Crude Oil Refining http://www.marinediesels.co.uk/members/Fuel_Oil/crude_oil_refining.

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Crude Oil Refining
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The residues that make up residual fuels come from several refinery processes. In the first instance the fuel is heated and
fed into the atmospheric distillation column where the lighter hydrocarbon molecules are distilled off as gases, gasoline,
kerosene and gas oil, leaving about 50% of the crude as residue. Some of this residue is fed into the vacuum distillation
column where it will be further processed to produce vacuum gas oil, waxy distillates and a residue. This residue can form
part of the blend in marine bunkers or can be fed into thermal crackers. Here, under high pressure and temperature more
light hydrocarbon molecules form and are removed as light distillates. Also the heavy gas oil from the vacuum distillation
column may be subjected to catalytic cracking where as a result of chemical reaction yet more light hydrocarbon
molecules are formed and separated into even lighter distillate fractions. The residues from all these processes can be
blended with a variety of distillates to make up the specified marine bunkers.

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