Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
465
840 425
755
320 170
215 810
485 935 985 EUROPE 210
40 80 FORMER USSR
UNITED STATES - CANADA
730
60
10
OTHER ASIA
30 MIDDLE 170 280
25 90 260 OCEANIA
200
50 110 EAST
20 150 120
75 20 CHINA 200
375 165 1015 330
10 75 15 30 10
10 100 210 30
35 120
130
AFRICA 560
120 220
60 155
400 295 10 35
515
LATIN AMERICA 50
15
15
30
185
data in million tons
To Rest
Latin Other
USA Canada Europe Africa China Japan of the Total
America Asia
From World
USA – 4,9 15,9 10,7 0,5 1,1 4,0 5,2 1,0 43,3
Latin America 195,4 6,4 8,4 23,2 0,6 0,9 0,9 7,6 4,7 248,1
Western Europe 57,0 24,6 3,5 – 10,0 3,6 0,7 5,4 2,3 107,1
CIS 9,8 – 7,4 214,6 0,5 8,1 1,2 10,4 2,5 254,5
Middle East 114,7 6,9 14,5 161,1 36,9 38,9 195,4 324,1 3,2 895,7
North Africa 13,6 5,1 6,2 87,3 4,0 0,3 3,6 5,7 – 125,8
West. Africa 55,5 1,0 9,9 35,2 2,7 9,5 3,8 38,3 – 155,9
Other Asia Pacific 8,3 0,1 – 4,5 0,3 28,4 28,3 32,0 – 101,9
Total 561,0 50,5 66,5 587,4 55,5 100,4 250,5 455,0 14,8 2151,6*
* 10 million tonnes non unidentified.
crude oil produced in the world is transported a Oil is a liquid pollutant and its vapours are
very long way (Table 1). combustible, so it presents certain transport
An examination of maritime transport of problems. Sea transport of oil requires special
hydrocarbons as a proportion of total world ships. Oil pipelines can eliminate the need for sea
maritime trade reveals that oil represents a transport, but the amount of investment they
significant, though decreasing, share of all trade. require and the permanence of their installation
Oil currently accounts for 30% of total mean that they are only justifiable for large,
tonne/miles covered (Fig. 2). long-term volumes.
14,000
12,000
10,000 crude oil
8,000
6,000
4,000 petroleum products
2,000
0
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
year
86 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
Each form of transport (tanker and pipeline) pipelines at its disposal to pump crude from
has its own advantages and drawbacks. Safety and Mediterranean ports: the South European Pipeline
the environment are of increasing importance (Fos-Strasbourg-Germany), the TAL (Transalpine
nowadays and are among the principal criteria by Line, Trieste-Austria-Bavaria) and the CEL
which such pros and cons are measured. Pipeline (Central European Line, Genoa-Southern
transport is clearly safer, even though pipelines Germany).
can rupture or be sabotaged. Much progress has Most countries where oil consumption has
been made in sea-transport safety in recent years; reached a certain level have developed their own
despite such progress, however, the fact remains refining industries, which are capable of meeting
that it takes only one tanker accident and the most of their needs. Therefore, and despite the
resulting pollution to give an extremely negative existence of huge export refineries in countries
image of the sea transport of hydrocarbons. such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, the transport
Fortunately, such accidents are extremely rare in of refined products over considerable distances is
proportion to the volume of traffic (Table 2). relatively insignificant in comparison with the
In any event, most buyers of crude oil have no transport of crude. However, because of regional
choice with regard to the mode of transport, imbalances between supply and demand for
which is determined at the outset by the existing refined products (disparities which are becoming
supply infrastructure. Sea transport is the least more acute with rising imports by the United
costly, most flexible and most common method States and China), the transport of refined
(and in many cases it is the only option). Oil products is still significant: in 2003, transport of
produced in the North Sea, in most African refined products (requiring transport ships
countries and in the majority of Middle Eastern smaller than the tankers used for carrying crude)
states is transported by sea. represented 22%, or nearly 500 million tonnes, of
In certain cases, however, the buyer does have total oil transport.
a choice between sea-only transport and a Refined products are generally transported
combination of sea and pipeline. For example, over shorter distances, but the dispersal of end
Saudi crude can be transported to Europe either consumers and the diversity of the products
via tankers circumnavigating Africa by way of the transported pose specific problems: for example,
Cape Point or via Egypt’s Sumed pipeline, which the holds of transport ships must be cleaned
links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. between each product batch, and ships or
Another major exporter of crude, Russia, uses pipelines specially built for carrying refined
various pipeline/sea combinations, including products cannot always be used. Furthermore,
pipeline plus sea transport from the Baltic and pipelines carrying refined products are relatively
North seas, and pipeline only through Eastern and rare: they are largely confined to the US and, to a
Central Europe to the former East German lesser extent, Europe. Even markets whose
Republic (Deutsch Demokratische Republik, significance in terms of unit consumption is tiny
DDR) via the Druzhba pipeline. require refined products in all their different
As a further example, a refinery in the forms: solid (bitumen), liquid (fuel oils, gasoline
Stuttgart region in southern Germany has three fuels) and gas (Liquified Petroleum Gas, LPG).
Tankers Pipelines
Major
Investments Limited
(geopolitical implications)
Operating Costs Planned, negotiable Low
Flexibility Very flexible Not adaptable
Volumes handled 100-400 kt/cargo 10 to 100 Mt/year
Implementation time 2-3 years Long to very long
Upgrading in progress
Security/Environment Very good
(impacts on image)
Each of these products has to conform to certain steadily, reaching some 300 million dwt in 2004.
standards and specifications, and the risk of Requirements in terms of transport capacity
contamination across product lines means that fluctuate in line with world oil demand, while
transporting or storing them in the same the emergence of non-OPEC (the Organization
receptacle is out of the question. of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Aside from ship and pipeline, the most production in regions nearer to consumption
commonly used methods for transporting refined markets has also helped to dampen capacity
products are barges, rail tankers and tanker requirements. Slowdown in demand can force
trucks, the latter two being the only methods shipowners to mothball many of their larger
capable of bringing products directly to the end tankers, something that happened in the early
consumer 1980s when charter rates were so low that
shipowners were unable to operate their fleets
Sea transport profitably. Economic growth since 2000, in Asia
especially, has sparked renewed chartering
The various types of ship used demand.
Three principal types of ship are used for Most (two-thirds) of the world tanker fleet is
carrying oil, classified according to their dwt independently owned, while the other third
(deadweight tonnage), i.e. the amount of cargo belongs to the oil companies themselves; of these,
that the ship can carry in addition to its own fuel ownership by national companies is growing at
and supplies. To these three principal categories the expense of the majors. The fleet mainly
can be added the largest of all supertankers, the comprises large tankers and is currently
Ultra-Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs), as well as undergoing refurbishment in the wake of new
Panamax-class carriers: safety regulations.
• Ultra-Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) have a
dwt of between 325,000 and 600,000. Very The different types of shipping charter
few of these giant ships are currently active. Three types of tanker charter exist:
• Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), with a • Bareboat charters: the tanker is placed at the
dwt of over 160,000, are used on routes from disposal of the charterer for a specific period
the Persian Gulf westwards to the Caribbean, of time. The tanker is equipped by the
US and Europe, and eastwards to Southeast charterer, which also pays its operating costs.
Asia (Japan, Korea and Singapore). The The charter hire rate (paid monthly) reflects
largest VLCC tankers are used for supplying the capital costs of the tanker. Bareboat
Europe and the US. When empty, these ships charters are therefore similar to leasing
can negotiate the Suez Canal. agreements, and generally incorporate a
• Suezmax, with a dwt of between 100,000 and purchase option.
160,000, is specially designed to be able to • Time charters: the tanker is placed at the
use the Suez Canal when loaded. Suezmax disposal of the charterer for a specific period
vessels are also used for transporting crude of time (anything from six months to several
from West Africa to the Caribbean, the US and years) and operating costs are borne by the
Europe. ship-owner.
• Aframax ships, which have a dwt of between • Spot or voyage charters: the shipowner agrees to
80,000 and 100,000, are used in regional traffic transport cargo from one designated port to
(North Sea, Mediterranean, Caribbean/US). another and applies a cargo tariff per tonne of
This is the largest carrier-class allowed to enter cargo transported, with all costs included. Spot
American ports when fully loaded. charters can cover consecutive stages on the
• Panamax carriers are used on certain routes same itinerary. Although they were practically
only. Their size (60,000 dwt or less) means unheard-of in the early 1970s, these are now the
that they can use the Panama Canal (serving most frequent form of charter agreement.
such routes as California/the Gulf of Mexico
or the Pacific coast of South America/the US The cost of sea transport
eastern seaboard). For shipowners, costs per tonne transported
The world oil-tanker fleet-capacity peaked at are a key factor, as owners are unable to operate
about 330 million dwt in the late 1970s before for long under a certain threshold without having
falling to under 250 million dwt with the oil to lay up part of their fleet. These costs comprise
crisis of 1986. Since then, it has been rising two components: depreciation of the tankers
88 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
(which is connected to investment costs), and Thus the consumption of fuel oil, which can
operating costs, including port duties and fuel. be expressed as a function of speed3, rises steeply
Depreciation of tankers. The price of tankers as speed increases, while for most other costs the
depends partly on construction costs and partly on greater the speed, the lower the cost per tonne
market equilibrium. While the life expectancy of (and the quicker the voyage). Bunker prices per
a tanker is theoretically quite long, in many tonne depend on the refuelling port and on
countries the legal depreciation period is eight provisioning agreements.
years. Furthermore, tanker life expectancy is Port and canal duties are fixed costs charged
reduced as a result of rapid obsolescence due to in proportion to tonnage. Port duties vary greatly
advances in technology and tighter safety from one port to another. The principal canals
regulations. used by oil tankers are the Suez, the Panama and
Construction costs fell in the 1960s, mainly the Kiel (which serves the Baltic Sea market).
due to the trend set by Japanese shipyards: Canal authorities publish tariffs of their
reduced steel consumption, productivity drives applicable transit duties at regular intervals
leading to faster construction times, new (usually once per year).
technology and more. But while progress in this Personnel costs have significantly decreased
area has continued, costs have since risen in recent years due to reductions in crew size,
markedly as a result of ever-stricter construction but crews cannot be cut much further for
regulations. reasons of safety (and the bigger the tanker, the
For a 280,000 dwt double-hulled VLCC, the higher the level of safety required). Tankers
2005 order price is in the region of $300 per dwt. also have to undergo port maintenance, the
Construction costs per dwt decrease with size up costs of which can rise steeply if the tanker’s
to 200,000 dwt; a tanker of just 80,000 dwt, for crew is too small to carry out part of the
example, costs about $500 per dwt. Hull costs rise maintenance work while the tanker is at sea.
at a rate that is less than proportional to tonnage. Tankers of over 100,000 dwt have crews of
The cost of propulsion gear is proportional to about 30. Total personnel costs also depend on
power, which is a function of the square root of the nationality of the crew and the country in
tonnage. Beyond 200,000 dwt, costs per which the tanker is registered: social security
deadweight tonne vary little as there are few dry charges, for instance, are much higher for
docks big enough to accommodate tankers of this European- and North American-registered
size, which also need a double propulsion system. tankers than for open-registry tankers.
Since the oil fleet occasionally finds itself in Then there are demurrage charges, or
periods of overcapacity, the market for penalties for exceeding time allowances; in
second-hand tankers is very active. Prices and certain cases, these can be applied on top of port
write-downs relative to new tankers are expressed duties in oil terminals that are particularly
in dollars per dwt; of course, they also depend on congested and which consequently assign time
the age and condition of the tanker, as well as on limits for tankers to load and unload. These costs,
market conditions. stated in dollars per day in excess of the
The lowest price limit on the second-hand contractual limit, can be significant.
market is the scrapping price, at which ships are It is difficult to give precise indications of
sold for scrap to special breaking yards. transport costs per deadweight tonne as these
Operating costs. Most operating costs remain clearly depend on a large number of factors. We
the same regardless of the voyage; of these, can, however, assign approximate shares to the
tanker-depreciation and capital costs, repair, principal operating cost items for tankers (Fig. 3).
maintenance and inspection duties can all be We can also compare daily operating costs for
directly charged to the tanker, while general different types of tanker and trace recent cost
company costs are harder to break down. trends; costs in the early years of the present
Other operating-cost components vary, decade ranged from $6,000 per day for a ‘large’
depending on the voyage: salaries and associated (80,000 dwt) tanker carrying refined products, to
social security expenses as well as supply and over $11,000 per day for a VLCC.
provision costs all rise as the length of the voyage
increases; port dues, canal charges, and piloting and The price of sea transport
tug duties depend on the route; and consumption of This is the price of transport as paid by the
bunkers (fuel oil, diesel fuel) and lubricants buyer, a rate generally negotiated between the
depends on distance, tonnage and speed. shipowner and the charterer. As in every
400
Mediterranean-North-West Europe
350 25,000-30,000 dwt (products)
300
Arabian Gulf-East
70,000-100,000 dwt
Worldscale
250
200
150
100
50
year
90 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
Petroleum Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which So what are the principal technical and
links Kazakhstan to Novorossijsk via Russia. operational constraints in pipeline transport?
There are very few refined-product pipelines in In the case of crude oil, the principal
this region. Among the most significant of this constraints are those imposed upon the
type are the Samara-Briansk-Leninvaros transporter by the refiner:
(Hungary) pipeline and another serving the Baltic Preservation of the quality of the crude during
(the Transnefteproduct system). transport. The risk of contamination, although
• In Western Europe, major crude pipelines lower for crude than for refined products, is
include the north-south system linking the nevertheless real. Crude oils of different qualities
North Sea ports with Germany and Belgium, can become mixed during storage at the terminal
and the south-north system, which links the prior to pumping, while the risk of contamination
Mediterranean ports to Central Europe (South is also present in the pipeline itself between
European Pipeline, TAL and CEL). Western successive batches of crude. This problem does
Europe also has some major refined-product not arise when the entire storage and pipeline
pipelines, such as the Trapil system in France, system handles only one class of crude, which in
the Mediterranean-Rhone pipeline, the fact is often already a blend of specific quality;
Rotterdam-Venlo-Ludwigshafen pipeline and this is the case, for example, with the Urals Blend
the Spanish network. that is pumped from Russia via the Druzhba
• In the Middle East, major crude oil pipelines pipeline.
include the Tapline, which links Abqaiq and Preservation of quantities. This requires
Sidon (partially closed), the Kirkuk-Tripoli accurate and reliable metering methods at the
pipeline (also closed), the Sumed pipeline upstream terminal, the destination refinery and
(which enables the transport of oil from the the downstream terminals. Maximum admissible
Gulf states to the Mediterranean without using loss rates are contractually established. Barring
the Suez Canal) and the Abqaiq-Yanbu major incidents on the pipeline, most losses occur
pipeline in Saudi Arabia. Most of the oil during storage.
pipelines from Iraq and Saudi Arabia have Logistical and batch-sequencing constraints.
been closed for political reasons, as they As an example of this, it takes an average of 15
represent obvious targets for sabotage. days for the Société du Pipeline Sud Européen
(SPLSE) to pump a batch of oil from the
The principal constraints on pipeline transport Mediterranean (Lavéra) to Karlsruhe.
Oil pipelines work in conjunction with sea Refined products are usually pumped via
transport as one more link in the crude-oil supply multi-product pipelines of smaller diameter than
chain. Relatively few pipelines directly link the those used for carrying crude. These pipelines are
place of production to the refinery; and, as we capable of carrying practically every kind of
saw above, pipelines carrying refined products refined product (including LPG under certain
are relatively rare except in the US, where they conditions) with the notable exception of heavy
were first used in about 1930. We also examined fuel oils. In the rare event that they are
the comparative advantages and disadvantages of transported by pipeline, heavy fuel oils are only
pipeline and tanker transport above. pumped over very short distances, usually via
One important consideration here is that the special pipelines that are heated to a temperature
notion of ‘capacity’ in the transport of of about 90°C.
hydrocarbons via pipelines is not a totally reliable In Europe, refined-product pipelines have a
parameter: it depends on many factors, such as diameter of 32" and pump 15 million tonnes per
the viscosity of the product being pumped. Initial year. The capacity of a pipe depends not only on
capacity can be considerably augmented by the its diameter but also on the viscosity of the
installation of secondary pumping facilities. product being transported and the power of the
The key advantages of pipelines relative to pumping stations; for example, using the same
other modes of oil transport (coastal shipping via plant, a given pipeline can pump twice as much
small tankers, river navigation, railway and road) petrol as liquid fuel oil.
include low operating costs, direct routes and In the more common instances where two or
immunity to climatic conditions. However, even three light-refined products are transported
pipelines require heavy investment, with (i.e. gasoline, kerosene/jet fuel and diesel), the
enormous infrastructure responsibilities for the different products are sent by batches following
oil companies and absolutely no flexibility of use. certain procedures that regulate, for instance, the
92 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
sequence in which the products are pumped. must also consider the costs incurred in keeping
Since refined products must meet precise the pipeline working. However, operating costs
specifications (density, sulphur content and such as those for personnel are not really
water content), precautions have to be taken to variable because, unless the pipeline is closed
prevent contamination at interfaces. for extended periods, staff members remain
Contaminated products can either be returned to employed.
the refinery for recycling to the required These costs tend to vary in line with the
specifications or mixed with a lower-grade installed capacity of the pipeline rather than its
finished product. real throughput. Although pipelines require little
in the way of labour, the latter is highly
Pipeline transport costs specialized and therefore costly. Automation and
Contrary to the situation with sea transport, remote management are deployed to the full in an
pipeline transport makes it difficult to draw a attempt to reduced labour costs.
distinction between the pipeline transport selling Energy bills can account for up to one-third of
price, or transport tariff, and cost price. In the operating costs. This percentage depends on the
case of crude oil, the companies that produce or number of pumping stations, i.e. on the
refine the oil are in most instances the owners of throughput and geology of the pipeline. Energy
the infrastructure by which the oil is transported. consumption per tonne pumped varies with the
There are exceptions however: the Sumed square of the pipe’s throughput. Consumption
pipeline linking the Red Sea and the rises in areas where head loss is significant
Mediterranean, for example, and the (mountainous regions, an arrival point at a higher
state-owned pipelines of oil producing/exporting altitude than the departure point and so on) and
countries. when, for a given throughput, the product being
Despite these exceptions, the companies in pumped is more viscous.
charge of managing pipeline infrastructure can Modern pipelines require practically zero
generally be regarded as overseeing an asset maintenance. However, the greater the automation
whose purpose is not to generate its own of the line, the higher the maintenance costs for
profitability but rather to ensure the profitability pumping stations and metering apparatus. Among
of related upstream and downstream activities. other cost items, we can also cite insurance costs,
Oil pipeline transport costs break down into administrative expenses and rent charges.
two main components: the depreciation of
investment and the operating costs. Tariffs
Capital expenditure and depreciation. Laying While the tariffs proposed (or imposed) by
a pipeline involves a whole series of operations the companies operating oil pipelines take into
that are straightforward in essence; however, they account costs classified as fixed (capital
must be carefully planned and sequenced if depreciation, personnel and maintenance costs)
operations are to proceed quickly enough to and variable (mainly energy), they also
prevent the accumulation of crippling capital comprise elements that are wholly commercial.
expenditure costs. These depend on the location-related
Investment comprises materials, pipe-laying, advantages enjoyed by the oil pipeline, i.e. the
right-of-way and damage compensation to extent to which it can offer significant savings
landowners, sundry expenses and pumping on sea transport. The Sumed pipeline, for
stations. In some cases, it also includes the example, obviates the need for a long and
terminal (storage) costs associated with the costly voyage around the African continent by
construction of the line. tankers that are too big to use the Suez Canal
Equipment depreciation periods vary. The pipe (Table 3).
itself generally has a depreciation term of 20-25
years. The real deterioration of the pipe generally Other forms of transport
takes much longer, thanks to such highly effective All other means of transporting liquid
anti-corrosion methods as cathodic protection. hydrocarbons – cabotage (home trade, coastal
Pumps and metering gear depreciate fairly shipping), inland navigation, and rail and road
quickly due to technological progress and the transport – almost exclusively involve refined
modernization that results. products, though there are exceptions like Russia,
Operating costs. In addition to fixed costs where substantial volumes of crude oil are
such as depreciation and financial expenses, we transported by rail.
Pumping stations 1 to 5 M €
Terminals 2 to 4 M €
Table 4 provides a comparison of four methods Oil companies often own their own coastal fleets
of transporting refined products, indicating and charter additional freight requirements from
relative cost elements for each method and the specialist companies. Coastal ships range in size
constraints affecting each. from a few thousand to tens of thousands of
tonnes.
Cabotage (home trade, coastal shipping) Transport tariffs for international cabotage are
It is difficult to make a clear distinction among the highest on the Worldscale index. As
between cabotage and general maritime traffic. for national cabotage, many countries require
The definition of cabotage (trade or transport in ships to be locally registered and rates vary
coastal waters) and its etymology (navigation greatly according to the regularity of traffic.
from cape to cape) point to short-haul coastal
traffic. As this suggests, cabotage generally takes Transport by inland navigation
place within view of the coast or within one In river transport, the slower the barge travels,
country’s territorial waters, as opposed to long- the lower the cost of transport: fuel consumption
haul (i.e. open-sea) voyages. The role played by is extremely sensitive to speed. Inland navigation
cabotage varies in line with regional geography. is therefore perfectly suited to the transport of
Cape-to-cape navigation is especially suitable heavy products that do not require special
as a method of transporting refined products in handling and whose economic feasibility is
countries with exceptionally rugged coastlines. scarcely affected by considerations of time.
Cabotage is thus widely practised as a means of Cost-effectiveness is therefore increased with the
distribution in Japan and the Philippines, while in transport of less-expensive products. Inland
the US it is hardly practised at all outside the Gulf navigation is ideal, for example, for the transport
of Mexico and the eastern seaboard. of fuel oil as long as a considerable distance is
The situation in Europe falls somewhere involved. As it is less cost-effective for the
between these two extremes. Many areas are transport of white products, however, inland
particularly suited to this kind of transport: the navigation is becoming less and less significant,
Pyrenees, several regions of Italy, the Dalmatian even though two-thirds of global storage capacity
coast and the refineries of the are connected to a waterway.
Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Anvers (ARA) zone, the The vessels used on canals and rivers range in
last of which serve the major ports of Germany, size from self-propelled barges with capacities of
Britain and France. between 300 and 1,500 tonnes to the large pusher
Coastal tankers are capable of carrying all convoys of the Mississippi, which can be as big as
types of refined product, from LPG to bitumens, 40,000 tonnes, and the 5,000-tonne barges that
in vessels specially designed for specific cargoes. ply the Rhine between Rotterdam and Basle.
Some of these ships are multi-product tankers, In Europe, inland navigation is most intense
with separate holds for different refined products. on the Rhine, via which barges carry supplies to
94 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
Germany, North-eastern France and Switzerland. and, once tonnage reaches significant levels,
However, traffic on the Rhine, and therefore the construction of a pipeline becomes feasible.
provisioning of all the regions it serves, is
vulnerable to fluctuations in water levels. Road transport
Nearly all terminal transport of refined
Rail transport products takes place by road, as does some bulk
Rail transport remains the main way of transport between refineries and depots. Most
supplying depots that are not connected to the heavy products (such as bitumen and fuel oil) that
source of production either by a network of cannot, except in special circumstances, be
pipelines or by sea or waterway. Although the rail transported by pipeline, are also transported by
companies offer reduced tariffs, rail remains, in road. Tanker trucks are ideal for bringing small
general, a costly mode of transportation. volumes to almost any destination, making them
Compared with other bulk-transport methods, it is an extremely flexible means of transport.
especially costly in Europe, but somewhat more Road transport also includes the supply of
competitive in Canada and Russia, where tariffs retailers like service stations and fuel pumps, and
are significantly lower; in fact, a significant the delivery of domestic fuel to end consumers
proportion of refined product is transported by via smaller trucks equipped with pump meters.
rail in Russia. In the case of bulk transport, the vehicle most
In Europe, the longest trains can carry up to often used is a semi-articulated tanker truck with
2,500 tonnes, while certain products such as LPG a capacity of 40 tonnes. These trucks cover an
and lubricants can be delivered in single-wagon average of 100,000 km per year, cost over
consignments of between 30 and 80 m3. Price $120,000 to buy, and are usually owned by
greatly depends on the volume to be transported, specialist transport firms. As for terminal
High by unit
if sound
Low by unit, high Moderate by unit, Very high and made
Investment cost-effectiveness
overall high overall over a short period
is required
(push boat)
Outward, practically
Fairly dense and
everywhere; natural The most circuitous
Length of route limited by natural The most direct
obstacles impose route, where it exists
obstacles
significant detours
transport, this is generally carried out by tanker until the construction of the world’s first
trucks with a capacity of 20 tonnes or even less in distillation unit in Boston in 1863. Its purpose
certain regions. was to produce lamp oil, the only petroleum
product consumed at the time. Then the car was
invented, sparking a rapid expansion in
2.3.2 Oil refining consumption of petrol and diesel. At the same
time, new techniques such as continuous
Technical background distillation and thermal cracking emerged; these
were followed by thermal reforming and then,
Introduction just before the Second World War, by the
Refining is a vital link in the oil industry. In introduction of catalysis in transformation
fact, absolutely no one consumes crude oil; we processes.
consume refined products only, as used in At present, the principal refining operations
transport, domestic and industrial applications, fall into four categories: a) separation of crude oil
and the petrochemical sector. The refined into various cuts; b) enhancement of the qualities
products most often consumed are gasoline, of certain cuts; c) transformation of heavy cuts
diesel and fuel oil. The fastest-growing refined into lighter cuts (conversion); d ) final preparation
products in terms of consumption are jet fuel and of finished products through blending (Fig. 7).
diesel; consumption of fuel oil is declining. Refineries comprise a number of distinct
Worldwide consumption of refined products, parts: a) the processing plant proper, where the
refinery fuel included, is currently in excess of crude is separated into cuts, certain cuts are
3.6 billion tonnes per year, or 80 million barrels enhanced and heavy cuts are converted into
per day. According to International Energy lighter ones; b) utility works, i.e. facilities
Agency figures, annual consumption in 1973 was producing the energy (fuel, electricity, steam,
a mere 2.75 billion tonnes. etc.) needed for refining processes; c) tank farms;
The purpose of refining is to transform the d ) reception and dispatching facilities, and
various kinds of crude oils into finished products blending units.
that meet certain precise specifications (Fig. 6).
For the present purposes, we shall not examine Processing facilities
upgrader plants, whose job is not to create finished Every crude oil on the market is unique,
products, but rather to transform ultra-heavy crude depending on the deposit it comes from. The most
into so-called synthetic crudes using conversion common crudes have a density of between
units. The resulting synthetic crude is of much 0.8 g/cm3, i.e. around 45°API, and 1.0 g/cm3, i.e.
higher quality and is therefore easier to market. 10°API (the API, or American Petroleum Institute
Venezuela has a few plants of this type. degree, is the standard unit of measurement of
Oil refining, i.e. the transformation of crude crude density). Light crudes yield higher
into end products, used to be a perfectly quantities of light products (motor fuels) while
straightforward affair: a simple distillation heavy crudes yield heavier fractions like heavy
process was enough to separate out useful fuel oil.
fractions such as lubricants. The modern Atmospheric distillation or topping separates
refining industry did not really come into being the crude into different cuts ranging from lighter
96 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
fractions through to petrol, kerosene cuts, diesel is Fluid Catalytic Cracking, FCC);
cuts and finally atmospheric residue. In the hydrocracking, where a vacuum-distilled
condition yielded by distillation, these cuts cannot charge is treated by high-pressure hydrogen in
generally be used without further processing. one or more catalysts.
Atmospheric residue, for example, is generally The refining sequence to be used largely
reprocessed in a vacuum-fractioning tower to depends on the kind of crude being processed and
separate a light fraction (vacuum distillate) and a on market requirements in terms of finished
heavy fraction (vacuum residue). The vacuum products (volume and quality). As an example,
distillate can then be used as feedstock for the FCC cracking is better suited for yielding
production of lighter cuts by processes such as gasoline bases, while hydrocracking is ideal for
catalytic cracking, while the vacuum residue can producing high-quality diesel and, in some cases,
be used as the base for making bitumen or fuel jet fuel.
oil. Similarly, since the octane rating of the heavy
gasoline produced by this phase of refining is too Utilities, storage, blending and dispatch
low for it to be used as the base for motor Utilities such as fuel, electricity, steam,
gasoline, it is further processed in a compressed air and cooling water are largely
catalytic-reforming unit. Another process also produced within the refinery. In many cases,
designed to increase the octane rating (of however, refineries have to import part of their
high-gravity gasoline) is isomerization. electricity needs from the grid.
Additional processing is increasingly End products are obtained by blending the
required nowadays to eliminate the sulphur intermediate and semi-finished products (which
content from refined products. Fuels now have are also called bases) proceeding directly from
to comply with extremely strict regulations on the refining units. Blends are calibrated to meet
sulphur content (in Europe, 50 ppm of sulphur the specifications and requirements of
for petrol and diesel as from 2005; in the US, commercial products.
30 ppm for the same products as from 2006). Storage areas occupy significant amounts of
Most cuts are therefore processed in space: some tanks can hold over 100,000 m3 of
hydrodesulphuration units. oil. The tanks used for storing end products are
Most modern refineries also include smaller. Refineries must also be equipped with
conversion units, in which heavy hydrocarbon facilities for discharging crude oil and
molecules are cracked to yield lighter dispatching products.
molecules. We can distinguish between various
types of cracking: thermal cracking (viscosity Types of refinery
breaking or vacuum residue coking); catalytic Refineries can be classed into three
cracking (of which the most common process categories, depending on their sophistication:
• Topping or hydroskimming refineries, which
essentially comprise atmospheric fractioning
towers as well as, in most cases, a catalytic
reforming unit and hydrodesulphuration units
quality
for middle distillates.
• So-called complex refineries, which are also
equipped with conversion units ranging in
improvement
nature from catalytic cracking (FCC) to
conversion hydrocracking and visbreaking (Fig. 8).
• So-called ultra-complex refineries, which also
separation
feature standard and deep conversion
light installations capable of directly processing
blending residues to yield value-realizable products
(light refined products, gas, electricity and so
heavy
on). Ultra-complex refineries are still fairly
rare, unless we include simple coking
processes in this category. A number of
ultra-complex refineries are to be found in the
US, where they are specially designed for
Fig. 7. Refining principles. processing heavy crudes.
Fig. 8. Refining
gas
scheme-conversion. C3 LPG
HCO⫽Heavy Cycle Oil; C4 LPG
atmospheric distillation
reformer gasoline
heavy
naphtha 1 Mt/y naphtha
gasoline
jet fuel
gas oil
iC4
8 Mt/y
diesel oil/
HDS
3,5 Mt/y
fuel oil
visbreaking (20%)
vacuum residue
1,5 Mt/y
98 ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF HYDROCARBONS
ANALYSIS OF COST STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS IN OIL TRANSPORT AND REFINING
11
Eastern Europe
11 Western and other former
Europe Soviet countries 1,002
North America
484 627
275
357 75
335 18
Africa and Asia
14 Middle East
South and
Central America
capacity in Mt/y (at 01/2004)
simple refinery, the configuration of the refinery catalyst is continuously removed from the unit
has an important impact on investment. For and new catalyst introduced. Total catalyst costs
example, autonomy of electrical energy (bought can come to several dollars per tonne of crude
from the grid or produced locally) and the size of processed.
the tank farm, as well as the size of the loading To highlight immobilization costs, we can
and discharging areas and the methods employed, look at a typical European refinery that processes
all affect costs. In certain cases, the refinery can crude from the Middle East. It takes some 40 days
be designed to handle special crudes such as sour to transport the crude to the refinery; before it is
crude, and this significantly increases reactor processed, the crude is stored for several weeks to
costs. allow impurities to settle out and to ensure
sufficient reserves for avoiding stock outages and
Breakdown of costs meeting legal requirements on emergency stocks.
Costs are traditionally broken down into: Processing is rapid, but the end products then
variable costs, which are directly proportional to spend a further few weeks in storage. In all,
the amount of crude processed; fixed outlay costs, weeks or even months elapse between the
which are process-independent; capital costs. purchase of the crude and the sale of the products
Variable costs. These include the price of it yields. In the meantime, the cost of the crude,
chemicals and catalysts, and the financial already paid for but with no value realized on it,
expenses associated with the immobilization of has to be covered: by a loan, for example.
crude and products during production and Immobilization costs can therefore be over two
storage. dollars per tonne of crude processed.
Chemical products have accounted for limited Fixed outlay costs. These costs include
variable costs since the virtual disappearance of personnel and maintenance costs, insurance,
tetraethyl lead, formerly used as a fuel additive. charges and general expenses, all of which are
However, other additives are increasingly largely unaffected by the quantities refined.
incorporated into refined products to improve Personnel costs are the same whether or not the
their properties (but this does not always take refinery is working to full capacity. The number of
place at refinery level). employees in a refinery varies enormously. A
Catalysts are used in many refinery processes simple refinery will employ a minimum of 200 to
such as reforming, cracking, isomerization, 250 people. However, personnel numbers depend
alkylation and hydrodesulphuration. The much more on the complexity of the refinery than
catalysts used in reforming contain precious on its size. A large, fairly complex refinery in
metals, and their price can reach several hundred Europe can employ up to 1,000 people. Other
dollars per kilogramme or even higher. The factors can also lead to increased personnel needs,
catalyst is then regenerated (continuously, in such as the presence of several small units in the
modern units), and at the end of the process same refinery or an extensive social services
cycle the precious metals are recovered and infrastructure (as in the refineries of the former
re-used. In catalytic cracking, however, the spent USSR).
Process units
230 360 360
(excl. cracking)
Cracking complex
– 375 375
(FCC, Alkyl., visbreak.)
To reach break-even point, gross margin must A better margin does not necessarily mean
cover total processing costs; to put it another way, greater profitability, as the costs for a complex
net margin must cover fixed costs, i.e. all outlay refinery are higher than those for a simple
costs and capital costs. The result is thus equal to refinery. In reality, the margins obtained are
net margin minus fixed costs. sometimes considerably higher than the published
We should note that the value realized on margins. There are a number of reasons for this.
products takes into account the net (i.e. sold) The published margins refer to the principal
output of the refinery, that is, after deduction of products only (such as motor fuels and fuel oil)
internal consumption of refinery gas and fuel oil but not to specialist products (oils, bitumens,
for the utilities. This consumption is not LPG, petrochemicals and so on), which are often
insignificant: in a refinery equipped with a a more lucrative activity. For example, stock oils,
conventional conversion plant, it represents some which are obtained via increasingly complex
5-6% of the crude processed. For the present refining processes, and even in some cases
purposes, although it is classified as a variable finished oils, generally offer attractive returns.
cost, we shall not include this consumption in Some refineries play this situation to their
processing costs as compared against margins. advantage by producing for niche markets.
Typical margins for typical refineries, known Similarly, a refinery that is part of a
as margin indicators, are published by oil petrochemical complex is better positioned to
companies and trade journals. In Europe, margin realize value on certain cuts (naphtha, etc.) and
indicators typically refer to an imaginary refinery benefit from lower raw-material rates.
located in Rotterdam and operating in a highly More generally, prices (even prices of the
competitive environment. major products) are often higher than those
It is also possible to calculate a per-unit applied in margin-indicator calculations where the
margin, equal to the difference between the value refinery has a favourable geographic location: a
of the products yielded by the unit and the value refinery located inland, and moreover in an
of the feedstock. Unlike finished products, oil-importing region, will sell its products at
feedstock and intermediate products do not yet prices higher than those given by the international
have any market value. We can however evaluate indices (Rotterdam, US Gulf, Singapore, etc.).
the prices of these feedstocks and intermediary
products on the basis of their potential uses; to do Changes in margins
so, we use an opportunity cost, i.e. the price that Until the mid-1970s, margins had remained at
the feedstock or product would command if put to levels that were broadly satisfactory for the
an alternative use. industry. Increasing consumption of refined
Per-unit margins are of great interest to products ensured margins that were capable of
refiners as they indicate which units are covering long-run marginal costs, including the
profitable, which have to work at maximum recovery of invested capital and the returns
capacity and which should work at a slower rate. generated. The principal concern of the oil
These economic imperatives are frequently companies (and of many governments) was how
unworkable owing to technical constraints, to satisfy demand. In the larger European
however. countries, this meant building one new refinery,
or installing the equivalent new capacity, every
Factors that influence margins year.
The gross margin obtained by a refinery Over the decade as a whole, prices for a
essentially depends on its degree of complexity. A typical refinery remained at an average of $2 per
refinery equipped with cracking units for barrel. Taking into account monetary erosion, this
high-octane gasoline bases produces lighter figure would be about $7 per barrel in today’s
products (fuels) that meet extremely strict money.
specifications and have a higher market value. At the turn of the decade, though, the situation
Furthermore, a sophisticated refinery can changed drastically and margins fell right across
more readily process heavy or sulphur-rich the board. Increases in crude prices in 1973 (as a
crudes, putting its conversion plant to maximum result of the Yom Kippur war) and in 1979-80
use. These crudes offer price differentials that are (with the Iranian revolution) caused consumption
often substantial in relation to lighter, low-sulphur to level out and then to decrease. The enormous
crudes, and with higher oil prices, price surpluses of fuel oil caused by a decline in
differentials widen further. demand and the lack of conversion capacity had
the effect of widening the gap between fuel-oil products taken as a whole was growing very
prices, which were already very low, and those of slowly (1-2% per year) during this period; on the
light products. other hand, refinery capacity-utilization rates,
At the same time, refining capacity began to always a key factor for margin trends, were low,
far outstrip supply, especially in Europe and the although they were improving towards the end
US. This overcapacity had two consequences: of the decade.
since marginal processing costs per barrel were While capacity was significantly reduced in
very low, more and more refiners began to most regions (with the notable exception of the
process more crude, and therefore to add to the former USSR, which on the very eve of its
surplus of products (a short-term gain with long- demise and the ensuing collapse in demand
term consequences). The ultimate result was a fall found itself with a gigantic overcapacity
in margins. problem that, even today, has not yet been fully
As total refinery costs had to be spread across absorbed), the mismatch between the supply
quantities of products far in excess of the optimal structure of the refineries and the demand
volumes owing to overcapacity, unit costs grew structure of the economy persisted for years. In
significantly. their efforts to reduce fuel oil surpluses
This ‘scissor effect’, in conjunction with associated with the lack of conversion capacity,
stagnation in consumption in the 1980-85 period, some refiners found themselves forced to cut
made itself felt in the form of low profitability, back on their output.
which forced refiners to reduce their capacity. In Here, it is worth noting an aggravating factor
the US, this reduction occurred rapidly and to a in times of overcapacity: real refining capacity is
relatively limited extent; however, with the often higher than the published or stated capacity.
restructuring of the refining industry, many There are several reasons for this:
smaller, independent refineries closed down. In • Some indicators underestimate real capacity,
Europe it came later but with far more drastic and some countries only take into account
effect: of 150 refineries, some 50 had to close distillation capacity necessary for supplying
down. Also, many of the refineries that survived cracking units. In the former USSR, the real
saw their distillation capacity slashed as a result capacity of most of these units was well above
of the closure of older plants; there was even, in the design capacity.
some cases, the conversion of distillation plants • Mothballed capacity can be quickly
into visbreaking units. In Japan, restructuring was reactivated.
more limited in scope as the country was a major • Major progress has been made in addressing
importer of products (primarily from Singapore stoppage times for maintenance work.
and the Persian Gulf) and had no excess capacity Intervals between stoppages have stretched
problems. from every two or three years to every five
This drive to reduce capacity came to an end years; this means a refinery can now operate
around 1985, at the time of the oil crisis (OPEC more than 95% of the time.
production quota policy and crude oil prices • The phenomenon known as ‘capacity creep’:
based on netback agreements). The sharp drop the tendency to step up capacity from initial
in crude oil prices that resulted from this policy design capacity caused by limited investments
relaunched product consumption, which was by refiners in certain units
also stimulated by new demand from emerging (‘de-bottlenecking’) that have not yet been
economies. The fall in the value of the dollar in factored into estimates.
the same period was another contributing So far this decade, the situation has changed
factor. from one year to another: the significant rise in
The situation by this time was the reverse of margins in 2000 was followed by a decrease in
the 1970s crisis. Margins increased until the end 2001, which became more accentuated in 2002, to
of the 1980s, reaching levels that, for the first be followed by a net improvement with high
time in a decade, were entirely satisfactory to margins since 2003.
operators. The reason for this rise in margins is the
Margins remained moderate throughout the significant increase in world demand, driven
1990s at no more than a few dollars per barrel – mainly by the US and by such emerging
far lower than total costs for a new refinery. economies as China. This rise in demand is also
There were a number of reasons for this: on the the cause of the extremely high
one hand, world consumption of refined capacity-utilization rate of refineries in many
$/bbl
4
regions. It is no longer any exaggeration to Moreover, major oil consumers such as the US
speak of saturation in the refining sector, and Europe (Figs. 10 and 11) are becoming
especially in conversion units, with the United increasingly dependent on imports for supplying
States worst affected. Worldwide refining their oil-product demands (Japan has always been
capacity, not including the persistent a major importer).
overcapacity in the former USSR (which is
currently on the order of 3 million barrels per Margins according to region
day), can be estimated at a little less than 81 Margins vary greatly from one region to
million barrels per day. According to the another in the United States, but in general they
International Energy Agency, global production are still much higher than in Europe. The lowest
of crude oil and liquid natural gas reached a margins are those obtained by complex FCC-type
similar level in 2004, at slightly over 81 million refineries in the Gulf of Mexico region. This is a
barrels per day (a uneasy equilibrium that is the highly competitive, import-intensive region where
perfect illustration of the tension that grips margins are affected by refined products arriving
today’s oil market). principally from Europe and South America.
$/bbl Rotterdam-Brent-cracking
7 Rotterdam-Brent-hydroskimming
5
3
1
⫺1
$/bbl
⫺3
8 US Gulf-LLS-cracking 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04
6
4
2 $/bbl
Singapore-Dubai-hydrocracking
0 7
Singapore-Tapis-hydroskimming
⫺2 5
⫺4 3
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 1
⫺1
⫺3
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04
Fig. 11. Development of net refining margins. In the legends: refining centre, crude type, refinery type.
LLS⫽Light Louisiana Sweet.
Margins are much higher in the Midwest and even swept the region at this time and the simultaneous
more so in California, due partly to the better introduction of new and significant refining
balance between supply and demand and partly to capacity.
higher prices for products. Californian motor fuel In Europe, the margins of a typical complex
specifications (the California Air Resources refinery located in Rotterdam remained extremely
Board, CARB, regulations) are more stringent low throughout the 1990s (on the order of 1 or $2
than federal requirements, and this situation is per barrel) but recovered early this decade.
reflected in prices. In refining regions like the
Gulf of Mexico and California, where many
refineries are equipped to handle heavier crude Bibliography
oils, refiners can enjoy particularly high margins
when the price differential between heavy and Favennec J.-P. (sous la coordination de) (1998) Exploitation
light crudes widens significantly. This has been et gestion de la raffinerie, in: Le raffinage du pétrole,
Paris, Technip, 1994-1999, 5v.; v.V.
the case since 2003.
Masseron J. (1991) L’économie des hydrocarbures, Paris,
In Asia, the situation was favourable until Technip.
mid-1997. Margins often reached 3 or $4 per
barrel due to heavy demand and protectionist Olivier Appert
measures in certain markets. Serious shortages in Jean-Pierre Favennec
refining capacity made Asia a major importer, Centre for Economics and Management
mainly from the Middle East. Margins collapsed IFP School
in 1997 as a result of the economic crisis that Rueil-Malmaison, France