DISTILLATION AND VAPOR PRESSURE

TEST PROCESSES OF GASOLINE

SUBMITTED BY:

GUMAHAD, MARK LOURENCE P.

LERO, CLARK C.
MASUETO, JOSHUA JOHN V.
SOLIGAN, JOHN DEO C.
TURO, ABIL V.
DISTILLATION AND VAPOR PRESSURE TEST OF GASOLINE FUELI.

INTRODUCTION

Gasoline is an English word that refers to fuel for automobiles. It is first

recorded use to 1863 when it was spelled “gasoline”. The term “gasoline” was first
used in North America in 1864. It is derived from the word “gas” and the chemical
suffixes ”ol” and “ine” or “ene”. The countries product is called “petrol” rather than
“gasoline”. “Petrol” was first used in about 1870 as the same of a refined petroleum
product.

The early period of gasoline engine development aircraft were forced to use
motor vehicle gasoline since aviation gasoline did not yet exist. Early fuels were
termed “straight –run” gasolines and were by products from the distillation of a single
crude oil to produce kerosene. Gasoline production would not surpass kerosene
production until 1916. The earliest straight-run gasolines were the result of distilling
eastern crude oils and there was no mixing of distillates form different crudes.

A Gasoline or petrol is a colourless petroleum derived flammable liquid that is

used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines. It consists
mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum.
Gasoline used in internal combustion engines can have significant effects on the
local environment and is also a contributor to global human carbon dioxide
emissions.

The earliest known evidence of distillation comes from terracotta distillation

apparatus dating to 3000 BC in the Indus Valley of Pakistan. Distillation was known
to be used by the Babylonians of Mesopotamia. Distillation of beverages occurred
much later. In distillation gas may be separated.

Distillation is the most widely used separation technique in the petroleum

industry. Petroleum remains the major source of energy resources and for more than
100 years, it has been the main source of fuels used in alternative internal
combustion engines in auto-motion as well, both for spark ignition engines(SIE1) it
is traditionally knows as petrol engines, and for compression ignition engines(CIE2)
or diesel engines.
Vapor Pressure or equilibrium vapor pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by
a
vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases at a given
temperature
in a closed system. The equilibrium vapor pressure is an indication of a liquids
evaporation rate. The vapor pressure of any substances increases non-linearly with
temperature according to the Clausius-Clapeyron Relation. A vapor pressure that a
single component in a mixture contributes to the total pressure in the system is
called
partial pressure
Vapor Pressure or equilibrium vapor pressure is defined as the pressure
exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases at a
given temperature in a closed system. The equilibrium vapor pressure is an
indication of a liquids evaporation rate. The vapor pressure of any substances
increases non-linearly with temperature according to the Clausius-Clapeyron
Relation. A vapor pressure that a single component in a mixture contributes to the
total pressure in the system is called partial pressure.

II. OBJECTIVES

 Defined Distillation and vapour Pressure

 Distillation type using fractional Distillation
 Vapour Pressure type using Reid Vapour Pressure
 Various Test for Distillation and Vapour Pressure of Gasoline (Video)
 For the students to fully understand of what is the role of the Distillation
in crude oil refining and explain in a very general way how further
processing is used to increase the yield of gasoline fuel.

III. SIGNIFICANCE

Gasoline is important to our lives. The cars couldn’t drive unless it was filled with
gasoline. The school bus couldn’t make it to school without gasoline. Our world
almost
grind to a halt without oil. Factories would stop running. Cars and airplanes would be
grounded. Tractors on the farm would sputter to a standstill and rust. Gasoline is
used
in many products.
Gasoline is important to our lives. The cars couldn’t drive unless it was filled
with gasoline. The school bus couldn’t make it to school without gasoline. Our world
almost grind to a halt without oil. Factories would stop running. Cars and airplanes
would be grounded. Tractors on the farm would sputter to a standstill and rust.
Gasoline is used in many products.

Distillation is important because it separates all the components or

substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation.

Calibration is important because it helps ensure accurate measurements and

accurate measurements are foundational to the quality, safety and innovation of
most products and services we use and rely on every day.

IV. DISCUSSION

GASOLINE DISTILLATION TEST

The first and the most fundamental step in the refining process (after the
crude oil has been cleaned and any remnants of brine removed) is distillation, which
is often referred to as the primary refining process. Distillation involves the
separation of the different hydrocarbon compounds that occur naturally in a crude oil
into a number of different fractions (a fraction is often referred to as a cut). In the
atmospheric distillation process (Fig.), heated crude oil is separated in a
distillation column (distillation tower, fractionating tower, atmospheric pipe
still) into streams that are then purified, transformed, adapted, and treated in
a number of subsequent refining processes, into products for the refinery's
market. The lighter, more volatile, products separate out higher up the column,
whereas the heavier, less volatile, products settle out toward the bottom of the
distillation column. The fractions produced in this manner are known as straight run
fractions ranging from (atmospheric tower) gas, gasoline, and naphtha, to kerosene,
gas oils, and light diesel, and to (vacuum tower) lubricating oil and residuum.

The feed to a distillation tower is heated by flow through pipes arranged within
a large furnace. The heating unit is known as a pipe still heater or pipe still furnace,
and the heating unit and the fractional distillation tower make up the
essential parts of a distillation unit or pipe still. The pipe still furnace heats the
feed to a predetermined temperature— usually a temperature at which a
predetermined portion of the feed will change into vapor. The vapor is held under
pressure in the pipe in the furnace until it discharges as a foaming stream into
the fractional distillation tower. Here the unvaporized or liquid portion of the
feed descends to the bottom of the tower to be pumped away as a bottom
nonvolatile product, whereas the vapors pass up the tower to be fractionated into
gas oils, kerosene, and naphtha.

The feed to a distillation tower is heated by flow through pipes arranged within
a large furnace. The heating unit is known as a pipe still heater or pipe still furnace,
and the heating unit and the fractional distillation tower make up the
essential parts of a distillation unit or pipe still. The pipe still furnace heats the
feed to a predetermined temperature— usually a temperature at which a
predetermined portion of the feed will change into vapor. The vapor is held under
pressure in the pipe in the furnace until it discharges as a foaming stream into
the fractional distillation tower. Here the un-vaporized or liquid portion of the
feed descends to the bottom of the tower to be pumped away as a bottom
nonvolatile product, whereas the vapors pass up the tower to be fractionated into
gas oils, kerosene, and naphtha.
VAPOR PRESSURE TEST OF GASOLINE FUEL

Vapor pressure testing measures the pressure exerted by a vapor in

thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases (solid or liquid) at a given
temperature in a closed system. It indicates the evaporation rates of liquids.

Vapor pressure testing measures the pressure exerted by a vapor in

thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases (solid or liquid) at a given
temperature in a closed system. It indicates the evaporation rates of liquids.

Reid vapor pressure (RVP) is a common measure of the volatility of gasoline.

It is defined as the absolute vapor pressure exerted by a liquid at 37.8°C (100°F) as
determined by the test method ASTM D323. The test method measures the vapor
pressure of the gasoline, volatile crude oil, and other volatile petroleum products,
except for liquefied petroleum gases. RVP is stated in kilopascals and represents a
relative pressure to the atmospheric pressure because ASTM D323 measures the
gauge pressure of the sample in a non-evacuated chamber. All values are in SI units
and are regarded as standards. Imperial units are for information only. Due to the
increased use of ethanol in fuel, the measurement of the RVP is replaced by ASTM
D5191 in the EPA “Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards because RVP
is not applicable to ethanol blended gasoline. It is being replaced with an automated
ASTM D5191 which is appropriate for ethanol blended gasoline.
 Reid vapor pressure (RVP) is a common measure of the volatility of gasoline.
It is defined as the absolute vapor pressure exerted by a liquid at 37.8°C (100°F) as
determined by the test method ASTM D323. The test method measures the vapor
pressure of the gasoline, volatile crude oil, and other volatile petroleum products,
except for liquefied petroleum gases. RVP is stated in kilopascals and represents a
relative pressure to the atmospheric pressure because ASTM D323 measures the
gauge pressure of the sample in a non-evacuated chamber. All values are in SI units
and are regarded as standards. Imperial units are for information only. Due to the
increased use of ethanol in fuel, the measurement of the RVP is replaced by ASTM
D5191 in the EPA “Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards because RVP
is not applicable to ethanol blended gasoline. It is being replaced with an automated
ASTM D5191 which is appropriate for ethanol blended gasoline.

Vapor Pressure of Liquid Petroleum Gases (ASTM D1267)

 Determination of the vapor pressure of liquefied petroleum gas is important for

safety reasons to ensure that the maximum operating design pressures of
storage, handling, and fuel systems will not be exceeded under normal
operating temperature conditions.
 Vapor pressure can be considered a semi-quantitative measure of the amount
of the most volatile material present in the product, and this can give an
indication of low temperature operability.
 This test method covers the determination of the gauge vapor pressure of
liquefied petroleum gas products at temperatures of 37.8°C (100°F) up to and
including a test temperature of 70°C (158°F).

Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products, Hydocarbons, and Hydrocarbon-Oxygenate

Mixtures (ASTM D6378)

 This method covers the use of automated vapor pressure instruments to

determine the vapor pressure exerted in vacuum by volatile, liquid petroleum
 products, hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon-oxygenate mixtures including
ethanol blends up to 85%.
 It also covers the use of automated vapor pressure instruments to determine
the vapor pressure exerted in vacuum by aviation turbine fuels.
 The vapor pressure determined by this test method at a vapor-liquid ratio of
4:1 (x=4) of gasoline and gasoline-oxygenate blends at 37.8°C can be
correlated to the dry vapor pressure equivalent value determined by Test
Method D5191)

Vapor Pressure of Crude Oil (ASTM D6377)

 It describes the use of automated vapor pressure instruments to determine

the vapor pressure exerted in the vacuum of crude oils.
 This test method is suitable for testing samples that exert a vapor pressure
between 25 kPa and 180 kPa at 37.8°C at vapor-liquid ratios from 4:1 to
0.02:1. Vapor Pressure of Gasoline and Gasoline Oxygenate Blends (ASTM
D4953)
 This method covers and is applicable to gasolines and gasoline-oxygenate
blends with a vapor pressure range from 35kPa to 100kPa.
 It provides to procedures to determine the vapor pressure of gasoline and
gasoline-oxygenate blends. Vapor pressure of petroleum products, mini
method (ASTM D5191)
 This test method is suitable for calculation of the dry vapor pressure
equivalent of gasoline and gasoline-oxygenate blends by means of a
correlation equation.
 This method covers the use of automated vapor pressure instruments to
determine the total vapor pressure exerted in vacuum by air-containing,
volatile, liquid petroleum products, including automotive spark-ignition fuels
with or without oxygenates and with ethanol blends up to 85%. Vapor Liquid
Ratio Temperature Determination of Fuels (ASTM D5188)
 Thus, test method covers the determination of the temperature at which the
vapor formed from a selected volume of volatile petroleum product saturated
with air 0°C to 1°C produces a pressure of 101.3kPa against vacuum.
  This method may also be applicable at pressures other than one atmosphere,
but the stated precision may not apply.
 This test method is applicable to both gasoline and gasoline-oxygenate
blends.

Reid Vapor Pressure Testing (ASTM D323)

 It is an ASTM test method which measures the vapor pressure of crude oil
and petroleum refined products.
 It analyzes petroleum products and crude oils.
 It is used in various quality control and R&D applications.
 It tests measure the potential impact of gasolines on engine performance.
 It helps refiners understand the nature of feedstocks coming into the refinery.
It is not used for liquefied petroleum gases.

APPARATUS

Reid Vapor Pressure experiment

The apparatus of the Reid Vapor Pressure experiment is consisted of water

bath to heat the fluid chamber to 37.8°C, and a thermometer socket to insert the
thermometer to measure the water temperature. The fluid chamber is put in the
water bath, the tested fluid is filled in the chamber, and the pressure is red.
MANOMETER
The gasoline is filled in the gas chamber, the vapor will accumulate in the fluid
chamber, and its pressure will be measured using the manometer.

THERMOMETER
Used to measure the water temperature.
CALCULATION
For gasoline
𝐴 = 𝐴1 −𝐴2 ln(𝑅𝑉𝑃) = 9.4947+ 0.9658𝑛(36)=12.955
𝐵 = 𝐵1 −𝐵2 ln(𝑅𝑉𝑃) = 2917.76−9.9001𝑛(36)=2882.283
TVP = exp (A − B T+𝐶) = exp (12.955− 2882.283 37.8+273.15 = 39.9 kpa