After finishing this lesson, you will be able to identify and briefly describe various refining processes that take place in a typical petroleum refinery. • Explain what is meant by crude oil • Describe the purpose of each of the following processes: – Crude oil desalting – Atmospheric distillation – Vacuum distillation – Catalytic reforming – Cracking – Alkylation – Isomerization – Polymerization • Discuss refinery treating processes • Identify the function of a gas plant • Explain the importance of refinery blending operations • List substances often stored in the refinery tank farm