TORRANCE REFINERY

Welcome to the Torrance Refinery!In 1929 the Torrance Refinery wasbuilt by Scottish sea captain JohnBarneson, who had a vision of fuelingships in the Los Angeles harbor withrecently discovered crude oil fromCalifornia’s San Joaquin Valley. In thebeginning, the refinery processed30,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

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Today, the Torrance refinery processes an average of 155,000 barrels ofcrude oil per day, producing the highest quality gasoline, jet fuel and otherproducts to keep California and the West “on the move.”

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More than 70 percent of each barrel of crude oil is refined intosome of the cleanest gasoline in the world. Other products of theTorrance refining process include jet fuel, diesel fuel, and fuels likethose used in gas barbecues.

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Most of Torrance refinery’s crude comes from California’s San JoaquinValley. Crude oil is a fossil fuel, meaning that it was made naturally fromdecaying plants and animals living in ancient seas millions of years ago.Crude oil is a thick, black material that looks like molasses. Can you getthe oil from the sea bed to the production unit?

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In addition to making gasoline for cars, oil is used to make otherproducts that we use everyday. See if you can count all of the thingswe use that are made from oil!

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SAFETY FIRST!Refinery workers protecttheir hands from injury bywearing safety gloves.

Clothing worn byrefinery employeesis specially madefor refinery work!

Hard hats are worn toprotect the head againstpossible falling objects.

Thick, sturdy steel-toed bootsare worn to protect the feetagainst heavy objects.

Hearing protection isused to protect workersfrom loud levels of noise.

Safety glasses are wornto protect the eyes againstflying dust and debris.

The Torrance Refinery’s number one priority is the safety and healthof our employees. See if you can match the safety equipment wornby our employees to the correct part of the refinery worker!

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ExxonMobil works hard to ensure we meet strict California environmentalrules. Meeting environmental requirements helps ensure the refinery pro-duces the cleanest gasoline in the world. Vehicles using clean gasolineproduce less pollution and help decrease the amount of smog in the LosAngeles area. How many cars do you count on the freeway?

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Towers: Refining begins by runningcrude oil through a distillation tower.Intense heat isused to separate(or “distill”) crudeoil into differentproducts.

Hydrotreater: Products from thetowers are sent to vessels calledhydrotreaters, or large washingmachines, where they are cleaned.A hydrotreated fuel causes lesspollution when it is used.

Vessels: Variousshaped vessels areused to help break(or “crack”) heavymolecules intolighter ones andconvert materialsinto products.

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Spheres: Round containersare used to store petroleumgas products.

Exchangers: Exchangers helpheat and cool products in theprocess by “exchanging” energy.

Tanks: Tanks store materialsused in the refining process aswell as the products made.

Pipes: Piping connects the whole refinery together so that materials canbe moved from one process to another.

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Many pieces of equipmentare used to run a refinery!

Water is used in heatexchangers to cool products.Hot water from the refineryis cooled in a “cooling tower”and recycled for reuse.Water vapors coming out ofthe cooling tower sometimesform “clouds” above therefinery. The first cloud isdrawn for you. Can you drawmore clouds?

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F E R D Y D H E T F A L R E

Safety flares are animportant part of therefining process.Excess materials fromthe refining processare sent to the flares,where they are burnedoff. This process helpsto minimize emissionsinto the air.

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Answer:Freddy the Flare

Products made at the Torrance Refinery are tested in our laboratoryto ensure that they meet high quality standards. We work hard tomake sure our products are clean and pure!

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Open House gives our neighbors an opportunity to visit therefinery and learn about our operations. This community eventincludes a day of fun and education focusing on refinery safetyefforts and operations.

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ExxonMobil supports our community’s youth, recognizing that today’syouth are tomorrow’s leaders! The ExxonMobil Green Team is a summeremployment program for Torrance high school students.This programallows students to work at offices in the City of Torrance or the TorranceUnified School District, learning valuable skills throughout the summer!Maybe someday you’d like to be a Green Team student!

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The ExxonMobil Pegasus Award program gives money to Torranceschool teachers to use in their classrooms. Teachers receive moneyto bring students on field trips, plant gardens, build special learninglaboratories and other creative projects. Has your teacher won aPegasus Award for your classroom?

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The Torrance Refinery has a talented team of employees who workhard to be the best at everything we do!

Engineer

MechanicChemist

FirePerson

Operator

Doctor

Manager

ComputerTechnician

Electrician

Lawyer

Accountant

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Thank you for learning about ExxonMobil’s Torrance Refinery! If you oryour parents have questions about the refinery, we encourage you tovisit the Torrance Refinery Internet site at www.torrancerefinery.com

www.torrancerefinery.com

TORRANCE REFINERYwww.torrancerefinery.com