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Oil Refining Description:
Oil Refining (also called downstream) is an industrial process where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful products. Fractional distillation of crude oil is the key process. Crude is separated in several hydrocarbons. Different boiling points allow the hydrocarbons to be separated by distillation.
After distillation process hydrocarbons are transformed into other useful products and raw materials. Extensive internal pipe systems transport products from the different processing units to the final storage tanks.
Petrochemical products are the base of plastics, chemical intermediates, household chemicals, other petrochemicals, synthetic textiles and fertilizer industries. Oil Refining is the first step of petroleum based industry, one of the most important industrial branches.
Industrial Types:
1-Oil Refineries represent the most part of facilities in the oil refining industry. They operate with crude petroleum oil as a feedstock.
2-A few number of refineries use Natural Gas Condensates as a raw material in the refining process. This type of facilities are named Gas Condensate Refineries. Gas condensate refineries are present only in 4 countries: Iran, Qatar, Japan and South Africa.
Countries & Territories with Oil Refineries: 131
