Using Crude Oil as a Fuel

Question 1

What are parts of crude oil burned in?

Answer 1

• central heating systems
• powerstations to generate electricity

Question 2

Why does crude oil make a good fuel?

Answer 2

It burns cleanly.

Question 3

Crude oil provides the raw material for making various…

Answer 3

chemicals, including plastic.

Question 4

What are the alternatives to using crude oil fractions as fuels?

Answer 4

• electricity can be generated by nuclear power or wind power
• ethanol powered cars
• solar energy can be used to heat water.

Question 5

Why is it easier to use crude oil?

Answer 5

• it is cheaper and easiest to find
• more reliable than e.g. wind power as it wont work without the right weather.

Question 6

Why are scientists worried crude oil could run out?

Answer 6

It’s a non renewable fuel.

Question 7

New oil reserves:

Technology is making it possible to…

Answer 7

extract oil that was once too difficult or expensive to extract.

Question 8

Why do people think we should immediately stop using oil for things such as transport?

Answer 8

They believe we should save it for essentials such as chemicals in medicines.

Question 9

Why is it difficult to use alternative fuel methods?

Answer 9

Becuase it takes time to develop and it also takes time to adapt to new things so the fuel can be used on a huge scale.

Question 10

What is an alternative to generate energy?

Answer 10

Generating energy from renewable sources.

For example:

• wind power
• solar power
• tidal power.

Question 11

Disdvantages of cude oil:

Answer 11

• Oil spills ⇒ disasterous for the local environment. Bird get covered in it and poisoned when trying to clean it off. Sea otters and whales are poisoned too.
• You have to burn oil to release the energy from it. Major cause of global warming, acid rain and global dimming.