CRUDE OIL

Students should be able to:

3.1 explain the method used in the separation of

the components of crude oil;

3.2 discuss the uses of the components of crude

oil as fuels and as raw materials for the petro-

chemical industry;
Refer to Unit 2 Module 3 Specific Objective 9.6.

Include fractional distillation, catalytic cracking

and reforming techniques.
3.3 assess the impact of the petroleum industry

on the environment.
Crude
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 COMPOSITION OF CRUDE
OIL
Crude oil consist of:
Large Amount of
Variety of Alkanes,

Cycloalkanes

Aromatic hydrocarbons.

Small amounts of:

Nitrogen
Oxygen
Sulphur
SEPARATION OF CRUDE OIL
Crude oil must be separated into
various components &
selectively modified before it
can be useful. The process is
called Refining
There are several refining
process:
The fractional distillation

(Primary process)
 Fractional Distillation Of Crude
Oil
Fractional distillation uses
difference in boiling point to
separate the compounds
It is 60m high and consist of
number of horizontal trays at
interval along its height. it is
heated at the bottom but the
temperature decrease gradually
towards the top of the column
Steps in Fractional Distillation Crude
Step 1: the crude oil is heated approximately
400C &
passed into the fractionating column.
Step 2: the vapour rises up the column that is
filled
with trays. The trays have many holes or bubble
caps in
them which allow vapour to pass through & help to
collect liquids that are form at various heights in
the
column
Step 3 : the vapour rises through the trays in
column,
as it rise it cools
 Steps of Fractional Distillation Crude contd

Step 4 : When a substance in the vapor

reaches
a height where the temperature of the
column is
equal to that substance's boiling point, it
willcondenseto form a liquid

Step 5 : the trays collect the various

liquid
fractions.
Fractional Distillation Of Crude
 Cracking
Cracking is the process in which
hydrocarbon molecules are broken down
into smaller molecules
E.g.
C12 H26 C10 H22 CH2 CH2
Dodecane Decane Ethene
 Catalytic Cracking
(cat-cracking)
This involves the use of a catalyst at lower
temperature to break the bonds of
hydrocarbon molecules. The reaction is
usually catalyzed by powdered mixture of
alumina & silica (Al2 O3/SiO2) at 500
Celsius
The C-C bond undergoes heterolytic

fission which result in Carbocations

Production: a large amount of branched

chain alkanes which are useful in

gasoline.
 Cat-Cracking Contd
Catalytic used to crack the distilled fractions
such as diesel oil & kerosene into smaller
molecules
Importance : to produce more valuable fuel &
chemical feedstock for petrochemical
industry.
Use of Alkenes: suitable for starting materials
to make:
Plastics Paints
Detergents Petrochemicals
Cosmetics
 Reforming
This process converts straight chain
hydrocarbons into aromatic & more
highly branched hydrocarbon
Example: it converts low value naphtha
fractions
into high grade gasoline components.
Types of reforming process:
Isomerization Reforming

Alkylation Reforming

Catalytic Reforming
 Isomerization
Involves breaking up straight chain hydrocarbons
& reassembling them as branched chain
isomers. this takes place in the presence of
Aluminum chloride catalyst (AlCl3) at 500 C

H H CH3
(AlCl3)
H3 C C C CH3 H3C C CH3

H H H Butane 2-
methylpropane
 Alkylation
In this process tertiary alkanes combine
with
alkenes to make longer branched chain
alkanes
The product is a blend of alkanes with high
octane numbers . this reaction occurs at
room
temperature & is catalyzed by concentrated
Sulphuric acid
CH3 H CH3 CH H

conc. H2SO4
C = C + H3C C CH H3C 4C 3
C H
5

CH3 H H H C H3C 2 C CH3

1 CH3
2-methylpropene 2-methylpropane 2,2,4-trimethylpentane
 Catalytic
This process converts straight chain alkane
molecules of the naphtha fraction into
cycloalkanes & aromatic hydrocarbons.
This is heated at 500 Celcius at a
pressure of 20atm & passed over a
catalyst made of platinum &
aluminium oxide.
C6H14 Pt/Al2O3 + H2
Hexane Cyclohexane

C6H14 + 4H2
Pt/Al2O3

Hexane Benzene
 Impact of Crude Oil on the
environment
In the refining process causes :
Toxic air pollutants such as carbon
monoxide,
Hydrogen sulphide, Nitrogen oxides,
Sulphur
Dioxide, BTEX
(benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,
& xylene )
Carbon Monoxide is toxic because it
combines readily with haemoglobin in the
blood to form the stable
 Sulphur dioxide & nitrogen oxides
contribute to the formation of acid rain.
Which lead erosion of buildings &
destruction of plants.

BTEX compounds may cause

reproductive & developmental problems.
Also respiratory conditions such as
Asthma