Employees inspect the liquefied petroleum gas storage tank area at the No. 81 natural gas processing station of Xinjiang Oilfield’s No. 2 Oil Production Plant. (Photo: China News Service/Min Yong)

(ECNS) -- After a 15-day trial operation, a new facility for cooling associated gas at the No. 81 natural gas processing station of Xinjiang Oilfield’s No. 2 Oil Production Plant began operations on Thursday, increasing the daily processing capacity of the station to 3.9 million cubic meters, becoming the largest of its kind in China.

The new facility can process 1.5 million cubic meters of associated gas a day. The expansion allows associated gas from across the plant to be treated centrally and meet required quality standards, eliminating gas venting during maintenance periods.

It is expected to produce an additional 43,000 metric tons of stabilized light hydrocarbons and liquefied petroleum gas annually while reducing the volume of vented natural gas by 30 million cubic meters a year.

Associated gas, also known as oilfield gas, refers to natural gas that is found dissolved in or in contact with crude oil within underground reservoirs.

(By Intern Yang Hongran, Zhang Dongfang)