Petrochemicals

Crude Oil

Crude oil is a naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials. A type of fossil fuel, crude oil can be refined to produce usable products such as gasoline, diesel, and various other forms of petrochemicals. It is a nonrenewable resource, which means that it can’t be replaced naturally at the rate we consume it and is, therefore, a limited resource.

Light Cycle Oil

The worldwide demand for additional transportation fuels is primarily focused on more diesel fuel. The need for more diesel fuel far outpaces gasoline growth and the demand for heavy fuel oil is even declining. Light cycle oil (LCO) is a diesel boiling range product from fluid catalytic cracking units. However, LCO is a poor diesel fuel blending component without further processing. Discussed in this paper are various ways of economically upgrading LCO, which include hydrotreating, high pressure hydrocracking for full conversion of LCO into naphtha and a more optimised partial conversion hydrocracking process. The optimised partial conversion hydrocracking process provides an effective and flexible process to process LCO into desired products such as very-low sulphur diesel and high-octane high-aromatics naphtha.

LPG & LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas – or LNG – is a clear, odourless liquid produced by cooling natural gas to minus 160° C. In this liquid state, the volume of LNG is about 600 times less than that of natural gas. It can therefore be stored and transported very efficiently. If gas needs to be carried over long distances, LNG is a particularly good alternative to gas transport by pipeline.

LPG consists chiefly of propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10), and is used mainly in domestic and commercial applications (such as fuel for cars). LPG is liquefied by holding it under high pressure. LNG, by contrast, is a liquid at atmospheric pressure but at a very low temperature (approx. – 160° C). LPG’s specific gravity is also totally different from LNG’s: LPG’s components are heavier than air and the gas does not disperse if it escapes. LNG (natural gas), by contrast, is lighter than air and disperses and rarefies very quickly into a mixture that is no longer flammable. The storage of LPG is at a high pressure, unlike the storage of LNG which is at low temperature, and thus requires the use of very different equipment

EN590

EN590 standards describe physical properties (described by the ISO) that must have the Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel for the European Union, Croatia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

The EN590 according to ISO standards emissions described by European emissions regulations, is considered an “Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel” and quality specified in EN 590 (Sulphur: 0.001 MAX). While these specifications are not mandatory, they are observed by all fuel suppliers in Europe.

Petro Coke

Petroleum coke is a byproduct of the oil refining process. As refineries worldwide seek to operate more efficiently and extract more gasoline and other high value fuels from each barrel of crude oil, a solid carbon material known as petcoke is produced.

The chemical and physical characteristics of petcoke are a function of the crude oil and refining technology used by the refinery. Petcoke can be hard or relatively soft. Physically, petcoke can resemble large sponges with numerous pores, or it can resemble small spheres, ranging in size from a grain of sand to a large marble. Chemically, petcoke can include a variety of elements and metals in a wide range of concentrations. Depending on these physical and chemical characteristics, petcoke is typically used in either an energy application, as a source of British Thermal Units (BTUs) or in an industrial application, as a source of carbon.

Bitumen

Bitumen is a kind of crude oil found in natural oil sands deposits—it’s the heaviest crude oil used today. The oil sands, also known as tar sands, contain a mixture of sand, water and oily bitumen. The tar sands region of Alberta, Canada is the third largest petroleum reserve in the world.

Bitumen is too thick to be pumped from the ground or through pipelines. Instead, the heavy tar-like substance must be mined or extracted by injecting steam into the ground. The extracted bitumen has the consistency of peanut butter and requires extra processing before it can be delivered to a refinery.