Oil refining
Oil refining is the name for a number of processes from chemical engineering, which transform crude oil into useful products such as different fuel oils, Liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, kerosene or diesel oil. These transformation occur in plants called petroleum refineries. The transformations are done in many steps. The refineries are large industrial complexes, that have many different sub-units, and facilities. Each refinery has its own unique arrangement and combination of refining processes. The exact setup of the refinery is largely determined by the its location, desired products and economic considerations.
Modern petroleum refineries process as much as 800,000 to 900,000 barrels (127,000 to 143,000 cubic meters) per day of crude oil.
Oil Refining Media
Anacortes Refinery, on the north end of March Point southeast of Anacortes, Washington, United States
Jamnagar Refinery, the world's largest oil refinery, in Gujarat, India
Baton Rouge Refinery (the fifth-largest in the United States)
Refinery, Bayport Industrial Complex, Harris County, Texas
The oil refinery in Haifa, Israel, is capable of processing about 9 million tons (66 million barrels) of crude oil a year. Its two cooling towers are landmarks of the city's skyline.
Crude oil is separated into fractions by fractional distillation. The fractions at the top of the fractionating column have lower boiling points than the fractions at the bottom. The heavy bottom fractions are often cracked into lighter, more useful products. All of the fractions are processed further in other refining units.
A breakdown of the products made from a typical barrel of US oil
Storage tanks and towers at Shell Puget Sound Refinery (Shell Oil Company), Anacortes, Washington
