Upgraded Oil Refining

This commentary from William J. Polley started me on the dangerous road of trying to solve the complicated issue of Oil refining. I will first state I am not a Refinery expert by any measure; the closest I come to the area is a brother of my brother-in-law, who has been an electrical technician in the Oil refining industry all of his Work career. Not knowing a thing about what I am talking about has never stopped me before, so why should it now? So here goes!

The major problem with establishment of new Refining capacity consists of the inability to locate the plant capacity. The reason here is in two Parts: Air emissions and Water pollution. New technology is rapidly developing plant structure for the making of biofuels; they finding little trouble in location acquisition, because of their ecological goal of no adverse emissions. Why can’t Oil Refiners adopt this Goal in their own new Constructions? The Answer comes in the policy decision to widen Refining capacity to handle a wide spectrum of fuels: Gasoline, advanced Grades of Gasoline, diesel (two separate types), Furnace fuel, Natural Gas, Propane, Heating Oil, and Fertilizers; presenting such capacity to maximize Refining Profits by directing Production towards the greatest value Product. This presents a degree of Overkill!.

The above decision creates the need to emit Air and Water pollutants as extrusion in the refining process, and also evolves in a giant spread of Refining physical Plant, when providing the added Refining performance with adequate Storage capacity for all fuels. The End-Result brings Us to massive spread of Plant with noxious emissions. Oil Refiners have yet to learn the advantages of Micro-engineering. I could rephrase it as Oil Refiners fail to utilize the Concept of Dedicated Plant engineering.

What We need in Oil refining are micro-Plants dedicated to production of a specific fuel, whose physical plant does not extend much beyond a City block in area, and does not have any emissions beyond the introduction of fuel and the emission of fuels (whether immediately usable, or for transference to new refining capacity plants). The Oil used as Source in any given Refining plant must have the consistency necessary for efficient operation of refinement capacity. The dedication of technology to one Process will allow for minimal Labor use, but of expertise Skill level and high Wages. The transmission of Source Resource and by-Products will again be specialized equipment requiring minimal labor of high Skill level. We have to leave the Traditional Oil Refining policy of ‘Slop In, Slop Out’ for a more ecologically sound policy of superior Product both In and Out; again requiring a more efficient Engineering format. lgl