The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its annual Refinery Capacity Report said that US atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity rose 0.9% in 2019 to a new record high of 19.0 million bpcd (barrels per calendar day). The capacity is 0.2 million bpcd higher than the prior record of 18.8 million bpcd in 2018. EIA noted that US operable CDU capacity has risen, albeit slightly, in seven of the last eight years.
According to EIA, calendar-day capacity reflects the operator’s estimate of the input that a CDU can process within 24 hours under normal operating conditions, with consideration on planned and unplanned maintenance. This is different from stream-day capacity, which measures a CDU’s maximum input in 24 hours at full capacity under normal operations with no downtime. EIA said that stream-day capacity is approximately 6% above the calendar-day capacity.
The average API gravity of crude processed by US refiners increased in 2019 as they took more inputs of domestically produced crude grades, which are typically lighter than imported ones. Imported crude accounted for only 28% of total oil processed by USGC refineries last year, compared to 69% in 2010. As a result, the output of products derived from lighter crude oil such as jet fuel, gasoline, and distillate increased slightly. These products usually have higher refining margins, EIA said.
