Crude Oil and Petroleum

DISCOVERIES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD!

PREPARED BY – ASHISH MISHRA

Origin

The word petroleum comes from Greek (petra) for rocks and Greek (elaion) for oil.

It was used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in 1546 by the German mineralogist Georg Bauer, also known as Georgius Agricola.

The breakthrough that changed the world was In 1847, the process to distill kerosene from petroleum was invented by James Young.

He noticed a natural petroleum seepage in the Riddings colliery at Alfreton, Derbyshire from which he distilled a light thin oil suitable for use as lamp oil, at the same time obtaining a thicker oil suitable for lubricating machinery. In 1848 Young set up a small business refining the crude oil.

Why I chose Discovery of Petroleum as a world changing event! It accelerated the Industrial Revolution round the world.

It found extensive usage as source for lighting and as fuel for engines.

It helped revolutionizing the Automobile Industry as well as the Aviation industry.

Transportation helped the world’s economy to grow at phenomenal rates.

Many different petroleum products find varied usage all of which are highly significant.

Where does it come from??

Some facts and figures

Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of Crude Oil in the world, in fact 66% of the World’s oil is produced in the Middle East Countries by OPEC countries.

USA is the 3rd largest Oil producing country but you would be surprised to know it’s the largest importer of oil as well hence the negative growth in the previous graph. (Now you know why they are so desperate to control the political situation in the Middle East).

India ranks 22nd when it comes to Oil production, while it ranks 4th in import and consumption.

Crude Oil Products The most common distillation fractions of petroleum are

fuels.

Certain types of resultant hydrocarbons may be mixed with other non-hydrocarbons, to create other end products.

Alkenes (olefins) which can be manufactured into plastics.

Lubricants (produces light machine oils, motor oils, and greases, adding viscosity stabilizers as required).

Wax, used in the packaging of frozen foods, among others.

Sulfur or Sulfuric acid. These are useful industrial materials.

Bulk tar

Asphalt

Petroleum coke, used in specialty carbon products or as solid fuel.

Paraffin wax

Aromatic petrochemicals to be used as precursors in other chemical production.

Fraction Boiling range oC

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

-40

Butane -12 to 1

Petrol -1 to 100

Jet Fuel 150 to 205

Kerosene 205 to 260

Fuel Oil 205 to 290

Diesel Fuel 260 to 315

Where do we use it?

Important impact of Oil

Energy is the source of electricity for all the industries and Businesses and homes round the world, 50% of which is generated from Petroleum oil rest is generated from Coal and other sources of energy.

There are 9 Companies in Forbes top 25 which are Oil and Natural gas companies.

These companies keep the world running literally.

Impact on our lives!

Imagine a world without any diesel or petrol car or buses. The world would still run on horse carts.

Imagine a world without any supply of LPG, kerosene. Cooking would still be done with wood logs. Imagine the effect on Global warming due to this.

Imagine a world without any fuel , transportation would still have been the way it used to be in the 19th century. Aviation industry would not have survived.

Imagine a day without any product manufactured in factories which extensively use these petroleum products directly or indirectly.

Imagine a world without any modern equipment which has been possible only because of this discovery.

Can we do without Petroleum?

No we cannot , not in the present day world.

Hence I chose the discovery of Petroleum (Crude Oil) as the greatest event in the history of mankind.

We need to look at alternative sources of energy as we have limited reserves of oil.