The crude oil is a mixture of alkanes, cycloalkanes, and aromatic hydrocarbons and a little amount of other organic substances. Its composition depends on the oil location. The oil is a thick and insoluble in water liquid with brown to green color where the nuance depends on the oil composition. It is lighter than the water. Crude oil has wide boiling point range (20-400oC). The oil is a source of fuels of great calorific value and an important raw material for the industry (plastics, artificial fibers, drugs etc.).

Refining oil

http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/oil/ Looking down an oil well.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining1.htm How oil refining works-The composition of crude oil.

http://www.petroleum.co.uk/education/oilandgas/energy.htm Oil and gas - Energy for the world.

http://www.thaioil.co.th/oil/process.htm Refinery process description.

http://www.oilandgas.org.uk/issues/storyofoil/geological-01.htm Origin of fuels and gas. [Back to top]

Fractional distillation

The oil refining process starts with a fractional distillation. The compounds of the crude oil are separated on the basis of their various boiling points. The distillation is carried out at atmospheric pressure.

http://www.learn.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=Unit&WCU=35735 Fractional distillation.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining3.htm The refining proces.

http://www.btinternet.com/~chemistry.diagrams/sep_crude_oil.htm Crude oil distillation tower.

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page04/OilProducts.htm The separation of the crude oil mixture into fractions and the uses of these fractions.

http://elmhcx9.elmhurst.edu/~chm/onlcourse/chm110/outlines/distill.html Fractional distillation of crude oil (crude oil distillation tower).

http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/oilrefinery.htm Oil refineries: fractional distillation, cracing and reforming.

http://www.pafko.com/history//h_distill.html Distillation, cracking, how does a distillation column work.

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Cracking and reforming

Cracking and reforming are secondary refining processes of oil. The cracking is process in witch the C-C and C-H bonds in hydrocarbons are breaking down. The process undergoes under heating (above 400 o C) with or without catalysts. The large chain molecules are braking down into smaller ones so forming low boiled fraction. This method increases the extraction of car, aviation and other specific fuels from crude oil. The reforming is a chemical method to enhance the gasoline quality. The gasoline fraction is dressed with branched alkanes, alkenes and aromatic hydrocarbons to increase the high-octane gasoline.

http://www.btinternet.com/~chemistry.diagrams/cracking_eq.htm Chemical reactions.

http://www.kcpc.usyd.edu.au/discovery/9.2.1-short/9.2.1_Cracking1.html The ways to crack a hydrogen mixture.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining5.htm Chemical processing. Cracking: Thermal and catalytic.

http://www.btinternet.com/~chemistry.diagrams/cracking.htm Diagram for cracking.

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Petroleum products

http://www.petroleum.co.uk/education/ypg/ypg.htm Why are oil and gas so important?

http://www.rod.beavon.clara.net/sec23.htm#Petrol Petrol and diesel (octane number).

http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/petroleum/ Petroleum refining, games.

http://www.petroleum.co.uk/education/ypg/ypg4.htm What is made from oil and gas and how do these products get to the customer.

http://www.pafko.com/history/h_refine.html Modern refining: Drilling and refining.

http://www.petroleum.co.uk/education/ypg/ypg3.htm How is crude oil turned into finished products?

http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/chemistry/fossils/p1.html Fossil into fuels.

http://www.ausetute.com.au/fuelsdef.html Fuel definitions and a factors to consider when choosing a fuel.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7747scit6.html Asphalt - What's that stuff?

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Natural gas

Natural gas is a mixture of lightweight alkanes and methane is the basic part. It does not have color or odor. The natural gas is one of the most inexpensive and ecologically pure fuels. The natural gas is extracted from the bowels of the earth. It is found in “pockets” by itself or with oil.

http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/gas/gas_history.html Geting gas from the gound and the sea.

http://www.btinternet.com/~chemistry.diagrams/oil_reservoir.htm showing cap rock and position of drill.

http://www.petroleum.co.uk/education/ypg/ypg2.htm How do we get oil and gas out of the ground?

http://www.moorlandschool.co.uk/earth/earthresources.htm What is natural gas.

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Coal

The coals are product from decomposition of plants and animals. These are solid substances containing basically carbon. The other components are minerals, sulphur and nitrogen containing substances. There are four principal types of coals: anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite.

http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/coal_cct4.html Cleaning up coal.

http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/gen_coal.html Coal our most abundant fuel. The types of coal.

http://www.coal.ca/class.htm The coal clssroom.Quick facts on coal.

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/1organic/coal.html#table The chemistry of petroleum products and coal.

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Simulations

http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-refining2.htm How oil refining works - from crude oil.

http://www.btinternet.com/~chemistry.diagrams/fractional_dist_oil.htm Fractional distillation.

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Problems and tests

http://www.earlham.edu/~chem/pages/gasoline/quiz.html Take the quiz! Oil and Gazoline.

http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/funstuff/index.htm Creative chemistry fun stuff index - games, tests and quizzes.

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page04/OilProducts/OilQmcF.htm The products of oil quiz (foundation).

http://www.wpbschoolhouse.btinternet.co.uk/page04/OilProducts/OilQmcH.htm The products of oil Quiz.

http://www.learnchem.net/quiz/colympiad/ Contains old chemistry olympiad tests.

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Internet Resources
Hydrocarbons
  • Alkanes
    		•
  • Alkenes
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  • Alkynes
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  • Arenes
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  • Fuels
    		•
  • Ecology
    		•

    Fuels