StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The development of petroleum refinery - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Petroleum industry, nevertheless, is accounted for by modern history to have initiated at Nova Scotia, Canada back in 1846 upon discovery of…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
The development of petroleum refinery
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The development of petroleum refinery"

Introduction The ample significance of utilizing petroleum has been realized even before the 19th century in Babylon, Egypt, China, Rome, and Persia.Petroleum industry, nevertheless, is accounted for by modern history to have initiated at Nova Scotia, Canada back in 1846 upon discovery of manufacturing coal and kerosene which was similarly derived from a Polish town through hand-dug oil wells around 1854. While Romania is recognized to have built the first large petroleum refinery in Ploesti, the refining of crude petroleum is greatly attributed to the drilling of the first oil well in 1859 at the state of Pennsylvania where developing larger-scale processing systems were sought to refine massive quantities “rock oil”.

The Development of a Petroleum RefineryBasically, petroleum refinery is established to perform the core duty of fundamental distillation by which the components of ‘crude oil’ are separated into fractions when crude oil is heated in the distillation column after which different hydrocarbon products may be obtained at varying temperatures. Under low temperatures conditions, light distillates at the top of the column include liquid petroleum gases (LPG), ‘straight run’ gasoline, and naphtha.

Out of the middle streams are recovered moderately heavy products such as kerosene and jet fuel whereas the through column’s bottoms are distilled the heaviest of yield being the residual fuel oil.Since production is chiefly concerned with an optimum output, schematic plant and equipment designs for refinery are developed such that desired products are maximized at minimum operating costs as much as possible. On this ground, certain refineries customize plant structure in such fashion as to recycle streams particularly those at the bottom to be fed back to lines where lighter products are processed in order that heavy distillates may be taken advantage of further upon conversion to less heavy form.

Manufacturers may also opt to decide on the feasibility of adjusting other factors that directly or indirectly impact the efficiency of distillation such as the number of column plates or stages, the type, design, or number of auxiliary equipments used if necessary, and more essentially, a strategic approach with separating components to remedy relatively close boiling points for the purpose of increasing percent purity of the desired yield. Moreover, refineries of crude petroleum have become enhanced through a system of downstream processing facilities utilized to change the molecular structure of the input whether by catalytic or non-catalytic thermal chemical reactions as further treatment after distillation.

Such development is intended to generate refined outcomes that meet favors of good general economy and fuel benefits for manufacturing companies and their end-users, respectively. Thus, downstream processes normally incorporate ‘reforming units’ to extend hydrocarbon chains as from lower-octane feedstock to higher-octane end-constituents. Besides crude oil, engineers may conceptualize on additional specialized inputs for entry to downstream portions of distillation for the refining capacity to increase the potential commodity mix.

Conclusion Down the history since ‘petroleum’ was first found, procedures to refine crude petroleum have indeed become essential for various reasons. As refining industries realize the several advantages with refined petroleum, they ought to continue seeking developmental ways of improving processes that constitute production with regard not just to consumer demands and company profit but also to the environmental issues alongside the typical course. ReferencesChemEngineering - Petroleum refining processes. 2012. ChemEngineering - Petroleum refining processes.

[ONLINE] Available at: http://chemengineering.wikispaces.com/Petroleum+refining+processes. [Accessed 26 March 2012].Petroleum Refining :: History -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. 2012.petroleum refining :: History -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/454440/petroleum-refining/81776/History. [Accessed 26 March 2012].Petroleum refining. 2012. Petroleum refining. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Petroleum_refining.

[Accessed 27 March 2012].

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The development of petroleum refinery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
The development of petroleum refinery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1592291-the-development-of-petroleum-refinery
(The Development of Petroleum Refinery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
The Development of Petroleum Refinery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1592291-the-development-of-petroleum-refinery.
“The Development of Petroleum Refinery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1592291-the-development-of-petroleum-refinery.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The development of petroleum refinery

The Application of Major HSE Guidelines Into the Business Operations of Oil and Gas Companies

Health, Safety, and Environment in the oil and gas industry focus on the development, implementation, and improvement of HSE management systems.... As such, BMS Consultancy (2009) reiterates that, firstly, maintaining health and safety standards in business facilities in oil and gas companies involves the inspection of refinery, depot, and gasoline station facilities, and testing of chemicals that come from refinery operations for toxicity and explosion capacities....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Petroleum Offshore and Refineries Occupational Safety and Health Hazards

Petroleum off shore and refinery operations is conducted on a global context.... In petroleum off shore and refineries there are many units and the workers are required to perform their activities in adverse working environment as well as conditions.... petroleum off shore and refineries involves various activities which include drilling, exploration, processing, pipeline operations and extraction.... In this regard, the main locations that are used for petroleum as well as refineries operations are the Gulf of Mexico, the Caspian Sea, the North Sea and the South China Sea....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Petroleum contract and economics

After the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities in Ghana's territorial waters, firms were interested in possibly setting up a refinery in Ghana for the purpose of processing crude oil.... The Board of Directors of Gloriabroks Refineries Ltd sent me and a technical… One of the most crucial factors that can affect the profitability of a refinery is its location.... The location of a refinery is also vital because it affects the supply of crude oil which is processed at the refinery....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The US Oil Refining Industry

The rising oil prices have been blamed on Organization of petroleum Exporting Countries' planners and the domestic refineries failure to do proper calculations .... The growing concentration in the proprietorship of the refinery industry is decreasing competition and thus underwriting price inflation....
8 Pages (2000 words) Annotated Bibliography

Gas Reserves and Production in Quatar, Iraq, Oman, UAE Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

efining capacity of Qatar surpasses its domestic demand for petroleum products, hence the main reason why the country exports most of its refinery output.... hellip; In addition to being the worlds' largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, Qatar also exports crude oil and petroleum products, which contribute to a large portion of the government revenues.... Among the members of the organization of the petroleum exporting countries (OPEC), Qatar is the second lowest producer and exporter of crude oil....
10 Pages (2500 words) Book Report/Review

The History, Production, and Processes Involved by Pembrokeshire Cheese Company

This has been possible due to cost base restructuring, development of major partnerships by both international as well as national partners (Pembrokeshire Cheese Company 2011).... The author of the paper "The History, Production, and Processes Involved by Pembrokeshire Cheese Company" argues in a well-organized manner that the production of cheese requires various processes....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Oil and Gas Management Project

In 1937, after twelve years of oil exploration, Darcy was granted the license of operation into the petroleum Concession Company Ltd and was later renamed as “Oman and Dhofar Oil Company Ltd”.... Geological studies progressed up to 1951 when the company's name changed to PDO (petroleum Development Company) (Bennear, 2015).... Some of the components of oil include petroleum and gasoline in most of the industries (Kelland, 2014)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

Environmental Impact of Oil Production and Refinery in Venezuela

The government-owned petroleum refinery (PDVSA) represents one of the companies whose operations have caused adverse health effects for people in many parts of the world.... The "Environmental Impact of Oil Production and refinery in Venezuela" paper supports the findings of the previous report which suggested that there should be a complete overhaul of Venezuela's policy framework to manage environmental impacts in the country adequately.... hellip; The activities of these oil refinery plants are having adverse effects on the marine ecosystems because of continuously being exposed to myriad disturbances (Croquer et al....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us