hydrocarbons and fractional distillation

What is crude (unrefined) oil ?

• it’s a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with differing number of carbons (diff chain lengths and rings)

• an important source of useful substances (fuels and feedstock for the petrochemical industry)

• a finite resource

How is crude oiled useful ?

• it’s useful for fuel

• as a base material (feedstock) for the petrochemical industry

• it’s also a finite resource and will run out

What is a hydrocarbon ?

a compound that ONLY contains hydrogen and carbon

Draw the process of fractional distillation ?

What is bitumen used for ?

surfacing rods and roofs

What is fuel oil used for ?

fuel for large ships and power stations

What is diesel oil used for ?

fuel for some cars and trains

What is kerosene used for ?

fuel for aircraft

What is petrol used for ?

fuel for cars

What is gases used for ?

domestic heating and cooking

In the fractioning column, where is the hottest and coldest ?

• hottest at the bottom

• coldest at the top

In the fractioning column, what happens to the vapours ?

• vapours rise through column and cool down

• they condense when they reach a part of the column that is cool enough

• liquid falls into a tray and is piped away

The longer the hydrocarbon……?

the thicker it is