Fluid catalytic cracking is the name for the process that converts high-boiling hydrocarbons found in crude oil into lighter hydrocarbons that are more useful as gasoline and other products. These units operate continuously for years at a time, and there are hundreds of them around the world. In addition to the high temperature and heat that these reactors use to break down long hydrocarbons, there are catalysts used to help speed up the process. These catalysts are usually strong acids in the form of zeolites, specifically faujasite, which is a mixture of silica and alumina.