WEEK 5 - 9: CRUDE OIL AND PETROCHEMICALS

WEEK 5 - 9
USES OF CRUDE OIL AND PETROCHEMICALS
1. PETROLEUME GASES
These gases are liberated at the top of the column at the temperature below 40⁰C. They are mainly hydrocarbons consisting of 1-4 carbon atom per molecule, example methane, ethane, propane, butane and ethene. They are used mainly as fuel for home and industries, for manufacturing products like hydrogen, carbon (IV) sulphide and ethyne.
PETROL
Petrol is the most useful component among petroleum fractions because of this reason, the demand for it is higher than any other products. It consist of 4-12 carbon atom per molecule. It is volatile liquid which distil over in the temperature range 40⁰C -200⁰C. Petrol is used as a fuel for airplane and motor-vehicles. It is also a good solvent for paints grease.
3. NAPHTHA
This mixture of very volatile liquid consist of hydrocarbons with 5-7 carbon atoms per molecule. It distil over 60⁰C-100⁰C. Naphtha is used as organic solvent in producing chemicals.
4. KEROSENE
Kerosene contains hydrocarbons with 12-18 carbon atom per molecule. It distil over in the temperature range of 200⁰C-250⁰C. It is a family volatile liquid and is used as a fuel for lighting and heating. It is also used for driving tractors and some modern jet engines. It is a good solvent for grease and paints.
5. DIESEL OIL AND GAS OIL
These are mixture of hydrocarbons with 12-25 carbon atom per molecule. They distil over in the temperature of 250⁰C-350⁰C. They are used as fuel heating and diesel engines such as bus, generator, lorry and heavy duty machine. Also as raw materials for the cracking process.
6. LUBRICATING OILS
These are heavy oils. They consist of hydrocarbon with 20-50 carbon atom per molecule, which distil over in the temperature range of 350⁰C-500⁰C. They are viscous liquids used for lubricating moving parts of engines machines. Example is grease.
Vaseline and paraffin wax are obtained on redistillation of these heavy oil. Vaseline is used in body and hair care products while paraffin wax is used for making candles, water proof material, polish and ointment.
7. BITUMEN
This is a solid residues left behind at temperature above 500⁰C. It consist of hydrocarbon more than 70 carbon atom per molecule. Bitumen is used for surfacing road and airfield. Other residues may be used as fuel in protective paints as well as pipe coating.

USES OF PETROCHEMICALS
The petroleum companies produce a wide range of products by different process. The different fractions produced from refining crude oil and the products of other processes are often used to produce chemicals obtained from oil called petrochemical.
It I economical to convert some of the higher boiling fraction to lower boiling ones. This can be achieved by the process of cracking ie“ The breaking of bigger hydrocarbon into smaller hydrocarbon” . Petrochemical can be used in different ways like.
1. They are used to make fuels. Example: bottled gas, petrol, aeroplane fuel, ship fuel, e.t.c.
2. They are used in the manufacture of Insecticides such a Raid, Seltox.
3. They are used in textile Industries to make synthetic fibres and rubbers. Example: hose, nylon materials, e.t.c.
4. They are used in plastic industries to make plastic materials examples: chairs, cups,buckets, cars e.t.c.
Problem with plastic materials is that they are non-biodegradable i.e do not rot away unlike paper and cardboard.
5. They are used in laundry as cleaning agent. Examples: detergents.
6. They are used in cosmetics industry to make creams, lubricate jelly, hair creams. Liquid paraffin is used as a laxative.
7. They are used in making fertilizers. Also petrochemicals can be used in making dyes, paints and varnishes.
EVALUATION
1. What is petrochemicals?
2. Tabulate all the fractions of crude oil containing the temperature range, number of carbon atom and their uses?
3. List five (5) uses of petrochemicals
4. What is cracking?

WEEK 6
THE IMPORTANCE OF CRUDE OIL IN NIGERIA
There are only twelve countries around the world that have oil reserves. These countries are part of an organisation called OPEC (organization of the petroleum Exporting countries). The extraction of crude oil in Nigeria is the largest industry and main generator of wealth for the country. Nigeria gets about 98% of its income from exports from oil industry.
Crude oil was first discovered at Oloibiri Niger Delta in 1956.
Some of the oil is refined in Nigeria in oil refineries but much of it is exported as crude oil through pipelines or oil tanker refining overseas. Nigeria`s proven oil reserve are estimated to be as much as 35.3 billion barrels. ( Proven reserves are reserves from which that we are able to extract and use use the oil). Nigeria is one of the few major oil. Producing nation that can still increase the amount of oil it produces. It has not reached its peak production yet.
Nigeria is the largest producer of “sweet” oil in OPEC. This is a result of the oil contains very little sulphur, therefore produces little environmental pollution (by Sulphur (iv) oxide)
The two major oil refineries in Nigeria where crude oil can be refined are:
1. The Warri Refinery and Petrochemical plant, which can process 125 million barrels of crude per day.
2. The New Port Harcourt Refinery, which can produce 150 million barrels per day.
Petroleum products are unavailable to most Nigerians and are also quite costly, because almost all of the oil extracted by the multinational oil companies is refined overseas, while only a limited quantity is supplied to Nigeria.

EVALUATION
1. What is the full meaning of OPEC?
2. Why is the Nigeria crude oil refer as sweet oil in OPEC?
3. When was crude oil discovered first in Nigeria?
4. Name oil refinery you know at least two?
5. What is the meaning of NNPC?

WEEK: 7: MID - TERM BREAK

WEEK 8 - 9
APPLICATIONS OF RADIATION
1. Housing and clothing:
In some hot countries most of the houses are painted white.
Whites reflects most of the radiation that hits it away and this keeps the building cooler. Similarly ,people in hot countries often wear white or light colour cloth to absorb as little heat energy as possible.
2. Cooking on a grill
When we cook toast under a grill the heat must travel downward from the grill elements onto the bread . The bread then absorbs this heat energy and turns to toast. This cannot be caused by convection or conduction.
3. Car engines
Car engines are painted a matt black colour so that they can emit more of the heat that they generate.
4. Solar cookers
In some hot countries food can be cooked using a solar cooker. A large convex mirror is used to focus the heat energy (electromagnetic waves) from the sun onto a pan which is used to heat food.
Also , radiation can be used for food preservation, dry of cloth and farm products.

EVALUATION
1. List three application of radiation?
2. Why the back of fridge is painted black?
3. Why a shiny teapot stay colder for longer on a frosty day?
4. Cloth washed in cold weather and hot weather, which one dry faster and say the reason?

END OF THE TERM