Topic Fractional Distillation of Petroleum

Purpose Collecting different fraction of petroleum at different range of temperature

Theory Petroleum or also known as crude oil is a complex mixture of substances. It is a hydrocarbon natural resources. Crude oil is produced naturally from dead animal and vegetable matter at the bottoms of shallow seas and swamps. The decomposition some of the body tissue of the trapped organisms continued under high temperature and pressure and finally changed into a viscous, sticky liquid which eventually squeezed out of the sediment. Petroleum has no fixed boiling point range from 20 oC to 400 oC as it is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. A commonly used technique for separating out the hydrocarbons found in petroleum is known as fractional distillation in which different subtances is separated using the physical property of boiling point. This is because each component of the hydrocarbons have different boiling points. (Mohd Razazu Hatta Mat Yusof, 2010). This separation is done by heating, evaporating, cooling and condensing the original crude mixture. Different range of temperature produce different fraction of crude oil as different substances have different boiling points. Through the fractional distillation process, hydrocarbons with smaller molecular size will be distilled out at a lower temperature, while hydrocarbon molecules with larger size at higher temperatures.The products are different hydrocarbons with different physical properties. This is because each hydrocarbons is deifferent in its molecular size, attractive force and atomic arrangement. Petroleum can be separated into fuel such as petroleum gas, petrol, kerosene, naphta will be collected at the end of the experiment.

Petroleum is one of the important source for organic compound. A variety of petrochemical substances produced for use in the manufacture of goods such as plastics, detergent, drugs and cosmetics. The first fraction collected from the fractional distillation

process is petroleum gas. The product collected is use for cooking gas and make plaster (chemical substances). The second fraction collected is petrol. Petrol is used for fuel for vehicles. Naptha which is the third fraction is used as a source for chemical substences and solvents. The fourth fraction from te process is kerosene. It is used as fuel for aeroplanes.

Materials Petroleum, anti-bumping granules (porcelain chips)

Apparatus Filter paper, retort stand, thermometer (-10 360 oC), distillation flask, Liebig condenser, conical flask, wire gauze, tripod stand, evaporating dish and Bunsen burner

Procedure A. Fractional distillation of Petroleum

1. The apparatus is set up as shown in Figure 1. 2. The petroleum is heated slowly in the distillation flask. 3. The first fraction of petroleum is collected at 30 80 oC. 4. The heating is continued and the distillation is collected in separate conical flask at different ranges of temperature at 80 120 oC, 120 160 oC and 160 200 oC.

Thermometer

Liebig condenser

Crude oil

Retort stand

Distillate

Figure 1

B.

Characteristics of the various fractions

5. The colour of each fraction is observed. 6. The viscosity of the fractions is observed by tilting the conical flask. 7. For each of the fraction, some of it is poured into an evaporating dish and is heated. The colour of the flame and soot produced is observed. 8. The observation is recorded.

Data Fraction Temperature Range, C Burning easily, orange flame, less 1 30 80 Colourless Very low soot, take a longer time to extinguish Burning slightly slow, orange 2 80 - 120 Light yellow Low flame, little soot, take a shorter time to extinguish burning slowly, orange flame, 3 120 - 180 Yellow Medium more soot, take shorter time to extinguish Burning easily, dark orange 4 180 200 Dark brown High flame, more soot, shortest time to extinguish
o

Colour

Viscosity

Flammability

Discussion The experiment is carried out to collect the different fraction of crude oil through fractional distillation which involved heating, evaporating, cooling and condensing process. Each fraction is separated due to its molecular size as the bigger the molecule, the greater the intermolecular forces.

The first fraction produced in the fractional distillation process is petroleum gas. It is produced at the temperature range of 30-180. It is colourless. Number of carbon atoms in the molecule is from 1 to 6 per molecule. The viscosity is low. Petroleum gas is burning easily. The burning produces orange flame and less soot. It takes a longer time to extinguish.

Second fraction collected is petrol at the range of temperature 80-120. Carbon atoms in the molecules are 6 up to 9. The boiling point is slightly higher than petrol due to more particle kinetic energy is needed to overcome the increasing intermolecular forces between the molecules. It is light yellow in colour. It is slightly viscous. It burns slightly slow. The flame

produced is orange in colour, more soot and takes shorter time to extinguish.

The third fraction is naphta. It is collected at the range of temperature from 120 to 180 with the number of carbon in the molecules from 7 till 13. The higher number of carbon compared to petrol causing the increasing of the boiling point due to the increasing particle kinetic energy needed to overcome the intermolecular forces between the molecules. The fraction is yellow in colour. The viscosity is medium. It is buring slowly. It produces orange flame, more soot and takes shorter time to extinguish.

The fourth fraction collected is kerosene at the temperature of 180 to 200. The numbers of carbons are 12 up to 16. It is dark brown in colour. It is high in viscosity but it burns easily. It produces dark orange flame, more soot and the shortest time to extinguish. Theoretically, the first fraction is collected at 20 oC. However, in the experiment, the first fraction is collected starting at 30 oC and above. Due to insufficient amount of porcelain chips, which control the boiling of crude oil, and strong flame from the Bunsen burner, the crude oil boiled vigorously and nearly enter the Liebig condenser. Fortunately, the experiment still can be continued by putting out the fire and adding a few more porcelain chips into the crude oil. The next two fraction were succeed to be collected. The rest of the fraction cannot be collected as the temperature stopped at 98 oC. This is a common results of the fractional distillation of petroleum using the Bunsen burner. This is because the heating of petroleum using a Bunsen burner which is not uniform due to the release of more heat to the surrounding.

Error might have been occured throughout this experiment as the fan and air conditioner were leaved open. The parallax error maybe occur when the reading of the solution in measuring cylinder taken. It is possible that the position of our eyes is not perpendicular to the meniscus. Precautions should have been taken such as to open all the window before the experiment to avoid students having difficulties in breathing due to the pungent smell that produced from the experiment.

Conclusion Different range of temperature produce different fraction of crude oil with different characteristic such as colour, viscousity. Colour of flame and amont of soot when burnt. The higher the boiling point, the higher the viscosity and the greater the amount of soot.

Questions

1. Discuss the flammability of the fractions of petroleum.

Fraction has lower boiling point has a smaller molecule. The smaller the number of carbon permolecule, the lower the boiling point, the higher the flammability of the fraction. The soot that produce also affect by percentage of carbon. Less number of carbon contributes to less soot production.

2. Discuss the relationship between the boiling point of the fractions with the :

a) Colour of the fractions The higher the boiling point of the hydrocarbon, the darker the colour of the fractions collected from the fractional distillation. b) Viscosity of the fractions The higher the boiling point of the hydrocarbons, the higher the viscosity of the fractions collected from the fractional distillation. c) The amount of soot produced by the fractions The higher the boiling point of the hydrocarbons, more soot is produced by the fraction collected from the fractional distillation.

3. Fraction X has a formula of C6H14. Predict its colour, viscosity and the amount of soot produced by X.

C6H14 is naphta. It is light yellow in colour, low viscousity and produced a little soot. 4. Write a balanced equation to represent the combustion of gasoline ( C8H18). 2C8H12 + 25O2 16CO2 + 18H2O 5. The incomplete combustion of gasoline results in emission of poisonous gasses such as carbon monoxide and nitric oxide. Write a balanced equation to represent the incomplete combustion of gasoline (C8H18) 2C8H18 + 17O2 16C0 + 18H2O 6. What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a type of biofuels which is an alternative fuels derived from recently living organisms such as tree, corn and sugar cane. Biodiesel consist primarily of organic compound called long-chain methyl esters, which are produced by reaction of common vegetable oils with methyl alcohol in the presence of an acid or base catalyst.

7. What are the advantages of using biodiesel compared to petroleum fuel? Biodiesels is renewable and they are more nearly carbon-neutral than petroleum fuel. (John Mcmurry, 2008) The amount of CO2 released during manufacture and burning of a biofuel is similar to the amount of CO2 removed from the environment by photosynthesis during the plants growth.

References John Mcmurry, R. C. (2008). Biofuel. In Chemistry. Fifth Edition (pp. 305-306). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Mohd Razazu Hatta Mat Yusof, M. N. (2010). Target Pro Science SPM Form 4, 5. Petaling Jaya: Sasbadi Sdn. Bhd.