Crude oil is very useful in the world today and without it life would be hard on earth. It is a large source of energy to the world
It is very important to know the uses and benefits of crude oil in this world.
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in liquid phase in natural underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure after passing through surface separating facilities.
Crude oil also called petroleum is a yellowish black liquid in color it is found underground in the earth’s crust and was formed million years ago when organic matter decomposed.
Crude oil is refined into petroleum products that people use for many different purposes.
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Uses of and benefits of crude oil in the world.
Crude oil under goes into a process called fractional distillation that separates the mixture into a number of fractions. This method is used because different hydro carbons have different boiling points. After fractional distillation different products are got which serve different uses in the world today.
The uses of crude oil include; used as transportation fuel, generation of electricity and heating purposes, making chemicals, synthetic fiber, rubber and plastics, used for making asphalt and road oil, lubricating oils, used to make paraffin wax and tar.
Crude oil is processed into different forms in order to serve these different purposes
1. Used as transportation fuel.
Fuel used in transportation is gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, it is extracted from crude oil using the process of fractional distillation. It is used as fuel in vehicles which include Trucks, private cars, motor bikes and other automobiles.
Diesel is mainly used in internal combustion engines for trucks, buses, public transport, farm tractors and heavy equipment. The energy density of diesel is 45MJ/Kg, which is lesser than that of gasoline.
Gasoline is mainly used in internal combustion engines for cars, small trucks, motorcycles, recreation vehicles and boats. The energy density of gasoline is 46MJ/Kg which is higher than that of diesel.
Jet fuel is used in internal combustion engines of jets and other aircrafts that fly in the sky. The energy density of jet fuel also known as jet A1 is 43.1 MJ/kg. This is so because Jet A1 is mixed with kerosene. It is continuously combusted in air crafts turbine engines and causes few residues. Jet fuel exhaust mainly consists of carbon dioxide, little water vapor and a lot of hot air.
2. Used in generation of electricity.
A diesel engine is combined with an electric generator to generate electricity
Generators are used to generate electricity which is used in factories, at our homes and other places. The main product of crude oil usually used in these power generators is diesel, that’s why they are normally called diesel generators because they do use diesel. But also, some small size generators use petrol or gasoline.
These diesel generators a mainly used as backup power sources in case of any fault or failure of the utility power supply.
3. Used for heating homes during cold weather.
During winter it is very cold inside and outside our houses, there is need to keep our rooms warm.
The product of crude oil that is mainly used for heating homes during cold weather is kerosene.
It is also obtained using the process of fractional distillation of crude oil.
Kerosene is the most common heating oil type; it is also called 28 second. It is light and cleaner than other oil heating types.
Kerosene is burnt to produce heat using kerosene space heaters, it has high efficiency and low operating costs leading to cost saving.
4. Used to make lubrication oil
Lubrication oil is refined from crude oil. Crude oil under goes through the process of fractional distillation. Lubrication oil is also called lube.
The main purpose of lubrication oil is to reduce friction, heat and wear and tear between two surfaces that are in contact.
Lubrication oil is used in vehicles is known as motor oil.
Crude oil is refined to produce petrol chemicals, they are classified as aromatics and olefins.
Olefin is also called alkene; in chemistry an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon-to-carbon double bond. Olefin is a compound made-up of carbon and hydrogen atoms that contain one or more pairs of carbon atoms linked by double bond. Olefins are examples of unsaturated hydrocarbons.
Examples of olefins obtained from crude oil include ethylene, propylene, and butadiene, these are used as raw materials for making plastics.
Aromatics are hydrocarbons obtained from crude oil, which are characterized by one or more six carbon rings (benzene rings) molecular structure and aromatic or sweet odor.
Examples of aromatics include; benzene, xylenes and toluene, these are used in in chemical industry as solvents, chemical feedstocks, they are also used as additives to gasoline to raise its octane rating.
6. Used in manufacture of synthetic fiber
Crude oil is refined to produce petrochemicals which are used as raw materials in the production of synthetic material or fiber. Synthetic fibers are created by a process called polymerization. This process involves combining monomers to make long chain polymer. Petrol based chemicals undergo polymerization process to form to form chemicals that bond two adjacent carbon atoms. Different chemical compounds produce different types of synthetic fiber.
For example, polyester (polyethylene and terephthalate) is formed from a chemical reaction involving crude oil or petroleum, water and air. Polyester is thermal plastic therefore it can be melted and put into other forms.
Examples of the most common commercial synthetic fiber include; nylon, polyester, polyolefin, and acrylic. Nylon is used for making ropes, socks, seat belts for cars, sleeping bags etc. Polyester is used for making nets, jackets rain coats etc.,
7. Used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber manufacture starts with crude oil. Crude oil is refined to produce naphtha which is combined with natural gas to get monomers, which include styrene, butadiene isoprene chloroprene, ethylene or propylene which are necessary for production of synthetic rubber
Uses and applications of synthetic rubber include; used in tire manufacture, conveyor belts and seals, engine bearings, clutches, conveyor belts and drinking water seals, heating hoses, cooling hoses for vehicles, cable insulation, pneumatic systems, etc.,
Crude oil or petroleum is refined using the process of fractional distillation to obtain ethane and propane. Propane and ethane are heated to higher temperatures, this process is called cracking. The process of cracking converts ethane and propane into monomers such as ethylene and propylene.
Monomers ethylene and propylene are mixed with catalyst to form a polymer known as fluff. This looks like a laundry detergent that is powered.
The polymer is put into an extruder where it is melted and pushed into pipes.
When plastics is cooling it forms long tubes, this is because it is cooled pipes. The tubes are then cut into small pieces called pellets.
Pellets are transported to industries and melted followed by molding into plastic utensils, packaging materials, motor vehicle parts, medical devices, toys, chairs, parts of electronic devices, etc.,
9. used for making asphalt and road oil
Asphalt is also known as bitumen. In some few places asphalt occurs naturally, but most of the asphalt used today is obtained from crude oil or petroleum. It is obtained as a residue after removing all the volatile and light products of petroleum during the process of fractional distillation in the oil refinery. Asphalt is the heaviest part of crude oil.
Asphalt is used in road construction, where it is used to bind aggregate particles (small stones) to create asphalt concrete.
Road oil is heavy petroleum oil, with asphaltic oil. When making new roads and repairs, road oil is used to finish with a layer of oil to protect the surface.
Road oil crates an insulating layer, holding the road together and resists water, sand and other materials from damaging the road.
Thank you for letting us know that crude oil is processed into different forms using fractional distillation to serve various purposes including transportation fuel, electricity generation, chemical production, and lubricating oils. I imagine if your business needs crude oil for your manufacturing operations, it will be best to contact a supplier of modular crude oil refineries for it. I’ll take note of this in case I ever need modular refineries in the future.
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Thank you for letting us know that crude oil is processed into different forms using fractional distillation to serve various purposes including transportation fuel, electricity generation, chemical production, and lubricating oils. I imagine if your business needs crude oil for your manufacturing operations, it will be best to contact a supplier of modular crude oil refineries for it. I’ll take note of this in case I ever need modular refineries in the future.