Crude Oil Distillation

This is the first processing of crude oil. In fact, oil is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons (kerosene, gasoline gas) and to separate them, it is precisely the distillation, that is, a process involving vaporization and condensation. This is done in the so-called splitting column. The latter is a steel tower divided by so many "planes" made up of large steel plates. Each dish has its own specific temperature, which decreases as it goes upwards, and has various holes each fitted with a fireplace and a bell. 

The vapors of a certain type, when they touch the plate bell that corresponds to their condensation temperature, become liquid. The other gases continue to rise. More precisely in the dish at 300 ° C condensate the gas oil; in that at 250 ° C condensation of kerosene; in that at 200 ° C the virgin-naphtha; in the dish at 120 ° C the gasoline and finally at that at 60 ° C condensate the liquefaciible gases (propane and butane) and, in the higher part, lighter gases such as methane and ethane. 

From the bottom of the column comes the residue also called heavy oil. It can pass to storage tanks to be used as fuel oil, or again distilled and separated into two fractions: the paraffinic distillate (used to make lubricants or even to form gasoline through cracking) and the asphalt residue (bitumen or tar of oil). From the bottom of the column comes the residue also called heavy oil. It can pass to storage tanks to be used as fuel oil, or again distilled and separated into two fractions: the paraffinic distillate (used to make lubricants or even to form gasoline through cracking) and the asphalt residue (bitumen or tar of oil). From the bottom of the column comes the residue also called heavy oil. It can pass to storage tanks to be used as fuel oil, or again distilled and separated into two fractions: the paraffinic distillate (used to make lubricants or even to form gasoline through cracking) and the asphalt residue (bitumen or tar of oil).