Petroleum Refining

Petroleum refining is the act of turning crude oil, through chemical engineering, into products that are useful. Due to the complex nature of this massive industry which involves numerous and auxiliary facilities and processing units, every refinery is unique and determined by various factors such as economy, preferred product types and location. End products can be classified into three types of… More

Petroleum refining is the act of turning crude oil, through chemical engineering, into products that are useful. Due to the complex nature of this massive industry which involves numerous and auxiliary facilities and processing units, every refinery is unique and determined by various factors such as economy, preferred product types and location. End products can be classified into three types of distillates - light, medium and heavy. Distillate classification is dependent on the boil off and recovery point of products. For example, lighter products such as naphtha, LPG or liquid petroleum gases, and gasoline (petrol) are recoverable at the lower temperatures. Middle distillates, which include kerosene, jet fuel, diesel and residential heating oils, are recoverable at higher temperatures ranging up to over 537 degrees Celsius. After distillation, the heavier residual oils remain and go through a sulphur removal process for use (sometimes combined with distillate fuels) in marine vessels, industrial facilities and commercial buildings. Less