Oil

From crude oil to finished products, increasingly complex processes

Crude oil refining begins with atmospheric distillation - meaning distillation at close to atmospheric pressure - to separate the oil into different "fractions" or "cuts." Through heating and gradual vaporization, the lighter and most volatile products such as butane, propane and light gasoline rise to the top of the distillation column, where they are drawn off. Other products, such as heavy naphtha, jet fuel and the diesel and home heating oil fractions, can be recovered at different heights in the column. The heaviest compounds, asphalt and heavy fuel oil, are drawn off at the bottom. Subjecting these residues to a second distillation process known as vacuum distillation yields middle distillates, such as diesel.

A number of conversion processes are then carried out to alter the chemical structure of the base fractions produced by distillation.

Catalytic cracking at high temperature (about 500°C) breaks down the heavy molecules a second time to convert them into gas, gasoline and diesel fuels.

In addition to units that convert fractions that are not directly usable into bases that can be used to make gasoline through reforming, isomerization and alkylation, refining processes can include hydrocracking (mixing with hydrogen) and deep conversion, or delayed coking, to remove carbon. The goal is to further boost the final percentage of light products obtained.

Another essential step is treatment, a term covering a set of operations to remove or neutralize acid, corrosive or environmentally harmful components. Desulfurization, or sulfur removal, is a core focus of the refining industry today. Despite heavier feedstock containing more sulfur, refineries still have to be able to produce automotive and other fuels with ever-lower sulfur contents, in line with increasingly stringent regulations.

Lastly, the blending phase is just as decisive. Finished products must meet a precise set of technical specifications, before moving into the supply and marketing chain.

Capital investment to meet multiple challenges

Already being experienced in a number of regions in the world, the trend toward higher volumes of lighter, low-sulfur white products - petroleum products that are water white in color - will spread to all consumer countries by 2030. The future of refining therefore rides on large-scale, deep-conversion refineries located close to both heavy oil resources and customer markets.

That's why we are stepping up our push to upgrade and adjust our production base, to improve our position and our overall performances.

Two major development projects launched in 2008 illustrate this commitment.

The Port Arthur refinery in Texas will have new deep conversion, vacuum distillation and sulfur removal units and other associated installations. This will expand its ability to process heavy, sour (high sulfur) crude oil and increase the production of light, sweet (low sulfur) distillates.

In Saudi Arabia, we are partnering with Saudi Aramco to build the Jubail refinery , which will have a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. The Jubail project is also designed to refine heavy crude, in this case Arabian Heavy, into automotive fuels and other light products that conform to future regulations. At the same time, it will ease market pressure by adding to global refining capacity, since most of the facility's production is destined for export.

Hastening the adaptation of European refineries

Another priority is to continue adapting our European refining base to three fundamental shifts on the continent: increasing supplies of sour crude oil; surpluses of gasoline and heavy fuel oil, but a shortfall of diesel fuel; and increasingly strict fuel specifications.

Begun in 2007, the construction of a hydrodesulfurization unit (HDS) and steam methane reformer at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in the United Kingdom, for example, will allow the facility to increase the percentage of sour crude it can process from 20% at present to 70% and produce more ultra-low sulfur diesel.

The hydrodesulfurization unit at the Leuna refinery in Germany will help optimize the supply of ultra-low sulfur home heating oil to the German market..

In France, the Feyzin, Flandres and Provence refineries are also expanding their ultra-low sulfur capacities. In 2008, the Donges refinery commissioned a Maxisulf unit to improve sulfur recovery and a Prime-G unit to reduce the sulfur content of gasoline.

A project to reconfigure the Normandy refinery has been submitted to employee representatives, as French legislation requires. The goal is to upgrade and reconfigure installations and shift the production emphasis to diesel, largely predominant in the local market.

Since end-2007, Refining's employees have been involved in a motivational program to improve performance in the areas of safety, installation reliability and availability and cost control, optimize product margins, and manage change.

Strengthening risk management and reducing environmental impact

Some of the refineries operated by Total were originally commissioned in the 1930s. Others are much more recent. However, all have been extensively remodeled over the years and maintaining their safety and integrity remains the top priority of all Total Refining employees.

Partial and total turnaround maintenance shutdowns are a cornerstone of the process. These highly complex units are shut down every five years on average, dismantled, inspected and upgraded, in a process that takes several months.

In addition to major overhauls, more than one-third of our capital investment in refining in the coming years will be allocated to continued upgrading of equipment, further improving safety, and modifying processes and practices to use less energy. Other work will reduce environmental impact by curbing emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, discharges and olfactory disamenities.