In an oil refinery, where is the distillation process primarily found?

In an oil refinery, the distillation process is primarily associated with the crude unit. This unit is responsible for the initial stage of separating crude oil into its various components based on boiling points through a process called fractional distillation. The crude unit heat distills the crude oil, allowing lighter fractions to vaporize and ascend in a distillation column, where they are then collected at different levels based on their boiling points.

The remaining components, which do not vaporize at the operating temperatures, are further processed in other units. The crude unit thus represents the foundational operation in an oil refinery, laying the groundwork for subsequent processing and refining of the crude oil into usable products.