Boiling Point Curves

ASTM distillation or TBP distillations

characterize the volatility of petroleum
fractions and crude oils.

Both are batch distillations which differ

mainly in the degree of fractionation
obtained during distillation.
 ASTM Distillation

Minimum fractionation occurs in ASTM

distillation, and components in the mixture
do not distil one by one in the order of their
boiling points, but rather as mixtures.

Nevertheless, because ASTM distillations are

quickly conducted and have been successfully
automated, require only a small sample, and
are quite reproducible, they are widely used.
 True Boiling Point Distillation

Data from TBP distillation provides more

detailed characterization of the volatility of
crude oil or petroleum fraction.

Operation is at 760 mm Hg for boiling points

below 400 C (750 F). For higher boiling point
fractions, the distillation is conducted at
reduced pressures as low as 0.5 mm Hg.
 True Boiling Point Distillation

Because the degree of separation for a TBP

distillation test is much higher than that of
the ASTM distillation test, its IBP is lower and
its EP is higher than those of the ASTM test.
 Conversion between ASTM and TBP Distillation

Since TBP distillation is both tedious and

time-consuming in comparison with the
ASTM method, there has been an incentive to
develop correlation to convert ASTM to TBP
distillation while at the same time achieving
the benefit of the detailed separation of TBP
with the little effort of the ASTM distillation.
The following equation suggested by Riazi
and Daubert (1980) and published by the API
(1993) is used for the inter conversion,
referred to as API method:

where a and b are constants varying with

percent of liquid sample distilled
TBP is true boiling point temperatures at 0,
10, 30, 50, 70, 90, and 95 volume percent
distilled, in degrees Rankin.

ASTM D86 is the observed ASTM D86

temperatures at corresponding volume
percent distilled, in degrees Rankin. Average
error between the calculated and measured
TBP is in the range of 5 C (41 F).
 More recently, Daubert (1994) published a
new method for distillation curves
interconversion using the following
equations:

The symbols T and T’ stands for ASTM D86 and TBP temperatures, respectively, both in F. The
subscripts 0 and f stand for the initial and final temperatures, respectively. Ai and Bi are
constants given in table.
The symbols T and T’ stands for ASTM D86
and TBP temperatures, respectively, both in F.

The subscripts 0 and f stand for the initial and

final temperatures, respectively.

The reported average error for this method is

about 3 C (37.4 F).