FOSSIL FUELS

 A fuel is a substance which when burned, releases heat energy

 This heat can be transferred into electricity, which we use in our daily lives
 Most common fossil fuels include coal, natural gas and hydrocarbons such as
methane and propane which are obtained from crude oil
 Hydrocarbons are made from hydrogen and carbon atoms only
 The main constituent of natural gas is methane, CH4

Petroleum & Fractional Distillation

Petroleum

 Petroleum is also called crude oil and is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons

which also contains natural gas
 It is a thick, sticky, black liquid that is found under porous rock (under the ground
and under the sea)
 Diagram showing crude oil under the sea

 Petroleum itself as a mixture isn't very useful but each component part of the
mixture, called a fraction, is useful and each fraction has different applications
 The fractions in petroleum are separated from each other in a process
called fractional distillation
 The molecules in each fraction have similar properties and boiling points,
which depend on the number of carbon atoms in the chain
 The boiling point and viscosity of each fraction increase as the carbon chain
gets longer

Fractional Distillation

Diagram showing the process of fractional distillation

 Fractional distillation is carried out in a fractionating column

 The fractionating column is hot at the bottom and cools at the top
 Crude oil enters the fractionating column and is heated so vapours rise
 Vapours of hydrocarbons with very high boiling points will immediately turn into
liquid and are tapped off at the bottom of the column
 Vapours of hydrocarbons with low boiling points will rise up the column and
condense at the top to be tapped off
  The different fractions condense at different heights according to their boiling
points and are tapped off as liquids.
 The fractions containing smaller hydrocarbons are collected at the top of the
fractionating column as gases
 The fractions containing bigger hydrocarbons are collected at the lower sections
of the fractionating column

Properties of Fractions

 Viscosity
o This refers to the ease of flow of a liquid.
o High viscosity liquids are thick and flow less easily.
o If the number of carbon atoms increases, the attraction between the
hydrocarbon molecules also increases which results in the liquid
becoming more viscous with the increasing length of the hydrocarbon
chain.
o The liquid flows less easily with increasing molecular mass
 Colour
o As carbon chain length increases the colour of the liquid gets darker as it
gets thicker and more viscous
 Melting point/boiling point
o As the molecules get larger, the intermolecular attraction becomes
greater.
o More heat is needed to separate the molecules.
o With increasing molecular size there is an increase in boiling point
 Volatility
o Volatility refers to the tendency of a substance to vaporise.
o With increasing molecular size hydrocarbon liquids become less volatile.
o This is because the attraction between the molecules increases with
increasing molecular size

Uses of Fractions

 Refinery gas: heating and cooking

 Gasoline: fuel for cars (petrol)
 Naphtha: raw product for producing chemicals
 Kerosene: for making jet fuel (paraffin)
 Diesel: fuel for diesel engines (gas oil)
 Fuel oil: fuel for ships and for home heating
 Lubricating oil: for lubricants, polishes, waxes
 Bitumen: for surfacing roads

Trends in Properties