Downstream (oil industry)

The oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major sectors: upstream, midstream and downstream. The downstream sector is the refining of petroleum crude oil and the processing and purifying of raw natural gas, as well as the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas. The downstream sector reaches consumers through products such as gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, fuel oils, lubricants, waxes, asphalt, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as hundreds of petrochemicals.

Midstream operations are often included in the downstream category and are considered to be a part of the downstream sector.

Crude oil is a mixture of many varieties of hydrocarbons and most usually have many sulphur-containing compounds. The oil refining process commonly includes hydrodesulphurization which converts most of that sulphur into gaseous hydrogen sulphide. Raw natural gas also may contain gaseous hydrogen sulphide and sulphur-containing mercaptans, which are removed in natural gas processing plants before the gas is distributed to consumers.