In 1988, Sunoco acquired the refinery in South Philadelphia as part of its purchase of Atlantic Refining and Marketing Company and, in 1994, purchased the adjacent refinery from Chevron. Integrating the two refineries into one facility with two operating areas, Sunoco created the Philadelphia Refinery, the oldest continuously operating petroleum facility in the world with origins dating back to the 1860's when the petroleum industry was in its infancy.

The Philadelphia Refinery employs over 900 people and can process 330,000 barrels a day of crude oil into fuels – including gasoline, aviation fuel, kerosene, heating oil, residual fuel, propane and butane for sale throughout the Northeast region to retail, wholesale and commercial customers.  In addition, this facility produces petrochemical feedstocks which are shipped to the Sunoco Chemicals' Frankford plant to make phenol, used in the manufacture of plastics and synthetics.