Petroleum Sulphur Glossary
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Ideas on what to do to attract more people that wish to live in Lamont County
The proposed sulphur storage facility envisioned to
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Alkylation
A refining process for chemically combining isobutane with olefin
hydrocarbons (e.g., propylene, butylene) through the control of temperature
and pressure in the presence of an acid catalyst, usually
sulfuric acid or hydrofluoric
acid. The product, alkylate, an isoparaffin, has high octane value and is
blended with motor and aviation gasoline to improve the antiknock value of
the fuel. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Catalytic Hydrocracking.
A refining process that uses hydrogen
and catalysts with relatively low temperatures and high pressures for
converting middle boiling or residual material to high-octane gasoline,
reformer charge stock, jet fuel, and/or high grade fuel oil. The process
uses one or more catalysts, depending upon product output, and can handle
high sulfur feedstocks
without prior
desulfurization. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Catalytic Hydrotreating:
A refining process for treating petroleum fractions from atmospheric or
vacuum distillation units (e.g., naphthas, middle distillates, reformer
feeds, residual fuel oil, and heavy gas oil) and other petroleum (e.g., cat
cracked naphtha, coker naphtha, gas oil, etc.) in the presence of catalysts
and substantial quantities of hydrogen. Hydrotreating includes
desulfurization, removal of substances (e.g., nitrogen compounds)
that deactivate catalysts, conversion of olefins to paraffins to reduce gum
formation in gasoline, and other processes to upgrade the quality of the
fractions. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Crude Oil
A mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in liquid phase in natural
underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after
passing through surface separating facilities. Depending upon the
characteristics of the crude stream, it may also include:
Small amounts of hydrocarbons that exist in gaseous phase in natural
underground reservoirs but are liquid at atmospheric pressure after
being recovered from oil well (casinghead) gas in lease separators and
are subsequently commingled with the crude stream without being
separately measured. Lease condensate recovered as a liquid from natural
gas wells in lease or field separation facilities and later mixed into
the crude stream is also included;
Small amounts of nonhydrocarbons produced from oil, such as
sulfur and various
metals;
Drip gases, and liquid hydrocarbons produced from tar sands,
gilsonite, and oil shale.
Liquids produced at natural gas processing plants are excluded. Crude oil
is refined to produce a wide array of petroleum products, including heating
oils; gasoline, diesel and jet fuels; lubricants; asphalt; ethane, propane,
and butane; and many other products used for their energy or chemical
content.
Crude oil is considered as either domestic or foreign, according to the
following:
Domestic. Crude oil produced in the United States or from its outer
continental shelf’ as defined in 43 USC 1331.
Foreign. Crude oil produced outside the United States. Imported
Athabasca hydrocarbons (tar sands from Canada) are included.
(Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Crude Oil Qualities
Refers to two properties of crude oil, the
sulfur content and API
gravity, which affect processing complexity and product characteristics.
(Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Desulphurization:
Desulfurization. The
removal of sulfur, as from
molten metals, petroleum oil, or flue gases. Petroleum
desulfurization is a process
that removes sulfur and its
compounds from various streams during the refining process.
Desulfurization processes
include catalytic hydrotreating and other chemical/physical processes such
as adsorption. Desulfurization
processes vary based on the type of stream treated (e.g., naphtha,
distillate, heavy gas oil, etc.) and the amount of
sulfur removed (e.g.,
sulfur reduction to 10 ppm).
(Source:
Weekly Petroleum Status Report, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration) See Catalytic
Hydrotreating.
Flexicoking
A thermal cracking process which converts heavy hydrocarbons such as
crude oil, tar sands bitumen, and distillation residues into light
hydrocarbons. Feedstocks can be any pumpable hydrocarbons including those
containing high concentrations of
sulfur and metals. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Low-Sulfur Distillate Fuel
Oil
Distillate fuel oil having sulfur
content greater than 15 ppm to 500 ppm. Low
sulfur distillate fuel oil
also includes product with sulfur
content equal to or less than 15 ppm if the product is intended for pipeline
shipment and the pipeline has a
sulfur specification below 15 ppm. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Low Sulfur No. 2 Diesel
Fuel
No. 2 diesel fuel that has a
sulfur level no higher than 0.05 percent by weight. It is used
primarily in motor vehicle diesel engines for on-highway use. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
High-Sulfur Distillate Fuel
Oil
Distillate fuel oil having sulfur
content greater than 500 ppm. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
High Sulfur No. 2 Diesel
Fuel
No. 2 diesel fuel that has a
sulfur level above 0.05 percent by weight. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Sulfur
A yellowish nonmetallic element, sometimes known as “brimstone.” It is
present at various levels of concentration in many fossil fuels whose
combustion releases sulfur
compounds that are considered harmful to the environment. Some of the most
commonly used fossil fuels are categorized according to their
sulfur content, with lower
sulfur fuels usually selling
at a higher price. Note: No. 2 Distillate fuel is currently reported as
having either a 0.05 percent or lower
sulfur level for on-highway
vehicle use or a greater than 0.05 percent
sulfur level for off- highway
use, home heating oil, and commercial and industrial uses. Residual fuel,
regardless of use, is classified as having either no more than 1 percent
sulfur or greater than 1
percent sulfur. Coal is also
classified as being low-sulfur
at concentrations of 1 percent or less or high-sulfur
at concentrations greater than 1 percent. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
Ultra-Low Sulfur Distillate
Fuel Oil
Distillate fuel oil having sulfur
content of 15 ppm or lower. Ultra-low
sulfur distillate fuel oil
that will be shipped by pipeline must satisfy the
sulfur specification of the
shipping pipeline if the pipeline specification is below 15 ppm. Distillate
fuel oil intended for pipeline shipment that fails to meet a pipeline
sulfur specification that is
below 15 ppm will be classified as low-sulfur
distillate fuel oil. (Source:
Weekly Petroleum, December 22, 2006, US Energy Information
Administration)
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Posted December 31, 2006
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