Final answer:
The refining process undertaken by corporations like Valero Energy involves separating, converting, and treating crude oil to create usable petroleum products. Fractional distillation, cracking, and reforming are key steps in this process.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a manufacturer like Valero Energy refines crude oil, that corporation is using a refining process. This is because the process involves separation, conversion, and treatment to transform crude oil into usable products. During refinement, crude oil is subjected to fractional distillation where it is heated and its components are separated based on their boiling points. Some of these components are converted into different products through various chemical processes such as cracking and reforming. For instance, cracking breaks down larger hydrocarbon chains into smaller ones, while reforming converts straight-chain alkanes into branched-chain alkanes or aromatic hydrocarbons. All these processes are integral to producing petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.