A Separation is a process technology includes distillation, extraction, absorption, membrane filtration, and so on. Each of these can also be used for purification. Crude oil is heated in a furnace so that hydrocarbons can be separated via their boiling point. Inside large towers, heated petroleum vapours are separated into fractions according to weight and boiling point. The lightest fractions, which include gasoline, rise to the top of the tower before they condense back to liquids. The heaviest fractions will settle at the bottom because they condense early.
Related Definitions in the Project: The Plant and Process Unit; Process Engineering
