petroleum refining: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Aerial view of an oil refinery complex near New Orleans, Louisiana, with storage tanks, industrial structures, and smoke rising from the facility, surrounded by open land.

structures of common hydrocarbon compounds

$Crude-oil fractional distillation column diagram$

Schematic diagram of a fluid catalytic cracking unit.

Unit operations in a hydroskimming refinery. Nonshaded portions show the basic distillation and recovery units that make up a simple topping refinery, which produces petrochemical feedstock and industrial fuels. Shaded portions indicate the units added to make up a hydroskimming facility, which can produce most transportation fuels.

Unit operations in a conversion refinery. Shaded portions indicate units added to a hydroskimming refinery in order to build up a facility that can convert heavier distillates into lighter fuels and coke.

Coryton oil refinery

Esmeraldas: oil refinery

Petroleum refinery at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, with tall stacks and a large gas flare burning bright orange and emitting black smoke against a clear sky.

See All Images →

Topics

blending petroleum refinery sweetening superfractionation desulfurization cracking alkylation reforming conversion refinery catalytic cracking