Duhok poly technic university

Technical college of engineering

Petrochemical depatrment

COURSE: Petroleum Refining (practical)

Class: third 2017 - 2018

Lecturer :Dr.Ala
Teaching assistant:Mrs.Shamiran

Experiment No:3

Name of Experiment:
Standard Test Method for Fractional Distillation of
Crude Petroleum

Submitted by: Farhad Ramadhan hassan

Date : 31/3/2018

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Aim or Objective:
To Separate a Sample of Crude into different cuts by fractional distillation
at atmospheric pressure.

Introduction:
. Fractional distillation is the process by which oil refineries separate crude
oil into different, more useful hydrocarbon products ,component or cuts
based on their relative molecular weights in a distillation tower. This is the
first step in the processing of crude oil, and it is considered to be the main
separation process as it performs the initial rough separation of the
different fuels. The different components that are separated out during this
process are known as fractions. Fractions that are separated out
include gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and bitumen. Chemical compounds are
separated by heating them to a temperature at which one or more fractions of
the mixture will vaporize. It uses distillation to fractionate. Generally the
component parts have boiling points that differ by less than 25 °C from each
other under a pressure of one atmosphere. If the difference in boiling points
is greater than 25 °C, a simple distillation is typically used

This method includes fractional distillation at atm pressure conditions using

distillation unit per batch (batch distillation) the procces based on relative
molecular weight and the different vapor pressure of hydrocarbons and their
boiling point

Industrial (fractional) distillation:

Fractional distillation is the most common form of separation technology
used in petroleum refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, natural gas
processing and cryogenic air separation plants. In most cases, the distillation
is operated at a continuous steady state. New feed is always being added to
the distillation column and products are always being removed. Unless the
process is disturbed due to changes in feed, heat, ambient temperature, or
condensing, the amount of feed being added and the amount of product
being removed are normally equal. This is known as continuous, steady-state
fractional distillation .Industrial distillation is typically performed in large,
vertical cylindrical columns known as "distillation or fractionation towers"
or "distillation columns" The distillation towers have liquid outlets at
intervals up the column which allow for the withdrawal of different fractions

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or products having different boiling points or boiling ranges. By increasing
the temperature of the product inside the columns, the different
hydrocarbons are separated. The "lightest" products (those with the lowest
boiling point) exit from the top of the columns and the "heaviest" products
(those with the highest boiling point) exit from the bottom of the column.
For example, fractional distillation is used in oil refineries to separate crude
oil into useful substances (or fractions) having different hydrocarbons of
different boiling points. The crude oil fractions with higher boiling points:

 have more carbon atoms

 have higher molecular weights
 are less branched chain alkanes
 are darker in color
 are more viscous
 are more difficult to ignite and to burn

The diagram below summarises the main fractions from crude oil and their
uses, and the trends in properties. Note that the gases leave at the top of the
column, the liquids condense in the middle and the solids stay at the bottom.

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 Fig -1 the fractionating column

As you go up the fractionating column, the hydrocarbons have:

1. lower boiling points

2. lower viscosity (they flow more easily)
3. higher flammability (they ignite more easily).

Table (1) The fractions:

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Laboratory Distillation:
The complex mixture of hydrocarbons in crude oil can be separated
into fractions by the technique of fractional distillation. The laboratory
demonstration of the fractional distillation is illustrated on the right diagram.
A simulated synthetic crude oil is used for health and safety reasons. As the
crude oil vapour ascends the fractionating column the highest boiling liquid
hydrocarbons condense out and the lowest boiling hydrocarbon liquid's
vapour exits the top of the fractionating column and enters the condenser
and runs into the collection tube. In this way you can distil over
progressively higher boiling fractions, which are themselves narrow boiling
point ranges of different hydrocarbons of similar carbon chain length e.g.
C6 to C8 etc.

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 Fig 2 (laboratory fractional distillation)

Apparatus and materials:

1. distillation flask – flask with a side
arm shall be of size that is at least
50% larger than the volume of
charge
2. capacitor pass through the cooling
bath
3. magnetic stirring bar , boiling chips
can be used as alternative
4. an electric heating mantle covering
the lower half of the flask
5. thermometer
6. graduated cylinder to receive the
distillate
7. a sample of crude oil

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Procedure:
1. Place 100 ml of sample in the distillation flask.
2. Place few pieces of crushed glass on the bottom of the flask control
boiling process.
3. Gradually raise the temperature observe rising vapors and then record
the amount of distillate at the corresponding temperatures.
4. Determine the proportion of distillates and specific gravity and API
gravity versus boiling points.
5. When you reach the boiling point to 350c stop distillation process and
transfer residue to another device where complemented by fractional
distillation under reduced pressure less than 40 mm hg.
6. Report the color of each fraction.

Results and calculation:

Volume (ml)% Temperature c Temperature F
0 (IBP) 70 158
10 160 320
20 220 428
30 270 518
40 296 564.8
50(FBP) 310 590

Discussion:

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This type of experiment is useful to saw the cuts of crude oil
directly .. in the first time when we make the experiment we
didn’t get the current result because before we do the
experiment we add a solvent (xylene) to the crude oil the
solvent decreased the viscosity of the crude so after heating
the crude all the crude evaporated and we didn’t get the
cuts …so we did the experiment for second time but we
didn’t add solvent (xylene) to our sample so we get the
accurate result,, The property of hydrocarbons that lets fractional
distillation to work is the Boiling point,,the fraction with the lowest boiling
point leave the column from the top,,As hydrocarbon increase in chains inter
molecular force increase so the boiling point increases and become harder to
be separated.

1- What information does the boiling range give on the composition

the properties of the crude oil?
Degree API gravity decrease, with the increase of mid percent boiling
point temperature of the narrow fractions, because the value of API is
inversely related to specific gravity As shown at the figure below , the
API gravity decrease with the increase the temperature, this relation
can explain all the change in petroleum products composition with the
change of boiling point, if the boiling point increase the API gravity
decrease resulting in heavy crude oil contain much hydrocarbons with
aromatic hydrocarbons , this crude oil will contain less gasoline and
will not be commercial , and if the boiling point decrease it will make
the inverse. If the boiling range of petroleum products were low , the
petroleum products will be Volatile and easy to evaporate that’s make
the storage and transferring of such products is dangerous , also in our
life if boiling range of some petroleum products were low it will
evaporate quickly make a toxic gases that we can breathing them
causing problems. Also when the boiling ranges are high it will effect
at the Efficiency of them and the ability to burn inside the engines.

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2- How can distillation characteristics of hydrocarbon affects their
safety and performance?
when the petroleum products are distillated , the different
hydrocarbons compounds inside the petroleum products will separate
that cause decreasing in boiling point of the distillated fraction making
it easy to evaporate and explosive

3- What is the major determinant of the tendency of a hydrocarbon

mixture to produce potentially explosive vapour ?
the major determinant of the tendency of a hydrocarbon mixture to
produce potentially explosive is the boiling range of the hydrocarbons
inside the mixture, if the boiling range is low the mixture is more able
to explosive , gas most easy to ignite and control less so for petrol/diesel
and coal the most difficult to ignite and control.

4- What is the factor affecting the accuracy of the results?

There many factors affecting on the accuracy of this experiment , first
the loses of vapor from the flask and all joints of the instrument when
it evaporate , if the flask hole around the thermometer was not closed
completely, and also the temperature effect the results because we
shouldn’t heat the sample rapidly it will evaporate more than one
component so the result will not be accurate .

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References:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_distillation
 http://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Fractional_distillation
 https://www.bbc.com/education/guides/zyvc6fr/revision/1
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa_pre_2011/rock
s/fuelsrev7.shtml
 https://www.patana.ac.th/parents/curriculum/chemistry/units/LR1202.
html
 http://www.docbrown.info/page04/OilProducts02.htm
 https://owlcation.com/stem/making-crude-oil-useful-fractional-
distillation-and-cracking

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