Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF THE CRUDE OIL THAT IS NOT REFINED?

Asphalt, feedstocks for plastics, bunker fuel, etc.WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF THE CRUDE OIL THAT IS NOT REFINED?
Used for things like plastics and other useful things we use everyday..WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF THE CRUDE OIL THAT IS NOT REFINED?
According to the Discovery Channel, out of a 42 gallon barrel of oil, we get a little more than 42 gallons of product. I don't remember how much, but I found that interesting. Because other chemicals are added in the refining process and they become part of the refinery's output. So everything and then some is refined and used somewhere in various industries.
It is used as asphalt or turned into coke. However even asphalt can be used as a feed stock (along with a source of hydrogen) and run through the catalytic crackers to make gasoline, motor oil, jet fuel etc.
Its all refined. The only other place it could be is in the ground, waiting to be taken out and refined or waiting in a tank to be refined. Crude oil by itself is worthless, its the impact that refining has on it that makes it so valuable.
1 As Sincarpediem noted, crude oil is used for a lot of other products besides fuel. The plastics industry is reliant on crude oil as a source of nearly all plastics raw materials.


2 Asphalt (black top) for road making is made from the tarry residue, after all the lighter components have been recovered (gasoline, diesel, heating oil, paraffin etc). Think of all the thousands of miles of asphalt roads that have been paved with refinery products


3 Most refineries burn off excess methane, to preventit escaping into the atmosphere (you will see the flames at any refinery). This is wasteful, and more efficient methods of recovering it are being examined.

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