Oil processing

01 Jan 1970, 03:00

In 2016, all countries worldwide produced 4.341 million tonnes of oil, 4.182 million tonnes of which were supplied to oil refineries.¹

In 2013, total CO₂emissions from 145 U.S. oil refineries amounted to 176.7 million tonnes.⁹

In 2016, the U.S. processed 840 million tonnes of oil and 805.5 million tonnes in 2013. By finding the proportion, we find the relative amount of emissions in the U.S. in 2016:

805.5 / 176.7 = 840 / X, where X is the amount of emissions from U.S. refineries in 2016.

805.5 * X = 176.7 * 840

X = 184.2 million tonnes.

Next, we calculate the relative amount of total emissions from oil refineries:

840 / 184.2 = 4182 / X_i, where X_i is the amount of emissions from oil refineries worldwide in 2016.

184.2 * 4182 = 840 * X

X = 917 million tonnes.

We use specific emissions at various stages of processing to calculate the emissions of other substances during refining (Table 3).¹⁰

Table 3 – Specific Emissions from Oil Refineries

Process	Hard particles	SO₂	CO	Hydrocarbons	Nitrogen oxides	Aldehydes	Ammonia
Fluid-catalytic cracking
Uncontrollable emissions	0.1097 kg/barrel	0.223621 kg/barrel	6.2142 kg/barrel	0.0997 kg/barrel	0.0322 kg/barrel	0.0086 kg/barrel	0.0244 kg/barrel
Electro-statistical precipitator	0.0204kg/barrel	0.223621kg/barrel	-	-	0.0322kg/barrel	-	-
Catalyst unit with a mobile layer	0.0077 kg/barrel	0.0272 kg/barrel	1.723651 kg/barrel	0.0394 kg/barrel	0.0022 kg/barrel	0.0054 kg/barrel	0.0027 kg/barrel
Fluid coking unit:
Uncontrollable emissions	0.237 kg/barrel	-	-	-	-	-	-
Electro-statistical precipitator	0.0031 kg/barrel	-	-	-	-	-	-
Compressor units:	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Piston engines	-	2%	0.00019 kg/barrel	0.00063 kg/barrel	0.0015 kg/barrel	0.00004 kg/barrel	0.00009 kg/barrel
Gas turbines	-	2%	0.00005 kg/barrel	0.000009 kg/barrel	0.00013 kg/barrel	-	-
Purging system:	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Uncontrollable emissions	-	-	-	0.263 kg/barrel	-	-	-
Vapour processing system and torch burning	-	0.0122 kg/barrel	0.0019 kg/barrel	0.00036 kg/barrel	0.0085 kg/barrel	-	-
Vacuum distillation	-	-	-	0.0226 kg/barrel	-	-	-
TOTAL	0.37 kg/barrel	0.4866 kg/barrel +4% of working mass	7.939 kg/barrel	0.4256 kg/barrel	0.0767 kg/barrel	0.01404 kg/barrel	0.0271 kg/barrel

For convenience of calculation, we will first translate barrels into tonnes → 4,182,000,000 * 7.3 = 30,528,600,000 barrels.

a) hard particle emissions → 30,528,600,000 * 0.37 = 11.5 million tonnes;

b) sulphur oxide emissions (SO₂) → 30,528,600,000 * 0.4866 + 4,182,000,000 * 0.04 = 14,855,216 + 167,280,000 = 182.1 million tonnes;

c) carbon monoxide emissions (CO) → 30,528,600,000 * 7.939 = 242.3 million tonnes;

d) hydrocarbon emissions (CH_x) → 30,528,600,000 * 0.4256 = 12.9 million tonnes;

e) nitrogen oxide emissions (NO_x) → 30,528,600,000 * 0.07767 = 2.3 million tonnes;

f) aldehyde emissions → 30,528,600,000 * 0.01404 = 0.428 million tonnes;

g) Ammonia emissions → 30,528,600,000 * 0.0271 = 0.83 million tonnes.

Oil refineries and petrochemical enterprises pollute all parts of the environment: air, water and soil. The main pollutants are hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulphide, carbon oxides, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen. In reality, however, emissions from the petrochemical industry contain up to 250 chemicals, one third of which represents I and II classes of hazard.

Oil processing

Table 3 – Specific Emissions from Oil Refineries

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