Major Petroleum Products and Their uses, Natural Gas Processing and Natural Gas Uses

Speaker: Dr. O.P.Rao

Major Petroleum Products and their Uses Petroleum products are usually grouped into three categories:
Light distillates (LPG, gasoline, naphtha), Middle distillates (kerosene, diesel), Heavy distillates and residuum (heavy fuel oil, lubricating oils, wax, tar).

This classification is based on the way crude oil is distilled and separated into fractions

Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) LPG is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in cooking, heating appliances and vehicles LPG is a mixture of propane(C3H8) and Butane (C4H10), and the more common mix is propane (60%) and butane (40%),

Propylene and butylenes are usually also present in small proportions (C3H6. C4H8

LPG has a typical specific calorific value of 46.1 MJ/kg compared with 42.5 MJ/kg for diesel and 43.5 MJ/kg for petrol (gasoline). However, its energy density per volume unit of 26 MJ/l is lower than either that of petrol or diesel. LPG has a higher calorific value (94 MJ/m3 ) than natural gas (methane) (38 MJ/m3 At normal temperatures and pressures, LPG will evaporate. Because of this, LPG is supplied in pressurised steel bottles LPG is heavier than air
A compound called Mercaptan Sulphur is added to LPG before bottling so that people can detect a leak

Gasoline (also known as petrol) Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture, primarily used as fuel in internal combustion engines Gasoline contains about 32.0 MJ/L of energy

The specific gravity of gasoline ranges from 0.670.77

Naphtha Naphtha refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons (complex mixture of hydrocarbon molecules generally having between 5 and 12 carbon atoms)
Naphtha is used primarily as feedstock for producing a high octane gasoline component (via the catalytic reforming process).

Naphtha is used as a fuel in gas turbine for power generations

Naphtha being highly volatile, inflammable and hazardous fuel, it has its own problem for using in power plant Molecular weight range is 100-215 g/mol; specific gravity range is 0.75-0.85 g/cm3; boiling point range is 160-220C

Hazards of Naphtha Forms of naphtha may be carcinogenic Extremely flammable. Irritating to eyes and respiratory system. Affects central nervous system. Harmful or fatal if swallowed. Eyes : High vapor concentration or contact may cause irritation and discomfort. Skin : Brief contact may cause slight irritation. Skin irritation leading to dermatitis may occur upon prolonged or repeated contact. Can be absorbed through skin. Ingestion : Aspiration hazard if liquid is inhaled into lungs, particularly from vomiting after ingestion. Aspiration may result in chemical pneumonia, severe lung damage, respiratory failure and even death. Inhalation : Vapors or mists from this material can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs, and can cause signs and symptoms of central nervous system depression, depending on the concentration and duration of exposure. Inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system depression such as dizziness.

Kerosene and related jet aircraft fuels

Kerosene is a thin, clear liquid formed from hydrocarbons, with density of 0.78-0.81g/cm3. Kerosene is obtained from the fractional distillation of petroleum between 150 C and 275 C

Used for heating, lighting, cooking fuel, transportation fuel, pesticide,

Jet fuel is a clear naphtha-kerosene blend having energy content of 43 MJ/kg and specific requirements for freeze point, flash point etc

Diesel fuel
Diesel or diesel fuel in general is fuel used in diesel engines Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) is a standard for defining diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur contents. 15 ppm of sulfur in ULSD It is produced from the fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 C and 350 C The density of petroleum diesel is about 0.85 kg/l energy content 38.6 MJ/l

The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel is C12H23, ranging approximately from C10H20 to C15H28.

Fuel oils Fuel oil is a fraction obtained either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is a liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power It heats homes and fuels trucks, ships

Fuel oil is classified into six classes, numbered 1 through 6, according to its boiling point, composition and purpose. The boiling point, ranging from 175 to 600 C, and carbon chain length, 20 to 70 atoms

Lubricating oils A lubricant (sometimes referred to as "lube") is a substance introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction between them, improving efficiency and reducing wear.

Paraffin wax Paraffin wax(C25H52 or simply "paraffin"), is mostly found as a white, odorless, tasteless, waxy solid, with a typical melting point between about 47 C to 64 C and having a density of around 0.9 g/cm3 Liquid paraffin (medicinal) is used to aid bowel movement in persons suffering chronic constipation Used as Fuel and in Paints, Pigments, Dyes and Inks, candle making, casting,

Asphalt and Tar Asphalt is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid The primary use of asphalt is in road construction, where it is used as the glue or binder for the aggregate particles

Petroleum coke Petroleum coke (often abbreviated Pet coke) is a carbonaceous solid derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes It is bottom of the barrel product of refinery. This is a solid product. Energy content about 4000 Kcal/kg, sulfur 3.5 to7% and VM 12%

Its high energy content (more than average coal) and low ash content make it a good fuel for power generation in coal fired boilers, but petroleum coke is high in sulfur content and low in volatile content which pose some environmental and technical problems with its combustion Calcination Grade PC is used for production of Anodes for the Aluminium Industry. Fuel Grade Petcoke is used primarily by Cement Plants.

Natural Gas Processing and Uses

Raw natural gas typically consists primarily of methane (CH4), and also contains varying amounts of: Ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), normal butane, pentanes,). Acid gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) Other gases: nitrogen (N2) and helium (He). Water: water vapor and liquid water. Liquid hydrocarbons: natural gas condensate and/or crude oil. Mercury:

The above impurities are removed in gas processing unit such that the gas consists of methane (90%)

The process yields these byproducts: Natural gas condensate Sulfur Ethane Natural gas liquids (NGL): propane, butanes Nitrogen and Helium

Natural Gas Uses Power generation Natural gas vehicles Domestic use Fertilizer

Internal Combustion Engine

Octane number (of Gasolene) Internal combustion engines(IC engines) have four strokessuction, compression, expansion(power stroke) and exhaust IC Engines are of two types: spark ignition and compression ignition

The fuel used in these engines is : Gasolene for spark ignition engines and diesel for compression ignition engines
In both the types of engines fuel is ignited at the end of compression stroke.

In spark ignition engines , electric spark from spark plug ignites the fuel
In compression ignition engines fuel is ignited due to high temperatures developed in the engine cylinder due to compression In spark ignition engines, the compressed gasoline-air mixtures have a tendency to ignite prematurely (pre-ignition) rather than burning smoothly. This creates engine knock,(detonation or explosion) a characteristic rattling or pinging sound in one or more cylinders. Knocking can damage an engine

The octane number or octane rating of gasoline is a measure of its resistance to knock.
Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel. It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn in a controlled manner, rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner.

High-performance engines typically have higher compression ratios and are therefore more prone to detonation, so they require higher octane fuel.

The compression ratio of the car engine determines the octane rating of the gasolene that must be used in the car
Higher the compression ratio, higher the octane number Additives are added to gasolene as octane booster" which include tetra-ethyl lead, methyl tertiary butyl ether ( MTBE) , toluene. benzene, ethanol etc The various Octane ratings of petrol are 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 93 and 97

Cetane number (of diesel) Cetane number or CN is a measurement of the combustion quality of diesel fuel in engine cylinder Cetane number is actually a measure of a fuel's ignition delay i.e. the time period between the start of injection and start of combustion (ignition) of the fuel. Higher cetane fuels will have shorter ignition delay periods than lower cetane fuels. The cetane number therefore measures how quickly the fuel starts to burn

A higher cetane number indicates greater fuel efficiency. Normal modern highway diesels run best with a fuel of cetane rating between 45 and 55. 2-ethyl hexyl nitrate and di-tert-butyl peroxide are used as additives to raise the cetane number. Biodiesel has cetane number of around 55 , it is also mixed with petro diesel to boost cetane number