Fuels Flashcards
How was crude oil formed?
When plants and animals that lived in the sea died they became buried by sediment. Over millions of years heat and pressure turned them into crude oil
What is crude oil?
A mixture of different hydrocarbon molecules
Crude oil is non-renewable. What does that mean?
It will eventually run out and cannot be replaced
What is a hydrocarbon?
A compound that contains hydrogen and carbon only
How is crude oil separated into fractions?
Fractional distillation
What is fractional distillation?
Separation due to a difference in boiling point
Name the fractions of crude oil
gases, petrol, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, bitumen
Give some uses of the gases fraction
LPG, Bottled gas, BBQ fuel
Give a use of petrol
fuel for cars
Give a use for kerosene
Aircraft engines
Give a use of diesel
Diesel cars/lorries
Give a use for bitumen
Tar for roads, waterproofing roofs
When a fuel burns in enough oxygen it makes carbon dioxide and water what is this type if reaction called
complete combustion
When a fuel burns but there is not enough oxygen it makes carbon monxide and water what is this type if reaction called
incomplete combustion
What problems can carbon monoxide cause
Its an odourless and colourless toxic gas that reduces the bloods ability to carry oxygen which could lead to death
Incomplete combustion can also make soot. What are the problems with this
it can make buildings dirty. It can cause people to breathe in sooty air which can lead to lung diseases
How is acid rain caused?
The burning of fuels that contain sulphur. This makes sulphur dioxide which dissolves in rainwater making it acidic
What are the effects of acid rain?
Makes rivers, lakes and soils acidic
Causes buildings to weather especially those made of limestone
Human activity such as burning fossil fuels is thought to be causing the earths temperature to increase. What is this process called?
Climate change/global warming
What is a biofuel?
A fuel made from plants
What are the advantages of biofuels?
They are carbon neutral.
They are renewable
What are the disadvantages of biofuels?
They take up land to grow that could be used for food crops which could lead to a shortage in food.
We don’t have enough land to grow all we need.
It could be a poor crop of plants
It takes time to grow
Give some properties of a good fuel
burns easily, releases a lot of heat energy, is easy to store and transport, doesn’t produce air pollution.
What are the advantages of using hydrogen as a fuel?
Its only waste product is water, it is made from water which is in plentiful supply, it gives off a lot of energy
What are the disadvantages of using hydrogen as a fuel?
Its hard to store and transport.
We have no hydrogen fuel stations
What is an alkane?
A saturated hydrocarbon which means it only contains single bonds
What is an alkene?
A unsaturated hydrocarbon which contains a carbon carbon double bond
What does saturated mean?
Only contains single bonds
What does unsaturated mean?
it contains a carbon carbon double bond
What is the bromine water test?
If you add bromine water to an alkane it remains orange.
If you add bromine water to an alkene it reacts changing colour from orange to colourless
What is cracking?
The breaking down of long chained hydrocarbons to form an alkane and an alkene
Why do we need to crack long chained hydrocarbons
To meet the demand of the shorter chained hydrocarbons that are used as fuel and alkenes that are used to make polymers (plastics)
How are polymers made?
Lots of monomers (alkenes) join together by the breaking of a double bond to make a long chain of carbon atoms
Give some problems with the disposal of polymers
They are not biodegradable (don’t break down) so are in landfill for years.
When burnt some give off toxic gases
They need sorting before they can be recycled
