Systems and methods for determining the distillation characteristics of petroleum samples by partial distillation

A device comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• a processor configured to execute the instructions to:
• determine an initial mass of a sample using a mass sensor;
• distill the sample up to at least a thermal destruction temperature of the sample;
• determine, at a plurality of time points during the distilling, a plurality of vapor temperature values, a plurality of liquid temperature values, and a plurality of vapor pressure values;
• determine a residual mass of the sample using the mass sensor;
• generate a pressure curve based on the plurality of vapor pressure values;
• calculate a summary integral surface for the generated pressure curve;
• and
• generate a distillation curve that relates the plurality of vapor temperature values and the plurality of liquid temperature values to mass percentage of the sample that has evaporated, based on the calculated summary integral surface, the initial mass of the sample, and the residual mass of the sample.

A system comprising:

• a controller configured to:
• determine an initial mass of a sample;
• distill the sample up to at least a thermal destruction temperature of the sample;
• determine, at a plurality of time points during the distilling, a plurality of vapor temperature values, a plurality of liquid temperature values, and a plurality of vapor pressure values;
• determine a residual mass of the sample;
• generate a pressure curve based on the plurality of vapor pressure values;
• calculate a summary integral surface for the generated pressure curve;
• and
• generate a distillation curve that relates the plurality of vapor temperature values and the plurality of liquid temperature values to mass percentage of the sample that has evaporated, based on the calculated summary integral surface, the initial mass of the sample, and the residual mass of the sample;
• and
• a distillation device comprising:
• a mass sensor to determine the initial mass and the residual mass of the sample;
• a vapor temperature sensor to obtain the plurality of vapor temperature values;
• a liquid temperature sensor to obtain the plurality of liquid pressure values;
• and
• a pressure sensor to obtain the plurality of vapor pressure values.