1.   As a result, refiners are processing more crude.

2.   Both fuels, along with others, are produced in varying quantities from every barrel of oil a refiner processes.

3.   Easing inventory concerns and lower heating oil demand come at a time when U.S. refiners are processing less crude to perform seasonal equipment upkeep.

4.   Refinery demand for crude rose more than analysts expected, a sign that U.S. refiners are processing more crude now that seasonal maintenance closures are ending.

5.   The American Petroleum Institute is expected to report after the markets close that U.S. refiners processed less crude oil last week because of refinery shutdowns.

6.   The refiners would presumably process the crude oil into petroleum products like gasoline and heating oil that the quake victims could use.