Description
Operate and tend batch and continuous distillation stills, columns, reboilers, condensers, and receivers to separate, purify, or recover chemical products by controlling heat, reflux, pressure/vacuum, and material flows while monitoring equipment performance and product quality.
- • Inspect columns, packing or trays, seals, gaskets, and heat exchangers for leaks, fouling, or malfunctions; shut down or isolate if required.
- • Patrol the distillation area to detect leaks, abnormal noises, odors, or hot spots and verify operating conditions.
- • Draw and test fraction samples for purity, specific gravity, composition, boiling range, or water content, or send to the lab.
- • Pull samples at specified intervals or cut points for analysis and documentation.
- • Record temperatures, pressures, reflux ratios, flows, cut times, volumes, and test results in logs or control systems.
- • Notify maintenance or instrumentation of leaks, vacuum loss, seal or pump failures, heater issues, or control faults.
- • Add drying agents, neutralizers, adsorbents, or antifoam; route streams through filters, decanters, or coalescers to meet specs.
- • Open and line up valves; start feed and transfer pumps, vacuum equipment, cooling water, and reflux pumps.
- • Review batch records, recipes, and operating procedures to define target fractions and operating parameters.
- • Drain and depressurize equipment; flush with solvent or water; perform steam-outs or clean-in-place procedures to clean stills and lines.
- • Perform minor maintenance such as replacing gaskets or packing, tightening fittings, and lubricating pumps.
- • Clean reboiler and condenser surfaces using steam, chemical cleaning, or mechanical methods to restore heat transfer.
- • Compare color, clarity, and odor of fractions to instrument readings and laboratory standards.
- • Implement emergency actions for spills, overpressure, flooding, or vacuum loss; operate relief and containment systems.
- • Charge specified solid additives (salts, adsorbents, drying agents) to the still as required.
- • Estimate feed, utilities, and consumables required for scheduled distillation runs.
- • Maintain inventory of feedstocks, solvents, filters, gaskets, and spare parts.
- • Direct and train helpers in charging, sampling, drum handling, and product transfers.
- • Adjust heat input, column pressure or vacuum, reflux ratio, feed, and cooling flows to meet separation specifications.
- • Follow flammable-vapor, hot-surface, and lockout/tagout procedures to prevent fires, explosions, or injury.
- • Monitor head and tray temperatures, pressures, levels, flows, and analyzers to maintain setpoints.
- • Operate batch or continuous stills, reboilers, condensers, vacuum systems, and receivers to separate or recover products.
- • Charge stills with feedstocks and solvents per batch sheet; add entrainers, antifoam, or denaturants as specified.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
