C.2 Fossil Fuels Flashcards
How are fossil fuels produced?
Reduction of biological molecules within dead organisms.
Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen.
Result is a carbon rich fuel.
What is crude oil?
A complex mixture of different hydrocarbons
What happens during crude oil refining?
Mixture undergoes fractional distillation, physical process, separates on their boiling point.
What happens during fractional distillation?
1 - crude oil heated until it boils
2 - vapour passes into the fractionating column
3 - temperature is higher at bottom of column than top
4 - different fractions condense and drawn off at different heights
5 - highest boiling points condense towards bottom of tower
6 - smaller hydrocarbons travel up the column until they condense and are drawn off
What is the refinery gases fraction used for?
Fuel for cooking and heating, bottled gas, fuel in the refinery.
What is the gasoline fraction used for?
Fuel for cars.
What is the naphtha fraction used for?
Feedstock for petrochemical industry, converted by catalytic reforming into gasoline, used as a solvent.
What is the kerosene (paraffin) fraction used for?
Jet fuel, household heaters and lamps, cracked to produce more gasoline.
What is the diesel oil (gas oil) fraction used for?
Diesel fuel for cars, lorries etc. cracked to produce more gasoline.
What is the fuel oil fraction used for?
Fuel for ships and industry, fuel for home central heating systems.
What is the lubricating oil fraction used for?
Lubricant in engines and machinery, may be cracked.
What is the wax fraction used for?
Candles, petroleum jelly, waxed paper and cardboard in the food industry.
What is the bitumen/asphalt fraction used for?
Tarmac for roads and waterproofing roofs.
What is volatility?
How readily a substance evaporates.
How does the carbon chain length change over the fractions?
It increases as you move down the fraction from refinery gas to asphalt.