Why U.S. Refineries Can Handle Shale Oil Despite The Persistent Myth

You may have heard the myth that U.S. refineries cannot process the light, sweet crude produced by the American shale boom. The claim confuses technical capability with economic reality.

Here’s the truth, according to chemical engineer Robert Rapier writing for Forbes. American refineries process the light crude produced domestically every day. But U.S. refineries are the most sophisticated in the world and have equipment and processes designed for heavier crude, which is more difficult to refine. That’s because most of these refineries were built before shale oil was available. The technical capabilities of U.S. refiners enable U.S. companies to export the lighter, easier to refine crude while importing the cheaper, more complex heavy crude.

In other words, running lighter crude through these refineries is an economic issue, not a technical one.

It’s a good reminder that the energy value chain is an intricate global network with many considerations, including infrastructure, technical expertise, and economics.