LimsPulse
Petroleum testing

Atmospheric Distillation Apparatus

Distils 100 mL of a fuel from a flask at a controlled rate and records the vapour temperature as each volume is collected. The resulting curve (IBP, T10, T50, T90, FBP) describes how the fuel evaporates.

  • Petroleum refining
  • Fuel terminals and retail quality control
  • Aviation fuel quality
  • Solvent manufacture
  • Independent testing laboratories
Photo of a Atmospheric Distillation Apparatus
Photo: Oilguy86, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
LEARN & PRACTICE

Test your Distillation unit knowledge

Multiple-choice questions

Pick an answer to see whether you are right and why.

  1. Q1. In a D86 distillation, the initial boiling point (IBP) is recorded when…

    basic

  2. Q2. What sample volume is distilled in ASTM D86?

    basic

  3. Q3. Recovery is 96.8 mL and residue is 1.5 mL. What is the loss?

    intermediate

  4. Q4. What uniform distillation rate does D86 require after 5% recovered?

    intermediate

  5. Q5. Where is the top of the thermometer bulb placed in the distillation flask?

    intermediate

  6. Q6. High loss on a petrol sample is most likely caused by…

    advanced

  7. Q7. Using Cc = 0.0009 × (101.3 − Pk) × (273 + tc), what is the correction for tc = 227 °C at Pk = 99.3 kPa?

    advanced

Viva questions

Think of your answer first, then open it to compare.

  1. 1. What do the front, middle and back of a fuel distillation curve tell you?

    The front end (IBP, T10) shows how easily the fuel vaporises, linked to cold starting and vapour lock. The middle (T50) relates to warm-up and driveability. The back end (T90, FBP) shows heavy components that can cause deposits, smoke and incomplete combustion.

  2. 2. What fire precautions are needed when running a distillation?

    Never leave the run unattended, check flasks for cracks, keep joints tight, keep the automatic fire detection and CO₂/nitrogen suppression armed, have an extinguisher nearby, and let the flask cool before handling. Store samples and waste in a flammables cabinet.

  3. 3. Why do automatic analysers apply a lag correction to electronic temperature readings?

    Electronic sensors respond faster than the mercury thermometers on which specification limits were built. The lag correction makes the electronic readings behave like the historical thermometer so results match the manual method.

In LimsPulse · Calibration Management

Keep every Distillation unit in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.

See how