Large industrial factories where crude oil is processed and separated into useful products like gasoline, diesel, and heating oil, or where other raw materials are purified.
From 'refine' (from Old French 'refiner,' to purify), plus '-ery' (a place where something is done). First applied to sugar refineries in the 1600s, later to oil refineries.
Oil refineries are modern marvels of chemistry and engineering—they can separate crude oil into dozens of products through heating, pressure, and chemical reactions, all happening in massive industrial complexes that process millions of barrels daily!
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