Fractional Distillation Flashcards
Name 3 fossil fuels
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas
Are fossil fuels renewable?
Fossil fuels are non-renewable
They take a long time to make and are being used up faster than they are being formed
They are finite resources (one day they’ll run out)
What is the main source of hydrocarbons?
Crude Oil
How is crude oil formed?
Underground
Over millions of years
At high temperatures and pressures
From the buried remains of plants and animals
Non-renewable
Finite
What is crude oil?
A complex mixture of different hydrocarbons
What are hydrocarbons?
Compounds with contain only hydrogen and carbon
How are fractions in crude oil separated?
Fractional distillation
Describe Fractional Distillation
Crude oil is heated until most of it has turned to gas
The gases enter a fractionating column (and the bitumen is drained at the bottom)
The longer hydrocarbons have higher boiling points so they turn back into liquids and drain out early on, near the bottom
The shorter the hydrocarbon, the lower the boiling point and therefore the higher up the column it will cool and drain out
What is bitumen and what is it used for?
Bitumen is the part of crude oil with the highest boiling point
It has the longest chain of carbons
It’s used to surface roads and roofs
Name the 6 fractions of fractional distillation from the longest carbon chain to the shortest
Bitumen
Fuel Oil
Diesel Oil
Kerosene (paraffin)
Petrol
Gases
What is fuel oil used for?
Fuel for large ships and also in some power stations
What is diesel oil used for?
Fuel in some cars and larger vehicles e.g. trains
What is kerosene used for?
Kerosene is used as a fuel in aircraft
What is petrol used for?
Fuel in cars
What are the gases left from fractional distillation used for?
Domestic heating and cooking
