Oil Logistics and Basic Processing - Factorio-Access/FactorioAccess GitHub Wiki
Oil Logistics and Basic Processing
Oil is a resource required for intermediate and advanced equipment.
Obtaining and transporting oil
Oil is extracted from the ground using pumpjacks, which can only be built on top of oil pools found in oil fields. Every oil pool has a yield percentage that determines how much oil is extracted per cycle. Yield decreases as the pool drains but never reaches zero — late-game pools trickle indefinitely, though it usually becomes worth seeking additional oil fields.
Oil fields are intentionally placed far from the crash site, so the first challenge with oil is getting it back to your base. Three main options:
- Pipeline: Generally the cheapest option. In Factorio 2.0 pipe flow does not degrade with distance within the 320-tile limit, so a single pipeline works fine for most early setups. Pumps are only needed beyond 320 tiles or for backflow prevention.
- Train: Usually the most effective option at scale. Oil can be carried in fluid wagons, or barreled into steel barrels for cargo wagons.
- Transport belt: Generally not worth it compared to a pipeline, since oil must be barreled and empty barrels must be shipped back.
Alternatively, you can build your oil processing area directly at the oil field and transport finished products back to the base instead of raw crude oil.
The second challenge is powering the pumpjacks. Options include long power lines running alongside the pipeline, solar panels at the field, a local steam plant running on solid fuel made from the oil itself, or coal or steam transported by train.
Oil processing overview
Oil processing begins at the oil refinery, which runs basic oil processing, advanced oil processing, or coal liquefaction recipes. The fluids produced are piped into chemical plants, which produce further fluids and oil products. Many recipes require water, so it is generally practical to build your petrochemical area near a water source.
Basic oil processing is sufficient through the mid game. Advanced oil processing is needed for late-game recipes.
Oil refinery
The oil refinery is a 5×5 building. It has two input pipes along its back wall and three output pipes along its front wall, with one tile of space between adjacent pipes. It consumes a significant amount of power — roughly half a steam engine's output per refinery.
Chemical plant
The chemical plant is a 3×3 building that works like an assembling machine but handles fluid inputs and outputs via pipes. It has two input pipes along its back and two output pipes along its front, each separated by one tile. For each fluid recipe, the input pipe for each fluid is fixed to a specific corner — the building can be rotated to face four directions to adjust which side the pipes land on.
Basic oil products
The first oil products available are:
- Petroleum gas: The primary output of basic oil processing. Used in most early oil recipes.
- Sulfur: Made from petroleum gas and water. Used in chemical science packs and further processed into sulfuric acid.
- Sulfuric acid: Made from sulfur, iron plates, and water. Used in batteries, electric mining drills, and processing units.
- Plastic: Made from coal and petroleum gas. Used in advanced circuits and composite materials.
- Solid fuel: A processed fuel made from petroleum gas (or light/heavy oil). Higher energy density than coal, better vehicle performance.
- Explosives: Made from sulfur, coal, and water. Used for cliff explosives and heavy armaments.
Basic oil processing
Basic oil processing is the first available refinery recipe. It takes crude oil from the back input and outputs petroleum gas at a front corner. It is simple to set up — one input, one output — but produces roughly half as much output per unit of crude oil compared to advanced oil processing, and produces no heavy oil or light oil. It is still viable for petroleum gas supply throughout the game.
Setting up a basic oil processing area
Oil processing areas are typically arranged in rows, similar to assembling machine rows. Refineries sit between a crude oil pipe and a petroleum gas pipe. Chemical plants are grouped by product, each type receiving its fluid inputs from shared pipes.
A complete basic oil setup can produce solid fuel, sulfur, sulfuric acid, batteries, and plastic. Inputs needed: crude oil, water, coal, iron plates, and copper plates. Plan for at least 20×20 tiles of space; more if adding explosives or solid fuel.
It is also practical to split processing into multiple areas — for example, one area making solid fuel, sulfur, and plastic, and a second area making acid and batteries — so each area has a simpler set of input belts.
Technique: Basic oil processing row
Place one refinery and run a pipe across its back wall to collect the crude oil input. Run a second pipe across its front wall to collect petroleum gas from the output. Additional refineries can be placed along the same pipes in the same orientation. Small electric poles running alongside the crude oil pipe can reach and power the refineries.
Technique: Sulfur plant row
Sulfur chemical plants are most efficient when placed sideways — rotated so that the output of one plant faces the input of the next as they are arranged in a row, with one tile of space between each pair.
Run one pipe along each side wall of the row: one for petroleum gas, one for water. Add a single connecting pipe unit in front of each input to form an L-shape from the shared pipe to the plant. Place long-handed inserters facing the plants alongside one of the fluid pipes to pull sulfur out and place it one tile beyond the inserters — that is where the sulfur output belt goes. Small electric poles placed next to each inserter can reach the plants.
Technique: Plastic plant row
Plastic chemical plants can be placed in a row facing the same direction, with zero or one tile of space between them. Run a single pipe along the back walls to supply petroleum gas.
On the front side of each plant, place a small electric pole, one regular inserter for coal input, and one long-handed inserter for plastic output. Run the coal input belt and plastic output belt alongside the inserters.
Technique: Sulfuric acid plant row
Sulfuric acid plants can be placed in a row facing the same direction, sandwiched between a water pipe on the back and an acid collection pipe on the front. One or two plants is enough for most factories.
Place long-handed inserters beside either pipe to feed iron plates and sulfur — either on one shared belt with both items in separate lanes, or on separate belts on each side. At the end of the row, connect the acid pipe to a storage tank or to a barreling machine if you need to move the acid by belt.
Technique: Battery plant row
Battery plants can be placed like plastic plants, in a row with zero or one tile of space between them. Run the sulfuric acid pipe along the back walls.
Place a regular inserter and a long-handed inserter along the front of each plant for item inputs and the battery output. Add an input belt carrying iron and copper (one item per lane), and a battery output belt below it.
See also:
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