Refineries 



A modern oil refinery physically or chemically alters all or part of 

 crude oil to produce a number of petroleum products. The three major types of 

 refineries are market refineries built to serve a particular market, resource 

 refineries built on or near major oil fields, and swing refineries built to 

 balance supply and demand. The market refinery is the preferred type of re- 

 finery because shipping bulk crude oil is less costly than shipping several 

 refined products. Refineries are not usually constructed to accommodate OCS 

 production areas unless a relatively large demand is located nearby. 



Refineries usually are complexes that include storage tanks, administra- 

 tion and maintenance facilities, water treatment facilities, and laboratories. 

 The entire complex is usually surrounded by a buffer zone. Transportation 

 systems including rail, road, pipelines, and marine terminals also are re- 

 quired. Site considerations and impacts associated with oil refineries are 

 given in Table 12. 



Table 12. Siting considerations and potential sources of pollution from oil 

 refineries (Adapted from New England River Basins Commission 1976b). 



Categories or elements 



Economic requirements/pollutants 



Siting considerations 



Land 



Water 

 Economic base 



Labor 



Wages 



Capital investment 

 Type of pollution 



Air emissions 



Wastewater contaminants 



202-809 ha (500-2,000 acres) 

 5-10 million gal /d 



200-600 jobs 

 $6-$10 million/year 

 $5-$250 million 



Ammonia 

 Al dehydes 

 Carbon monoxide 

 Hydrocarbons 

 Particulates 

 Sulfur oxides 



Acids and caustics 

 Floating and dissolved oil 

 Dissol ved sol ids 

 Dissolved organics 

 Cyanide 

 Chromate 



153 



