Summary and Final Tasks

Summary

Separation of the lowest-boiling fraction of the crude oil is carried out in Light Ends Unit using distillation columns that may yield almost pure products, such as propane and butane. Because of the simple molecular composition of the light ends, it is possible to use the data on vapor liquid equilibrium coefficients of pure compounds. On the heaviest end of the crude oil, Vacuum Distillation Residue can be processed using solvent extraction to separate asphalt from the residue to produce deasphalted oil for further treatment either by dewaxing to produce lubricating oil base stock, or by conversion reactions to produce distillate fuels from the deasphalted oil.

Learning Outcomes

You should now be able to:

• analyze the vapor-liquid equilibrium and evaluate the application of Fenske Equation to distillation in Light Ends Unit;
• describe the principles of solvent fractionation as a separation technique;
• place the Deasphalting Process in the refinery and interpret the significance of this process for refining;
• interpret the gradient solubility model that explains the solution of asphaltenes in resin and oil fractions and analyze the structure of asphaltenes;
• analyze the process parameters for deasphalting and assess the anti-solvent effect;
• evaluate the unit operations of deasphalting and assemble the process flow diagram;
• explain the purpose of dewaxing and examine the physical and chemical dewaxing processes.

Reminder - Complete all of the Lesson 5 tasks!

You have reached the end of Lesson 5! Double-check the to-do list below to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 6. Please refer to the Course Syllabus for specific time frames and due dates. Specific directions for the assignments below can be found within this lesson.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post them to our Help Discussion (not email), located in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.