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Refining crude oil

Crude oil is a useful starting point for so many products because its hydrocarbon molecules are
very versatile in making chemical products from synthetic rubber to nylon to plastic

Fractional distillation process Fractionating

tower
Creating
1 Crude oil is
heated to about
400 C, causing
plastics
many of the Naphtha is broken
hydrocarbons of Liquefied petroleum gas down into smaller
the crude oil to Used as a fuel in heating building blocks known
• Small molecules
vapourize. appliances and vehicles as monomers, such as
• Low boiling point ethylene, propylene

2 The vapourized • Very volatile and butylene. These

mixture is • Flows easily Naphtha different monomers
pumped into a • Ignites easily are used to create
fractionating various plastics.
tower. Gasoline Made from
Used as a fuel in internal naphtha:
3 The temperature
of the tower is
highest at the
• Large molecules
• High boiling point
combustion engines

Jet fuel, paraffin for lighting

• Plastic forks
• Diapers
bottom. As • Not very volatile
vaporized and heating • Car parts
• Does not flow easily
samples of • Face masks
• Does not ignite easily Diesel fuels
hydrocarbons • Bottles
travel up the Used in transport
tower, they cool trucks and trains • Clothing
and condense. • Carpets
Lubricating oils, • Cosmetics
4 The liquid hydrocar-
bons are collected
and removed from Furnace
waxes, polishes

the tower. Fuels for ships,

central heating,
factories

9.9 9.8
What’s in a barrel of crude?
Russia Saudi
Arabia 9.1
One barrel of oil contains 42 gallons of crude oil. U.S.A.
The total volume of products made is 44.7 gallons

Oil production
due to processing gain.
Gasoline: 19.4 gallons per barrel
Comparing Lybia to the top 10
Distillate fuel oil: 10.5 gallons oil producing countries in 2009
Kerosene-type jet fuel: 4.1 gallons (millions of barrels per day)
Coke: 2.2 gallons
Residual fuel oil: 1.7 gallons
Liquefied refinery gases: 1.5 gallons
4.2 4.0
Iran
Still gas: 1.8 gallons
China
3.3 3.0
Asphalt and road oil: 1.4 gallons Canada
Mexico
2.8 2.6 2.5
U.A.E.
Raw material for petro chemicals: 1.1 gallons
Lubricants: 0.4 gallons
BrazilKuwait
1.8
Libya
Kerosene: 0.2 gallons
QMI AGENCY Other: 0.4 gallons
Sources: Chevron.com, Graphic News, Energyinst.org.uk