An introduction to crude oil and its processing

The wheel, without doubt, was man’s greatest invention. However until the late 18th century and early 19th century the motivation and use of the wheel was limited either by muscle power, man or animal, or by energy naturally occurring fromwater flowand wind. The invention of the steam engine provided, for the first time, a motive power independent of muscle or the natural elements. This ignited the industrial revolution of the 19th century, with its feverish hunt for fossil fuels to generate the steam. It also initiated the development of the mass production of steel and other commodities.

Late in the 19th century came the invention of the internal combustion engine with its requirement for energy derived from crude oil. This, one can say, sparked the second industrial revolution, with the establishment of the industrial scene of today and its continuing development. The petroleum products from the crude oil used initially for the energy required by the internal combustion engine, have mushroomed to become the basis and source of some of our chemical, and pharmaceutical products.

The development of the crude oil refining industry and the internal combustion engine have influenced each other during the 20th century. Other factors have also contributed to accelerate the development of both. The major ones of these are the increasing awareness of environmental contamination, and the increasing demand for faster travel which led to the development of the aircraft industry with its need for higher quality petroleum fuels. The purpose of this introductory chapter is to describe and define some of the basic measures and parameters used in the petroleum refining industry. These set the stage for the detail examination of the industry as a whole and which are provided in subsequent chapters of this encyclopedia.