FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION

Question 1

what technique do you use to separate the fractions in crude oil

Answer 1

fractional distillation

Question 2

explain the process of fractional distillation

Answer 2

• crude oil is heated to a very high temperature
• this causes the crude oil to boil and evaporate
• the crude oil is then placed in the fractionating column
  (the column is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top)
• the vapors now rise up the column and condense when they reach their boiling point
• the liquid fractions are then removed
• then the remaining hydrocarbons continue to rise up the fractionating column and then condense when they reach their boiling point

Question 3

do long chain hydrocarbons have high or low boiling points

Answer 3

very long chain hydrocarbons have very high boiling points (these hydrocarbons are removed from the bottom of the column)

Question 4

what happens to short chain hydrocarbons

Answer 4

short chain hydrocarbons have very low boiling points so don’t condense and are removed from the fractionating column at the top as gases

Question 5

name 3 hydrocarbon fuels

Answer 5

kerosene
diesel
petrol

Question 6

define feedstock

Answer 6

a chemical that is used in a chemical reaction to make other chemicals

Question 7

what can feedstock fractions be used to make

Answer 7

• solvents
• lubricants
• detergents
• polymers