Petrochemicals Video Lecture | Chemical Technology - Chemical Engineering

Galgo is underwear today much of the
world around us is made from
petrochemicals that is just about
everything not made from plants rocks or
metal petrochemical products include
thousands of essential and life-saving
products people use every day and yes
football fans that includes the
bleachers who sit on the artificial
surface on the field the lacing in the
football and the uniforms worn by the
players but what are petrochemicals well
it all begins very small with the carbon
atom which is the magic behind organic
chemistry
carbon can take different forms from
coal to diamonds to nanotubes carbon is
truly magical in that it can connect to
many different types of atoms including
itself when it connects it becomes a
molecule which is nothing more than a
group of connected atoms when carbon
connects to itself and you add a few
hydrogen's you get what is called a
hydrocarbon molecule here is what some
of the hydrocarbon molecules look like
they each have similar properties but
are still very different from each other
hydrocarbons are found in oil and
natural gas which are naturally
occurring mixtures formed from decayed
plants and animals natural gas can exist
as both a gas and a liquid under the
ground
the gas is comprised mostly of methane
and the liquid is a mixture of ethane
propane and butane some of the natural
gas and liquids have been trapped in
shale formations shale is a type of
dense rock but how do we get it out we
drill this is the traditional way to
drill for natural gas and natural gas
liquids but what about the shelf
far below exploration crews can now use
a combination of high-tech approaches to
get the gas and liquids from the shale
rock this is done through a combination
of horizontal drilling hydraulic
fracturing and seismic imaging after
they drill down the exploration crews
can drill horizontally equipped with
sophisticated drilling equipment the
crews shoot down a mixture of water sand
and detergents to crack the rock so that
the gas and liquids can escape the
fracturing process takes place thousands
of feet below water reservoirs or
aquifers wherever the drill and pipe
pass through a freshwater layer the
water is protected by several
impermeable barriers that are made of
steel and concrete cases these barriers
and show maximum protection for water
supplies once the natural gas liquids
are out of the ground they are separated
into the gases ethane propane and butane
of the three ethane is a very important
hydrocarbon molecule ethane is fed into
a large complex piece of manufacturing
equipment called a cracker it's called
that because it uses high temperatures
to crack the bond between carbons
now that chemistry takes over chemistry
is all about bonding the cracker then
forces the carbons to form two bonds
with each other that make a new
hydrocarbon molecule called ethylene as
one of the most fundamental building
blocks in the world of plastics and
chemistry ethylene is special what makes
ethylene special is the double bond
between the carbons this is what an
ethane cracker looks like ethane comes
into the unit by pipeline now we apply
heat to break the carbon bond here you
see where the ethylene exits the cracker
through another pipeline from here
ethylene can take two different routes
it can be made into plastic or other
chemicals called petrochemical
derivatives they are used as raw
materials to make specialty chemicals
which give us products with many
performance attributes that consumers
enjoy
for example they make nylons
ronger so it can be used by our armed
forces for parachute straps or it can be
used in a variety of plastic that have
characteristics that make them stronger
more flexible and resilient you saw what
a football game would look like without
petrochemicals now let's see what your
life is like with petrochemicals it's
safe to say that from the moment you
wake up each morning to the time you go
to bed each night you rely on products
made from ethylene and other
petrochemicals petrochemicals may have
been used to make the bedspread on your
bed the carpeting on the floor the paint
on the walls and curtains on the windows
there in many of the materials that go
into making your home comfortable and
efficient including home insulation in
walls and attic vinyl siding eaves and
windows solar shingles and a number of
deck materials even when you go for a
drive
know that petrochemicals are making your
ride more comfortable interestingly
today's windmills wouldn't exist without
petroleum-based petrochemicals but
petrochemicals applications go beyond
our comfort and entertainment they are
critical to our lives
modern medicine would be nearly
impossible without the many products
made from petrochemicals these include
critical devices for surgical procedures
bags that keep blood fresher longer
sterile tubing to deliver life-saving
blood and medicine everything from the
stethoscope to the blood pressure
monitor to aspirin is made from
petrochemicals petrochemicals are also
the building blocks for prosthetic and
other devices that replace parts of the
human body damaged or destroyed by
disease age or injury among
petrochemicals many attributes is the
fact that they are also very versatile
chemists can actually manipulate groups
of atoms and make the resulting products
perform in special and unique ways
allowing them to be used to make
everything from toys to I wear to
bulletproof vests
they make modern communications possible
in fact regardless of how you're viewing
this video on a desktop computer
laptop tablet or smartphone the viewing
device is made from petrochemicals the
future of specialized materials is only
limited by our imagination breakthroughs
are happening everyday in electronics
transportation military applications and
emergency services none of this would be
possible without the world of organic
chemistry and petrochemicals