Treatment

The Finishing Touch

Back when Chevron's founders boiled crude oil to get kerosene, they didn't have to worry about customer specifications or government standards. Today, however, a major portion of refining involves blending, purifying, fine-tuning and otherwise improving products to meet these requirements.

To make Chevron gasoline, refinery technicians carefully combine a variety of streams from the processing units. Among the variables that determine the blend are octane level, vapour pressure ratings and special considerations, such as whether the gasoline will be used at high altitudes. Technicians also add Techron, Chevron’s patented performance additive.

Refining has come a long way since the oil boiling days of Pico Canyon. By the time a gallon of gasoline is pumped into a car’s tank, it contains more than 200 hydrocarbons and additives. All that changing of molecules pays off in a product that ensures smooth, high-performance driving.

Chevron Burnaby Refinery's Processes

The Three Basic Steps to Refining:

• Separation: Heavy on the Bottom, Light on the Top
• Conversion: Cracking and Rearranging Molecules to Add Value
• Treatment: the Finishing Touch