Petrochemical Engineering

Course Code: CHE416

Mian Hamood ur Rehman (P.E.)
Lecturer
Chemical Engineering Department
Natural Gas
Chemical Composition
• The primary component of natural gas is methane (CH4),
the shortest and lightest hydrocarbon molecule
• Natural gas may also contain heavier gaseous
hydrocarbons such as ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and
butane (C4H10)
• Hydrogen sulfide and mercury are common
contaminants which must be removed

Energy Content
• Combustion of one hundered cubic feet of natural gas
typically yields approximately 1 therm (100,000 British
thermal unit, 30kWh)
Uses
Power Generation
• It is important as the major source of power
generation through the use of gas turbines and steam
turbines
• Combining gas turbines with a steam turbine in a
combined cycle mode can achieve higher efficiencies
• Environmentally natural gas burns cleaner than any
other fossil fuels such as oil and coal and produces less
greenhouse gases
• For an equivalent amount of heat burning natural gas
produces about 30% less carbon dioxide than burning
petroleum and 45% less than burning coal
• Fuel cells technology may eventually provide cleaner
option of converting natural gas into electricity
Natural gas vehicles
• Compressed natural gas is used as a clean
alternative to automobile fuels
Domestic Use
• Natural gas is supplied to homes where it is used
for such purposes as cooking and heating
• CNG is used in rural homes without connections to
piped-in public utility services
Fertilizer
• Natural gas is a major feed stock for the production
of ammonia via the Haber process for use in
fertilizer production
Sources
• Natural gas is commercially produced from oil
fields and natural gas fields
Possible Future Sources
• One experimental idea is to use methane gas that is
naturally produced from landfills to supply power to
cities
• Tests have shown that methane gas could be
financially sustainable power source
• With the source separation of organic materials from
the waste stream and by using anaerobic digester the
methane gas can be used to produce useable energy.
• This can be improved by adding other organic material
to digester (plant as well as waste from slaughter
houses)
Petroleum
Origin
Biogenic Theory
• Most geologists view crude oil as a product of
compression and heating of ancient vegetation over
geological timescales.
• According to this theory, it is formed from the decayed
remains of prehistoric marine animals and terrestrial
plants
• Over many years this organic matter mixed with mud
is burried under thick sedimentary layers of material.
• The resulting high levels of heat and pressure
causes the remains to metamorphose first into
a waxy material known as kerogen and then
into liquid and and gaseous hydrocarbons in a
process known as catagenesis
• These then migrate through adjacent rock
layers until they become trapped underground
in porous rocks called reservoir, forming an oil
field from which the liquid can be extracted by
drilling and pumping
Alternative theories (Abiogenetic Origin of Petroleum)
• Thomos Gold western proponent of Russian-Ukranian
theory of abiogenic petroleum origin
• This theory suggests that large amount of carbon
exists naturally in the planet, some in the form of
hydrocarbons
• Hydrocarbons are lighter than rocks so they seep
upward
• Deep microbial life convert them into various
hydrocarbon deposits
Composition
• In refining the component chemicals of petroleum are
separated by distillation
• Product based on refined crude oil include kerosine
benzene gasoline paraffin wax asphalt etc.
• Petroleum consists of hydrocarbons: compounds of
hydrogen and carbon; and non hydrocarbon fractions:
compounds which also include nitrogen, sulfur,
oxygen, or traces of metals such as vanadium or nickel
• Four lightest alkanes CH4, C2H6, C3H8, C4H10 are all
gases boiling at -161.6oC, -88.6oC, -42oC and -0.5oC,
respectively
• The chains in the C5-7 range are all light easily
vaporized clear naphthas.
• They are used as solvents dry cleaning fluids and other
quick drying products
• The chains from C6H14 through C6H12 are blended
together and used for gasoline.
• Kerosine is made up of chains in the C10 to C15 range
followed by diesel fuel/ heating oil (C10 to C20 ) and
heavier fuel oils as the ones used in ship engines
• These petroleum compounds are all liquids at room
temperature
• Lubricating oils and semi-solid greases range from C16
upto C20
• Chains above C20 form solids, starting with paraffin
wax, then tar and asphaltic bitumen
Extraction
• The first stage in the extraction of crude oil is to drill a
well into the ground reservoir
• Often many wells will be drilled into the same
reservoir to ensure that the extraction rate will be
economically viable
• Some wells may be used to pump water steam or
various gas mixtures to raise or maintain the reservoir
pressure and so maintain an economic extraction rate
• If the underground pressure in the oil
reservoir is sufficient the oil will be forced
to the surface under this pressure
• Gaseous fuels or natural gas are usually
present which also supplies needed
underground pressure
• Over the life time of the well the pressure
will fall and at some point there will be
insufficient pressure to force the oil to the
surface
Classification
• The oil industry classifies crude by the location of its
origin (West Texas Intermediate WTI or Brent) or often
by its relative weight or viscosity (light, intermediate or
heavy)
• Refiners may also refer to it as
– sweet which means it contains relatively little sulfur
– sour which means it contains substantial amount of sulphur
and requires more refining in order to meet current product
specifications