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Refining process
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The refining process is the method by which crude oil is altered into usable, consumable products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, fuel oil and other petroleum products. When crude oil is refined, it is heated until it becomes a gas. The gas is transferred into a distillation container where it cools. As the gas cools into liquid form, the liquid is pulled off at certain heights depending on the desired end product.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, one barrel of oil (42 gallons) produces approximately 19 gallons of gasoline, 12 gallons of diesel as well as some remaining petroleum to be used in other consumer products.[1] These products include tires, crayons, deodorant and dishwashing liquid.[2]
The image to the left shows how much and what type of products are made from a barrel of crude oil. The image to the right shows the oil refining process, the different heights at which refined oil is pulled out of the refining process, and what types of petroleum products are produced.
Background
The chemical composition of crude oil varies by region, though crude oil is generally composed of the following hydrocarbons:[3][4]
- 83 percent to 87 percent carbon
- 10 percent to 14 percent hydrogen
- 0.1 percent to 2 percent nitrogen
- 0.05 percent to 1.5 percent oxygen
- 0.05 percent to 6 percent sulfur
- Less than 0.1 percent sulfur
Crude oil, which is composed of several thousand different hydrocarbons, is heated and altered into a gas. Crude oil can be boiled at different temperatures depending on the desired product. For example, crude oil is boiled at 104 degrees Fahrenheit to produce petroleum gas; crude oil is also boiled at up to 1112 degrees Fahrenheit to produce asphalt and tar. After oil becomes a gas, the gases are transferred into the bottom of a distillation container. The gas becomes cooler as it moves up the column. As the gas is cooled, it condenses into a liquid. The liquids are taken off the column at different heights. Heavy resids (oil residue), raw diesel fuels, and raw gasoline are taken from the bottom, the mid-section, and the top, respectively.[5]
Crude oil is refined into gasoline in several ways. Cracking involves breaking down large molecules of heavy oil and resids. Reforming is the process of changing the molecular structures of some gasoline molecules. Isomerization is the rearrangement of atoms in a molecule to form a different atomic structure that has the same chemical formula.[5]
The image below is a flow diagram of a crude oil distillation unit used in crude oil refineries.
Refining capacity
Refineries operate 24 hours each day of the year.[2]
As of January 1, 2016, the United States had a refinery capacity of 18,317,036 barrels of crude oil per day. There were 149 U.S. refineries as of January 1, 2016.[6]
The table below shows oil refining capacity by state for each state with at least one oil refinery as of January 1, 2016.[6]
| Crude oil refining capacity as of January 1, 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Total refineries | Operating refineries | Idle refineries | Total barrels a day | Total barrels a day at operating refineries | Total barrels a day at idle refineries |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | 0 | 182,200 | 182,200 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 3 | 0 | 472,000 | 444,000 | 32,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 4 | 0 | 601,000 | 601,000 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22,300 | 23,000 | 0 |
| Illinois | 4 | 4 | 0 | 962,540 | 940,540 | 22,000 |
| Indiana | 2 | 2 | 0 | 440,600 | 440,600 | 0 |
| Kansas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 339,000 | 339,000 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 2 | 0 | 278,500 | 278,500 | 0 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 132,000 | 132,000 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 2 | 2 | 0 | 378,900 | 378,900 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 2 | 0 | 93,360 | 93,360 | 0 |
| Ohio | 4 | 4 | 0 | 558,000 | 558,000 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 5 | 0 | 511,300 | 511,300 | |
| Tennessee | 1 | 1 | 0 | 190,000 | 190,000 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38,000 | 38,000 | 0 |
| Alabama | 3 | 3 | 0 | 131,675 | 131,675 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 2 | 2 | 0 | 90,500 | 90,500 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 18 | 18 | 0 | 3,348,820 | 3,348,820 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 364,000 | 364,000 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 2 | 0 | 127,500 | 127,500 | 0 |
| Texas | 29 | 29 | 0 | 5,452,250 | 5,452,250 | 0 |
| Colorado | 2 | 2 | 0 | 103,000 | 103,000 | 0 |
| Montana | 4 | 4 | 0 | 213,200 | 203,600 | 9,600 |
| Utah | 5 | 5 | 0 | 181,050 | 181,080 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 6 | 5 | 1 | 181,300 | 177,500 | 3,800 |
| Alaska | 5 | 5 | 0 | 158,700 | 158,700 | 0 |
| California | 18 | 17 | 1 | 1,982,141 | 1,897,641 | 84,500 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 2 | 0 | 147,500 | 147,500 | 0 |
| Nevada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 0 |
| Washington | 5 | 5 | 0 | 633,700 | 633,700 | 0 |
| United States | 141 | 139 | 2 | 18,317,036 | 18,165,136 | 151,900 |
| Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Refinery Capacity Report," January 1, 2016 | ||||||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Frequently Asked Questions," May 30, 2013, accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. Energy Information Administration, "What fuels are made from crude oil?" June 19, 2014
- ↑ About.com, "Chemical Composition of Petroleum," May 19, 2014
- ↑ Society of Petroleum Engineers, "Crude oil characterization," September 17, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, "The Refinery Process," accessed February 24, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Refinery Capacity Report," January 1, 2016
