Fractional Distillation

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.