Distillation in Petroleum Products ARNS-21

This test method is one of the oldest petroleum test methods and is a way to quantitatively determine the boiling range of petroleum products with a minimum drying point of 2 degrees Celsius. These include jet fuel, gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, petroleum solvents, a variety of naphtha and the like (distillate fuels).

This method is not applicable for products containing significant residual material. In this method, the sample is subdivided into one of the four groups defined in this standard based on the volatility and vapor pressure, initial boiling point or expected endpoint, or both, and is distilled under the specific test conditions of that group.

At ambient pressure, it is approximately equivalent to a fractional distiller with a theoretical plate. At the end of distillation, the observed steam temperatures can be corrected to atmospheric pressure and the data obtained to conform to the requirements of the test method (such as distillation velocities) and the test should be repeated if any of the conditions are not met. The test results are reported as percent evaporated or recovered percent relative to the respective temperature, in a table or in a graph on a distillation curve diagram.