Petroleum Products and a Refinery Configuration

This chapter defines the major products normally produced from the refining of crude oil. These products are the intermediates and finished products from energy refineries. The “Introduction to Crude Oil and Petroleum Processing” chapter of this book provided a brief description of the products; this chapter expands on this with a more in-depth look at the products themselves. Their demand in the petroleum markets and also the environmental impact of the more prominent products are also discussed in this chapter. The chapter continues with a discussion of the types of refinery configurations, including yields, capabilities, economics, advantages, and disadvantages of the common configuration categories. The chapter concludes with a detailed example of the development of the process configuration for a refinery to meet a particular product slate.