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Petroleum

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

temperature conditions, the lighter hydrocarbons methane, ethane, propane and


butane occur as gases, while the heavier ones from pentane and up are in the
form of liquids or solids. However, in the underground oil reservoir the
proportion which is gas or liquid varies depending on the subsurface conditions,
and on the phase diagram of the petroleum mixture.
An oil well produces predominantly crude oil, with some natural gas dissolved
in it. Because the pressure is lower at the surface than underground, some of the
gas will come out of solution and be recovered (or burned) as associated gas or
solution gas. A gas well produces predominately natural gas. However, because
the underground temperature and pressure are higher than at the surface, the
gas may contain heavier hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, and heptane in
the gaseous state. Under surface conditions these will condense out of the gas
and form natural gas condensate, often shortened to condensate. Condensate
resembles gasoline in appearance and is similar in composition to some volatile
light crude oils.
The proportion of light hydrocarbons in the petroleum mixture is highly variable
between different oil fields and ranges from as much as 97% by weight in the
lighter oils to as little as 50% in the heavier oils and bitumens.
The hydrocarbons in crude oil are mostly alkanes, cycloalkanes and various
aromatic hydrocarbons while the other organic compounds contain nitrogen,
oxygen and sulfur, and trace amounts of metals such as iron, nickel, copper and
vanadium. The exact molecular composition varies widely from formation to
formation but the proportion of chemical elements vary over fairly narrow limits
as follows:[4]
Four different types of hydrocarbon molecules appear in crude oil. The relative
percentage of each varies from oil to oil, determining the properties of each oil.[3]
Most of the world's oils are non-conventional.[5]
Crude oil varies greatly in appearance depending on its composition. It is usually
black or dark brown (although it may be yellowish or even greenish). In the
reservoir it is usually found in association with natural gas, which being lighter
forms a gas cap over the petroleum, and saline water which, being heavier than
most forms of crude oil, generally sinks beneath it. Crude oil may also be found
in semi-solid form mixed with sand and water, as in the Athabasca oil sands in

Canada, where it is usually referred to as crude bitumen. In Canada, bitumen is


considered a sticky, tar-like form of crude oil which is so thick and heavy that it
must be heated or diluted before it will flow.[6] Venezuela also has large amounts
of oil in the Orinoco oil sands, although the hydrocarbons trapped in them are
more fluid than in Canada and are usually called extra heavy oil. These oil sands
resources are called unconventional oil to distinguish them from oil which can be
extracted using traditional oil well methods. Between them, Canada and
Venezuela contain an estimated 3.6 trillion barrels (570109 m3) of bitumen and
extra-heavy oil, about twice the volume of the world's reserves of conventional
oil.
Petroleum is used mostly, by volume, for producing fuel oil and gasoline (petrol),
both important "primary energy" sources.[8] 84% by volume of the hydrocarbons
present in petroleum is converted into energy-rich fuels (petroleum-based fuels),
including gasoline, diesel, jet, heating, and other fuel oils, and liquefied
petroleum gas.[9] The lighter grades of crude oil produce the best yields of these
products, but as the world's reserves of light and medium oil are depleted, oil
refineries are increasingly having to process heavy oil and bitumen, and use
more complex and expensive methods to produce the products required. Because
heavier crude oils have too much carbon and not enough hydrogen, these
processes generally involve removing carbon from or adding hydrogen to the
molecules, and using fluid catalytic cracking to convert the longer, more complex
molecules in the oil to the shorter, simpler ones in the fuels.
Due to its high energy density, easy transportability and relative abundance, oil
has become the world's most important source of energy since the mid-1950s.
Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including
pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics; the 16% not used
for energy production is converted into these other materials. Petroleum is found
in porous rock formations in the upper strata of some areas of the Earth's crust.
There is also petroleum in oil sands (tar sands). Known reserves of petroleum are
typically estimated at around 190 km3 (1.2 trillion (short scale) barrels) without
oil sands,[10] or 595 km3 (3.74 trillion barrels) with oil sands.[11] Consumption is
currently around 84 million barrels (13.4106 m3) per day, or 4.9 km3 per year.
Advantages

Highly compact portable source of energy used for most forms of


mechanical transportation.

Excellent source of organic molecules for building plastics, medicines,


rubber, fiber, etc.
Can withstand high heats without breakdown making it useful as
lubricants like motor oil and grease
Residuals make excellent surface for asphalt roads and waterproof roofing
materials
Certain components make excellent solvents for paint, industrial use etc.
Other components (propane, butane) make excellent compact source of
portable cooking fuel and heating in areas that do not have infrastructure
for natural gas delivery.
Natural gas is used to make fertilizers used in agriculture and household
detergents
Compared to most other fuel sources it is still one of the most economical
-in other words the costs to produce it are relatively cheap compared to
other energy sources.
Production of oil has much less impact and a smaller footprint on the
earth surface than production of coal from strip mining
If not for the discovery of oil, all whales would likely be extinct, because
they were the primary source of lamp oil for lighting before oil, and are
still recovering from hunting in the 1800's.
The oil industry has been a source of much advanced technology and
many new products that have changed our lives for the better.
During WW2 oil produced in Texas was the major source of fuel supply
for the Allied Forces and without that advantage over both the Germans
and Japanese, the world might look very different today. At that time the
US was the major supplier of oil in the world.
Natural gas wells are the world's supply of helium gas.
Oil refining produces the world's supply of elemental sulphur as a
byproduct, used for many industrial applications.

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

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