Tommaso,
A barrel of crude does not yield a barrel of gasoline or any other finished product. The quote below should help clarify:
First, the amount of gasoline produced from a barrel of oil can be controlled within certain ranges, and is done so to meet market demands. About 70-74% of a typical barrel of oil is converted into gasoline, heating oil, and diesel fuel. In winter, refineries produce more heating oil, whereas in summer they produce more gasoline. About 24 gallons of gasoline is typically produced from a light sweet (no sulfur) crude oil, whereas sulfur containing heavy crudes produce less gasoline.
Typically, the gasoline refining process is about 80% energy efficient. In other words, the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of gasoline is needed to produce 4 gallons of gasoline. The energy needed doesn't have to come from gasoline, but can come from other sources. In practice, it is the lighter hydrocarbons produced in the refinery process that are burned to provide the energy needed for distillation and other refining processes.
Aggie |
