Petroleum Refining
Petroleum Refining
The United States is the largest, most sophisticated producer of refined petroleum products in the world.
Challenges for the refining industry include lower-quality crude oil, crude oil price volatility, and environmental regulations that require cleaner manufacturing processes and higher-performance products. See our petroleum refining profile for more information.
Maintaining the viability of the U.S. petroleum refining industry requires continuous improvement in productivity and energy efficiency. The U.S. refining industry has worked with AMO to provide a range of resources that can provide energy and cost savings for the industry.
Current R&D Projects
One project currently in the AMO R&D portfolio that will benefit petroleum refiners is the following:
For other potentially relevant projects, see our R&D pages.
Commercialized Technologies
The following technologies that were developed with DOE support are now commercially available to help improve the competitiveness of the U.S. petroleum refining industry:
PRISM® Membrane Technology for Natural Gas Cleaning
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The PRISM® membrane separation technology converts sub-quality natural gas into pipeline-grade gas by removing impurities, such as CO2 and H2S. The highly selective membrane system separates gases based on relative permeation rates, enabling stand-alone or synergistic separations processes. This system can be used as a bulk-removal device, or it can replace or minimize the size of traditional amine systems. The membrane's compact size and tolerance to particular contaminants and water make it suitable for offshore and remote applications.Membrane-Based Vapor Separation for Underground Gasoline Storage Tanks
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A novel reverse separation membrane system discharges air from underground gasoline storage tanks while preventing the release of VOCs. Traditional venting methods typically permeate VOCs more rapidly than air, but this new system discharges clean air at low to slightly negative pressure while controlling and recycling the larger VOC molecules. As a result, storage tanks and vessels can be kept under slight vacuum, virtually eliminating fugitive and vent emissions from the system. In addition, this system enables continuous monitoring of storage tank internal conditions, structural integrity, and leak-checking.Ammonia Absorption Refrigeration Unit for Refinery Operations
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An advanced ammonia refrigeration unit recovers gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from refinery fuel gas header streams. This wasteheat-powered technology cools the waste stream, causing the condensation of valuable liquid products that would otherwise remain in the stream. In addition, this technology raises the column capacity of fluid catalytic crackers by reducing the burden of overloaded wet-gas compressors. This technology is also applicable to mainstream industrial refrigeration operations and has spawned several other developments based on this platform.Analytical Studies & Other Publications
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Manufacturing Energy and Carbon Footprints provide a mapping of energy use, energy loss, and carbon emissions for selected industry sectors.