petroleum refining

Introduction
History
- Distillation of kerosene and naphtha
- Conversion to light fuels
- Environmental concerns
Raw materials
- Hydrocarbon chemistry
  - Saturated molecules
  - Unsaturated molecules
- Types of crude oil
- Conventional measurement systems
Basic refinery processes
- Separation
  - Fractional distillation
  - Vacuum distillation
  - Superfractionation
  - Absorption
  - Solvent extraction
  - Adsorption
  - Crystallization
- Conversion
  - Naphtha reforming
  - Catalytic cracking
  - Polymerization and alkylation
  - Hydrocracking
  - Isomerization
  - Visbreaking, thermal cracking, and coking
- Purification
  - Sweetening
  - Mercaptan extraction
  - Clay treatment
  - Hydrogen treatment
  - Molecular sieves
Petroleum products and their uses
- Gases
- Gasoline
  - Octane rating
  - High-volatile and low-volatile components
  - Gasoline blending
- Kerosene
- Diesel oils
- Fuel oils
- Lubricating oils
- Gear oils and greases
- Other petroleum products
Petrochemicals
- Olefins
- Aromatics
- Polymers
- Inorganic chemicals
Refinery plant and facilities
- Processing configurations
  - Topping and hydroskimming refineries
  - Conversion refineries
- Off-sites
  - Tankage
  - Flares
  - Utilities
  - Environmental treatment
- Bulk transportation

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Aerial view of an oil refinery complex near New Orleans, Louisiana, with storage tanks, industrial structures, and smoke rising from the facility, surrounded by open land.

structures of common hydrocarbon compounds

$Crude-oil fractional distillation column diagram$

Schematic diagram of a fluid catalytic cracking unit.

Unit operations in a hydroskimming refinery. Nonshaded portions show the basic distillation and recovery units that make up a simple topping refinery, which produces petrochemical feedstock and industrial fuels. Shaded portions indicate the units added to make up a hydroskimming facility, which can produce most transportation fuels.

Unit operations in a conversion refinery. Shaded portions indicate units added to a hydroskimming refinery in order to build up a facility that can convert heavier distillates into lighter fuels and coke.

Coryton oil refinery

Esmeraldas: oil refinery

Petroleum refinery at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, with tall stacks and a large gas flare burning bright orange and emitting black smoke against a clear sky.

Related Questions

Aerial view of an oil refinery complex near New Orleans, Louisiana, with storage tanks, industrial structures, and smoke rising from the facility, surrounded by open land. — oil refinery Aerial view of an oil refinery near New Orleans.

petroleum refining

chemical engineering

Written by

A.L. WaddamsAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

petroleum refining, conversion of crude oil into useful products. The refining of crude petroleum owes its origin to the successful drilling of the first oil wells in Ontario, Canada, in 1858 and in Titusville, Pennsylvania, U.S., in 1859. Prior to that time, petroleum was available only in very small quantities from natural seepage of subsurface oil in various areas throughout the world. However, such limited availability restricted the uses for petroleum to medicinal and specialty...

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