Oil extraction by distillation (Part 2)

Oil extraction by distillation (Part 2)

Nowadays distillation devices are as a horizontal plate radiator in a greenhouse. In these plates, the flows of cold water is flowing in a lattice network. The melted wax enters these plates and cold water exits in solid form, from the wax plates among them in a warm room. There can be about 600 plates in a distillation process.

There are hot steam pipes in the wall of this hot room, the area of the room is gradually heated by operating them so that the temperature of paraffin oil reaches its lowest melting point. In this way, the oils inside it come to the surface and start to fall between the plates and come out of it. The first drops coming out of the plates, are called very light oils and then the oils come out at 38 degrees (or lower) and in the last process, oils which are very close to the initial melting temperature, named petroleum, which have a temperature above 44 degrees,  come out which is the last process of distillation and then we will wait for paraffin wax to drain all the oil on the plates and get out. Sometimes the temperature is raised a little so that the lighter waxes also melt and come out, and this is because the obtained wax complies with the standards relating to industrial and commercial solid wax.

The paraffin obtained from this method must meet the industrial paraffin standards which is under ASTM D221 and its API grade is based on ASTM D-287 and its spontaneous combustion point is ASTM D-92 and the  viscosity is ASTM D-88 and ASTM D445. However, the last three tests and their results are not observed by the manufacturers, unless the buyer has a special emphasis on one of them. Paraffin waxes and Vaseline have many usage in different industries such as pharmaceuticals, producing cosmetics and hygienic materials, producing candles, electrical products, additives to plastics, textile industry and many other industrial applications.