P2C20 - Fuels

Question 1

What is crude oil made from?

Answer 1

Fossilised remnants of ancient plankton.

Question 2

Where is crude oil found?

Answer 2

Rocks

Question 3

What are most of the compounds in crude oil?

Answer 3

Hydrocarbons

Question 4

What is fractional distillation?

Answer 4

The process of separating crude oil into groups of hydrocarbons with similar numbers of carbon atoms.

Question 5

What are hydrocarbons with few carbon atoms called?

Answer 5

Short chain hydrocarbons

Question 6

What does fractional distillation do?

Answer 6

Separates hydrocarbons using their different boiling points.

Question 7

What are the steps of fractional distillation?

Answer 7

Evaporation
Condensation
Collection

Question 8

What are the steps of fractional distillation? ( Detailed )

Answer 8

Evaporation - We evaporate the crude oil by heating it.
Crude oil vapour is put into a fractionating column at the bottom and rises upwards.

Condensation - Long-chain hydrocarbons condense at the bottom and are collected as liquids.

Collection - The fractions are collected. They are then processed to create end products:
Fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel) are a common end product.

The petrochemical industry can use some fractions as feedstock (material used in an industrial process) to make products such as solvents, detergents, lubricants etc.

Question 9

What is the order of the fractions and their uses?

Answer 9

Gases - Heating + cooking
Petrol - Cars
Kerosene - Aircraft
Diesel - Cars + trains
Fuel - Ships
Bitumen - Roads