GROUP FOURS

PRESENTATION
CRUDE OIL

CRUDE OIL

Crude Oil
What

is Crude oil?

Crude oil is a complex mixture of naturally

occurring hydrocarbons.
It consists mainly of a variety of alkanes,
cycloalkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons.

Making Crude Oil more Useful

Why make crude oil more useful?

In its raw form, the uses of crude oil are very

limited (virtually non-existent).
Since it is a mixture of about 150 other
compounds, it is difficult to ignite and
therefore unable to be used as fuel.

The processes used in making crude oil

more useful are:
Fractional Distillation
Cracking and Reforming of Crude oil Fractions

FRACTIONAL
DISTILLATION OF CRUDE
OIL

CRACKING AND REFORMING

OF CRUDE OIL FRACTIONS

Cracking

Cracking is the name given to breaking up

large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller
and more useful bits. This is achieved by
using high pressures and temperatures
without a catalyst, or lower temperatures
and pressures in the presence of a catalyst.
(chemguide.co.uk)
Cracking is done because there is a greater
demand for the petroleum fractions with 1 to
12 carbon atoms than the bigger fractions.

Thermal Cracking
In

thermal cracking, high temperatures

(typically in the range of 450C to
750C) and pressures (up to about 70
atmospheres) are used to break the
large hydrocarbons into smaller ones.
Thermal cracking gives mixtures of
products containing high proportions of
hydrocarbons with double bonds alkenes.

Catalytic Cracking
Catalytic

cracking involves the use of a

catalyst at lower temperatures to break
the bonds of the hydrocarbon molecule.

Reformation of Crude Oil

Fractions
What

is reforming?

Reforming is a process that converts straight

chained hydrocarbons into aromatic and
more highly branched hydrocarbons.

Reforming is the effect of reactions such as:

Isomerisation
Alkylation
Catalytic Reforming

IMPACT OF THE CRUDE

OIL INDUSTRY

Impact of the Crude Oil

Industry
On Humans

Uses of Crude Oil

Fraction

On the Environment

Pollution by Crude
Oil and its
Constituents

USES OF CRUDE OIL

Fraction

Boiling
Length of
Temperature/o carbon
C
chain

Use

Refinery Gas 20

C1 C 4

Fuel:
domestic
heating gas
cookers

Light
Petroleum

20 60

C5 C 6

Solvent

Light
Naphtha

60 100

C6 C 7

Solvent

Gasoline
(Petrol)

40 205

C5 C12

Fuel for the

internal
combustion
engine (cars
etc.)

Kerosene
(Paraffin)

275 400

C12 C18

Fuel for jet

engines

Fraction

Boiling
Temperature/o
C

Length
of
carbon
chain

Use

Gas Oil

275 400

C18 C25

Does not vaporise

easily. Used in diesel
engines, where it is
injected into
compressed air to make
it ignite.
Used in industrial
furnaces, being
introduced as a fine
mist to help the oil to
burn

Lubricating
Oil

Non-volatile

C20 C34

Lubrication

Paraffin
Wax

Solidifies from
lubricating oil
fraction

C25 C40

Polishing waxes,
petroleum jelly

Bitumen
(asphalt)

Residue

>C30

Road surfacing,
roofing

Environmental Impact
The

oil industry is a major

environmental pollutant since pollution
may occur during extraction,
transportation and refining of the crude
oil and, its refined products may be
pollutants also.

SITING THE INDUSTRIAL

PLANT:

Considerations when Siting a

Chemical Plant

(i) Proximity to source of raw materials

(ii) Proximity to consumer markets

(iii)

Sources of power

(iv)

Transport facilities

(v) Water Resources

(vi)

Effluent Disposal

(vii)

Labour

(viii) Proximity to Industrial Centres

(ix)

(x) Financial Incentives

(xi)

Climate

Fire and Flood Protection

QUESTIONS?