Distillation

Knock! Knock!

Li Ming turned his head when he heard a knock on his door. He assumed it was Li Xuan. "Please come in. I don't lock the room."

As expected, Li Xuan entered, carrying a box filled with the equipment Li Ming had asked her to prepare.

"By the way, do you have a place where I can reach a high boiling point?" Li Ming inquired.

"In this mansion?" Li Xuan paused for a moment before raising a finger. "There is one place for that."

"Let's visit that place. I will need that much heat to proceed," Li Ming responded.

"In that case, I'll guide you," Li Xuan offered, extending her hand as an invitation to follow her.

They made their way to the back of the mansion, where they found a large pile of firewood. Nearby stood a clay box with an open side, filled with charcoal and firewood. Smoke rose from a hole on top of the box, indicating a fire burning inside not long ago.

"This is the place. It's usually the kitchen, but since everyone has finished their dinner, it's not in use at the moment," Li Xuan explained.

"An open kitchen, huh? That's convenient," Li Ming remarked casually while unpacking the items he had brought. Among them were several heat-resistant bottles and a stand to hold them diagonally. Additionally, there was a horizontal pipe connected to the bottle.

"So, how do we proceed?" Li Xuan inquired.

"I will need your help to maintain the fire and boil water. Is there anyone you trust who can assist us?" Li Ming requested.

"In that case, please wait a moment," Li Xuan said, leaving briefly to fetch two middle-aged men. "They will be assisting us. Please start the fire and boil some water."

"Yes, Young Miss," the men replied, following her instructions and preparing everything required.

Next, Li Ming poured the crude oil into one of the bottles, leaving it uncapped. He attached the bottle to the long pipe, which was connected to another pipe, bending it at a ninety-degree angle. Lastly, he positioned a cup at the other end of the pipe.

Once the water was boiling, Li Ming instructed the men to place the boiling water beneath the bottle.

"The crude oil contains various components, so we need to separate them through this process. The first fraction we can obtain is gasoline or naphtha, which are highly flammable. To achieve this, we gradually increase the temperature," Li Ming explained, monitoring the temperature using Eyses' scanning system, which provided information on the temperature of the hot water and the bottle.

When the desired temperature was reached, Li Ming submerged the bottle in the hot water.

Li Xuan, curious about the process, asked, "What are we doing, Li Ming? I understand that there are different substances within the oil, but how does this method separate them?"

"Wait a moment, and you will see," Li Ming replied, motioning for her to hold her questions.

The hot water transferred heat to the oil sample, gradually increasing its temperature. As it reached the desired temperature, a fraction of the oil began to evaporate. The vapor traveled through the pipe, condensing along the way until it reached the other end, where it dripped into the cup.

Li Xuan's eyes widened in astonishment. "What is this? Firstly, how does the water flow upward through the pipe without assistance? And this liquid, it appears transparent like water. How is it possible for water and oil to mix? We've attempted it before, but they are meant to separate."

Li Ming chuckled. "This is not water. It may appear transparent, but upon closer inspection, you'll notice a slight yellowish tint."

Li Xuan nodded in agreement. "Ah, you're right."

Li Ming continued, "This is what we call gasoline. It is often used as fuel due to its high flammability. The process we are performing is called distillation. Each fraction within the oil has a different boiling point, which corresponds to the temperature at which it vaporizes. By gradually increasing the temperature and separating them, we can obtain the different fractions present in the oil."

"I see," Li Xuan gasped. "But you mentioned the need for a large flame. Won't this process be expensive?"

"We are only testing the oil's components for now, so the cost is not a major concern. However, the machine I asked Elder Han to build can handle a large quantity of oil at once. It operates at different temperatures for different fractions. By maintaining a continuous process without allowing the temperature to drop, we can minimize loss. And the larger the scale, the lower the cost compared to the profit we can gain," Li Ming explained.

Li Xuan furrowed her brow. On one hand, she worried that her bluff had failed due to the cost involved. On the other hand, she had no evidence to refute Li Ming's explanation.

But considering that Li Ming had not lied to her thus far, Li Xuan couldn't help but think, "I suppose it's alright to trust him this time."

"I understand. How long will this process take?" she inquired.

"It will take some time. We need to fully vaporize and condense everything, collecting it in this cup. Then we can proceed with the other fractions. Once the testing is complete, it will become easier," Li Ming replied.

"I see," Li Xuan contemplated, hoping the process wouldn't be overly time-consuming since she needed to convince her father.

Unaware of her internal struggle, Li Ming continued the distillation process. As expected, the crude oil produced various liquids, each displaying a different color.