Coryton Refinery - Glossary

Barrel the American standard unit of measurement for oil. One barrel is 35 imperial gallons or 159 litres. Bitumen an extremely heavy semi-solid product of oil refining made up of heavy hydrocarbons. It is used for road-building and roofing. Catalyst a substance which alters the rate of a chemical reaction without being used up itself in the reaction. Cracking the process of breaking down larger molecules of hydrocarbons into smaller ones. When this is done by heating the oil it is known as thermal cracking. If a catalyst is used it is known as catalytic cracking. Crude oil oil which has not undergone any refining. Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons with small quantities of other chemicals such as sulphur, nitrogen and oxygen. Cubic metre one cubic metre is equal to 1000 litres. Diesel a light oil fuel used in diesel engines. Distillates the products obtained by condensation during the fractional distillation process. Drill bit a drilling tool coated with diamonds which cuts through rock. Field an area in which an oil and/or gas well or a group of wells is found. Feedstock a raw material for the manufacturing process. Fossil fuel the organic remains of plants, animals and bacteria which decayed and over millions of years formed crude oil, natural gas and coal. Fractional distillation a separation process which uses the difference in boiling points of liquids.

Fuel oil a heavy distillate oil used for power stations, industry and ships boilers. Gas oil a medium distillate oil, used to produce diesel fuel and to burn in central heating systems. Gasoline the term used in the oil industry to refer to petrol. Hydrocarbon a compound containing hydrogen and carbon only. Hydrocarbons may exist as solids, liquids or gases (coal, crude oil and natural gas). Kerosene a medium-light oil used for lighting, heating and aircraft fuel. Methane the main component of natural gas. It also occurs in coal beds and is produced by animals and by the decay of vegetable matter. This is the smallest hydrocarbon molecule, with only one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Metric tonne one metric tonne is equal to 1000 kilogrammes. Multinational company (MNC) a company with operations and investments in many countries around the world. Also known as transnational corporations (TNCs). Naptha very light fractions of oil, used to produce petrol and as raw material for the petrochemical industry (e.g. to make plastics). Natural gas naturally occurring gases found either alone or together with oil in underground reservoirs. The main component is methane. Octane rating a measure of the performance of gasoline. A high octane rating gives efficient ignition. Petrochemicals chemicals made from crude oil. Petrol the light fuel used in cars and motor bikes. Platform a fixed structure resting on the sea bed from which wells are drilled.

Proven reserves reserves which are technically and economically feasible. Probable reserves undeveloped oil and gas reserves from tested formations, but for which there is a lack of information. Possible reserves oil and gas reserves which have a chance of being developed. Refinery a plant where the components of crude oil are separated and converted into useful products. Reserve amount of crude oil or natural gas expected to be recovered from a reservoir. Reservoir a porous and permeable rock formation in which oil and/or gas is found. Well a hole drilled into rock by a drill bit. The Institute of Petroleum (IP) is an independent body concerned with the advancement of knowledge relating to the oil and gas industry. The IP produces literature to inform young people, and those who influence them, about the opportunities within the industry. We also produce curriculum support materials as relevant to the petroleum industry. All of our products are available via our web site.

Useful web sites

www.petroleum.co.uk The Institute of Petroleums web site, a good starting point for research. Interactive guide to UK refineries, full text of educational resources, latest statistics, links to related sites. www.bpamoco.com Information on worldwide operations. www.bpamoco.com/scotland/ Very detailed information on operations in Scotland and the North Sea, see Business Units Map for links by geographical area.

www.bpamoco.com/worldenergy Statistics, graphs and information on world energy supplies. www.conoco.com/pcrefinery Refining processes, facts and figures. www.environment-agency.gov.uk Industrial emissions, flood defences on the Thames Estuary. www.exxon.com Worldwide operations of ExxonMobil, including maps. www.multimap.com Map coverage of the UK at a range of scales. www.og.dti.gov.uk Statistics and information on developments in the UK petroleum industry. www.portoflondon.co.uk Information on all Thames Estuary terminals, trade, latest news. www.shell.co.uk UK operations including maps of oil and gas fields, pipelines and plants. www.texaco.co.uk Information on Milford Haven refinery and all sectors of UK operations. www.oilandgas.org.uk The UK offshore oil and gas industry, educational resource listings.

Crude Oil
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons. The composition varies depending on its source. North Sea crude is a light oil.

This makes it valuable because it needs less processing to make it into the refined products that are most in demand. These are gasoline (petrol), diesel, kerosene (including jet fuel) and fuel oil. It is also low in sulphur which makes it easier to meet new environmental standards which demand a very low sulphur content.

Refinery Processes
The basic refining processes take place in the crude distillation unit (CDU) of the Fuels Zone. Here, crude oil is taken into the atmospheric distillation tower where it is separated into its different fractions. The hydrocarbons in crude oil have different boiling points according to the number of carbon atoms in each molecule and how they are arranged. The oil is heated and the resultant vapours rise up the tower. The vapours cool as they rise and condense onto trays. The lightest compounds condense at the top of the tower and are taken off as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The oil then undergoes further processing prior to distribution. The octane rating is increased to improve engine ignition. Sulphur is removed because when products are used the sulphur compounds emitted would smell of rotten eggs and dissolve in rain to form sulphuric acid which would contribute to the problem of acid

Fig. 14 The fractional distillation process

Fig. 15 The Crude Distillation Unit where the first stage of processing the crude oil takes place

Fig. 16 Refinery processes are controlled by computer from a central control room

Why are oil and gas important?

Oil is one of the most important raw materials we have. Everyday we use hundreds of things that are made from oil or gas. Oil and gas are also important for the number of jobs they provide. Tens of thousands of people work in the oil and gas industry. Each week Britain produces about two million tonnes of oil and gas. This is worth about 37 million pounds a day to the people of Britain. Make a list of things you have used or you have done today that rely on oil or gas. How many things can you find that don't rely on oil and gas?

How were oil and gas formed? Gas and crude oil are found underground.

Much of the world is covered by sea. The sea contains many tiny animals and plants.
These tiny animals and plants called plankton get their energy to live and multiply from sunlight. When they die they sink to the bottom of the sea. Those that died millions of years ago are the source of today's oil and gas.

The dead sea creatures were buried by sand and mud at the bottom of the sea.
It's is thought the sun's energy was stored in the bodies of the dead creatures and plants. The dead bodies started to decay.

Over millions of years the dead animals and plants were buried deeper and deeper. The squashed creatures turned into oil and gas.
The pressure and temperature deep underground turned the chemicals from the decaying animals and plants into crude oil and gas.

How do we get oil and gas out of the ground?

Oil and gas can get trapped in pockets underground such as where the rocks are folded into an umbrella shape.
Oil and gas can move through the porous rocks (rocks with gaps between the grains). The oil and gas move upwards from the source rock where they were formed. When they met a layer of cap rock (a rock with no spaces between the grains) the oil and gas are trapped.

A well is drilled so that the crude oil and other liquids travel up the bore hole. When it comes to the surface the crude oil has to be moved closer to where it is needed.
Finding oil and gas trapped deep underground and drilling a well are very complicated and expensive. It costs millions of pound to drill a well and only a few are successful. The liquids found underground can be a complicated mixture of water, crude oil and gas. The crude oil and gas need to be separated before they can be transported safely.

Which rocks are porous and could make good reservoir rock? Plan an investigation to find out which rocks are most porous. Can you find out how the people who search for oil discover oil traps deep beneath the land and sea bed?

How are oil and gas transported?

How is crude oil turned into finished products?

Crude oil is often a dark, sticky liquid that cannot be used without changing it. The first part of refining crude oil is to heat it until it boils. The boiling liquid is separated into different liquids and gases in a distillation column. These liquids are used to make petrol, paraffin, diesel fuel etc. Crude oil is a mixture of different chemical called hydrocarbons. The boiling oil turns into a mixture of gases in the column. The gases flow up the column which is hottest at the bottom and cooler at the top. The gases cool down as they go up the column until they condense (turn back into liquid again). The separated liquids and gases, after cleaning and further processing, are used to make many products.

Liquids from refining oil still have to be changed to make them more useful. Sometimes it's to make them clean enough to be used. Sometimes it's to turn some of the unwanted liquids into things people want to buy. The heavier liquids are in less demand from customers so are turned into lighter products that are in demand. One of the processes is called catalytic cracking. It breaks down some of the heavy liquids from the distillation column. The heavy liquids are changed into simple and more useful liquids and gases. Cracking is just one of many chemical changes in an oil refinery.

Which of the products from oil refining are used in the largest quantities? What is the point of cracking heavy liquids into lighter liquids and gases?

Oil and gas are often found far away or under the sea. They have to be transported to an oil refinery. This is often through a pipeline or in a tanker.
The crude oil is often found in remote places such as deserts, jungle or the Arctic. Transport of the crude oil to the refinery is sometimes very complicated. The oil refinery turns crude oil into useful products and materials. These are transported all over Britain or abroad. The products can travel through pipelines, by road, rail or by boats around the coast or along rivers and canals.

What things are made from oil and gas?

In an oil refinery and in a chemical works, crude oil and gas are turned into hundreds of useful products.

How do these products get to the customer?

Thousands of people are employed to make sure all these useful products get to the millions of people in Britain and overseas who wat to buy them everyday. Many thousands of people are employed in Britain's oil and gas industry. Many of these work to get petrol and diesel fuel to where it is wanted - Britain's 10,000 filling stations - for motorists, lorrydrivers, taxis and buses.

Make a list of the jobs involved in finding and getting oil from under the ground to the petrol and diesel fuel at the filling station pumps. Don't forget to include exploration, drilling, refining, transporting, selling and all the supporting jobs.