Lou Ann Thrash
Director of Editorial Surveys
For a better understanding of the survey the following information may be of help.
Calendar-day figures reported in this survey are the average volume a refinery unit processes each day including downtime used for turnarounds. This is actual total volume for the year divided by 365.
Stream-day figures represent the amount a unit can process when running full capacity for short periods.
This survey includes only facilities charging whole crude, plus lube plants not charging whole crude.
Totals. When an asterisk (*) appears beside a figure in the crude capacity columns, this indicates that the figure was not reported but has been converted into either a calendar-day or stream-day figure using the crude conversion factor of 0.95.
Legend. Hydrocracking includes those processes where 50% or more of the feed is reduced in molecular size; for hydrorefining 10% of the feed or less is reduced in molecular size; and for hydrotreating, essentially no reduction in molecular size of feed occurs.
Values for hydrogen volumes represent either generation or upgrading to 90 + % purity.
Catalytic reforming definitions are:
- Semiregenerative is characterized by shutdown of the reforming unit at specified intervals or at the operator's convenience for regeneration of catalyst in situ.
- Cyclic is characterized by continuous or continual regeneration of catalyst in situ in any one of several reactors that can be isolated from and returned to the reforming operation. This is accomplished without changing feed rate or octane.
- Other includes: Nonregenerative-catalyst replaced by fresh catalyst; continuous - continuous regeneration of a part of the catalyst in a special regenerator followed by continuous addition to the reactor; moving-bed catalyst systems.
Detailed U.S. breakdown by company, plant, and state starts on the next page. Included are:
- U.S. crude distillation and downstream capacity by states.
- Detailed distillation and downstream capacities by U.S. refinery.
- List of refineries that became inactive during the survey year.
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
