Oil and Gas Refining Key Terms

Understanding stages and results of the oil and gas refining process

Our society depends heavily upon the resources of oil. Whether you're a business owner that utilizes oil and gas for the maintenance and function of your business or are more directly involved in the oil refining process, understanding the stages of the refining process will help you to better understand supply, demand and the economics of oil.

 

Refining

Refining is the term used to explain the process of creating different grades of oil for consumer and industry uses, such as gasoline, from crude oil.
Try: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides a detailed explanation of the oil refining process.

Fractional distillation

Fractional distillation, also known as separation, is the process of separating the many different compounds in crude oil to obtain a specific result, called a fraction. The chemical components of oil have various boiling points. The distillation process turns the oil into gas and, as the gas rises in the still, each component cools separately, turning into a liquid and new form of oil.
Try: Elmhurst College provides a detailed breakdown of fractional distillation.

Conversion

Conversion is the next step in the refining process in which a refinery alters the chemical makeup of fractions that result from the distillation process. Cracking, where heat causes heavy hydrogen molecules within the oil fractions to crack into lighter molecules, is the most common conversion method.
Try: Read about other conversion processes from the San Joaquin Geological Society.

Treatment

Refineries must treat the various oil fractions after the conversion process in order to meet government standards and consumer specifications. Technicians add more than 200 dyes and additives in order to obtain specification and distinguish fuel grade levels.
Try: Learn more about the treatment of oil fractions from Consumer Energy Report's information on the refinery process.

Light sweet crude oil

Light, sweet crude oil is oil that has a sulfur content of less than 0.5%, acknowledged as sweet. Also, the percentage of wax is very low known as light, resulting in less thickness or stickiness.
Try: Obtain more information on light, sweet crude oil from Wisegeek.

Heavy sour crude oil

Heavy, sour crude oil is the opposite of light and sweet. It is heavy due to the large percentage of wax content, making it thick and viscous. The term sour means that the sulfur content higher than 0.5%.
Try: Read more about heavy, sour crude oil from Commodity Trading Today. For more oil and gas refining key terms, visit Alken-Murray's fuel glossary.

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