Simulated distillation systems for the global petrochemical industry

SCION Instruments’ analysers accurately determine the boiling point distribution of petroleum samples. This information from SCION Instruments analysers enables process operators and the engineers to optimise their refinery processes to achieve optimum performance.

Simulated Distillation (SimDist) is a gas chromatography technique that determines the boiling point distribution of petroleum oils, or similar hydrocarbon materials, by calculating the percentage distilled as a function of temperature. The most widely used information from this SimDist analysis would be a report detailing the boiling point of 1% increments in the percentage distilled. The initial boiling point and final boiling point of the sample are also determined.

In the recent research the SCION GC-456 was used to perform simulated distillation by ASTM method D2887. Compared to physical distillation, simulated distillation often yields results in less than 20 minutes and is easily automated. ASTM D2887 is a simulated distillation method that is applied to most refinery streams with fractions between C5-C44 with a boiling point of at least 55°C. The SCION 456GC equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID) and offers an optimised solution for all simulated distillation requirements.

The graph shows a typical chromatogram for the separation achieved during simulated distillation. SCION Instruments develops, manufactures and markets systems ranging from simple stand-alone GC through to fully configured analysers which are tailored for specific customers’ complex applications and analysis. SCION supports GC, GC-MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry) and Compass CDS (chromatography data system) product lines. The company prides itself on its manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands and headquarters in Scotland, UK.