De-asphalted oil is the primary product of the solvent de-asphalting process. Refineries use light hydrocarbon solvents like propane or butane to extract this oil from the heavy residue left at the bottom of a vacuum distillation column. The resulting DAO serves as a premium feedstock for fluid catalytic cracking or hydrocracking units to produce lighter fuels.
Heard on the job
Send the DAO straight to the hydrocracker to maximize our diesel yield.
Also heard as
- de-asphalted oil
Related terms
Cracking
A refining process that breaks large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more valuable ones.
Asphaltane
The heavy, solid polyaromatic compounds left over after crude oil distillation.
Distillation
The primary refinery process that separates crude oil into different hydrocarbon groups by boiling point.