Step 1: Beta oxidation breaks a fatty acid chain down two carbons at a time.
Step 2: Each turn of the cycle oxidises the beta carbon and cleaves the bond between the alpha and beta carbons, releasing one acetyl-CoA unit, which contains two carbons.
Step 3: The shortened fatty acid chain then re-enters the cycle for another round, repeating until the whole chain is converted into acetyl-CoA units.