REDEEMER TERM E- LEARNING NOTES
BASIC SCIENCE
JSS 2
SCHEME OF WORK
WEEK 1: Meaning of Crude Oil
WEEK 2: Refining of Crude Oil
WEEK 3 USES OF CRUDE OIL
WEEK 4 PETROCHEMICALS
WEEK 5 USES OF PETRO CHEMICALS
WEEK 6 GENERAL TEST
WEEK 7 IMPORTANCE OF CRUDE OIL
WEEK 8 IMPORTANCE OF PETROCHEMICALS
WEEK 9 REVISION
WEEK 10 EXAMINATION
WEEK 1
MEANING OF CRUDE OIL
Crude oil which is also referred to as petroleum is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid
consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons (Hydrogen and Carbon) of various molecular
weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are formed from the remains of dead plants
and animals beneath the earth's surface which occurs naturally in the ground and was formed
millions of years ago. It is recovered mostly through oil drilling. This latter stage comes after the
studies of structural geology. It is refined and separated, most easily by boiling point, into a large
number of consumer products, from petrol and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to
make plastics and pharmaceuticals. It is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials.
Petroleum means rock oil in Latin. Petroleum available on the land is called on-shore deposit,
while those under deep water body especially ocean is called off-shore deposit.
Nigeria has some oil producing states. They include;
1. Akwa-Ibom State
2. Rivers State
3. Bayelsa State
4. Delta State
5. Imo State
6. Anambra State
7. Ondo State
8. Edo State
WEEK 2
REFINING OF CRUDE OIL
Refining is the process of preparation of useful products such as petrol, kerosene, diesel and
lubricating oil from crude oil.
Crude oil and natural gas are extracted from the ground, on land or under the oceans through
drilling, by sinking an oil well and are then transported by pipeline and/or ship to refineries
where their components are processed into refined products. Crude oil and natural gas are of
little use in their raw state; their value lies in what is created from them: fuels, lubricating oils,
waxes, asphalt, petrochemicals and pipeline quality natural gas. Crude oil is separated to its
component fractions by fractional distillation carried out in the refineries. They are separated
on the basis of their boiling point.
Some organic compounds produced from petroleum are: ethanol, ethane, propanol, benzene, and
toluene. These small – molecule organic compounds are in turn used to make large molecule
organic compound like plastics, synthetic rubber, detergent, insecticide, and synthetic fibers.
An oil refinery is an organized and coordinated arrangement of manufacturing processes
designed to produce physical and chemical changes in crude oil to convert it into everyday
products like petrol, diesel, lubricating oil, fuel oil and bitumen.
Oil Refining and Fractional Distillation
Crude oil is refined into products such as gasoline, asphalt, and waxes by a process called
fractional distillation. During the process, the parts, or fractions, of crude oil are divided out
successively by their increasing molecular weight. For instance, gasoline has a low molecular
weight and vaporizes at a fairly low temperature. This means that at the appropriate temperature,
while all of the rest of the oil is still in liquid form, gasoline may be separated out. The remaining
oil goes through the same process at a slightly higher temperature, and jet fuel is divided out.
Repeating the distillation process several times will separate out several constituents of crude oil,
which are then processed and put to a wide range of uses.
As crude oil comes from the well it contains a mixture of hydrocarbon compounds and relatively
small quantities of other materials such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, salt and water. In the
refinery, most of these non-hydrocarbon substances are removed and the oil is broken down into
its various components, and blended into useful products through the process of fractional
distillation.
The fractions are further treated to convert them into mixtures of more useful saleable products
by various methods such as cracking, reforming, alkylation, polymerization and isomerization.
These mixtures of new compounds are then separated using methods such as fractionation and
solvent extraction. Impurities are removed by various methods, e.g. dehydration, desalting,
sulphur removal and hydro - treating. If the petrol containing sulphur is not removed or purified
before it is used in an engine the exhaust will contain oxides of sulphur (SO 2 and SO3) which are
poisonous gases that will pollute the environment.
REFINERIES IN NIGERIA
The refineries in Nigeria include;
1. Port-Harcourt refinery.
2. Warri refinery.
3. Kaduna refinery.
4. Dangote refinery.
PRODUCTS OF FRACTIONAL DISTILATION OF CRUDE OIL
The products of crude oil in order of how they are produced in the fractionating column are:
Temperature
1. Natural gas (Methane gas and Propane gas) <25oC
2. Petrol or gasoline 25-75oC
3. Kerosene (paraffin) 190-250oC
4. Diesel oil 250-350oC
5. Lubricating oils wax 350-400oC
6. Asphalt and Bitumen >450oC
PRODUCTS OF FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION
The distillation process is carried out by heating crude oil to a high temperature. The crude oil
changes to vapour and ascends the fractional column. As the vapour ascends the column, it cools,
condenses and separates into its fractions. The fractions with lower boiling points separate out on
the trays in the upper part of the column, while fractions with higher boiling points separate out
in the trays in the lower part of the column.
During the separation of crude oil three stages are involved, separation, conversion and
purification. Separation is the first stage where the fractions are split by heat. Conversion is the
conversion of less useful fractions into more useful ones through thermal cracking or
polymerization. Purification is the removal of impurities.
Crude oil fractionates
1 Natural gas: This is a mixture of gases like methane, butane and ethane use as cooking gas.
2 Petrol (Gasoline): Petrol is a mixture of volatile liquids. Volatile liquids quickly change into
gas.
3 Kerosene: It is a mixture of fairly volatile liquids.
4 Gas oil and diesel oil: These are also liquid mixtures of heavy hydrocarbons.
5 Lubricating oils and grease: These are heavy and viscous liquid mixtures of hydrocarbon.
Viscous liquids are thick and sticky.
6 Bitumen and other residues: These are solid remains from fractional distillation of crude oil.
WEEK 3
USES OF CRUDE OIL
Crude oil can be exported (or sold) to foreign countries. When refined, its products have a wide
range of uses, namely:
1 Natural gas: It is a fuel which provides heat for domestic and industrial uses. At home, it is
used for cooking. Industries use it to manufacture useful chemicals like hydrogen, ethane and
tetrachloromethane. Ugheli and Sapele Gas Power Stations produce electricity, using natural gas.
It is also used to run furnaces in the manufacture of various goods
2 Petrol (Gasoline):Motor vehicles and electric generators use it as fuel. It is also used as a
solvent for paints and grease
3. Kerosene: Kerosene: It is used in our homes for domestic cooking. It is also used as aviation
fuel.
4. Gas oil and diesel oil:They are used as fuel by diesel engines for heating. They are also used to
produce lighter hydrocarbons, by a process called ‘cracking’ (i.e breaking into lighter
compounds)
5. Lubricating oils and grease: They are heavy liquids for lubricating some parts of engines,
where movement occurs. Vaseline and paraffin wax are obtained from re-distillation of these
oils. Vaseline is used in producing hair and body creams, while paraffin wax is used in producing
candles, polish, pomade and ointments.
6. Bitumen and other residues: Bitumen or pitch is used in the construction of roads and airfields.
Other residues could be used in waterproofing roofs, protecting pipes, and as fuel.
WEEK 4
PETROCHEMICALS
Petrochemicals are chemicals made from the by-products of petroleum (crude oil) and natural
gas. Petroleum and natural gas are made up of hydrocarbon molecules, which are comprised of
one or more carbon atoms, to which hydrogen atoms are attached.
Petroleum and natural gas are increasingly used to produce many organic compounds. Examples
of these organic compounds are ethanol, ethane, propanol, benzene and toluene. These small
molecule organic compounds are in turn used to make large molecular organic compounds like
plastics, synthetic rubber, and detergents, insecticides and synthetic fibers like Dacron and nylon
which has made an impact in manufacturing industries. Only about five percent of the oil and gas
consumed each year is needed to make all the petrochemical products. People that do the
exploration are geophysicist, petroleum engineer, and geologist.
WEEK 5
PETROCHEMICALS AND USES
1 Pesticides are used to kill pests like cockroaches and mosquitoes. Pesticides and herbicides are
also used in agriculture to control pests and weeds respectively.
2 Nylon is used in making clothes, as well as window and door blinds.
3 Synthetic rubber and fibers are used in the production of vehicle and bicycle tyres and ropes.
4 Plastics are formed into vessels like basins, buckets and dust bins. Plastics foam is used in
making mattresses.
5 Paints are used to protect walls, doors, window, tables, vehicles and furniture against the
weather. Paints are also used in decorating furniture, vehicles and walls of our buildings.
6 Fertilizers are used to improve soil fertility in agriculture.
WEEK 6
MID TERM TEST
WEEK 7-8
IMPORTANCE OF CRUDE OIL AND PETROCHEMICALS
[Link] serves as means of foreign exchange to countries that are involved in the refining and
exportation of crude oil hence making their economy to be very buoyant.
[Link] serves as a means of employment.
3. it makes it possible for the movement of people from one place to another in cars, airplanes,
ships, trains etc.
[Link] gotten from crude oil are used for road constructions, production of concrete roof
top, production of detergents, candle wax, body cream etc.
[Link] products like kerosene and natural gases are used for cooking
Week 9 Revision
Week 10-13 Examination
