refinery

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A building, or a mass of machinery, used to produce refined products such as sugar, oil, or metals.

   An oil field was discovered at Karamai in 1955, the first of a number to be found in Dzungaria. This oil find has greatly helped China’s industrial development, and the oil fields are now linked to Lanchow by pipeline and by rail. Large refineries have been built at Lanchow and at Tushantzu in Dzungaria.

2. 2
   noun

   an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance

Etymology

From refine + -ry.