3. What is Petroleum?
In a lay man’s language, PETROLEUM is FUEL.
Fuels are materials that give off heat when they are burned. A fuel
may be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Fuels that come from the
remains of living things are called fossil fuels. Wood, coal, natural
gas and the liquid fuel petroleum are common fossil.
5. Consumption of Energy by Mankind
Petroleum is energy, stored deep in the earth by nature. This is
a non-renewable energy source because petroleum supplies
are limited and they draw on finite resources that will
eventually dwindle. Petroleum includes crude oil, condensate
and natural gas.
6. How is Petroleum formed?
Petroleum is made primarily of
mixtures of
hydrocarbons, compounds of
carbon, and hydrogen.
Scientists believe petroleum
hydrocarbons come from the
remains of tiny animals and
plants that lived millions of
years ago.
The idea that oil was created from dinosaurs is a myth, there simply were
not enough of them to create such large amounts of oil.
7. STAGE 1
When tiny organisms die, they sink to the bottom of
the sea and are mixed with mud and silt.
8. STAGE III
STAGE II
Lack of oxygen at the
bottom of sea keeps the
Bacteria removes most
animals and plants from
of the
decaying completely.
oxygen, nitrogen, phosp
The partially
horus, and
decomposed organisms
sulfur, leaving mainly
create a slimy mass,
hydrogen and carbon.
which is then covered
.
with layers of
sediments.
9. STAGE IV
Over millions of years, many layers of sediment
pile on top of the once-living organisms. When
the depth of burial reaches about 10,000 feet,
natural heat of the earth and intense pressure
combine to act upon the mass.
The end result, over time, is the formation of
petroleum
10. Petroleum deposits are locked in porous rocks almost like
water is trapped in a wet sponge .When crude oil comes out of
the ground , it can be as thin as water or as thick as tar.
11.
12. The first Petroleum Well
Petroleum was discovered at a shallow depth
of only 21 metres through “Drake’s well”
The first petroleum was drilled in
Pennsylvania, USA in 1859.
Early modern discoveries of petroleum
relied on these small surface wells. In
the United States, bores that were used
for water began producing crude oil. At
that time, petroleum was called coal oil.
The discovery of petroleum eventually
closed the nineteenth century whale-oil
industry.
You could say that the oil and gas industry has helped to save the whale!
14. FINDING PETROLEUM WAS ONCE A JOB FOR PROSPECTORS WHO DUG WELLS IN
PLACES THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE SUITABLE - PERHAPS A LINE OF HILLS OR A
SWAMP. SO THEY DRILLED A HOLE THERE AND IT WAS KNOWN AS A “WILD-CAT” WELL.
BUT THE DEMAND FOR PETROLEUM BECAME TOO GREAT TO RELY ON GUESSWORK.
WILD-CAT PROSPECTORS HAD TO GIVE WAY TO SPECIALIST SCIENTISTS. THESE
SCIENTISTS ARE GEOLOGISTS AND GEOPHYSICISTS.
15. GEOLOGISTS
INTERESTED IN
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS.
THESE ARE CALLED
SEDIMEN-TOLOGISTS.
GEOLOGISTS
STUDYING FOSSILS
ARE CALLED
PALAEONTOLOGISTS.
GEOLOGISTS
STUDY ROCKS AND
GEOLOGISTS
SOILS IN THE SPECIALISING IN THE
CHEMISTRY OF ROCKS
LAYERS OF THE AND THE FLUIDS THEY
CONTAIN ARE
GEOCHEMISTS.
EARTH’S CRUST
GEOPHYSICISTS STUDY
AND MEASURE THE
PHYSICAL PHENOMENA
OF THE EARTH. THEY
MEASURE
TEMPERATURE, MAGNETI
SM, EARTH
MOVEMENTS, WATER
FLOW, ASSESS
EARTHQUAKES.
16. The Geologists
work together
with 3 objectives
FIRST, TO IMPROVE OUR
KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTH
(WHAT IT IS AND WHAT MAKES IT
TICK).
SECOND, TO FIND OUT WHAT IS
THE NATURE OF THE EARTH
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF
TUNNELS, BUILDINGS, POWER
STATIONS AND OTHER
STRUCTURES.
AND THIRD, TO EXPLORE
THE EARTH FOR
PETROLEUM, NATURAL GAS
AND MINERALS, AND TO
ESTABLISH WHETHER
THESE ARE SUITABLE FOR
COMMERCIAL
EXPLOITATION.
17. Of every 100 new wells drilled
only about 44 produce oil.
When scientists think there
may be oil in a certain
place, a petroleum company
brings in a drilling rig and
they need to drill a well.
The typical oil well is about
one mile deep.
18. Petroleum is found in three
forms: as a solid, called
bitumen; as a liquid, which
is usually called crude oil or
condensate; and as a
gas, such as methane and
ethane.
Both liquid oil and natural
gas are generally found
together.
Whether a discovery
becomes an oil or a gas field
depends solely on whether
there is more of one fossil
fuel or the other fossil fuel
in the area.
19. We can’t use crude oil as it
comes out of the ground.
We must change it into
fuels that we can use. The
first stop for crude oil is at
an oil refinery. A refinery is
a factory that processes oil.
The refinery cleans and
separates the crude oil into
many fuels and products.
The most important one is
gasoline. Other petroleum
products are diesel
fuel, heating oil, and jet
fuel. Industry uses
petroleum to make plastics
and many other products.
24. Oil and the Environment
Petroleum products –gasoline, medicines, fertilizers, and others have
helped people all over the world. But there is a trade-off.
If drilling is not carefully regulated, it may disturb fragile land and ocean environments.
Petroleum production and petroleum products may cause air and water pollution.
Transporting oil may endanger wildlife if it’s spilled on rivers and oceans.
Burning gasoline to fuel our car pollutes the air.
Even the careless deposal of motor oil drained from the family car can pollute streams and rivers.
25. Fuel for thought
Phd scholar at the Center Energy and Environment, TERI University,
Aditi Banerjee is currently pursuing her research in the area of biomass
utilization for ethanol production . There has been widespread concern
over global warming and climate change caused by use the use of fossil
fuels. In this regard, biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel have emerged
as a sustainable and greener alternative in fossil fuels.
Ethanol is a type of an alcohol, used in whisky, bear, rum, wine, etc.
However, ethanol can also be blended with petrol as a fuel additive to
make it more fuel efficient and help reduce air pollution. Generally,
ethanol is produced from sugarcane molasses ( a waste stream for
sugar production factory). But it’s not an adequate source to meet the
rising demand for ethanol production which Is required to blend with
petrol. Therefore, new source or feedstocks are explored for production
of ethanol.