http://canaryusa.com/crude-oil-refinery-primer/
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Sorry as the article state we can't refine all the shale oil we produce. A lot of our refinery's need heavy crude. I just retired from the worlds # 1 producer of control valves, (field tech) and i can verified most refiners had coker units, also refinery that process heavy crude tear their valves up so bad that they don't even repair about 25% of their control valves. They just replace them without looking at them. I worked refinery from the east coast, gulf coast, west coast, Canada ,Alaska and even the Virgin Islands.
Please read all 3 pages
Our U.S.produced crude oil varies all over the lot, based on location found. I don't know the API gravity mix and sulfur content by geologic formation produced, but that can be researched. Our refineries handle light crude much easier than "heavy" crude since less refining is needed to obtain the high value products. If the crude is not sweet (high sulfur), a sulfur recovery unit is in the process to remove it and you end up with very large volumes of low value sulfur.
Heavy crude needs more treatment and possibly a "coker unit" to process the heavy ends at the end of the refining processes, ending with petroleum coke. Not all refineries are equipped with cokers and it's a messy, costly process that ends up with large volumes of low margin product. I've seen some U.S. crude oil that is so heavy that steam injection is needed to get it out of the ground and the above ground storage tanks are kept heated with steam coils so it flows at room temperature. But that's a rare case.
The bottom line is light sweet (low sulfur) crude is very desireable for refiners and they typically pay a premium for that stock. Saudi crude is the lighter product.
The larger refineries in the U.S. can handle a wide variety of crude with varying percentages of sulfur and different API gravity. These are owned by the majors and large independents (ExxonMobil, Chevron, Valero, Hess, etc).
I hope this answers your question, but there is not one clear answer as the business is very fragmented.
Sorry as the article state we can't refine all the shale oil we produce. A lot of our refinery's need heavy crude. I just retired from the worlds # 1 producer of control valves, (field tech) and i can verified most refiners had coker units, also refinery that process heavy crude tear their valves up so bad that they don't even repair about 25% of their control valves. They just replace them without looking at them. I worked refinery from the east coast, gulf coast, west coast, Canada ,Alaska and even the Virgin Islands.
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