Distillation is a process that is widely used in the chemical industry as well as other industries. Let us consider this process in more detail, taking oil refining as a basis. It is a mixture of various hydrocarbons, which, in turn, are used in many areas of modern chemical production.
Interesting facts
Distillation is a chemical process that takes place at elevated temperatures. Scientists believe that oil is the remains of plants and animals that inhabited our planet millions of years ago. Thanks to processing, one can count on obtaining important raw materials for the national economy.
Distillation is the ability to isolate various substances from the original compound. For example, this is relevant for obtaining different types of fuel by distillation of oil. The variety of products that can be obtained testifies to the importance and importance of processing on an industrial scale.
Modern trends
Gradually, coal mining, as well as its processing, faded into the background, giving way to oil and gas. This was the incentive for the creation of a chemical technology that allows processing this natural raw material. How is the separation of various organic substances from feedstock carried out?
Is distillation a chemical process or a physical process? Let's try to understand this issue, to identify its features.
The process of distillation of oil is carried out to obtain a high-quality (pure) product. At the first stage, there is desalination, followed by dehydration on apparatuses. This period ends with a content of 2-3 mg per 1 liter of oil.
When the temperature changes, liquid hydrocarbons are removed. After the project begins to boil, reactions are carried out to isolate certain fractions. The temperature depends on the quantitative composition (hydrocarbons). According to this indicator, they distinguish:
- gasoline (recommended temperature is 180 degrees);
- jet fuel (temperature range 190-230 degrees);
- diesel fuel.
After the completion of the oil refining process, fuel oil appears, which is used in industrial sectors for the maintenance and repair of mechanisms.
Primary processing leads to the development of various components.
In many cases, primary processing involves additional purification and filtering procedures for the resulting components. The rest of the mixture containsquite a lot of other hydrocarbons that also need to be isolated.
Obtaining a pure product
Distillation is an important process in chemistry, because it is with its help that many organic compounds can be obtained. Modern equipment and full automation of the process allow us to talk about various ways to obtain many products from natural raw materials. Distillation is a multi-step process that involves several variations:
- equilibrium distillation (one-shot evaporation technique) involves the gradual heating of the product upon the appearance of steam, its subsequent decomposition into separate components;
- rectification;
- fractional distillation.
Distillation is considered the most popular, since the yield of products is much greater than with conventional evaporation. With fractional distillation, it is possible to obtain fuel and components at the first stage, using raw materials without additional purification.
Summarize
The first technological process of oil refining is its primary distillation. Similar installations are currently operating at every oil refinery. Direct distillation is based on the different boiling points of hydrocarbons with similar physical properties.
The mixture is heated to a boil (partial evaporation is possible). The result is a residue and a distillate that differ in composition from the original mixture. On modern devicesintended for the distillation of oil, use a single evaporation.
It allows you to remove low-boiling fractions, and after reducing the partial pressure, the remaining fractions are removed. Since it is impossible to obtain by distillation end products that boil only in specific intervals, after a single evaporation, the oil vapors are rectified.
