Crude oil

Crude oil

A finite fossil fuel made from buried plankton which has decomposed under mud for millions of years

Crude oil isn't useful because

It is a mixture of lots of hydrocarbons of a huge range of lengths

Composition of crude oil

Mainly hydrocarbons, with a few impurities such as sulphur

Hydrocarbon

A substance which is only made of hydrogen and carbon

Fractional distillation of crude oil

The separation of crude oil into fractions

Hydrocarbon fraction

A group of hydrocarbons with similar boiling points and numbers of carbon atoms

Fuel

A material that releases energy when it burns

Common hydrocarbon fractions

Petrol, diesel oil, kerosene, fuel oil, LPG

Petrol

A liquid fuel used in cars

Diesel

A liquid fuel used in large cars and trucks

Kerosene

A liquid fuel used in jet engines (planes)

Fuel oil

A liquid fuel for ships and power stations

LPG

Liquid petroleum gas; a gas fuel used in cooking

Products made from crude oil

solvents, lubricants, polymers, detergents

Polymer

A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together.

Evaporation

The change of state from a liquid to a gas

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

1st step of fractional distillation in crude oil

Crude oil is heated and vapourised

Fractionating column

The vertical column, used in fractional distillation which is hottest at the bottom and cools towards the top

Hydrocarbon chain length

Number of carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon molecule

Shortest chains in fractional distillation

Are found at the top of the fractionating column

Longest chains in fractional distillation

Are found at the bottom of the fractionating column