Came across empty refinery or factory (7)
I believe the answer is:
foundry
'factory' is the definition.
(foundry is a kind of factory)
'came across empty refinery' is the wordplay.
'came across' becomes 'found' ('find' can be a synonym of 'come across').
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'refinery' with its middle removed is 'ry'.
'found'+'ry'='FOUNDRY'
'or' is the link.
(Other definitions for foundry that I've seen before include "Iron-casting works" , "Metalworks" , "Ironworks" , "Factory for casting metal" , "Metal workshop" .)