Fractional distillation is the chemical engineering separation method of dividing a liquid mixture into its component substances by exploiting their different boiling points, typically by heating the mixture in a column packed with trays or packing material that allows vapor rising through the column to repeatedly condense and re-evaporate, progressively concentrating the more volatile components toward the top and the less volatile ones toward the bottom. It is the core process used in petroleum refining to separate crude oil into fractions such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel and heavier residues, and it is also used throughout the chemical and beverage industries to purify or separate liquid mixtures.
Facts
Core PrincipleFractional distillation works by heating a liquid mixture so that its components vaporize at their own distinct boiling points, allowing each fraction to be condensed and collected separately. 1 FAQs
How does fractional distillation differ from simple distillation?
Fractional distillation follows the same basic steps as simple distillation but adds sub-steps and yields several separate distillates.
The basic principles and steps are very similar, so the main difference is in the details. Fractional distillation is more complex because it is made up of sub-steps, and it produces multiple distillates as final products. It does this by heating the mixture and letting the vapors rise through a fractionating column with a temperature gradient, so each component condenses at its own level. The most volatile component condenses near the top, where it is coolest, and the heaviest, least volatile component condenses near the bottom.
Connections
Associated With
Crude oil refining method
In Field
Source Fractional Distillation (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Fractional Distillation (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts, or fractions.
In Field: Chemical Engineering, Categories
Distillation
In Group: Chemical Production Processes, Introduction
Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts, or fractions.
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