Petroleum Industry and Petroleum Geology

Petroleum Extraction

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This process is based on the principle where different substances boil at different temperatures. For example:crude  kerosene and naphtha, which are useful fractions (naphtha is made into petrol for cars, and kerosene is made into jet fuel)t  which is present in crude oil. While evaporating  the mixture of kerosene and naphtha, and then cool it, the kerosene condenses at a higher temperature rather than the naphtha. Where the mixture cools, the kerosene condenses first, and the naphtha condenses later. This is mechanism where fractional distillation works. The main equipment is a fractionator which structure is like a tall cylinder. Inside this column there are many trays and horizontal plates are located at different heights. Each tray collects a different fraction of boiled crude oil when it is cooling and condenses. The crude oil is heated up to the temperature 350°C, which makes maximum evaporation of oil. The fluid then enters the column. Moves up through the fractionator, each fraction cools and condenses at a different temperature. As each fraction of liquid condenses, the liquid is collected in the basin i.e. trays. Substances having higher boiling points condense on the lower trays in that column. Substances having lower boiling points condense on the higher trays. The trays having valves, which allow the vapour to bubble state through the liquid in the tray. This helps the vapour to quick cool and quick condense . The liquid from each tray then flows out of the column.