Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil

How are the hydrocarbons in crude oil separated

Fractional distillation

What is crude oil separated into in fractional distillation

Fractions

What do fractions contain

Hydrocarbons with similar number of carbon atoms

Where does fractional distillation take place

In very large columns

What is the first step of fractional distillation

The crude oil is heated to a very high temperature

What heating the crude oil do?

Causes it to boil and the hydrocarbons to evaporate

What is the second step of fractional distillation

The crude oil vapour is fed into the fractional distillation column

Is the column hotter at the bottom or the top

bottom

Is the column cooler at the bottom or the top

top

What is the third step of fractional distillation

The hydrocarbon vapours rise up the column and then condense when they reach their boiling point

What is the fourth step of fractional distillation

The liquid fractions are then removed and the remaining hydrocarbons continue moving up the column, they condense when they reach their boiling points

What type of boiling points do very long hydrocarbons have

Very high boiling points

Where are very long chain hydrocarbons removed from?

The bottom of the colummn

Where are very short chain hydrocarbons removed from and in what form?

The top of the column as gases

Do very short hydrocarbons condense

No

What can the fractions be processed to produce

fuels and feedstock for the petrochemical industry

What does feedstock mean

A chemical used to make other chemicals

Give examples of fuels produced from crude oil

petrol, diesel oil, kerosene, heavy fuel oil, and liquified petroleum gases

Give examples of materials produced by the petrochemical industry

solvents, lubricants, polymers, and detergents