[thackney]

Heavy crude processing refineries are needed near the sources to do a rough breakdown so that sweet crude and heavy crude are separated.

Are you confusing an upgrader plant like what is used in conjunction with oil sands development with a refinery?

There is no reason to separate sulfur from crude away from the market for sulfur. It only makes another product to handle and transport to the same industrial market.

Heavy/light is a completely different topic than sweet/sour. There are plenty of light, sour crudes and there are heavy sweet crudes.

Heavy crudes are not separated to make make light crudes. Initial distillation of any crude produces multiple products.

Heavy versus light only produces the same products in different ratios. Heavier products get more processing to more closely match product demand.

In addition, there are other pre-distillation process that go on like a de-salter. There is little advantage to adding additional upstream processing beside oil/natural gas/water separation.

Each type has a different consumer/usage and value, and needs to go to different locations more efficiently. Road and roof tar have a different distribution system than gasoline and vehicle oils.

Those distribution networks and industrial customers are already in place around our existing refineries. Why would we want to move processing away from them.

That would keep our wealth here, that could be taxed for alternative fuel development.

What? Moving refining capabilities from the West Coast to Alaska doesn't make any domestic change. And since most of our oil is imported, what you suggest would move more jobs overseas instead of keeping them domestic. Most of our imports are heavy crude and we have no problem continuing to build and operate hydrotreaters for sulfur removal.

[gandalftb]

Good points, thanks for the links.

My discussion is more basic, we need independent domestic oil production that is fully linked to its own refineries.

When we buy refined and cracked end products from foreign sources we are dependent on their crude and their distilled products and their pricing.

We need to be self contained and have a national energy policy that does so.

You and I can tear this down to a technical discussion/solution with all the facts at hand that devolves into tactics.

America's problem is new strategic analysis that creates a political solution and the willpower to act.

BTW I was in the Anadarko basin in 1982, with Du Pont, and the sweet crude, although limited, was so much easier and less corrosive to pump and pipe. Sulphur is a big problem and the industrial demand is way less than what is produced by sour crude.

Separating out sulphur cheaply is the key to profitable hydrocarbon (of any kind) production.