Crude oil

Crude oil from the well is almost not used in its pure form. Here is a place where it is converted to the necessary human products - Refinery (Refinery). That is where raw materials delivered by pipeline, rail or sea tankers, after processing to obtain gasoline, jet fuel, fuel oil, diesel oil, lubricating oil, paraffin, and raw materials for petrochemical plants.

So, after a long or a short trip to the reservoir oil to refineries. What's next? First, it is removed from mechanical impurities and dissolved gases, cleaned of excess salt and water in the electric desalting plant. At this stage, determine the properties of the raw material.

It would seem that with the current level of technological progress can easily determine the chemical composition of crude oil. But the problem is that to recognize hundreds of chemical compounds in the plant laboratory - a daunting task. Therefore, oil is divided into factions in zavisimocti the boiling point, and density. In laboratories conduct "training" distillation, to find out what amount of gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oils, wax and oil can be obtained from the collection of the plant oil. (Oil vary widely in chemical composition, so some of you can get more of lubricating oils and waxes, other - more gasoline.) And only then proceed to the industrial distillation.

This interesting process occurs in a distillation column - a special apparatus for the separation of oil into fractions. If you've ever held or passed the refinery, you've probably seen these huge structures: the height of such a column may exceed 60 m being a real work of art technology, it allows you to separate substances, the boiling point of which differs by less than 6oS.

Oil, heated to 320 in the coil-390oS, fed to the column as a mixture of the hot liquid and vapor. There's a pair of heavy and light fractions then successively condensed and deposited on special plates - can be from 30 to 60. The result is a straight-run gasoline (boiling point 30 160oS), naphtha, which is also called naphtha (105 160oS), kerosene (160 230oS), gas oil (230-400oS) and fuel oil remaining after the removal of the other factions.

Gasoline and naphtha is then subjected to catalytic reforming. At 320-520oS and pressure of 15-40 atmospheres in the presence of platinum catalysts are gasoline with a high octane number and aromatic hydrocarbons - benzene, toluene, xylene, and others. The latter is used as a raw material for the petrochemical industry. In addition, during the process of reforming hydrogen is released, which can be used, for example, for hydrotreating.

Hydrotreated to direct kerosene and gas oil to a hydrogen atmosphere using catalysts to remove sulfur, nitrogen, metals and other undesirable impurities. Kerosene, which, depending on its properties are divided into air, tractor and lighting, after cleaning can be used for other purposes. A gas oil or a mix sent to get him out of diesel fuel, or a catalytic cracking (so called splitting of large hydrocarbon molecules into two or more under the influence of temperature in 500oS and, of course, catalysts).

Fuel oil until the end of XIX century discarded as waste. Now it is used as a liquid fuel oil or used as raw material for further processing - vacuum distillation. Heavy oils can not be distilled at atmospheric pressure - if necessary for their boiling heat starts cracking. And in the vacuum distillation to be carried out at low temperature - about 400oS. The result is a product that is suitable for processing into motor fuel, oils, paraffin and ceresin, and heavy residue - tar. Tar blowing hot air produced bitumen. Distillation residue cracking and also produce coke.

At various refineries require different sets of processes. Mandatory crude distillation, hydrotreating and catalytic reforming. This set of light oil products (gasoline and jet fuel) is about 40% of the total production. This circuit is a simple refinery. However, with the rise in prices for oil and oil products, as well as the tightening of environmental requirements special significance increase in the yield is light oil. Therefore, today's modern industries actively introducing new technologies. The use of catalytic cracking, hydrocracking and visbreaking, and hydrodesulfurization processes, coking and thermal cracking can receive more than 90% light products that meet the highest environmental standards.

Refining process results in the release into the atmosphere of a variety of chemical compounds, is noisy and heavy scents, and can lead to fire and explosions. It is therefore very stringent requirements demanded of today to place refineries. According to the latest environmental standards, the plant should be located at a reasonable distance from residential areas and close to major transport arteries which deliver raw materials and products are taken. Because many refineries require a large amount of steam and cooling water, it is important to close was a body of water - a river, and better views. Often the plants are located close to the port to facilitate the transport of finished petroleum products by sea transport.








Interesting Facts

At the beginning of our era oil was distilled to reduce odor. In Russian and foreign medical reference ages 15-17 recommending oil as a treatment for inflammation, the drive is capable distillation method Roman physician Cassius Felix and Arab scholar Avicenna.

Russian researchers believe that the first Russian enterprise in the world and refining built in 1745 on the river Ukhta Chumelovy brothers. It did lamp kerosene and lubricating oils. In the West, however, believe that the world's first oil distillation on an industrial basis engaged Ignacio Lukashevich, who worked in the years 1854-56 near the town of Jaslo in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Poland).

Famous engineer, author of the tower on Shabolovka VG Shukhov made an enormous contribution to the development of the oil industry. He not only built the first Russian oil pipeline and tanker, but also created the world's first installation of thermal cracking of oil, along with the Assistant SP Gavrilov. In other words, Russian engineers invented an industrial process for gasoline. The technology was patented in 1891.

During most of the 20th century, oil refinery in the Iranian city of Abadan was the largest in the world. He was seriously injured during the Iran-Iraq war. Today, the largest oil refinery said Centro de Refinación de Paraguaná in Venezuela, which produces 956,000 barrels of oil a day.

"Oil Island" at Lake Emenningen in Sweden is considered the oldest oil refinery that has survived to this day. Per August Elounda built this plant in 1875 and a year later received permission to process 1,000 barrels of oil per year. The company was halted in 1902 and today is part of the historical exposition ecomuseum "Bergslagen."