How does a refinery work?
While refinery processes have advanced since the time of Pico Canyon, the basic process still remains the same. The process of converting crude oil into useable by-products involves three stages: separation, conversion and treatment. Separation Separation begins with vaporizing crude oil, by pumping it through pipes in hot furnaces. The vapors separate inside the towers, based on density and boiling point. Light vapors rise to the top of the tower and the heavier vapors descend to the bottom. The vapors then condense back into liquids. Gasoline, being one of the lighter products produced by the refinery, layers at the top of the distillation tower; diesel fuel and kerosene in the middle, and heavier products like gas oils and asphalt products accumulate at the bottom. Conversion Conversion is the process of transforming the output of distillation towers into streams that eventually become finished products. Techniques of conversion are illustrated below. Some products emerge from the d
