Oil refineries process crude oil into various chemicals and by-products, including fuels, lubricants, plastics, and other materials. They use a process called fractional distillation to separate the oil into different fractions. Refineries are large industrial complexes with pipelines, machinery, and storage tanks. They are often located near water sources and away from residential areas due to safety and emissions concerns. While refineries can generate pollutants, their products are essential to modern society.
An oil refinery is a facility where crude oil is processed into various chemicals and by-products. These products are used for a multitude of industrial and commercial applications. The most common chemicals produced by refineries are fuels and lubricants such as gasoline, kerosene and motor oil. An oil refinery produces a multitude of other chemicals, including ingredients for plastics and other useful materials. Some byproducts of the petroleum refining process also have industrial applications, such as petroleum coke, which is used in steelmaking.
Oil refineries are generally large industrial complexes filled with the complex network of machinery required for chemical processing. Most are connected by pipelines to oil production facilities; if this is not possible, trains or other means of transport must be used to deliver the crude oil to the refinery. They are often found near large bodies of water, because water is used as a coolant and in some chemical processes. The average oil refinery has many internal pipelines for moving processed and unprocessed chemicals throughout the site and large tanks for storing those chemicals. Most refineries are located away from residential areas due to noise, emissions and safety concerns.
Once crude oil enters the petroleum refinery, it is refined using a process called fractional distillation. This process separates the oil into various forms, or fractions, which are distinguished by their molecular structure. All of these petroleum distillates, or petrochemicals, are composed of complex molecules called hydrocarbons. Some of these petrochemicals are useful on their own, while others need to be further processed at the oil refinery or other site. These further chemical processes vary according to the type of distillate and the desired end product.
Gasoline, also known as gasoline, is the primary product of petroleum processing, along with other fuels such as diesel, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas (LP). Petrochemicals are also used to create a number of products, including waxes, solvents and pesticides. Asphalt and petroleum tar are used in road and building construction. Polymers produced from petrochemicals form the basis of many plastics. Useful byproducts of petroleum refinery include petroleum coke, an ingredient required for the production of steel and aluminum, and sulfuric acid, which can be reused in the petroleum refining process.
An oil refinery is an expensive and complicated operation. High product demand requires many refineries to operate continuously, allowing for little opportunity for maintenance or improvements. Stringent environmental and safety regulations control the location, activity and emissions of refineries. Increased awareness of environmental concerns has focused control on these facilities, which can generate pollutants and carcinogens and reduce air quality. However, many of the products created by oil refineries are essential to modern society.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
