Hello I am Oliver Gamet, TOTAL representative working for Bitumen Supply. This video summarizes the complete bitumen manufacturing process. We will explore what's bitumen for, refinery units to produce it, and bitumen downstream logistic. Bitumen is very different from other products coming from crude oil. It's not a heating or driving fuel designed to be used for less than one second. It's the lonely one being a construction product that is designed to last over ten years. Bitumen is a natural glue. To be efficient it needs to fulfill several adequate ratios Between different chemical families of heavy molecules. The most important ratio is a limited range between the asphaltens, (that are the glue prone molecules) and the aromatics (that dispers asphaltens), aromatics being in majority. Due to the limited ratios between chemical molecules, bitumen can only come from some selected crudes. A rule of the thumb is that only high sulfur crudes can be used for bitumen : The main reason is that sulfur is highly present in the asphaltens and low sulfur crudes contain very few asphaltenes, so it's few sticky. Because bitumen is made of heavy molecules (boiling over 500 Celsius degrees) it's difficult to select, needing a deep fractionation in several stages : Minimum atmospheric and vacuum distillation. All bitumen is produced in a vacuum distillation unit, but some retreated after (in three other units). Crude oil is desalted and heated over 370 Celsius degrees. Side productions are propane, butane, driving fuels like gasoline, kerosene and diesel. It's important to note that crudes selected to produce bitumen put constraints on commercial driving fuels. Sulfur constraint give a strong economical penalty to produce bitumen. Atmospherical column bottom is reheated around 400 Celsius degrees to enter a vacuum column that is a liquid / gas separation. We use a vacuum tower with low, or very low pressure because hydrocarbons began cooking over 400 Celsius degrees whatever the pressure is. But combining 400 Celsius degrees with low or very low pressure gives, without cooking, an equivalent of 515 celsius degrees atmospherical distillation. Vacuum bottom can be a soft or hard bitumen, depending on the crude, VDU temperature, VDU vacuum, and other parameters. Lead come to the three other possible additional units used to produce bitumen. If vacuum bottom is a soft bitumen it can be desasphalted, (removing oil in a liquid, liquid extraction at low temperature but high pressure). With help of propane or butane to produce desasphalted pitch that is a hard bitumen (because of high asphalten content). If vacuum bottom is a soft or intermediate bitumen, it can be blown (by air) in a blowing tower, to reticulate molecules with the help of oxygen, building asphaltene-like molecules. Note that by blowing, hardening effect is quicker on Ring and Ball than on penetration (PI index increase). In the special case of feeding a very soft base, oxidized bitumen for roofing can be obtained, but cannot be used for road application. Marginal of bitumen quantities can come from a vis breaking unit that breaks a percentage of vacuum into lighter molecules, and so reduce vacuum residue quantities. Please note that bitumen classification will be explained later in this MOOC. Keep only in mind that the smaller is the number, harder is the bitumen. After getting soft and hard bitumen, there are two logistical possibilities. First, produce finished bitumen by inline blending. This saves tank then money but is more touchy because blended quality can only be measured three hours later. Second, minimum one tank per quality, and analyze before loading. Less risk but more costly and less flexible. Another fundamental point, bitumen is a very viscous product. Optimal pumpability is got when the viscosity is not higher than 0.2 Pascal point second. Storage temperature has to be in a range from 140 Celsius degrees, (soft bitumen), to 200 (hard bitumen). Keep in mind too, that bitumen can not longer be pumped around 2 Pascal point seconds, and there is only 40 degrees margin between 0.2 and 2 Pascal point seconds. While a standard truck loses 10 to 15 degrees each 24 hours. Meaning that you have to hurry to deliver to customers. Remember bitumen key points. Its a construction product. It a glue of heavy molecules from selected high sulfur crudes. Bitumen key production unit is vacuum distillation unit. Additional units can be blown units, desasphalting units and visbreaking. Bitumen has to be stored at a high temperature, allowing him to be under 0.2 Pascal point seconds. Thank you for your attention.