Crude oil
...rogen - 14% Sulfur - 1 to 3% (hydrogen sulfide, sulfides, disulfides, elemental sulfur) Nitrogen - less than 1% (basic compounds with amine groups) Oxygen - less than 1% (found in organic compounds such as carbon dioxide, phenols, ketones, carboxylic acids) Metals - less than 1% (nickel, iron, vanadium, copper, arsenic) Salts - less than 1% (sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride) Since Crude oil is a naturally occurring mixture, its components can be separated, through the usage of the distillation method. Distillation is the process by which a solvent can be recovered from a solution or a mixture. In this case Crude oil is a mixture of many different gases, liquids and solid and contains small amounts of unwanted chemicals or impurities. All these substances have to be separated during the refining process. The lighter fuels, such as petrol, evaporate first and are collected from the top when they cool. The heavier parts of crude oil such as diesel fuels are collected at the bottom of the tower. The diagram above observes how crude oil is split into gases and oils at different temperatures in the refining process. (Source: Book: Energy from Oil and Gas by Donna Bailey page 41) Refining crude oil produces many useful products. These include butane gas, petrol, diesel fuel, kerosene fuel for aircraft and bitumen for making roads. As well as fuels and lubricants, refining produces many other valuable chemicals, called petrochemicals which can be made into plastics. Identify the products of the Separation and their uses After the fractional distillation method is completed each of the seven trays collects different solutes that have been refined from the crude oil. Fractional distillation is useful for separating a mixture of substances with narrow differences in boiling points, and is the most important step in the refining process. The diagram below shows what each tray collects according to the boiling point and what each salute is used for. However after the fractional distillation method few of these liquids go straight to the market, yet still most of the liquids collected in the tray must go to other areas for further chemical processing. While other liquids go through the condenser which cools it and then they go to the storage tank. Different hydrocarbon chain lengths all have progressively higher boiling points, so they can all be separated by distillation. This is what happens in an oil refinery - in one part of the process, crude oil is heated and the different chains are pulled out by their vaporization temperatures. Each different chain length has a different property that makes it useful in a different way. To understand the diversity contained in crude oil, which leads to how important refining crude oil in our society due to the valuable uses that allows us to go through everyday chores smoothly. Petroleum gas: linear or branched chain molecules containing one carbon-carbon double-bond, which consists of 1 to 4 Carbon atoms Mainly used for heating, cooking and manufacturing plastics The boiling range from -160 OC to 40 OC Often liquefied under pressure to create LPG ( Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Naphtha or Ligroin Linear or branched chain molecules containing one carbon-carbon double-bond, which consists of a mix of 5 to 9 carbon atom alkanes. One of the liquids which require intermediate further processed to make gasoline. The boiling range from 60 OC to 100 OC Gasoline Used for motor fuel Liquid form A mixture pf alkanes and cycloalkanes, which is made up of 5 to 12 Carbon atoms. Boiling range from 40 OC to 204 OC Kerosene Used as fuel for jet engines and tractors; starting material for making other products Comes in liquid form A mixture of alkanes which is combined from 10 to 18 carbons and is structured in the form of ringed structures with one or more rings (rings contain six carbon atoms, with alternating double and single bonds between the carbons) Boiling range from 175 OC to 325 OC Gas oil or Diesel distillate Used for diesel fuel and heating oil, in addition it is a primary source for producing other products. Liquid form Alkanes containing 12 or more carbon atoms Boiling range is from 250 OC to 350 OC Lubricating oil Used for motor oil, grease, other lubricants Liquid form A combination of alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatics which is made up of a long chain ranging from 20 to 50 carbon atoms boiling range is from 300 OC to 370 OC Heavy gas or Fuel oil Used for industrial fuel; starting material for making other products Liquid Long chain (20 to 70 carbon atoms) alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatics Boiling range is from...