superfractionation

industry

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Superfractionation is an advanced form of distillation used in the petroleum refining industry. It employs specialized columns with numerous trays and high reflux ratios to achieve a very precise separation of hydrocarbon components. This process can isolate narrow ranges of compounds or even pure substances.

Key applications of superfractionation include the production of high-purity solvents, such as isoparaffins, and the separation of individual aromatic compounds for use in petrochemicals. This method is an extension of fractional distillation, which is the primary technique for separating crude oil into various fractions based on their properties.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

petroleum refining
Superfractionation
An extension of the distillation process, superfractionation employs smaller-diameter columns with a much larger number of trays (100 or more) and reflux ratios exceeding 5:1. With such equipment it is possible to isolate a very narrow range of components or even pure compounds. Common…
Read More
An extension of the distillation process, superfractionation employs smaller-diameter columns with a much larger number of trays (100 or more) and reflux ratios exceeding 5:1. With such equipment it is possible to isolate a very narrow range of components or even pure compounds. Common…
Read More