How is crude oil used?
Petroleum products refined from crude oil fuel almost 33 per cent of Canada’s total energy needs. Slightly more than 70 per cent of the crude oil produced in Canada is refined into transportation fuels – gasoline and diesel for cars and trucks, kerosene for jet aircraft and fuel oil for ships. Other energy uses include domestic and industrial heating, fuels for industrial purposes and generating electricity.
Each of the thousands of molecules that make up crude oil has particular physical and chemical properties. Hundreds of products are made by separating and sorting these molecules, then re-combining or processing them further.
The range of products varies according to the particular type of crude oil and the refinery design. Processes can be altered to produce more gasoline in summer or more heating oil in winter.
On average, processing light crude oil in a modern refinery yields the following range of products:
- Gasoline to fuel cars, motorcycles, light trucks, small planes, boats, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, lawnmowers, chainsaws, leaf and snow blowers, emergency generators, camp stoves, etc. (about 40 per cent of the original crude oil volume).
- Diesel fuel for some cars, most trucks and buses, railway locomotives, construction and forestry equipment, farm tractors, many boats and ships, larger electric generators, etc. (25 per cent).
- Light fuel oil for heating homes and buildings, many industrial processes, and the fuel for some ships (8 per cent).
- Other products including asphalt for road paving and roofing, lubricants such as motor oil and grease, waxes for candles and polishes, and the raw materials for petrochemicals such as polystyrene and synthetic rubber (10 per cent).
- Heavy fuel oil for electric power generation, large ships and some industrial processes (8 per cent).
- Aviation jet fuel for airplanes and helicopters (5 per cent).
- The refining process itself consumes crude oil or an equivalent amount of energy from other sources such as natural gas (4 per cent).
previous | next