Sub-Product

FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracking) gasoline is a primary product of the FCC unit in a refinery. It is a refined petroleum product produced through the cracking of heavy hydrocarbons from crude oil using a catalyst. The FCC process involves breaking down large molecules into smaller ones, resulting in a gasoline blendstock with properties suitable for finished gasoline.

The attached image illustrates the results of hydrocarbon cracking in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU). The FCCU cracks multiple bonds within gas oil molecules containing many carbon atoms and thereby produces a variety of smaller molecules containing fewer carbon atoms. Some of these smaller molecules in the example shown are a 6-carbon and a 10-carbon molecule that belongs to the cat naphtha intermediate product group^[2].

Characteristics

• Has approximately the properties required for finished gasoline, including octane and vapor pressure
• Typically one of the larger components in the gasoline blend pool
• Can be used as a feedstock for further refining or blending into finished gasoline

Yield and Quality

• FCC gasoline yield can be improved through the use of catalyst separation technologies, such as MagnaCat, which removes older, less active catalysts and increases gasoline production
• The quality of FCC gasoline can be influenced by the severity of the cracking process, with high-severity FCC producing a higher volume of light olefins and aromatics

Comparison to Other Refining Processes

• FCC is particularly valuable in refineries seeking to maximize gasoline production over residual fuel oil
• In contrast, hydrocrackers are better suited for producing diesel fuel and other middle distillates
• Often, refineries will combine FCC with hydrocracking to achieve a balance between gasoline and diesel production.

References

1. Brave Search Summarizer, FCC gasoline.
2. Warren Averill, 2024, Full Conversion Petroleum Refinery Handbook for Operators, Chapter 1, Refinery Overview, Provided by Visual Performance Solutions, Inc.