Why 42 Gallons Can Become 45
In short: How the U.S. EIA reports refinery output as yield shares, why output volume can exceed crude input, and why crude quality, refinery design and reporting bases keep those shares from being universal.
A 2:15 short film in the series “How Things Work”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”; Royal Society of Chemistry (Chemical Society Reviews), via PubMed Central / US National Library of Medicine, “Fluid catalytic cracking: recent developments on the grand old lady of zeolite catalysis”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Glossary - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Table Definitions, Sources, and Explanatory Notes”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “U.S. Refinery Yield”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum & Other Liquids data series 'Refinery Yield (Percent)', Finished Motor Gasoline, annual; release date 9/30/2026, “Refinery Yield of Finished Motor Gasoline”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum Supply Monthly, October 2022 – Definitions of Petroleum Products and Other Terms (Revised June 2021), “Petroleum Supply Monthly”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Refining crude oil - inputs and outputs - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”; International Energy Agency (IEA), Oil Information database documentation, April 2026 edition, “OilInformation2026edition.Stat.pdf”.
Sources used in this film
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · View →
- Royal Society of Chemistry (Chemical Society Reviews), via PubMed Central / US National Library of Medicine — Fluid catalytic cracking: recent developments on the grand old lady of zeolite catalysis · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Glossary - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Table Definitions, Sources, and Explanatory Notes · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — U.S. Refinery Yield · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum & Other Liquids data series 'Refinery Yield (Percent)', Finished Motor Gasoline, annual; release date 9/30/2026 — Refinery Yield of Finished Motor Gasoline · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum Supply Monthly, October 2022 – Definitions of Petroleum Products and Other Terms (Revised June 2021) — Petroleum Supply Monthly · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Refining crude oil - inputs and outputs - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · View →
- International Energy Agency (IEA), Oil Information database documentation, April 2026 edition — OilInformation2026edition.Stat.pdf · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: www.eia.gov — Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Also: Royal Society of Chemistry (Chemical Society Reviews), via PubMed Central / US National Library of Medicine: Fluid catalytic cracking: recent developments on the grand old lady of zeolite catalysis
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Glossary - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Table Definitions, Sources, and Explanatory Notes
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): U.S. Refinery Yield
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum & Other Liquids data series 'Refinery Yield (Percent)', Finished: Refinery Yield of Finished Motor Gasoline
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Petroleum Supply Monthly, October 2022 – Definitions of Petroleum Products: Petroleum Supply Monthly
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Refining crude oil - inputs and outputs - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Also: International Energy Agency (IEA), Oil Information database documentation, April 2026 edition: OilInformation2026edition.Stat.pdf
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