Glossary: definitions of petroleum products and other terms

Petroleum Supply Monthly, June, 2004

Crude oil is considered as either domestic or foreign, according to the following:

   Domestic. Crude oil produced in the United States or
   from its "outer continental shelf' as defined in 43 USC
   1331.

   Foreign. Crude oil produced outside the United States.
   Imported Athabasca hydrocarbons (tar sands from Canada)
   are included.

Crude Oil, Refinery Receipts. Receipts of domestic and foreign crude oil at a refinery. Includes all crude oil in transit except crude oil in transit by pipeline. Foreign crude oil is reported as a receipt only after entry through customs. Crude oil of foreign origin held in bonded storage is excluded.

Crude Oil Losses. Represents the volume of crude oil reported by petroleum refineries as being lost in their operations. These losses are due to spills, contamination, fires, etc. as opposed to refinery processing losses.

Crude Oil Production. The volume of crude oil produced from oil reservoirs during given periods of time. The amount of such production for a given period is measured as volumes delivered from lease storage tanks (i.e., the point of custody transfer) to pipelines, trucks, or other media for transport to refineries or terminals with adjustments for (1) net differences between opening and closing lease inventories, and (2) basic sediment and water (BS&W).

Crude Oil Qualities. Refers to two properties of crude oil, the sulfur content and API gravity, which affect processing complexity and product characteristics.

Delayed Coking. A process by which heavier crude oil fractions can be thermally decomposed under conditions of elevated temperatures and pressure to produce a mixture of lighter oils and petroleum coke. The light oils can be processed further in other refinery units to meet product specifications. The coke can be used either as a fuel or in other applications such as the manufacturing of steel or aluminum.

Desulfurization. The removal of sulfur, as from molten metals, petroleum oil, or flue gases. Petroleum desulfurization is a process that removes sulfur and its compounds from various streams during the refining process. Desulfurization processes include catalytic hydrotreating and other chemical/physical processes such as adsorption. Desulfurization processes vary based on the type of stream treated (e.g. naphtha, distillate, heavy gas oil, etc.) and the amount of sulfur removed (e.g. sulfur reduction to 10 ppm). See Catalytic Hydrotreating.

Disposition. The components of petroleum disposition are stock change, crude oil losses, refinery inputs, exports, and products supplied for domestic consumption.

Distillate Fuel Oil. A general classification for one of the petroleum fractions produced in conventional distillation operations. It includes diesel fuels and fuel oils. Products known as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 diesel fuel are used in on-highway diesel engines, such as those in trucks and automobiles, as well as off-highway engines, such as those in railroad locomotives and agricultural machinery. Products known as No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 fuel oils are used primarily for space heating and electric power generation.