ABSTRACT
Petroleum refining (Chapter 14) begins with the distillation or fractionation of crude oils into
separate fractions of hydrocarbon groups. The resultant products (Chapter 26) are directly
related to the characteristics of the crude oil being processed. Most of these products of
distillation are further converted into more useable products by changing their physical and
molecular structures through cracking, reforming, and other conversion processes. These
products are subsequently subjected to various treatment and separation processes, such as
extraction, hydrotreating, and sweetening, to produce finished products. Whereas the sim-
plest refineries are usually limited to atmospheric and vacuum distillation, integrated refiner-
ies incorporate fractionation, conversion, treatment, and blending with lubricant, heavy fuels,
and asphalt manufacturing; they may also include petrochemical processing.
