It is also important to recognize that petroleum refining not only produces transportation fuels and fuels for space heating or industrial furnaces, but also produces materials needed for the operation of the combustion engines and paving the roads for vehicles to travel on. A refinery flow chart for converting crude oil to fuels and materials.
How do refineries choose the best crude oil feedstock?
Considering the market drivers just reviewed along the small profit margins that are often usually associated with petroleum refinery products, refineries should carefully select the crude oil feedstock and configure the refinery processes such that they produce the desirable petroleum products at the lowest cost.
What is the main product of a refinery?
Diesel fuel is the principal refinery product in most other parts of the world. Figure 1.4 shows a typical distribution of products from a barrel of crude oil in a U.S. refinery. Distillation process separates the crude oil into boiling point fractions.
Why do refineries produce diesel fuel?
In the U.S. refineries, a principal focus is on the production of gasoline because of high demand. Diesel fuel is the principal refinery product in most other parts of the world. Figure 1.4 shows a typical distribution of products from a barrel of crude oil in a U.S. refinery.