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    Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil

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    Caron Asgarali
    Crude oil is fractionally distilled to separate it into fractions with similar boiling points. A tall fractionating column is used, with condensers at different heights allowing hydrocarbons to condense based on their boiling points. Lower in the column, substances with higher boiling points condense, while higher up, those with lower boiling points condense. Each fraction contains hydrocarbons of similar carbon number and boiling point range. The main fractions are used to produce fuels and other products.

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    Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil

    Uploaded by

    Caron Asgarali
    59 views3 pages
    Crude oil is fractionally distilled to separate it into fractions with similar boiling points. A tall fractionating column is used, with condensers at different heights allowing hydrocarbons to condense based on their boiling points. Lower in the column, substances with higher boiling points condense, while higher up, those with lower boiling points condense. Each fraction contains hydrocarbons of similar carbon number and boiling point range. The main fractions are used to produce fuels and other products.

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    Fractional distillation of crude oil

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    Crude oil is fractionally distilled to separate it into fractions with similar boiling points. A tall fractionating column is used, with condensers at different heights allowing hydrocarbons to condense based on their boiling points. Lower in the column, substances with higher boiling points condense, while higher up, those with lower boiling points condense. Each fraction contains hydrocarbons of similar carbon number and boiling point range. The main fractions are used to produce fuels and other products.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    59 views3 pages

    Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil

    Uploaded by

    Caron Asgarali
    Crude oil is fractionally distilled to separate it into fractions with similar boiling points. A tall fractionating column is used, with condensers at different heights allowing hydrocarbons to condense based on their boiling points. Lower in the column, substances with higher boiling points condense, while higher up, those with lower boiling points condense. Each fraction contains hydrocarbons of similar carbon number and boiling point range. The main fractions are used to produce fuels and other products.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Fractional distillation of crude oil

    Fractional distillation separates a mixture into a number of different parts, called fractions.

    A tall fractionating column is fitted above the mixture, with several condensers coming off at different
    heights. The column is hot at the bottom and cool at the top. Substances with high boiling
    points condense at the bottom and substances with lower boiling points condense on the way to the
    top.

    Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons. The crude oil is evaporated and its vapours condense at different
    temperatures in the fractionating column. Each fraction contains hydrocarbon molecules with a similar
    number of carbon atoms and a similar range of boiling points.

    Oil fractions

    The diagram below summarises the main fractions from crude oil and their uses, and the trends in
    properties. Note that the gases leave at the top of the column, the liquids condense in the middle and
    the solids stay at the bottom.

    The fractionating column


    As you go up the fractionating column, the hydrocarbons have:

    1. lower boiling points

    2. lower viscosity (they flow more easily)

    3. higher flammability (they ignite more easily).

    Other fossil fuels

    Crude oil is not the only fossil fuel.

    Natural gas mainly consists of methane. It is used in domestic boilers, cookers and Bunsen burners, as
    well as in some power stations.

    Coal was formed from the remains of ancient forests. It can be burned in power stations. Coal is mainly
    carbon but it may also contain sulfur compounds, which produce sulfur dioxide when the coal is burned.
    This gas is a cause of acid rain. Also, as all fossil fuels contain carbon, the burning of any fossil fuel will
    contribute to global warming due to the production of carbon dioxide.

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