A refinery is an industrial facility producing petroleum products, e.g. gasoline, from crude oil and other feedstocks. There are a number of different types of refineries constructed by the oil companies in the world.
Refineries capacity and the types of processing equipment used to produce the petroleum products are what differentiate one refinery from another. The refinery is designed by the oil companies, as a result of the complexity of the process and in view of the crude oil type to be refined.
Based on the complexity of the technological process and the type of crude oil and gas, the refineries are divided into several types.
If you are an oil and gas professional and having no understanding on the oil and gas or refineries, this article will give you an understanding on the oil refineries and their types.
Type of refinery
According to the complexity of technological process a refinery is divided in the following four types;
- The simplest refinery
- Compound refinery
- Complex refineries
- Petrochemical refineries.
What is Simplest Refinery
Simplest refinery is a type of refinery that includes the refineries consisting of the following:
- Crude-distillation unit
- Catalytic reforming
- Refining processes
Simplest refineries are often referred to as topping refineries. Topping refineries produce large quantities of unfinished oils and are highly dependent on local markets.
Still, these refineries may produce up to half of their output as residual fuel oil, and they face increasing economic hardship as the demand for high-sulfur fuel oils declines.
What is compound refinery
A compound refinery contains everything that the simplest refinery contains, but in addition to it they also have the following units
- Vacuum distillation and catalytic cracking
What is complex refinery
The complex refineries are the refineries with a complete slate of products including the production of lubricating oils.
What is petrochemical refineries
Petrochemical refineries are refinery that petrochemical plants, as well as the plants for the production of aromatic hydrocarbons.
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