Petroleum refining has been around since the 1850s, when a single pot batch distillation was first done to produce kerosene as the major product, and since then it has evolved in many ways into an integrated, complex process that we use today to produce a vast amount of products and fuels. During its existence, petroleum refining has been influenced by many historical events that the world has seen. One of these historical events that greatly influenced petroleum refining, is the Second World War
In the late thirties, new catalytic technologies were being investigated by scientists in the US and around the world. When World War II came around in the forties, countries and scientists were put under intense pressure to make strides in the advancement of petroleum refining, thus providing the stimulus needed to urgently develop catalytic technologies. This catalytic age took place from 1940 to 1970 and was thoroughly fueled by World War II. The historical timeline of petroleum refining shows a clear influx of process development during the age of World War II.
The catalytic refinery of the 1940s largely resembles that of which we use today, in that the goal is to produce high yields of gasoline. This age saw the introduction of catalytic cracking, reforming, alkylation, and polymerization, all of which have contributed to revolutionizing the production of high octane number gasoline. These revolutions largely contributed to the war effort as well. The Catalytic refinery also saw the development of hydrotreatment, which was essential to protect the platinum catalysts used in reforming.
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