Is it true that, if we refine 40 gallons of crude oil, we'll get 43 gallons of petroleum products....?

Question

Is it true that, if we refine 40 gallons of crude oil, we'll get 43 gallons of petroleum products....?

Answer 1

Yes, due to expansion of some of the refined products as they are released, you will get around 5% more, in terms of volume.

But, the amount of material in terms of mass (weight) remains the same, since you can't create matter out of nothing.

Answer 2

It is perfectly possible even if the numbers are not exactly correct - if a gallon of heavy crude is cracked to lighter gasoline with minimal losses, the volume of the result will be greater even if the mass is about the same because of the change in density.