What is crude oil refining
Crude oil refining. Crude oil extracted from geological sources is a mixture of a wide range of hydrocarbons starting from lightest methane to heavy long chain hydrocarbons found in tar. The hydrocarbons are often accompanied by water, H 2 S, particulate matter such as sand etc. This crude oil stream undergoes an elaborate refining process As we mentioned, the distillation of crude oil is the start of the refining process, and is primarily a boiling operation. Crude oil is first washed to remove salt, heated in a furnace, and introduced to the Crude Distillation Unit (called a CDU). In this tower, the crude oil is separated by boiling range into a number of fractions. An oil refinery is a facility where crude oil is processed into various chemical products and by-products. These products are used for a multitude of industrial and commercial applications. The most common chemicals produced by refineries are fuels and lubricants such as gasoline, kerosene, and motor oil.