Fractional distillation

Cards (9)

3 types of fossil fuel
Crude oil
Coal
Natural gas
Crude oil
Mixture of many different compounds mostly hydrocarbons
What is crude oil and how is it formed
Formed from the remains of dead plants and animals over millions of years being compressed under extreme pressure and heat. This chemically changed the organic remains into crude oil
Process of fractional distillation
Crude oil is heated to vaporise it into a gas
As the gas rises up the column it cools down
When the hydrocarbons reach a temperature lower than their boiling point they condense into a liquid
The longer chain hydrocarbons condense lower down while the shorter chain hydrocarbons condense at the top
List of components of crude oil (highest bp to lowest)
Bitumen
Heavy fuel oil
Diesel oil
Kerosene
Petrol
LPG
How are hydrocarbons formed from crude oil used as feedstock by the petrochemical industry
Can be used to make new compounds
Why do short chain hydrocarbons make good fuels
Very flammable and volatile so are easy to combust
Why are long chain hydrocarbons bad fuels
Not very flammable or volatile meaning they are hard to combust for energy
Do hydrocarbons with long or short chains have a lower boiling point
Short chains