Quantity of crude req. to make one quart of oil ?

[slowrev]

Just got this question on my mind.
How much crude oil does it take to make one qt. or conventional motor oil ? How much to make one quart of synthetic oil ?
Ben

 

[sneaky_pete]

On average, a barrel of crude oil (42 gallons) only yields about 1/2 gallon of lubricating oil. See here for the complete refined breakdown of a barrel of crude oil (scroll down to the fourth page).

That would be for conventional oil; I don't know to what extent (if any) synthetic base stocks are derived from crude oil products or by-products.

 

[RalphVa]

The yield is a little better than mentioned. On a good lube crude, you'll start with about 40% of the crude from the bottom of an atmospheric distillation until and further distill it in a vacuum distillation unit to make the lube cuts. About 1/4 of this goes out the bottom as asphaltic material of which we can squeeze some gear oil out after deasphalting it and further treating. So, start with a gallon of crude and end up with about a quart+ of lubricating oil divided up into various grades, generally 5w (some of this can be gotten off the bottom cut of an atmos distillation unit), 10w, 20w, 30w and gear oil which is often called "bright stock" (because it's a **** of a lot brighter color than BLACK asphalt that it came from).

Synthetic oil is made from chemical feedstocks derived from petroleum refining that are also used to make plastics. This is why synthetics are so expensive. Their feedstock alternative value is to make plastics. Synthetics can also be made from liquified natural gas refining. If this really comes into being in a major way, the price of synthetics will come down.

Ralph

 

[slowrev]

I was just thinking that it must take more crude materials and energy to make a quart of synthetic than a quart of conventional oil. If this is true then we are maybe polluting the same even considering the longer change intervals of synthetic oils. Thoughts ?
Ben
ps. not debabing that synthetic oil is not better for your engine /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RalphVa]

I doubt it takes more energy to make a quart of synthetic than a quart of dino oil. Dino oils take a lot of energy. Distillation is the same for both, but downstream we've got extraction units employing typically about 2/1 ratio of solvent (like phenol or N-metylpyrolidone or furfural) to oil to get aromatics out, then some hydrotreating perhaps to remove trace amounts of baddies left over that doesn't require too much energy, then dewaxing that typically requires about 2/1 ratio of solvents like propane or MEK/toluene or MEK/MIBK to make the oil/wax filterable and huge refrigeration units to chill the solven/oil mix down to around 0 F (from melt point of around 160 F). In each of these steps, all the solvents have to be boiled and condensed and recycled; takes a lot of energy. Some use severe hydrotreating which requires a lot of hydrogen and very high pressure pumps and such but with a higher yield on the distilled crude raw material.

The yield on synthetic from polymerizeration (e.g. makeing it liquid) natural gas will be very high. It'll just be expensive initially to built these plants.

Ralph

 

[slowrev]

Thanks for the replies. It just seems to me that the current methods of producing synthetic oils has to be more complex and less efficient than making dino oil. Or are they just ripping us on the price ?
Ben

 

[RalphVa]

The price of synthetic oil is set by the feed stock price, which is valued as a feed stock for plastics. I don't know how the chemicals folks do their pricing. Oil refining folks pretty much do it by the feed stock cost + cost of manufacturing + additives + packaging (incl. filling into containers) + shipping. A modest return on investment is usually included in all these figures. Suspect this is the way the chemicals people do it. The big oil companies are very honest. They have to be. Otherwise, they'd get strung up by the goverment and anyone else if they got caught. The price of oil products aren't high enough to pay for new refineries to make them unless governments offer special tax incentives. The government won't allow them to include replacement price numbers in the cost of production. Many refiners are making gasoline with largely 1950s equipment (updated for air and water pollution stuff here and there). I know the largest lube oil manufacturing plant in the world has some 1938 vessels being used.

Oil and fuel prices are cheap here compared to almost any other country in the world that isn't a big exporter of crude. Big exporter countries often sell oil products to their own people below cost. This is the case in Venezuela and (I've heard) Saudi Arabia.

Cry all you want over oil and chemical prices. Most of the people in those businesses are very honest and forthright people. I also worked for the government. I think there's more corruption and dishonesty there than in private industry.

Ralph

 

[_RaT_]

Thanks Ralph, your a fountain of knowledge.

 

[BRIGUY]

I spent a few years (late 90's) working in the Mid East. In Kuwait I remember Buying 100+ octane LEADED fuel for about 30 cents per gallon. Low test I think was about 95 octane leaded for about 25 cents per gallon. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Quatar were similar or a little higher.

I sure miss driving 100+ MPH every day on my way to work.

I had a good time over there, If I Hadn't gotten married I would probably be back over there to rebuild Iraq.

 

[slowrev]

Ralph,
thanks for the info. I was not saying they were ripping us off, just that the cost of the processing and materials for synthetic oil must be higher or they were ripping us off. And the more refining/processing that takes place to make synthetic oil makes it more expensive, and less efficient to manufacture.

BTW, the large gas prices in many countries are due in large part to HIGH taxes in those countries.

Ben

Guess I need to stay out of the oil forum, Sort of like a religious/political area /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif