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Big West of California, LLC Bakersfield Refinery REFINING 101. July 2008. Outline. Where Does The Crude Oil Come From? Crude Oil Basics Refining Concepts Flowcharts of Petroleum Refineries Basic Refinery Operations and Optimization Conversion Refinery Overview.
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Big West of California, LLCBakersfield Refinery REFINING 101 July 2008
Outline • Where Does The Crude Oil Come From? • Crude Oil Basics • Refining Concepts • Flowcharts of Petroleum Refineries • Basic Refinery Operations and Optimization • Conversion • Refinery Overview
Where does the Crude Oil Come From? • Kern County produces about 550,000 barrels of crude oil per day, 68% of the state’s total production; enough to fuel about 5 ½ million automobiles. • Three of the six largest oil fields in the U.S. are located in Kern County • Kern County represents approximately 10% of the Nation’s total oil production. Source: Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce
What is Crude Oil? • Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons formed from organic matter. • Crude varies significantly in color and composition • Composition varies • Sulfur content • Density varies • Contains sediment and water
Crude Oil Characteristics • Crude density is commonly measured by API gravity • API gravity provides a relative measure of crude oil density. The higher the API number, the lighter the crude • Sulfur content measures if a crude is sweet (low sulfur) or sour (high sulfur) • Typically less than 0.5% sulfur content = sweet • Typically greater than 1.5% sulfur content = sour • High sulfur crudes require additional processing to meet regulatory specs
Supply and DemandCalifornia • CA now consumes 44 to 45 million gallons of gasoline and 10 million gallons of diesel fuel per day. • Demand for transportation fuels increased nearly 50% in last 20 years • Number of refineries producing gasoline in California dropped from 32 in mid-1980s to 14 today • California now imports 3.5 million gallons of gasoline per day. Source: California Energy Commission
Basic Refinery Operations • Separation – Distillation • Conversion – Changing the size or shape of molecules • Re-shape molecules to improve product quality • Catalytic Reforming Unit • Upgrading – breaking large molecules into smaller • Coking • Hydrocraking • Treatment / Blending – Making on specification products • Removal of impurities – desalting, desulfurization, denitrofication • Mixtures of components to meet specifications
Refinery Optimization • Two areas can not be compromised • Safety • Reliability • Ecomonic optimization is a series of trade-offs • Feedstocks • Availability (crude, Intermediate products), Yields, Cost • Refinery Complexity, Flexibility + Constraints • Crude rate • Maximize to spread fixed costs • Products • Meet market demands • Value added and margins • Operations • Maximize yields, minimize giveaway / inventories • Optimize energy use
For MoreInformation www.bigwestca.com www.energy.gov www.energy.ca.gov www.pipeline101.com www.wspa.org