How is bitumen cracked in an oil refinery?

please could you describe how bitumen is cracked in an oil refinery (on a large scale)How is bitumen cracked in an oil refinery?
There are several ways of cracking long chained hydrocarbons, Cat cracking using catalyst and relatively low temp and pressure.


hydrogen cracking heat and high pressure in presence of hydrogem


Pyrollysis using higher temp and pressures.


steam reforming


All of them have advantages depending on relative proportion of feedstock and downstrean products required.


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While a wide range of technologies are used to upgrade bitumen, in


general the process consists of cracking bitumen under heat and


pressure in the presence of catalysts to break up the long chain


molecules into much smaller molecules. Excess carbon is then either


extracted from the bitumen or is combined with added hydrogen in order to produce lighter hydrocarbons.


Upgrading typically produces very light hydro-carbons known as ';off-


gases';. Off gasses can be used as fuel in an upgrader, or if there is


sufficient quantity and economic value, some off gases can be


processed and marketed separately as fuel or feedstock for petrochemical plants.


Sourde of above quote


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