"Fun Fact" the quality of straight-run (or distilled) gasoline (naphtha) is too low for a modern gasoline powered car engine.

The next step in oil refining is called the reforming process

In the refining process a following step is called gasoline reforming processes. Gasoline, or petrol, is a mixture of hydrocarbons in the boiling range of 30 – 210 °C. The demand for gasoline however is much larger than the availability of gasoline naturally occurring in an average crude oil. Moreover, the quality of straight-run (or distilled) gasoline (naphtha) is too low for a modern gasoline powered car engine.

The reforming processes produce a higher quality gasoline product

Due to the low octane of straight-run gasoline, or naphtha, many processes are involved at the refinery to produce more and/or produce better gasoline components. In the previous April article the cracking processes have been discussed, of which the catalytic cracker in particular is an important supplier of gasoline components (known as: cat.cracked spirits).

Various gasoline reforming processes are available to a refinery

However, chemical processing of the low quality (or: octane) gasoline components is also essential and for this the refinery has the option to apply a number of gasoline reforming processes. The most important gasoline reforming processes are: naphtha isomerisation, naphtha catalytic reforming (or: platforming), LPG alkylation and also polymerisation.