Chemical Engineering Department

Petroleum and Gas Technology

(Second stage)
Lecturer: Eng. Firas Jamal
 Lecture-7

Chapter 4

Refining ( Distillation ) of Crude Oil

1- Distillation:
Distillation is the process of separation for liquid
components have different boiling points.
When heated to a certain temperature the light component
( which has lower boiling point ) will evaporate and
separated from top of distillation tower as a distillate,
while the heavy component ( which has high boiling point )
will stay a liquid which separated from bottom of the
distillation tower as a residue.
2- Fractional Distillation Column
Fractional distillation column is the column which
separated two components mixture .
The light component ( is the lower boiling point with high
volatility ) will evaporate and separated from the top of
fractional distillation tower, while the heavy component
( is the high boiling point with lower volatility ) will stay in
liquid phase and separated from bottom of fractional
distillation column.
The feed of fractional distillation column is containing the
mixture of two components at different boiling points.
3-Types of distillation process
A-Differential Distillation
It is a batch distillation refers to the use
of distillation in batches, meaning that a mixture is
distilled to separate it into its component fractions
before the distillation still is again charged with more
mixture and the process is repeated.
 B-Flash distillation (equilibrium distillation)
Is a single stage separation technique, the vapor
produced and the residual liquid are in equilibrium,
which are then separated and removed.
A liquid mixture feed is pumped through a heater to
raise the temperature and enthalpy of the mixture.
It then flows through a a pressure-reducing valve and
the pressure is reduced, causing the liquid to partially
vaporize.
Once the mixture enters a big enough volume the
liquid and vapor separate.
C-Fractional distillation
The feed interred to the fractional distillation column at the mid or
bottom third of column in vaporization section (VS).
The upper of vaporization section called fraction or rectification
section (FS) in which the hot rising vapor from re-boiler contacted
with cold reflux liquid from top of column in each trays.
The heat and mass transfer will occur between the hot rising vapor
and cold reflux liquid.
The light component in cold reflux liquid will fraction vaporized
and the heavy component in hot vapor will fraction condensate
because the contact between the hot vapor and cold liquid.
So the light component concentration will increase in the vapor
and decrease in the reflux liquid, while the heavy concentration
will increase in the reflux liquid and decrease in the vapor as
shown in the below sketch:
Falling reflux liquid
The continuously of rising the hot vapor and
come down the cold liquid will occur the
equilibrium at each tray.
The hot vapor separated from the top of
column and it will condensate to form the light
component as a distillate and the heavy
component as a reflux liquid to column.
The down section is called the striping section
in which the heavy component separated from
bottom as a residue.
The temperature is distributing in the distillation
column as bellows :
1-The higher temperature at the column bottom but
not more than the boiling point of heavy component.
2-The lower temperature at the column upper but not
less than the boiling point of light component.
3-The temperature distributed in the column from
higher temperature in column bottom to lower
temperature in top of column.
4-The temperature at each tray is constant.
The concentration of light component increasing in the
column upper and decreasing in the bottom while the
concentration of heavy component increasing in the column
bottom and decreasing in the top.
4- Types of columns refining crude oil
A- Simple Fractional Distillation Column
Is a cylindrical tool used to separate three liquids
dissolved with each other and different in boiling
point by reverse friction between vapor rising and
down liquid at each trays.
When refining crude oil will evaporate light
petroleum products ( Liquefied Petroleum Gases
LPG + Light Gasoline LG ) with a few other products,
separates ( LPG ) and ( LG ) by condensation and
the residue is come back to distillation column as a
reflux.
Petroleum products resulting from the simple
fractional distillation is ( LPG + LG ) and residue.
B- Complex Fractional Distillation Column
I- Atmospheric Complex Fractional Distillation Column
Is used to separate more than three liquids such as crude oil.
Atmospheric complex fractional distillation column is same
the simple distillation column but attached with a stripping
column which is used to separate the petroleum products.
It is most commonly used in the distillation of crude oil.
Atmospheric complex fractional distillation column
containing a trays and operating at atmospheric pressure
( 1 atm. ).
Petroleum products resulting from the atm. complex
fractional distillation are ( Liquefied Petroleum Gases LPG
,Light Gasoline LG, Heavy Gasoline HG, Kerosene K, Gas Oil
GO ) and the residue from bottom.
Stripping tower

The small stripping tower contains 4–10 trays

with steam injected under the bottom tray.
Steam is used to strip light-end components
from the heavier components, and both the
steam and stripped components are fed back
to the atmospheric distillation column above
the corresponding side stream draw tray.
II- Vacuum Complex Fractional Distillation Column
Is used to separate the heavy petroleum fractions which have
highly boiling point.
Vacuum complex fractional distillation column is same the
atmospheric complex fractional distillation column but
containing vacuum making system.
The feedstock is atmospheric residue inter the column at
temperature ( 370 oC ) with steam and pressure inside the
column about ( 10 – 50 mmHg ).
Petroleum products resulting from the vac. com. frac.
distillation are ( Light Lubricating Oil Fraction LLOF, Medium
Lubricating Oil Fraction MLOF, Heavy Lubricating Oil Fraction
HLOF) and a vacuum residue consists of asphalt.
5- Azeotropic Distillation
Is used to separate the liquids which have convergent in
boiling points and not can be separated by fractional
distillation. In azeotropic distillation adding the polar
materials as water, ketenes, alcohols and amines to
formed a azeotropic mixtures which have a divergent
boiling points can be separated by simple or fractional
distillation. The types of the polar materials are :
A - Non selective polar materials:
Are changing the all boiling points of mixtures, such as
methanol ( alcohol ).
B - Selective polar materials:
Are changing only one boiling point of mixtures such as
propanone ( ketone ).
The properties of the polar materials are :
1- It caused the different in boiling points more than 30 oC.
2- It is inert, highly stability and cheap.
3- It can be separated from liquids later.
Thank you