PETROLEUM PRODUCTS: FRACTIONS OF CRUDE OIL

Abstract

Petroleum (also called crude oil), is a source of energy which is non-renewable. It is a naturally occurring liquid found beneath the Earth’s surface (Lithosphere) that can be refined into fuel. Petroleum is a fossil fuel, which means that it has been created by the decomposition of organic matter over millions of years. It is developed in sedimentary rock under severe heat and pressure. Petroleum or crude oil is a mixture of different hydrocarbons ranging from C₁ to C₅₀ (called fractions) from which many useful products can be made by the process of fractional distillation. Petroleum consist of a mixture of several hydrocarbons, and can have different chemical and physical properties depending on where it is found in the world. Here, in this review, we have presented the composition, separation of petroleum products from crude oil using fractional distillation.

Keywords: Petroleum, Reforming, Coking, Hydro-processing, Isomerization