distilled into naphtha, not that (1) supplies 20–30% of all naphtha globally.
Variability: These are broad ranges. For instance, a light crude might yield 35% naphtha via (1), while a dry gas well might have negligible NGLs for (5).
Methanol Complexity: Its percentage reflects gas usage, as crude oil’s role is indirect (via syngas), making (4) a composite estimate.