Petroleum Engineering and Natural Gas Recovery

Petroleum processes

Submit Abstract Register Now

Petroleum is formed by hydrocarbons (a hydrocarbon is a compound made up of carbon and hydrogen) with the addition of certain other substances, primarily sulphur. Petroleum in its natural form when first collected is usually named crude oil, and can be clear, green or black and may be either thin like gasoline or thick like tar. The Chemical Processing Industry encompasses a broad range of products, including petrochemical and inorganic chemicals, plastics, detergents, paints and pigments, and more. The feasibility of separation of mixtures by distillation, absorption, or stripping depends on the fact that the compositions of vapor and liquid phases are different from each other at equilibrium. The vapor or gas phase is said to be richer in the more volatile or lighter or less soluble components of the mixture. High boiling points (at atmospheric pressure) or easily decomposed substances may require vacuum distillation to separate.