DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
GENERAL
The basic method of distillation to determine the boiling range of a petroleum product has been in use since the beginning of the petroleum industry. Distillation method, Test Method ASTM D86 is one of the oldest methods under the jurisdiction of ASTM D02 Committee. Enormous amounts of data exist in the oil company archives using these distillation methods. The distillation characteristics of hydrocarbons have an important effect on their safety and performance, especially in the case of fuels and solvents. The boiling range gives information on the composition, the properties, and the behavior of fuels during storage and use. Volatility is the major determinant of the tendency of a hydrocarbon mixture to produce potentially explosive vapors. The distillation characteristics are critically important for both aviation and automotive gasolines, affecting starting, warm-up, and tendency to vaporlock at high operating temperatures or at high altitude, or both. The presence of high boiling components in these and other fuels can significantly affect the degree of formation of solid combustion deposits. Distillation limits are often included in petroleum product specifications, in commercial contract agreements, process refinery/control applications, and for regulatory compliance. Several methods are described here for the distillation of various petroleum products. In addition to these physical methods, other test methods on gas chromatography can also give boiling point distribution (for example, Test Methods ASTM D2887 and ASTM D3710).
