How does petroleum refining work?

Petroleum refining is the process of transforming crude oil into useful products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The process typically involves distillation, where crude oil is heated and separated into different fractions based on boiling points. These fractions undergo further processing, including cracking, reforming, and treating, to improve their quality and yield specific products. The end result is a range of refined hydrocarbons that meet various standards for use in transportation, heating, and as feedstocks for petrochemicals.