Mining of Petroleum

1) Petroleum gets formed and gets collected deep inside the surface of the earth. The
depth of such storage can vary from few hundred to thousand feet below the surface
of earth.
2) Petroleum is found to float upon the layer of salt water and it is surrounded by layer
of natural gas deep below the impervious rock. Mining of petroleum is done by
drilling holes deep inside the earths crust and inserting pipes up to the oil bearing
rocks.
3) Due to the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the injected compressed gas the
petroleum gets piped out with pressure.

Refining of Petroleum
1) Crude oil directly cannot be used for any purpose hence it is further processed to
obtain its fractions of lower molecular weight compound.
2) This process of obtaining smaller fractions of crude oil is known as refining.
3)

Refining of petroleum is carried out in following steps

1. Separation of water
2. Separation of sulphur
3. Fractional Distillation

1) Separation of water
First the emulsified water along with the salts dissolved is removed by passing the
crude oil between highly charged electrodes. The colloidal water droplets unite to
from a large drop which separate from oil.
2) Separation of Sulphur
For the removal of sulphur from the sulphur compounds in crude oil it is treated with
CUO
3) Fractional Distillation
The principle used to obtain various fractions of crude oil is to condense them of
different level depending on their boiling point.

Fractional Distillation
Diagram:

Construction
1)

The refining is
carried out in a tall cylindrical tower called as fractionating column. It is a stainless
steel tower about 30m in height and 3 m in diameter

2) There are 50-60 horizontal stainless steel trays at about half meter apart from each
other in the tower. Each tray is provided with 4-5 bubble cups with loose caps so that
rising vapors could bubble in the liquid deposited on trays.
3) Factions are taken out only from same bubble cops
4) Temperature of the tower is about 400o C at the bottom and it decreases to 40o C at
the top. The cooling of the tower is done by open air.

Working:
1) The crude oil is firstly heated at 400O C in a furnace to convert it into vapors enter
into

2)

3)

4)
5)

Fractionating column at the bottom.

The vapors move upwards through the bubble cops and gradually get cooled. The
vapors of fractions with higher boiling point get deposited in lower level bubble cups
and the liquid deposits on trays.
The uncondensed vapors rise up and get condensed on the higher bubble trays.
There is vigorous bubbling action on each tray. In case, large part of the vapors get
condensed on a tray, then extra liquid is moved to lower tray where it gets
evaporated due to higher temperature.
The uncondensed gases move out of the tower from the tower and hence all the
different fractions of crude oil are collected
Heavily oils are further fractionated to obtain products like Vaseline, wax etc.

Products of fractional distillation of crude oil

Sr.
No
.
1111)

Name of
Fraction

Boiling Range

Composition of
Hydrocarbon

Uses

Uncondensed
gases

Below 40o C

C1-C4

Domestic and industrial fuel under

LPG name

2)

Aviation Fuel

40- 70o C

C5-C7

Fuel for airplane, helicopters, as

solvent

3)

Petrol or
gasoline

60-120o C

C5-C8

Fuel for petrol engines, dry cleaning,

as solvent.

4)

Naptha or
solvent spirit

120oC-180oC

C7-C10

As solvent and for dry cleaning for

chemicals

5)

Kerosene

180o-250oC

C10-C16

For illumination, domestic fuel for oil

gas and fuel of jet engines

6)

Diesel

250-320o C

C15-C18

Diesel engine fuel.

7)

Heavy oil

320-400o C

C17-C30

For making petrol by cracking

a) Lubricating
oil
b) Vaselines

C18-C20

Lubricating purpose

C20-C22

Cosmetics , medicines, Lubricant

c) Greases

C22-C26

Lubrication

d) Wax

C26-C30

Candles, boot polish

8)

Residue

a) Asphalt
b) Petroleum
coke

Above C30

Road making, water proofing of roofs