Crude oil wells flow at verying rates, from ten to thousands of barrels per hour. Petroleum products very greatly in physical appearance: thin, thick, transparent, or opaque. Their chemical composition is made up of only two elements: carbon and hydrogen, which from compounds called hydrocarbons. Other chemical elements found in union with the hydrocarbonsare few and are classified as impurities. Trace elements are also found, but these are of such minute quantities that they are disregarded. The combination of carbon and hydrogen forms many thousands of compounds which are possible because of the various positions and varied joining of these two atoms in the hydrocarbons molecule.
The various petroleum products are refined from the crude oil by heating and condensing the vapours. These products are the so-called light oils, such as gasoline, kerosene and distillate oil. The residue remaining after the light oil are distilled is known as heavy or residual fuel oil and is used mostly for burning under boilers. Additional complicated refining processes rearrange the chemical structural of the hydrocarbons to produce other products, some of which are used to upgrade and increase the octane rating of varius types or gasoline.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar