Oil Refining Industry
Before crude oil enters the distillation column, it is treated to remove salt, water, and solid particles. This process is known as desalting. Removing these impurities helps prevent corrosion and damage to refinery equipment. In this stage, crude oil is heated in a furnace to very high temperatures and sent into a distillation column. As the vapor rises, different components condense at different levels inside the column.
Lighter products such as gases and gasoline rise to the top, while heavier fractions remain near the bottom. Some heavy oils cannot be separated at normal pressure because they would break down at high temperatures. To solve this problem, vacuum distillation is used. This process lowers the pressure so that heavy oils can be separated safely.
