Señor

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Oil Refinery Processes
A Brief Overview

Ronald (Ron) F. Colwell, P.E.

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Copyright © 2009 Process Engineering Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.
“Excellencein Applied Chemical Engineering”

Some Historical Events
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3000 BC Sumerians use asphalt as an adhesive; Eqyptians use pitch to grease
chariotwheels; Mesopotamians use bitumen to seal boats
600 BC Confucius writes about drilling a 100’ gas well and using bamboo for pipes
1500 AD Chinese dig oil wells >2000’ deep
1847 First “rock oil”refinery in England
1849 Canada distills kerosene from crude oil
1856 World’s first refinery in Romania
1857 Flat-wick kerosene lamp invented
1859 Pennsylvania oil boom begins with 69’ oil wellproducing 35 bpd
1860-61 Refineries built in Pennsylvania and Arkansas
1870 US Largest oil exporter; oil was US 2nd biggest export
1878 Thomas Edison invents light bulb
1901 Spindletop, Texas producing100,000 bpd kicks off modern era of oil refining
1908 Model T’s sell for $950/T
1913 Gulf Oil opens first drive-in filling station
1942 First Fluidized Catalytic Cracker (FCC) commercialized
1970First Earth Day; EPA passes Clean Air Act
2005 US Refining capacity is 17,042,000 bpd, 23% of World’s 73MM

mol`bpp

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Copyright © 2009 Process Engineering Associates, LLC. Allrights reserved.

“Excellence in Applied Chemical Engineering”

1876 California Oil Refinery

mol`bpp

www.ProcessEngr.com
Copyright © 2009 Process Engineering Associates, LLC. All rightsreserved.

“Excellence in Applied Chemical Engineering”

What is Petroleum?
• A complex mixture containing thousands
of different organic hydrocarbon molecules
– 83-87% Carbon
– 11-15%Hydrogen
– 1-6% Sulfur

• Paraffins – saturated chains
• Naphthenes – saturated rings
• Aromatics – unsaturated rings
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