Distilation column

Motor oil
http://motoroilbible.com/motor-oil-bible-first-chapter.php

Desalting

Removal of salt contaminants from the crude oil to make the rest of the refining process easier. Partial Vaporization The crude oil is heated within a vaporization chamber which collects portions of the crude that have differing boiling points. Lubricating basestocks are the components with the highest boiling point with the exception of asphaltic materials. Vacuum Distillation

Process by which lubricating basestocks are separated into fractions of differing molecular weights, and, therefore, differing viscosity ranges.

Solvent Extraction

Solvents are added to each fraction obtained from the distillation process and the mixture is allowed to settle into a phase containing aromatic compounds and a phase containing non- aromatic compounds. The aromatic compounds are extracted from the basestock before the next step in the refining process.

Up to 80% off the aromatic contaminants are removed through this method. This greatly improves thermal and oxidative stability and raises the viscosity index of the stock considerably.

Dewaxing

Wax is removed to improve low temperature fluidity. In cold temperatures wax contaminants will crystalize making the lubricant thick and difficult to pump.

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is added to the lubricant basestock and the oil is cooled to just below the intended pour point of the basestock. All wax crystals that form are removed via filtration. NOTE: The pour point of an oil is often referred to in its technical specifications and basically refers to the lowest temperature at which an oil will still pour (it's actually slightly more complicated than that, but pour points will be discussed in another chapter).

Hydrofinishing or Clay Treatment

This is an optional component of the refining process reserved for more premium petroleum basestocks. Hydrofinishing uses a catalyst bed through which hydrogen and heated oil are passed. As these components pass through the bed, unstable components such as sulfur and nitrogen are removed. Clay treatment uses a different method to achieve a similar outcome.

Both of these refining processes improve oxidation stability, thermal stability and color of the lubricant basestock. Hydrotreating

In some cases a more severe method is used in addition to regular hydrofinishing. Hydrotreating involves putting the lubricant basestock through extremely high temperature and pressure extremes in the presence of a catalyst.

This will convert any remaining aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants into usable nonaromatic hydrocarbon molecules. The resulting hydrocarbon molecules are much more stable, and the resulting basestock is very pure with very few contaminants.

This process can be used in place of solvent extraction of aromatics and/or in addition to solvent extraction. It is much more effective, achieving about 99% removal of aromatic contaminants as opposed to only about 80% for solvent extraction. Only super-premium petroleum basestocks will be manufactured using this method.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYnGgre83CI 17 min tutorial   fractionation , fractional distillation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaBMXgVBQKk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoaJOaUL1eY This still was purchased to make essential oils using steam vapor. Besides working in emergency medicine I am trained as an acupuncturist and manufacture a wide variety of herbal medicinal products. The still was custom made by Anthony at Rainier Distilling and it is a beautiful and functional piece of handmade craftsmanship. Anthony responded promptly to my inquiries and did an excellent job. This still can be used to make ethanol with the proper permitting but I am ONLY using it to make essential oils with water steam vapor. At some point in the future I will obtain the necessary permits and will begin making herbal absolutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Py8-Xy9MKo The video shows how crude oil is mined and how petrol, gas, jet fuel, etc., are 'refined' from it. The scenes take place in Texas, USA.