SS1 Chemistry Lesson Note on Crude Oil and Natural Gas

The website has the complete lesson note for all the subjects in secondary school but this piece showcases the SS1 Chemistry Lesson Note on Crude Oil and Natural Gas. You can use the website search button to filter out the subject of interest to you.

CLICK HERE to download the complete Document: DOWNLOAD HERE

CRUDE OIL AND NATURAL GAS, REFINING OF CRUDE OIL AND USES OF PETROLEUM FRACTIONS

Another name for crude oil is petroleum. It is the chief source of hydrocarbons. Crude oil occurs as a dark, sticky, viscous liquid. It is believed that crude oil is formed by the gradual decomposition of the remains of marine plants and animals that became incorporated in the sediment and rocks formed at the bottom of the sea.

Crude oil is a mixture of gaseous, liquid and solid alkanes, cycloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons etc.

Natural gas; Natural gas is usually found together with crude oil; and water in traps or reservoirs in between some layers of rocks at the bottom of the sea. Natural gas consists mainly of methane. It is used as a domestic and industrial fuel.

In Nigeria crude oil is found in Oloibiri in 1956. In Niger Delta,  Calabar and in Burutu in Delta state.

REFINING OF CRUDE OIL AND USES OF PETROLEUM FRACTIONS

Crude oil must be refined to make useful fuels and chemicals. The crude petroleum taken from the oil fields to refineries is processed in three stages: separation, conversion and purification.

Fractional Distillation of oil

Petroleum products are the fractions obtained directly from the  fractionating tower where the crude oil has been refined by fractional distillation. The separation of petroleum fractions is based on the differences in their boiling points. The amin products or fractions are shown in the table below:

	Fraction	No. of Carbon atoms	Boiling points	Uses
1.	Petroleum gas	C1– C4	Below 40Oc	Fuel and manufacture of other organic compounds
2.	Petrol or gasoline	C5-C10	40 – 200OC	Used as fuel in motor cars and generators
3.	Kerosene or Paraffin oil	C11– C15	200 -250OC	Used as aviation fuels in aircraft and also as fuel for lantern
4.	Diesel or light gas oil	C16 – C20	250 -350OC	Used as fuels in engines or buses, trains, boats, tractors etc.
5.	Lubricating oil	C20 –C30	350 – 500OC	Used in candle making, creams, hair care products.
6.	Bitumen or Asphalt	>C30	Above 500oC	For road surfacing

Click on the Downloadable Button to get the FULL NOTE