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petro + oleum which means rock + oil, also known as crude oil
Is a naturally occurring, toxic, flammable liquid consisting of a complex
mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, and other organic
compounds, that are found in geologic formation beneath the Earths
surface.
Most versatile among the Fossil Fuels (Petroleum, Coal, and Natural Gas).
Non-renewable energy for it needs millions of years before it can be
formed.
Thick, black, gooey liquid found way down in the ground, usually
between layers of rock.
Origins
It was formed from the remains of tiny sea plants and animals that died millions
of years ago. When the plants and animals died, they sank to the bottom of the
oceans. Here, they were buried by thousands of feet of sand and silt. Over time,
this organic mixture was subjected to enormous pressure, and heat as the layers
increased. The mixture changed, breaking down into compounds made of
hydrogen and carbon atoms--hydrocarbons. Finally, an oil-saturated rock-much
like a wet household sponge was formed.
All organic material does not turn into oil. Certain geological conditions must
exist within the oil-rich rocks. There must be a trap of non-porous rock that
prevents the oil from seeping out, and a seal (such as salt or clay) that keeps the
oil from rising to the surface. Under these conditions, only two percent of the
organic material is transformed into oil.
A typical petroleum reservoir is mostly sandstone or limestone in which oil is
trapped. The oil in it may be as thin as gasoline or as thick as tar.
Petroleum is called a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of
years to form. We cannot make new petroleum reserves.
Composition
In its strictest sense, petroleum includes only crude oil, but in common usage it
includes both crude oil and natural gas. Both crude oil and natural gas are
predominantly a mixture of hydrocarbons. Under surface pressure and
Disadvantages
Oil is a carbon based fuel and the primary way it is used is to burn it,
releasing more than its weight in CO2 because of the added oxygen. CO2 is
a greenhouse gas and is expected by most scientists to be a cause of global
warming.
We are running out. Estimates vary from 50 to 150 years before we run out
of oil. This is impossible to predict, but most major oil companies have
been failing to discover new reserves equal to the amount of oil they are
producing for the last few years.
Much of the remaining oil in the world is in politically unstable areas
including Africa, Middle East, Russia, and parts of Southeast Asia.
Wars get fought over oil, and wars are won with oil (WW2) so it can be a
very negative influence on relations between nations.
Oil must be transported in ever increasing quantities. Pipelines are one
common method but where no pipeline exists oil can become 'stranded', in
other words there is no way to get it to market. The natural gas in northern
Alaska is a good example of this since there is no gas pipeline the oil
companies must pump natural gas back into the wells.
The other transport problem with oil is from the inherent dangers of
supertankers. Oil spills do serious environmental damage that takes
decades to recover from. While oil spills do occur naturally, and have over
time, the effects are often catastrophic for the area affected. Oil does break
down naturally from biological and chemical decay, but it takes time.
Our consumption of oil is increasing at the same time our production is
falling. The world is currently consuming 83 million barrels of oil per day.
We aren't producing that much.
Many oil producing areas are subject to severe weather and this can
interupt production. Last year's hurricanes are an example. Production
will not be restored until well into this year.
Oil does contain some cancer causing compounds, benzene is one of those.
Volatile components of oil and natural gas can contribute to smog.
Some additives put into gasoline to improve its smog fighting qualities
have leaked out of underground tanks at gas stations and polluted ground
water with hazardous chemicals. This type of pollution is very hard to
remove.
Drilling for oil is getting more difficult and expensive because we are now
drilling as deep or deeper than 20,000 feet to find new reserves.
Because of the price cyclicity in the oil industry the industry is discovering
that it may soon have a serious shortage of trained workers. The average
age in the industry is about 50 years old. New entrants are not coming into
the field for several reasons. The oil industry is going to be challenged to
keep producing at the current rate with fewer employees available.
Some oil is now being strip mined in the form of tar sands. This will be
very hard to restore these areas.
Sulphur in oil ends up in refined fuels and contributes to air pollution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
http://www.typesofenergy.co.uk/petroleum-energy-source.html
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1423-fossil-fuel-energy
http://lsa.colorado.edu/summarystreet/texts/petroleum.htm