Steel Procurement & Oil Refining: Processes & Derivatives

Posted on Sep 16, 2024 in Geology

Procurement of Steel

Iron Extraction

Iron is extracted from various minerals including pyrite, magnetite, hematite, and siderite. Pure iron has a hardness of between 4 and 5. It is soft, malleable, and ductile.

Minerals Used for Iron Extraction

Pyrite: A granular or fibrous radiated aggregate, report and compact masses. It has a metallic luster and a greenish-black stripe.

Magnetite: A compact mass of coarse or fine, loose grains, leafy aggregates, and isolated crystals or grouped.

Hematite: Is usually earthy. It can occur in crystals implanted included or grouped in rosettes.

Siderite: A compact mass of coarse-grained sparry or thin.

Steel Production

Key Elements for Iron and Steel Production:

  • Iron ore
  • Coke
  • Limestone
  • Air

Direct Reduction of Steel

  • Sponge Iron
  • Direct Reduced Iron
  • Pre-reduced and reduced iron

Types of Ovens

  • Blast furnace
  • Bessemer furnace
  • Arc furnace
  • Induction furnace
  • Air furnace or crucible

Classification of Steels

Both systems use four or five digits to designate the type of steel. The AISI system also shows the production process with a letter before the number.

First Digit

A number indicating the predominant element alloy. 1 = carbon, 2 = nickel, 3 = nickel chromium, 4 = molybdenum, 5 = chromium, 6 = vanadium, 8 = triple alloy, 9 = silicon.

Second Digit

A number that indicates the approximate percentage by weight of the alloying element, indicated in the first digit. For example, a steel 2540 indicates that the nickel alloy is 5 percent.

Digits 3 and 4

Indicate the average carbon content in hundredths, so in the above example, stainless steel 2540 is a 5% nickel and 0.4% carbon.

Mining and Oil Refining

Petroleum

Petroleum, a bituminous liquid composed of different natural organic substances, also known as crude oil.

Extraction

Oil is not distributed uniformly in the basement. There must be the presence of at least four basic conditions for it to build:

  • There should be a permeable rock so that oil pressure can move through the microscopic pores.
  • The presence of an impermeable rock to prevent leakage of oil and gas to the surface.
  • The site should behave like a trap.
  • There should be sufficient organic material and petroleum required to become the effect of pressure and temperature that dominates the site.

Types of Oil

There are thousands of chemical compounds that make up the difference by oil volatility.

Crude Oil Varieties in Mexico

  • Isthmus: Lightweight with a density of 33.6 degrees API and 1.3% sulfur by weight.
  • Maya: Heavy density of 22 degrees API and 3.3% sulfur by weight.
  • Olmec: Superlight with a density of 39.3 degrees API and 0.8% sulfur by weight.

Classification of Oil According to its Density

  • Extra heavy: >1.0 density
  • Heavy: 0.93-1.0 density (22.3-10 API)
  • Medium: 0.87-0.93 density (31.1-22.3 API)
  • Light: 0.83-0.87 density (39.0-31.1 API)
  • Super light: <0.83 density (>39 API)

Well Drilling

The only way to really know if there is oil at the site of geological research suggests that one might find a deposit of oil is by drilling a hole or well.

Oil Derrick

Rig

Main Elements of a Rig:

  • Derrick or boring
  • Tuberia or “string”
  • Brocas
  • Malacate
  • Sludge system
  • Cement system
  • Motors

Drilling was carried out in stages so that the size of the pot at the top is wide and the bottom more and more narrow. This gives consistency and prevents landslides; therefore, smaller bits and pipes are used in each section.

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Water Injection

If water is pumped into one of two wells, it can be maintained or even increase the reservoir pressure as a whole. The water displaces the oil physically.

Steam Injection

Steam injection is used in tanks containing highly viscous oil. The steam not only displaces the oil but greatly reduces the viscosity (by increasing the temperature of the reservoir) so that oil flows faster at a given pressure.

Offshore Drilling

The tower is essentially a device for suspension and rotates the drill pipe in which the drill tip is located.

Refined

Oil refineries convert crude oil into useful derivatives. The oil is separated into several fractions used for different purposes. After removing the oil, it is treated with chemicals and heat to remove water and solids.

Chemical Processes in Refining Industry

This is accomplished through a series of chemical transformations that occur in the various processes that constitute a refinery, which modifies the structure of hydrocarbons:

Decomposition

  • FCC disintegration
  • Hydrodesintegration
  • Coquization
  • Thermal gasification
  • Viscosity reduction

Molecular Rearrangement

  • Reformation
  • Isomerization
  • Hydrodesulfurization
  • Hydrogenation
  • Hydrocracking
  • Diolefin
  • Dehydrogenation

Construction Molecular

  • Alkylation
  • Polymerization
  • Etherification
  • Dimerization

Physical Separation of Components

The science of catalysis has developed various types of catalysts, divided according to the type of procedure that applies:

  • Heterogeneous
  • Homogeneous

Catalysts Developed in the IMP

Basic Distillation

The basic tool is the refined distillation unit. Crude oil starts to vaporize at a temperature level to boil water. The lower molecular weight hydrocarbons are those that vaporize at lower temperatures, and as temperature increases, larger molecules evaporate.

Thermal Cracking

The thermal cracking process, pressure, was developed to increase the yield of distillation. In this process, the heavier parts of crude oil are heated to high temperatures. This splits large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules.

Oil Derivatives and Uses

Different Petroleum Products and Their Use:

  • Gasoline engine and extra power: For use in vehicles.
  • Lubricants: Lubricating oils.
  • Turbo fuel or jet fuel: Fuel for jet aircraft.
  • Aviation gasoline: For use in aircraft with internal combustion engines.
  • Kerosene: It is used in domestic stoves.
  • Cocinol: Kind of gasoline for domestic consumption.
  • Propane or LPG
  • Industrial Petrol: It is used as feedstock for the manufacture of solvents.
  • Fuel oil: Is a heavy fuel for stoves and industrial boilers.
  • Asphalt: They are used for asphalt production.
  • Polyethylene: Raw material for the plastics industry in general.
  • Bases lubricants: Is the raw material for the production of lubricating oils.
  • Tar: Is used in the tire industry. It is also thinner.
  • Toluene: Used as a solvent in paints.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is mainly composed of methane, propane, etc.

Processing Natural Gas

  • Removal of acidic compounds
  • Sulfur Recovery
  • Sweeten growth condenser
  • Cryogenic Recovery
  • Caustic treatment
  • Fractionation of oil