Petro-Canada is, in fact, Canada s largest petrochemical company. With refineries in Edmonton, Oakville and Montreal, its plants transform crude petroleum into gasoline and a number of other quality products. The Oakville plant alone employs over two hundred workers, including many chemical engineers and technicians who are mainly responsible for the quality and smooth performance of the processes. The chemists employed in Oakville primarily conduct laboratory research to ensure constant improvement in the quality of the products and process efficiency. The following paragraphs explain the petroleum refining process and the chemical principles that are applied during operations.
Crude petroleum is a complex mixture of several organic molecules called hydrocarbons.
Refining is the process through which these various compounds are separated, some of them are converted, and impurities are eliminated. Imagine an enormous kettle in which the various crude petroleum compounds are evaporated one after another at different boiling points. This is a chemical process known as distillation. The virtually pure vapours recovered in tall columns are then cooled at specific temperatures, condensed, and extracted separately. The viscous, non-volatile residue remaining at the bottom will be used in the manufacture of asphalt or used as heavy heating oils or lubricants.