Crude Oil

How Oil and Gas are Made?

Millions of years ago there were tiny sea creatures
and plants living in the sea.

When they died they sank to the bottom and were

slowly covered by mud and sand.

As more layers of mud fell on top they were buried

deeper and squeezed.

After millions of years and a lot of squeezing, the

mud changed into rock and the dead creatures and
plants into oil and gas.
 How do we get Oil and Gas?
The oil and gas are held in tiny spaces in the rock.
(Like water in a sponge).

Sometimes the layers of rock become folded. (like

hills and valleys).

The oil and gas are light so they move upward

through the rock until they reach a solid rock layer
that they cannot get through.

Sometimes the oil and gas get trapped in the top

of a fold underneath the solid layer of rock. Oil
and gas companies can drill through the solid rock
to get to the oil and gas.
 Crude oil
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbons contain only hydrogen and carbon
atoms.
Methane is the smallest hydrocarbon. The size of the
hydrocarbon affects its properties.
Small chain hydrocarbon molecules have low boiling
points and are pale, flammable, non viscous liquids or
gases.
Long chain hydrocarbon molecules have high boiling
points and are dark, viscous liquids or waxy solids.
 Crude oil is a mixture of different sized hydrocarbons.
The exact composition depends upon where the oil
comes from but typically it contains a lot of big
molecules.

Big molecules Small molecules

Medium
molecules
Fuel gas Petrol
Naphtha Kerosine
Diesel Fuel Oil and bitumen
Fractional distillation for separation
of crude oil

Fraction Boiling
Range
40C (oC)
Kerosene 150 - 240
70C

Diesel 220 275

180C
Petrol 40 - 175

Bitumen >350
250C
Fuel gas Below 40
340C
Lubricating oil 250-350
 Fractionation of Crude Oil
Fractions and their uses
Burned in the refinery to fuel the distillation
Fuel gas process, sold as LPG, purified and sold as bottled
camping gas
Petrol Fuel for cars and motorcycles, also used to make
/ gasoline chemicals.
Naphtha Used to make chemicals.
Paraffin / Fuel for greenhouse heaters and jet engines,
Kerosene manufacture of chemicals.

Diesel fuel Fuel for lorries, trains.

Fuel and
Fuel for the heating systems of large buildings, fuel
lubricating for ships, lubricating oil.
oil
Bitumen Roofing, and road surfaces.
 Natural Gas

Natural gas is an extremely fuel both

for domestic and industrial use.
It is a mixture consisting mostly of
methane, CH4, (at least 85%), ethane,
C2H6, (up to 10%) and small amounts of
propane, C3H8, and butane, C4H10.
 Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)

The gases in the refinery gas

fraction are bottled and sold for
domestic use.
Propane and butane from this
fraction can be readily liquefied
under pressure and are referred to
as liquid petroleum gas (LPG).