An apparatus (separator) for the preliminary separation of hydrocarbons, which removes part of light hydrocarbons and partially a fraction of light gasoline, or a column for partial oil refining K-1, can be included in the scheme of primary oil refining units. Preliminary fractionation in these devices is essential for the resource saving of the enterprise, since such schemes ensure a reduction in heat consumption for heating crude oil before fractionation in the main atmospheric column. The efficiency of the K-1 column is influenced not only by the quality of oil, technological modes and structural parameters of the apparatus, but also by the evaporating agents used. The paper shows the possibility of using its distillate in the K-1 column instead of water vapor with the organization of heat recovery by column flows and compares the achieved performance of the apparatus using these evaporating agents. The research was carried out using the UniSim Design modeling system. A comparative assessment of the use of various evaporating agents was carried out taking into account the quality and yield of fractions from the top of the K-1 column. The results of the computational experiment showed that the sensitivity of the K-1 column (fractional distillate composition) to varying the temperature of the recirculating distillate supplied to the column to 160 °C is low, that is, there is no noticeable change in the fractional composition of the distillate, and at temperatures above 160 °C the composition practically does not change. The appropriate amount of distillate recycled into the column as an evaporating agent is ~ 1% by weight. from the consumption of raw materials. The calculated temperature curves for the height of the column have a similar characteristic appearance, although the temperatures of the top and bottom of the apparatus (69.8 °C and 226.1 °C) differ from the corresponding column temperatures using water vapor (54.6 °C and 187.1 °C). When using the distillate of the column as an evaporating agent, a clear partial oil refining is achieved, there is no "humidification" of the output streams and an increase in the content of nk-180 °C fractions in the distillate stream is observed. The latter is important for technological schemes that use a gasoline secondary distillation unit for fractions nk-80°C, 60-90 °C and 80-180 °C. To heat the distillate before it is fed to the bottom of the K-1 column, heat recovery by the flows of the main atmospheric column is possible.

1. Rahman S.A., Anjana R. Unisim Based Simulation and Analysis of Crude Oil Distillation. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. IOP Publishing, 2021. vol. 1114. no. 1. pp. 012094.

2. Patrascioiu C., Jamali M. Crude distillation process simulation using Unisim Design simulator. International Journal of Chemical and Molecular Engineering. 2018. vol. 12. no. 7. pp. 340–346.

3. Al-Muslim H., Dincer I., Zubair S.M. Exergy analysis of single-and two-stage crude oil distillation units. J. Energy Resour. Technol. 2003. vol. 125. no. 3. pp. 199–207.

4. Rivero R. Application of the exergy concept in the petroleum refining and petrochemical industry. Energy conversion and Management. 2002. vol. 43. no. 9-12. pp. 1199-1220.

5. Ledezma-Martínez M., Jobson M., Smith R. Simulation–optimization-based design of crude oil distillation systems with preflash units. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 2018. vol. 57. no. 30. pp. 9821–9830.

6. Kamisli F., Ahmed A.A. Simulation and Optimization of A Crude Oil Distillation Unit. Turkish Journal of Science and Technology. 2019. vol. 14. no. 2. pp. 59–68.

7. Yang K. et al. Improving energy saving of crude oil distillation units with optimal operations. Journal of cleaner production. 2020. vol. 263. pp. 121340.

8. Kim Y.H. An Energy‐Efficient Crude Distillation Unit with a Prefractionator. Chemical Engineering & Technology. 2017. vol. 40. no. 3. pp. 588-597. doi: 10.1002/ceat.201600387

9. Kumar S., Mhetre A. S. Comparative techno-economic evaluation of potential processing schemes for petroleum crude oil distillation. Results in Engineering. 2022. vol. 14. pp. 100480. doi: 10.1016/j.rineng.2022.100480

10. Jumaah A.F., Amooey A.A., Nabavi S.R. Simulation Multi‐Objective Particle Swarm Optimization of a Crude Oil Distillation Unit. Chemical Engineering & Technology. 2023. vol. 46. no. 2. pp. 270-278. doi: 10.1002/ceat.202200386

11. Churakova S.K., Bogatykh K.F., Nesterov I.D. The influence of the method of heat supply on energy consumption in the process of partial oil topping. Current problems of technical, natural and human sciences: materials of the International Scientific and Technical Conference. Ufa, Publishing house USNTU, 2009. pp. 106. (in Russian).

12. Biktimirov F.S. Method of oil distillation. Patent RF, no. 2375408, 2009.

13. Kazantsev A.I., Kozhukhova N.Y. Ways to increase the efficiency of the topping column of the AVT block. Young scientists in solving current problems of science. 2020. pp. 142–144. (in Russian).

14. Saidaliev B.Ya. Reducing fuel consumption without violating the technological standard of primary oil refining. Universum: technical sciences. 2020. no. 7-3 (76). pp. 22-24. (in Russian).

15. Eder L.V., Filimonova I.V., Nemov V.Y., Provorny I.A. Extraction, refining and export of oil and petroleum products in Russia. Bulletin of Tyumen State University. Ecology and environmental management. 2014. no. 4. pp. 83-97. (in Russian).

16. Zotov N.I., Popov S.V., Khabibrakhmanova O.V. Increasing the efficiency of the partial oil topping column. Proceedings of VSUET. 2021. vol. 83. no. 1. pp. 284–289. (in Russian).

17. Glagoleva O.F., Kapustin V.M. Increasing the efficiency of oil preparation and refining processes (review). Petrochemistry. 2020. vol. 60. no. 6. pp. 745-754. doi: 10.31857/S002824212006009X (in Russian).

18. Morozov V.A., Otroshko T.P., Morzhukhina L.D., Lugovskoy A.I. and others. Modern installation for vacuum distillation of fuel oil. Oil refining and petrochemistry. Scientific and technical achievements and best practices. 2016. no. 10. pp. 51-58. (in Russian).

19. Fedkin V.S., Popov S.V., Khabibrakhmanova O.V. Selection of the evaporating agent for the partial oil topping column. Proceedings of VSUET. 2021. vol. 83. no. 4. pp. 252–260. (in Russian).

20. Tugashova L.G. Determination of quality indicators of petroleum products. Innovative development of science and education. 2020. pp. 109-119. (in Russian).