A refinery is an industrial plant for refining oil which, through a proper process, obteniene various fossil fuels can be used in combustion engines: gasoline, diesel, etc.. Additionally, as part of the natural process, you get a variety of products such as mineral oils and asphalt.

US petroleum holdings info blog informs:

The first step in the process of refining is done at atmospheric distillation unit oil. The heated oil enters the crude tower in which separates the different components of oil according to their boiling points. We get LPG, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and a residual component called atmospheric residue. This residue is heated and enters units in the vacuum that is extracted diesel vacuum, leaving the waste product resíduo vacuum. (See distillation of petroleum)

The products obtained were trying to get commercial products in the following manner:

• The light gases (methane and ethane) endulzan to remove hydrogen sulphide and used as fuel in the refinery itself.

• The LPG is separated into propane and butane that are packaged under pressure or used as a raw material to produce ethylene and propylene, and fuel for cars.

• The gasoline will be dealt with in the catalytic reforming units to improve their qualities and mixed to obtain commercial gasolines. The fraction of light naphtha also being processed isomerization units to improve their rate of octane. It can also be used to produce ethylene and propylene.

• The kerosene is treated to meet the specifications of aviation fuel or for use in the formulation of diesel vehicle.
• The diesel takes hydrodesulfurization units, which reduces its sulphur content, after which is used to make diesel automotive diesel or heating.

• Vacuum Gasoil is not a final product. It takes units FCC (fluid catalytic cracking) where high temperature and the presence of a catalyst powder and break their long molecules are transformed into lighter components such as LPG, gasoline or gas oils. Gasoil vacuum may also become hydrocracking units, where about 400-440 ° C and high pressure in the presence of catalysts becomes appropriate in LPG, gasoline or gas oils free of sulfur. These units produce a better quality diesel (with better cetane) that the FCC units.

• The resíduo vacuum can be used as asphalt or subject it to very high temperatures in the units in which coke produced components lighter and coking coal which can ignition to form coal green. This vacuum resíduo also can be used to produce fuel oil, either directly or upon their conversion viscorreducción thermal units.

In all refineries like Us petroleum holdings refinery’s, are also produces sulfur solid, as a byproduct, because of limitations on the emission of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere.

A half refinery processes between 15 and 30000 m3 of oil every day. The complex refineros largest in the world in 2004, in South Korea and Venezuela, arrive to process more than 100000 m3 per day.