AGE Refining, Inc.
7811 South Presa San Antonio, TX 78223
phone:		210/532-5300
fax:		210/532-7222

Refining Basics

When you visit the San Antonio refinery, the first things you notice are the tall distillation towers that are characteristic of petroleum refineries, and key to what we do here. Distillation is the primary method used to refine petroleum - when the heated crude oil is fed into the lower part of a tower, the lighter oil portions, or fractions, vaporize. Losing temperature as they rise, they condense into liquids, which flow downward into the higher temperatures and are revaporized. This process continues until the various fractions have achieved the appropriate degrees of purity. The lighter fractions, like butane, gasoline, and kerosene, are tapped off from the top; heavier fractions, like fuel and diesel oils, are taken from below.

AGE Refining's Key Features

As AGE is a small refinery, we have the advantage of being able to change production runs at anytime. This agility allows us to swing production at the refinery almost as quickly as the market, which means we can maintain year round production while providing efficient and timely service to our customers.

AGE Refining has two processing facilities at our South Presa location: a 13,500 BPCD low-sulfur crude unit, a 1,200 BPD catalytic reformer, and a 1,500 BPD Solvent Distillation Unit. The individual units function as a whole and are all operated from a central crude room.

• Crude Unit - The crude unit is currently permitted to operate at 13,500 BPCD, with an average through-put of 13,500 BPD. The unit was designed to process Sweet South Texas condensate or a blend of South Texas Condensate and South Texas Light Sweet crude with a gravity of 40 - 53 APT and sulfur of less than .05 % wt.
  
  
• Solvent Distillation Unit - The Solvent Distillation Unit has five fractionating towers, which produce specialty fuels and solvents. The fractionators operate in a series fashion which allows close quality control these specialty cuts, as well as, customization of these solvent products.
  
  
• Main Office - Key members of our leadership team, engineering group, administrative and marketing personnel are all based out of this 4,000 sq. ft. main office.
  
  
• Lab - Our state-of-the-art laboratory is where our chief chemist tests all feedstock and finished streams to be sure they meet specifications for both the government and consumer products.
  
  
• Storage - The storage and distribution system of the refinery includes a tank farm of 162 tanks ranging in capacity from 40 to 10,000 barrels, two additive blend systems, a tank car loading facility and two transport loading systems.
  
  
• Elmendorf tank farm - Total capacity of the Elmendorf tank farm is 208,000 barrels, given AGE the ability to control both product and crude inventory, as well as blending operations.
  
  
• Rail facilities - The San Antonio refinery has full rail access and loading capabilities for product distribution and crude receiving. In fact, the majority of our specialty jet fuels are shipped via rail car to destinations throughout the United States.
  
  
• Drum warehouse - The refinery includes a drum warehouse for our drumming operations, scales and loading facilities. These are used for filling short term storage and production drums.
  
  
• General purpose warehouse - This 15,000 square foot building is used as a general warehouse, a truck shop, an employee recreation area and as general offices for our dispatch group. The warehouse facilities can easily accommodate pallets containing 55-gallon drums stacked three-high.