How is fuel from the earth processed to make it into what we put into our automobile ?
Question by C: How is fuel from the earth processed to make it into what we put into our automobile ?
What exactly do the manufacturers do to fuel to make it into commercial gasoline?
What kinds of things do they add to it , and how is it processed?
what does it start out as ?
Best answer:
Answer by bernie_bph
Petroleum is commercially processed using fractional distillation to produced various fuel and non-fuel based products these are the following:
fuel based; fuel oil, diesel oil, kerosine, gasoline and gaseus hydrocarbons.
non-fuel based; parafin wax, naphta, lubricating oils. asphalt, tar, coke etc.
the gasoline produced by fractional distillation is called straight run gasoline and it does not meet the present environmental requirments if used directly. The processing includes catalytic reforming, Catalytic cracking, desulfurization and etc. depending on the final product.
What do you think? Answer below!
Many people believe that crude oil and natural gas are contained in huge cave-like structures deep underground. Geological studies of sedimentary rocks indicate that oil originated during the deposit of dead marine organisms together with sand, silt and other sediments which formed the rocks under the sea beds. The formation of layers of rocks continued to take place and to build up containing the organic matter of the marine organisms and to create high pressure and temperature. In the absence of oxygen, and under the effect of the combined factors of pressure, temperature, catalysis and time, the chemical components of these marine Organisms (hence ‘Organic’), have undergone break-down and transformation into HYDROCARBON compounds trapped in small pores (pockets) in the rocks, the result of which was the formation of Crude Oil and Natural Gas within the rocks.
When a well is drilled and the Petroleum deposits brought to the surface, it undergoes a number of refining processes.
One of these is ‘Fractional Distillation’ of crude oil.
This process separates the Crude Oil into many different fractions from Light Naphtha to very heavy Asphalts. The separation of the Naptha into other useful products is carried out by further processes like ‘Reforming’ and ‘Catalytic Cracking’ to produce the hydrocarbons required for the desired mixture of Pentane through to Octane liquids which go into the production of the gasoline.
The undesirabe sulphur and other compounds are removed by other processes.
This is a very basic description of the process used which is quite involved and too much to write here.