ABSTRACT
The use of solvents in the refinery (often referred to as solvent treating or solvent refining irrespective of the actual solvent-based process or the use of water as the solvent) is widespread in many refineries, including for refining lubricating oils as well as a host of other refinery feedstocks. In general, the solvent processes can be classified as (1) deasphalting, (2) dewaxing, and (3) solvent treatment, which also includes the use of solvents in gas processing.
This chapter presents descriptions of the various solvent-based processes that are used to produce products that are suitable for further refining or for sales and will place each process in the correct context of the refinery for the reader.
