Petroleum refineries/refining catalytic cracking

Fluid catalytic cracking and hydrocracking are two additional processes that are often encountered. There are many other processes used in refineries not mentioned here. The list above is intended only to emphasize the wide diversity of processing which is common to petroleum refining and to introduce in a very general way some of the more important of these processes. Also it must be emphasized that only fundamental principles of refinery operations have been discussed and modern manufacturing techniques vary widely from company to company. 

One of the major applications of crystalline zeolites is as catalytic materials for petroleum refining processes. A prime use is in catalytic cracking, which is the major conversion process in today s refineries. Another growing use is in hydrocracking, such as the Unicracking-JHC process, which gives the refiner added flexibility in oils which can be processed and products which can be made. 

Catalytic cracking is a very flexible process used to reduce the molecular weight of hydrocarbons. Today, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) remains the dominant conversion process in petroleum refineries. Although FCC is sometimes considered to be a fully matured process, new challenges and opportunities in its application and a continuing stream of innovations in the process and catalyst field ensure that it will remain an important and dynamic process in the future of refining. 

Leffler, William. Petroleum Refining in Nontechnical Language. Tulsa, Okla. Penn Well, 2008. Covers all major aspects of cracking at a refinery, from chemical foundations to catalytic cracking and hydrocracking. 

Petroleum pitch can be obtained from a wide variety of sources such as from the bottoms of catalytic crackers, steam cracking of naphtha and gas oils, and residues from various distillation and refinery processes. The crude product is given an initial refining process, which can include one, or a combination of, several treatments ... 

---