An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful products such as petroleum naphtha, gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas. Oil refineries are typically large, sprawling industrial complexes with extensive piping running throughout, carrying streams of fluids between large chemical processing units. In many ways, oil refineries use much of the technology of, and can be thought of, as types of chemical plants. The crude oil feedstock has typically been processed by an oil production plant. There is usually an oil depot (tank farm) at or near an oil refinery for storage of bulk liquid products.
An oil refinery is considered an essential part of the downstream side of the petroleum industry.
Read more about Oil Refinery: Operation, Major Products, Common Process Units Found in A Refinery, Specialty End Products, Siting/locating of Petroleum Refineries, Safety and Environmental Concerns, Corrosion Problems and Prevention, History
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—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)