Petroleum Industry

• What is Petroleum

  • meaning “rock oil” in Latin
  • sometimes called as crude oil
  • volatile, viscous liquid that is usually black with a greenish tinge in color
  • formed from organic matter of marine deposits after undergoing high heat and pressure with no O2
  • nonrenewable resource
• In 1989, the total available oil in reserves is 895.6 billion barrels while the consumption is 61.3 million barrels per day. This equates to only having 40 years left until all of it is used up.
• Brief History

  • 300 BC - Ancient Chinese used bamboo poles to extract oil and make salt
  • 800 AD - Tar was used to pave the streets of Baghdad, Iraq
  • 1100 AD - Production of kerosene using an alembic
  • 1858 - First modern petroleum well drilled near Titusville, Pennsylvania by Colonel Edwin L. Drake – considered to be the Father of the Oil Industry. Paved the way for refineries to mass produce kerosene for oil lamps and lubricating oil for industrial machinery
• Brief History

  • 1885 - invention of gasoline engine
  • 1892 - invention of diesel engine
  • 1903 - Petroleum products utilized by the Wright brothers to take the first man-made flight
  • 1942 - development of cracking
  • 1949 - deep-water drilling of oil became mainstream
• Composition of Crude Oil

  1. Aliphatic Compounds - straight-chained hydrocarbons
  2. Ring Compounds - ring-shaped, closed hydrocarbons with higher boiling point
• ALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS

  n-paraffin series (alkanes)

  • comprises the largest fraction of the crude oil
  • notable compounds are hexane and heptane

  
• ALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS

  iso-paraffin series (iso-alkanes)

  • more desirable than n-paraffins but can only be formed from the refining process
  • notable compounds are 2-methylpentane and 2-methylhexane

  
• ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS

  olefin series (alkenes)

  • exists in very small quantities but is mostly produced in the cracking process
  • desired for their anti-knock properties
  • notable compounds are ethylene, propylene, and butylene

  
• RING COMPOUNDS

  naphthalene series (cycloalkanes)

  • second most abundant compound found in crude oil
  • predominate in gas oils and lubricating oils
  • notable compounds are dimethylcyclopentane and methylcyclohexane

  
• RING COMPOUNDS

  aromatic series (benzene)

  • only small amounts are present but are produced in the refining process
  • has high anti-knocking properties like olefins
  • notable compounds are benzene, toluene, and xylene
• PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

  1. Light Distillates - upper part of the column low boiling points
  2. Intermediate Distillates - middle part of the column boiling points higher than light oils but lower than heavier oils
  3. Heavy Distillates - bottom part of the column highest boiling points not easily combustible
• LIGHT DISTILLATES

  Gasoline (20-70 deg C)

  • considered the most important petroleum product
  • uses a critical measure called the octane number
  • sulfur content should only be 0.1%
• LIGHT DISTILLATES

  napthas (70-160 deg C)

  • refers to any light oil product having properties intermediate between gasoline and kerosene
  • used as commercial solvent in paints or for dry cleaning
• LIGHT DISTILLATES

  kerosene (160-250 deg C)

  • commonly consumed as a fuel and for illuminating purposes
  • also used as fuel for jet engines due to its higher flash point and lower freezing point
• INTERMEDIATE DISTILLATES

  diesel (250-350 deg C)

  • special grade of gas oil that has become an important specialty in recent years
  • viscosity is an essential factor of quality
• INTERMEDIATE DISTILLATES

  gas oil (250-350 deg C)

  • originally used to enrich artificial gas
  • presently used as a fuel or in the gasoline cracking process
• HEAVY DISTILLATES

  lubricating oil (350-370 deg C)

  • reduces friction between moving metal parts
  • improved by use of additives like antioxidants, detergents, and antifoam compounds
• HEAVY DISTILLATES

  wax (350-370 deg C)

  • called as paraffin wax for distinction
  • refined by separation through “sweating”, progressive
  • crystallization, and finished with acid treatment
• HEAVY DISTILLATES

  asphalt (350-370 deg C)

  • used as a paving or roofing material for waterproofing
  • can be altered through heating or partial oxidation
• PETROLEUM CONVERSION

  
  

  Cracking

  • process of converting large molecules into smaller ones by application of heat and/or catalysts
  • uses gas oil as charge stock
  • thermal cracking at 900-1100°F and 600-1000 psi
  • catalytic cracking using aluminum silicates which lowers the pressure needed
  • half of the total gasoline obtained from crude oil is due to the cracking process
• PETROLEUM CONVERSION

  
  

  Polymerization

  • opposite of cracking; it is the binding of light molecules to each other
  • uses olefins (unsaturated) as charge stock
  • free radicals attack the double bonds to lengthen the hydrocarbon chain
  • a solid phosphoric acid is used as catalyst
• PETROLEUM CONVERSION

  
  

  Alkylation

  • exothermic process that combines isoparaffins with olefins
  • relies on the reactivity of isobutane’s tertiary carbon
  • produces high-octane products called alkylates, which is a mixture of saturated, stable isoparaffins
• PETROLEUM CONVERSION

  
  

  Hydrogenation

  • hydrogen is added to an unsaturated hydrocarbon under high pressure and temperature to produce a more fully saturated product
  • heavy oils are used as charge stock
• PETROLEUM CONVERSION

  
  

  Isomerization

  • process where the structure of a compound is changed without altering the number of atoms
  • mostly used to produce isobutane needed for alkylation
  • catalyst used is aluminum chloride (AlCl3) at temperature of 250°F and pressure of 300 psi, achieving 45-55% conversion