Fossil Fuel

What are fossil fuel

• Fossil fuel are hydrocarbons, primarily
coal, fuel oil or natural gas formed from
the remains of dead plants and animals.
• After food, fossil fuel is humanity's most
important source of energy. There are
three major fuels :
1. Coal
2. Oil
3. Natural Gas.
 Fossil fuel –crude oil
• As found in the earth, oil may have a
variety of properties. Some forms are
black, others dark green, and some light
like kerosene. The liquid ranges from very
viscous to easy-flowing. Crude oil usually
consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons
having varying molecular weights and
differing from one another in structure and
properties.
 Fossil fuel –crude oil
• These various species are separated into
groups, or fractions, by a process of
distillation called refining. Oil fuel, in all of
its usable forms, is a refined product,
unlike coal and natural gas which can
often be burned in their natural condition.
 Fossil fuel –crude oil
• Petroleum is a mixture of liquid
hydrocarbons (chemical compounds
containing only hydrogen and carbon) plus
various impurities such as sulfur.
Unprocessed petroleum is usually called
crude oil, although it has been called
mineral oil and Seneca oil, named for the
Seneca Indians of Western Pennsylvania.
 Fossil fuel –crude oil
• The name petroleum is from a
combination of Latin words meaning "rock
oil". We refer to it here simply as oil.
 Use of oil
• Oil is used primarily in the form of gasoline
and deisel to power vehicles.eg cars,
trucks, buses, boats, trains and planes run
on oil.
• Oil are also used to power portable
devices and stationery engines.
• It is beyond the scope of this lesson to go
into detail on the use of oil
 Disadvantage of oil
• Oil spills
• Oil removed by microbes, evaporation and
photo oxidation process
• Emissions
 Advantage of oil
• It has high energy density.
• Production systems are simple
• Storage and transportation systems are simple
• For transportation it feeds an established distribution bas
• Safety hazards (and safe handling procedures) are well
understood 
• Systems for use as a fuel are simple
• Spills and leaks are controllable using existing
technology
• As raw material in chemical synthesis it is extremely
flexible
• Formation of fossil fuel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VqWKZIPrM
• What are fossils and how do they form
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_DCP4cLVNg
• Crude - The Incredible Journey Of Oil http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cPgfnwi2m9M
• How petroleum exploration and refining process
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W8SW98-sXQ
• Oil Refinery Demonstrative http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zvV2sSMnyKU