As mentioned earlier, crude petroleum contains various hydrocarbons.Petroleum refining is the separation of each component so that it can be further utilized.Chemists use the following steps to refine petroleum:
- The oldest and most common method of separating various components of crude oil (called distillates) is by using different boiling points.This process is called fractionation.The basic method is to heat the crude oil, vaporize it and then liquefy the steam.
- The newer technique USES chemical processing of some fractions to obtain others, a process known as transformation.For example, chemical processing can break long chains into shorter ones.That way, if gasoline demand is high, refiners can convert diesel fuel into gasoline.
The refinery must process the fractions to remove impurities.
The refinery produces the required product by combining different fractions (treated and untreated) into a mixture.For example, a mixture of different chain lengths can be used to produce gasoline with different octane values.
Products will be stored on site until they are sent to outlets such as gas stations, airports and chemical plants.In addition to producing a variety of products made from oil, the refinery must also process the waste generated during production to try to reduce air and water pollution.
