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Describe and explain how crude oil is separated into fractions by fractional distillation

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Step-by-step explanation:

At the beginning of the fractional distillation process, crude oil is heated and most of it evaporates. It enters the fractionating column as a gas. As the gas rises up the column, the crude oil fractions cool and condense out at different levels, depending on their boiling points. Fractions can be used as fuels.

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User Luison
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Answer: Firstly, crude oil is heated to a high temperature. This causes hydrocarbons to evaporate and turn into gas. The crude oil vapour is fed into a fractional distillation column. This column is hotter at the bottom and cooler at the top. The hydrocarbon vapour rises up the column. Hydrocarbons condense (turn back to liquid) when they reach their boiling point. They continue to rise until they condense and the liquid fractions are then removed. Very long chain hydrocarbons have high boiling points and do not condense and are removed at the bottom and very short chain hydrocarbons have very low boiling points and are removed as gases from the top.

Explanation: This process is done as crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons and different hydrocarbons have different boiling points.

User Keith Turkowski
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