Petroleum Refining and Petroleum

Processing

CHAPTER 1. Introduction to Crude Oil

and Petroleum Processing
 Reference books
[1] James H. Gary, Glenn E. Handwerk, Mark J. Kaiser, 2007.
Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition, CRC
Press, USA
[2] James H. Gary, Glenn E. Handwerk, Mark J. Kaiser, 2019,
Petroleum Refining Technology, Economics, and Markets, 6th Edition,
CRC Press
[3] Mohamed A. Fahim, 2010. Fundamentals of Petroleum Refining.
Elsevier B.V., The Netherlands
[4] Chang Samuel Hsu, Paul R. Robinson (Eds.), 2017, Springer
Handbook of Petroleum Technology, Springer International
Publishing
[5] Chang Samuel Hsu, Paul R. Robinson, 2019, Petroleum Science
and Technology, Springer International Publishing
[6] Santi Kulprathipanja, James E. Rekoske, Daniel Wei, Robert V.
Slone, Trung Pham, Chunqing Liu, 2021, Modern Petrochemical
Technology, Wiley-VCH
 What Is Petroleum?

▪The English word “petroleum” means “rock oil” or “oil from

stone”
▪Petroleum resources include crude oil and natural gas, or
simply oil and gas
▪Oil is a fossil fuel produced by the decomposition of deeply
buried organic material (plants) under high temperature and
pressure for millions of years
Crude oil is a form of
ancient biomass as it was
made from the remains
of creatures that lived
many years ago. Crude oil
is a finite resource
because we cannot replace
it as we use it up.

Ref: AQA GCSE 9-1 chemistry (2016, Hodder Education)

Ref: Springer Handbook
of Petroleum (2017)
What Is Petroleum?
What Is Petroleum?

Offshore oil drilling platform

Source of hydrocarbons and the evolution of organic matter
Ref: Petroleum Refining_ Technology, Economics, and Markets
 What Is Petroleum? Gas

Total petroleum system schematic showing generation through entrapment

Ref: Petroleum Refining_ Technology, Economics, and Markets
Ref: Petroleum Refining Processes
 What Is Petroleum?

▪ In composition, petroleum is a complex mixture of countless

organic molecules derived from ancient living organisms. The
molecules are mostly hydrocarbons, including lesser amounts of
heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons, contaminated with various
amounts of inorganic matter
▪ Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbon compounds ranging in size
from CH4 to C300+
▪ Fuels (gasoline, diesel oil, jet fuels…) that are produced from
crude oil are also mixtures of hydrocarbons with boiling ranges
(equivalently, the number of carbon atoms in the molecule) in the
defined range
 What Is Petroleum?

▪ Economically and politically, petroleum liquid (crude oil) is

an important energy (and material) source. In 2017, it
accounted for 34.2% of world energy consumption. Its
close cousin, petroleum gas (natural gas), accounted for
23.4%
Petroleum is the primary energy source

World Energy Consumption by Source—2017

Ref: Petroleum Science and Technology-Springer (2019)
 Primary energy
World consumption
Statistical Review of World
Energy 2023
© Energy Institute 2023

About three-quarters of
the world’s commercial
energy comes from
nonrenewable fossil
fuels and the rest comes
from nonrenewable
nuclear fuel and
renewable sources.
 Primary energy
World consumption
Statistical Review of World
Energy 2023
© Energy Institute 2023

Renewable energy has

increasing role, partly
substituting for
“un-clean” types of
energy sources
(petroleum, coal)
 Petroleum resources are the principal raw materials for
the chemical industry
Current fields of application of crude oil and
renewable raw materials

Ref: A. Behr, T. Seidensticker, Chemistry of Renewables_ An Introduction, Springer (2020)

Products of the Chemical Process Industry
Products of the Chemical Process Industry
Petrochemical Products from Petroleum
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum Technology
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum Technology
 The Composition and Characteristics of Crude Oil

▪Crude oil is a mixture of literally hundreds of hydrocarbon

compounds ranging in size from CH4 to C300+
▪Three main types of hydrocarbons: paraffins, cyclic
paraffins, and aromatics
▪Impurities in small quantities: sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen,
chloride and metals; the most important and the most
common of these impurities is sulfur (hydrogen sulfide and
organic compounds of sulfur)
 The Composition and Characteristics of Crude Oil

▪Petroleum crude oils can be broadly classified as paraffinic,

asphaltic, and mixed crude oils. Paraffinic crude oils are
composed of aliphatic hydrocarbons (paraffins), wax but no
or little asphaltic (bituminous) components. On the other
hand, asphaltic crude oils contain no or little paraffins. Some
are naphthenic, i. e., they contain predominantly
cycloparaffins, which can be feedstocks for making high
viscosity lubricating oils. Most crude oils are mixed oils
which include all three hydrocarbon types: paraffins,
naphthenes, and aromatic hydrocarbons
 The Composition and Characteristics of Crude Oil

Refiners often mix selected crude oils to optimize a

product slate that has been programmed for the refinery.
This exercise requires careful examination of the
various crude assays (data compilation) and modeling the
refinery operation to set the crude oil mix and its
operating parameters.
The Composition & Characteristics of Crude Oil
Ref: Petroleum Science and Technology-Springer (2019)
Examples of
hydrocarbon
molecules
(alkanes,
naphthene /
cyclic alkanes,
aromatics,
olefins) in crude
oil
Examples of molecules containing
sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and metals in
crude oil
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
Ref: AQA GCSE
9-1 chemistry
(2016, Hodder
Education)
Ref: A-Level Chemistry for AQA_ Year 1 & 2 Student Book
 Conversion / Processing of crude oil is needed to
meet market demand

Gap between “supply” and demand

Ref: Heinemann chemistry 2 (2017, Pearson)

Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Fundamentals of
Petroleum Refining
Ref: The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, 5th Edition
1.11.2 The Need for Conversion

To maximize profit, oil companies convert low value fractions into high value
products. Throughout the world, 90% of vehicular transportation is powered
by petroleum products. To meet market demand for valuable transportation
fuels (gasoline, jet fuel, diesel oil), refiners and licensors have developed an
array of processes for converting heavy products into light ones.

Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)

Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
 Diesel oil

Ref: Springer Handbook of

Petroleum Technology
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
No refinery refines a single crude. Different grades
of crude oils and partially refined feedstocks are stored
in an array of tanks prior to blending to meet refinery
configuration and constraints. For example, sulfur
constraints can be met by blending high sulfur with
low sulfur crudes. Blended crudes must be compatible,
i. e., it must be possible to mix them thoroughly and
without risk of precipitating asphaltenes. LP (linear program)
models are commonly used at refineries as tools
for making crude purchase (term or spot) decisions,
scheduling, planning, etc. The blended crude is sent to
a desalter to remove contaminants prior to distillation

Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)

Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer
Handbook of
Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer
Handbook of
Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer
Handbook of
Petroleum (2017)
Ref: Springer Handbook of Petroleum (2017)
 Industry Characteristics

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.1 EACH REFINERY IS UNIQUE
There does not exist a standard refinery configuration. The first refineries
were simple, small, batch distillation units that processed hundreds of
barrels of crude oil per day from one or a small collection of fields.
Today, refineries are complex, highly integrated facilities that may contain
as many as 15 to 20 process units capable of handling a dozen or more
different crudes with capacity up to almost a million barrels a day.
Refineries vary in size, sophistication, and cost depending on their
location, the type of crude they refine, and the products they manufacture.
1.6.2 NO TWO CRUDE OILS ARE THE SAME
Crude oil is not a homogeneous raw material. Each crude oil produced in
the world has a unique chemical composition, which varies according to
the manner of its formation. Currently, more than 150 crude grades are
traded, and many of these are streams blended from two or more fields.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.3 REFINERY CONFIGURATION EVOLVES OVER TIME
Refineries are built at a given time and location using specific
technologies; evolve with changes in market demand, feedstock, product
specification, and environmental regulation; and will typically possess
both very old and modern process units. There are many ways to classify
and group refineries, but most schemes refer to the complexity of the
process technology, which describes its capacity to convert heavy
products, such as fuel oil and resid, to lighter products such as gasoline,
diesel, and jet kerosine. Upgrading capacity comes in a number of
different types of units, from the common catalytic cracking facilities to
the more sophisticated and expensive hydrocracking and coking units.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.4 NOT ALL REFINERIES ARE CREATED EQUAL

The simplest refinery, frequently referred to as a topping or

hydroskimming refinery, consists of atmospheric distillation and typically

one or more pretreatment facilities, catalytic reforming, and

hydrodesulfurization. “Simple” refineries have limited capacity to change

the composition of the crude oil input. A “complex” (cracking)

refinery or “very complex” refinery is characterized by significant

upgrading capacity and a high level of integration.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

Ref: Modern Petrochemical Technology (2021)
Ref: Modern Petrochemical Technology (2021)
Ref: Modern Petrochemical Technology (2021)
1.6.5 REFINERIES ARE CAPITAL-INTENSIVE, LONG-LIVED, HIGHLY SPECIFIC
ASSETS

Refining projects are capital intensive, long-lived, and highly specific assets that
require large initial investments before production can begin.

1.6.6 REFINED PRODUCTS ARE COMMODITIES

The main products of refining — transportation fuels and heating fuels and other
products (lubricants, wax, solvents) — are commodities. Commodities are products
that are undifferentiated from those of a competitor and sold on the basis of price

1.6.7 REFINED PRODUCTS ARE SOLD IN SEGMENT MARKETS

Refined products markets are distributed regionally. There are regular flows of
products from one region to another, and price levels are set accordingly.

1.6.8 PRODUCT PRICES ARE VOLATILE

In competitive markets, refined product prices are determined by supply, demand,

and inventory conditions at a given location and time.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.9 PRODUCT PRICES ARE CORRELATED TO CRUDE OIL PRICES

Crude oil prices are more volatile than other commodities, reflecting the influence
of political and economic events, supply and demand conditions, perceptions about
resource availability, and many other factors. Refinery products, especially gasoline
and the middle distillates, are strongly corelated to crude oil prices

1.6.10 REFINERIES ARE PRICE TAKERS

Most refineries use a mix of crude oils from various domestic and foreign sources,
which changes based on the relative cost and availability; the purchasing decision
based on economics (the price of crude oil and the associated product yields) and
other factors.

1.6.11 GRAVITY DOWN, SULFUR UP

Crude oil production on average is becoming heavier and sulfur content is higher.
Heavy, high-sulfur crude is more difficult and expensive to process and yields more
heavy products, which require additional processing.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.12 REFINING OPTIMIZATION INVOLVES MULTIPLE TRADE-OFFS

A variety of operating variables — temperature, pressure, residence time, feed

quality (the type of crude oil to be processed), cut points, recycle-gas ratio, space
velocity, and catalyst — can be adjusted to accommodate changes in product
demand or product quality requirement => these are the factors that can be
optimally adjusted to maximize profit. Optimizing a refinery is a matter of balance,
because every benefit has a cost, every incremental gain has an offsetting loss,
and every attempt to remove one unwanted product creates a new waste stream.

1.6.13 PETROLEUM REFINING IS ENERGY INTENSIVE

Petroleum refining is the most energy-intensive manufacturing industry. In 2002,

the U.S. refining industry consumed 6.391 quads (1015 Btu) of energy, accounting
for about 28% energy consumption in U.S. manufacturing. Processes that have
the greatest throughput dominate energy consumption. Atmospheric and vacuum
distillation account for 35 to 40% of total process energy consumed in the refinery.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition

1.6.12 REFINING OPTIMIZATION INVOLVES MULTIPLE TRADE-OFFS

A variety of operating variables — temperature, pressure, residence time, feed

quality (the type of crude oil to be processed), cut points, recycle-gas ratio, space
velocity, and catalyst — can be adjusted to accommodate changes in product
demand or product quality requirement => these are the factors that can be
optimally adjusted to maximize profit. Optimizing a refinery is a matter of balance,
because every benefit has a cost, every incremental gain has an offsetting loss.

1.6.13 PETROLEUM REFINING IS ENERGY INTENSIVE

Petroleum refining is the most energy-intensive manufacturing industry. In 2002,

the U.S. refining industry consumed 6.391 quads (1015 Btu) of energy, accounting
for about 28% energy consumption in U.S. manufacturing. Processes that have
the greatest throughput dominate energy consumption. Atmospheric and vacuum
distillation account for 35 to 40% of total process energy consumed in the refinery.

Ref: Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition