How to distill petroleum

Definition of petroleum distillation

The distillation stage can be defined as the process in which crude oil is heated by placing it in a distillation column, and when the oil temperature rises in the column, it separates into different components called “fractions”. Which are collected separately, and the different components of each of the fractions correspond to a different type of petroleum product, depending on the level of temperatures at which the fractions boil.

Distillation process steps

The distillation process takes place by heating the mixture to temperatures of up to 600 degrees Celsius, and when the mixture boils, it forms steam that is entered into a fractional distillation column, which contains many plates and plates full of holes; To allow steam to pass through it, and as the steam rises, it cools, and when the materials in the steam reach a high temperature equal to its boiling point, they condense to form a liquid, which is collected by the plates. The distillation process is followed by the cracking stage, in which the molecules are broken into fractions, to produce high-value components from the heavy fractions. At this stage, gasoline and jet fuel are produced.

Definition of petroleum refining

Oil refinery is defined as the process of purifying and refining crude oil, in order to produce fuel; Such as: gasoline, diesel, and paraffin, which includes the production of salable petroleum products from crude oil, and this process is carried out through the following main operations:

• Exploration and extraction of crude oil: This mission is based on the exploration of crude oil deposits by several industrial companies, which own drilling rights in the field of oil.
• Distribution of oil to refineries: In this step, the oil is distributed to refineries, to produce salable products, and these products are distributed to merchants. Examples of these companies are those that transport oil by pipelines, trucks, or transport barges.
• Retail sale of petroleum products: At this stage, petroleum products are sold retail to companies, which include gas stations, gasoline distribution companies, heating oils, and propane.