HOUSTON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.7 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending April 15, 194,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to a weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

       Refineries operated at 91 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data report.

       Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.8 million b/d, while distillate fuel production increased, averaging 4.8 million b/d.

       U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, went down by 8.0 million barrels from the previous week to 413.7 million barrels, about 15 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Total motor gasoline inventories dropped by 0.8 million barrels last week, about 3 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Finished gasoline inventories increased while blending components inventories decreased.

       During last week, distillate fuel inventories declined by 2.7 million barrels, about 20 percent below the five year average for this time of year, while propane/propylene inventories increased by 1.6 million barrels, about 16 percent below the five year average for this time of year.

       Total commercial petroleum inventories went down by 8.1 million barrels last week.

       Over the last four week period, total products supplied averaged 19.4 million b/d, down by 1.5 percent from the same period last year.

       Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.7 million b/d, down by 3.0 percent from the same period last year.

       Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.7 million b/d over the past four weeks, down by 6.4 percent from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 15.7 percent compared with the same four week period last year.