Welcome to the Downstream Download
The Downstream Download is a quick reference site that provides basic data and knowledge about the petroleum refining industry and the markets for refined products and crude oil.
The GLOSSARY section gives a brief explanation of common terms and abbreviations used in the industry, and links to more in-depth articles on key words.
The DATA section contains useful data such as conversion factors, product and stream qualities, and lists of major refining companies, individual refineries, crude grades, pipelines and more.
Introduction to refining
For a quick overall introduction to the refining industry, start with one of these pages:
Refinery - an overview of what a refinery does and how it does it
Crude oils - common grades of crude oil and how they differ from each other
Refined products - major products produced in a refinery and how they are made and used
Process technologies - commonly used technologies in the refining process - what they do and how they do it
List of refineries - a comprehensive list of all plants, globally with location, capacity and ownership. Includes links to detailed profiles of many plants.
Refining companies - a list of the the major refining companies, ranked by size. Includes links to detailed profiles of the large companies.