Continuous distillation separates chemical compounds using distillation principles, allowing for uninterrupted distillation of large volumes of industrial chemicals. It is important in the petroleum industry, and uses a column filled with “feed” to purify the mixture. This method is more efficient than batch distillation, but only separates chemical groups known as fractions. Crude oil is an example of a mixture that produces different fractions.
Continuous distillation is a process used in industry to separate chemical compounds. It works using the principles of distillation, but is particularly useful in dealing with large volumes of industrial chemicals by allowing for uninterrupted distillation. The process is particularly important in the petroleum industry, where it is used to refine crude oil.
When a mixture of chemicals is boiled, some chemicals, those with the lowest boiling points, undergo a change of state from a liquid to a gas and rise as a vapor. In distillation, this vapor is passed through a device known as a condenser, which consists of a sealed tube surrounded by an empty area filled with refrigerant. When the vapor is cooled, it condenses back from a gas into a liquid and flows down the tube into a container. By controlling the temperature of the boiler, specific chemicals can be separated from a liquid mixture using this process.
Continuous distillation uses this principle to separate and purify industrial chemicals. A column, or tower, is filled with “feed”, the mixture to be purified. The mixture is then heated and some compounds rise as a vapor. As they rise, however, they cool and some chemicals can fall back as a liquid while others continue to function as a vapor. This progressively purifies the mixture and allows for a more specific and controlled separation of the various compounds. The chemical vapors are passed through separate condensers and into the receiving vessels.
The high volume of liquid to be purified in industrial applications makes continuous distillation a more efficient option than batch distillation. In batch distillation, a certain volume of the blend is distilled completely before adding more blend. In contrast, in continuous distillation, the mixture is pumped continuously and the products are removed continuously. The columns used for this method have many different exit points for different products as they are all removed at the same time. Each exit point is placed at a different height on the column, depending on where the vapor condenses as it falls.
It is impossible, however, to separate just one chemical compound through continuous distillation. Instead, a set of chemicals within a specific boiling range is separated into each phase of the column. These chemical groups are known as fractions and the process that produces them is known as fractional distillation. When crude oil is refined, for example, different fractions are produced: naphtha has the lowest boiling range, followed by kerosene, diesel and heavier products at the bottom. Each of these products is then further refined after separation to suitability for use.
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