Refining of Crude Oil

The main aim of refining is to convert crude oils of several origins and different compositions into valuable products and fuels having the qualities and quantities demanded by the market. The different types of refining processes, such as separation, conversion, finishing, and environmental protection, are done and briefly discussed. The everchanging demand and quality of fuels, as well as environmental concerns and the hurdles facing the refining industry, are also highlighted. Environmental laws have played a vital role in the advancement of the refining industry and may even change the competition between petroleum and other alternative energy sources. Refining is regarded as the processing of crude oil into a number of valuable hydrocarbon products. Processing utilizes chemicals, catalysts, heat, and pressure to separate and combine the different types of hydrocarbon molecules commonly found in crude oil into groups of like molecules. The refining process also rearranges their structures and bonding models into different hydrocarbon molecules and compounds. Therefore, it can be said that it is the type of hydrocarbon (paraffinic, naphthenic, or aromatic) and its demand that affects the refining industry. Petroleum refining has evolved continuously in response to changing demands for better and different products. The change in the demand has also been conducted by continuous advancement in product quality, such as octane number for gasoline and cetane number for diesel. The initial requirement was to generate kerosene for household use, followed by the development of the internal combustion engine and the production of transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and fuels). Refineries produce a variety of products including those used as feedstocks for the petrochemical industry. In the initial stages, refining consisted of mere fractionation of crude oil followed by the progress in the 1920's of the thermal cracking methods, such as visbreaking and coking. The processes crack heavy fuels into more useful and desirable products by applying pressure and heat Modern refineries incorporate fractionation, conversion, treatment, and blending operations and may also include petrochemical processing. Most light distillates are more turned into more useful outcomes by adjusting the size and arrangement of the hydrocarbon molecules through cracking, reforming, and other conversion processes. In general, the refining industry has always been considered as a high-volume, low-profit-margin industry. World refining stays to be challenged by the ambiguity of supply, challenging market circumstances, government regulation, availability of capital, and slow growth. Although shipping of refined products has been rising over the years, a close bond remains between domestic markets and domestic production. This explains the large differences in refinery schemes from one country to another and from one region to another.