Cycle oil

In everyday life a light lubricating oil for lubricating bicycles and similar devices may be called cycle oil.

In the petroleum industry cycle oil is an unwanted liquid residue produced when using catalytic cracking to convert heavy hydrocarbon fractions from earlier stages of refining into more valuable lighter products. Catalytic cracking produces petrol (gasoline), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), unsaturated olefin compounds, cracked gas oils, cycle oil, light gases and a solid coke residue. Cycle oil may be processed further to break it down into more useful products; in particular it may be mixed with heavier products and put through the refining process again (recycled).