fuels earth and atmospheric science

• Hydrocarbons


  Compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen only
• Hydrocarbons


  • The longer the carbon chain, the higher the boiling point and the less flammable
• Crude oil


  A complex mixture of hydrocarbons
• Uses of crude oil

  • Fuels for vehicles, aircraft, ships, heating and power stations
  • Diesel and fuel for some cars
  • Kerosene fuel for aircraft
  • Fuel oil for large ships and power stations
  • Bitumen for surfacing roads and roofs
• Fossil fuels


  Non-renewable sources of energy such as gas, oil and coal
• Renewable fuels


  Fuels derived from natural sources that can be replenished, such as wood
• Alkanes


  Saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2
• Alkenes


  Unsaturated hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond
• Cracking


  1. Breaking down long chain hydrocarbons into shorter chains

  2. Can be done by catalytic cracking or steam cracking
• Cracking produces lots of alkene molecules, which can be useful to make polymers
• Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, with methane as the main component
• Natural gas is useful for cooking and heating
• Complete combustion


  Combustion carried out in sufficient oxygen, where the only products are carbon dioxide and water
• Combustion


  1. The burning of a substance in oxygen, causing energy to be transferred to the surroundings as heat and light

  2. During combustion, the carbon and hydrogen in the fuel are oxidised
• Crude oil is formed from the remains of sea creatures that lived millions of years ago
• Crude oil is a fossil fuel
• Crude oil is an important source of feedstock or raw materials for the petrochemical industry
• Petrochemicals are substances made from crude oil, such as polyethene and other polymers