8 replies to this topic

[mayank96sinha]

I have seen few crude oil distillation column and none of them has reboiler. Why?

[Art Montemayor]

Mayank:

 

If you have really seen "a few crude oil distillation columns and none of them had a reboiler" , then either you haven't really seen what you think are crude oil distillation columns OR you are exhibiting very poor chemical engineering thinking and logic.  Use your given brain and concentrate on the logical: how can any distillation column operating without a thermal driving force?  If you have already had your introductory course to Unit Operations, then you should know that you require a thermal driving force to separate the many components involved in the crude oil.  You simply haven't done your student's job of carefully inspecting the equipment that you have had the opportunity to see.

 

Refer to the attached Engineering Flow Diagram by our famous Forum member, Milton Beychok, and find out where the heat energy is originating and what the "reboiler" looks like and what type it is.  If you are a Chemical Engineering student and you have already been exposed to Unit Operations and distillation columns, then this should be a challenge to your ingenuity and pride in becoming a ChE.

 

Let us know if you have any trouble or problems in understanding the drawing and all its details.

 

 Crude Oil Distillation Unit - Milton Beychok.png   24.16KB   3 downloads

[breizh]

Hi ,

Consider the resources attached to help you .

Good luck .

Breizh

Edited by breizh, 02 February 2017 - 10:10 PM.

[mayank96sinha]

Thanks for the help and I wasn't too familiar with Unit Operations and am currently reading the topic

[mayank96sinha]

Why is water going into the crude oil?

[Saml]

 

Please let us know what is your need. If you are not familiar with Unit Operations, you are probably either: in the first years of Chem Eng or from another discipline of engineering.  Are you looking for information for an assignment? 

 

By the way, water is to remove salts. That is what the desalter do. It is an oil-water separator, and salts being more soluble in water goes with the stream named "brine".

[mayank96sinha]

Thanks

[sameercnn]

Thank you for the wonderful information.

[rdcrags]

Please give the questioner credit. The heater in this service is technically not a reboiler. It is a feed heater.