Interesting facts about oil chemistry. Curious facts about oil
It is no coincidence that today such a mineral as oil is called black gold or even “blood.” modern civilization" Almost everything is made from oil: from film to plastic swimming goggles. We have collected 14 of the most interesting facts about oil and oil production:
1. 1. What does the word "oil" mean?
The word in Russian oil came from Turkish (from the word oil), which comes from Persian naft, and which in turn was borrowed from Semitic languages. Akkadian (Assyrian) word nаptn"oil" comes from a Semitic verbal root npt with the original meaning “to spew out, vomit out.”
There are other versions of the meaning of the word oil. For example, according to some sources, the word oil comes from the Akkadian napatum, which means “to flare up, ignite,” according to others, from the ancient Iranian naft meaning “something wet, liquid.”
But, for example, the Chinese, who were the first, by the way, to drill an oil well back in 347 AD, called and still call oil - shi yo, which literally means "mountain oil".
English word petroleum, which the Americans and British call crude oil, also, by the way, means “mountain oil” and comes from the Greek petra (mountain) and the Latin oleum (oil).
2. 2. Where did industrial oil production begin?
World history industrial production oil production began in 1848 in Azerbaijan. The mention of oil production in the suburbs of Baku refers to V century AD. Oil is everywhere here. In some places in this area you don’t even need to drill anything - the oil itself forms puddles on the surface.
3. 3. Where does the “eternal flame” coming from the sacred mountain Yanadarg come from?
Here, in the suburbs of Baku, is the most famous of the volcanoes, Yanadarg, known as Burning Mountain. From its depths comes natural gas, which has been burning for several centuries, but the fire does not go beyond the mountain.There's always a feeling in the air strong smell gasNatural gas rises through cracks in the rock and comes to the surface unaided.
4. 4. How is an oil field formed?
Oil seeps into layers of crumbly sandstone or fractured limestone and can even move around, soaking into the layers like water soaking into a sponge. During geological processes horizontal layers become distorted, and oil begins to migrate more actively through them. Due to the fact that the pressure at depth is greater than at the surface, oil does not flow down, but, on the contrary, tends to the top. Once oil enters such a fold, it cannot leave it. Geologists call this structure a “hydrocarbon trap” in which huge amount oil, forming a deposit. The presence of a trap is the first condition for the formation of a deposit.
5. 5. Is it true that Edwin Drake, who first proposed drilling for oil, was considered crazy?
Outside Russia, the first oil well was drilled in 1859 in the United States by Colonel Edwin Drake in the vicinity of Titusville, Pennsylvania, general representative of Seneca Oil Company. Due to attempts to use drilling to find and extract oil local residents They thought Drake was crazy. In addition, Drake, according to his own statement, invented the casing pipe, “without which no one could drill in the lowlands where the ground is flooded.”
6. 6. When did oil production begin in Russia?
In Russia, until the mid-19th century, oil was extracted from Absheron Peninsula from wells, and already on July 14, 1848, in the town of Bibi-Heybat, the world's first oil well was drilled using the percussion method using wooden rods.
In 1900, 631.1 million poods of oil were produced in Russia, which amounted to 51.6% of all world oil production.At that time, oil production was carried out in 10 countries: Russia, the USA, the Dutch East Indies, Romania, Austria-Hungary, India, Japan, Canada, Germany, Peru. At the same time, the main oil-producing countries were Russia and the United States, which together accounted for more than 90% of all world oil production.
The peak of oil production in Russia occurred in 1901, when 706.3 million poods of oil were produced (50.6% of world production). After this, due to economic crisis and falling demand, oil production volumes in Russia began to decline. The price of oil, which was 16 kopecks in 1900. per pood, in 1901, due to an oversupply, fell by 2 times to 8 kopecks. per pood. In 1902 the price was 7 kopecks. per pood, after which there was a tendency towards a recovery in demand and oil production volumes. This trend was interrupted by the revolution of 1905, which was accompanied by arson and the general destruction of the Baku oil fields.
7. 7. How is oil exploration carried out?
The lines along which oil exploration is carried out are called "profiles". Data obtained from each profile allows you to build a section rocks, on which all underground structures will be clearly visible. If geophysicists find a “hydrocarbon trap,” then most likely there will be a deposit there.
Most effective method oil search – seismic survey. The principle of this method is similar to medical ultrasound. For doctors, the device generates ultrasonic waves that are reflected from tissues internal organs. A sensitive microphone picks up these reflections, and the computer produces a picture. Geologists have almost the same thing: in order to see the subsoil, you must first create an impulse that will be reflected from the underground layers. At the surface it must be captured and then measured to obtain an image of the earth's strata.
8. 8. What is a seismic vibrator and how does it work?
Seismic vibratoris a truck that is designed to excite longitudinal seismic vibrations. Their task is to create a powerful impulse that will be reflected from underground layers and will be recorded by a seismic receiver. Previously, explosives were used for this, but seismic vibrators are more convenient, safer and do not cause harm. environment.
The group of seismic vibrators must move exactly along the profile on which the seismic receivers are installed. Every 100 m, the seismic vibrators stop to give out a powerful vibration pulse. The support platform lowers, lifting the 20-tonne machine. At this time, a signal from the seismic station arrives in the driver’s cabin.
The car begins to “bounce” 80 times per second. You can't see it with the eye, but it is reflected on the ground. Each pulse is equivalent to 40 grams of TNT. It turns out that in 4 seconds a total impulse with a power of almost 12 kg of TNT goes into the ground! Seismic sensors begin to record vibrations. Inside each seismic sensor there is a magnet, which is surrounded by a coil of thin wire, freely suspended on a spring. The incoming wave vibrates the receiver body along with the magnet, and the coil begins to move. The magnetic field induces an alternating voltage in it, repeating the shape of the vibrations. The electrical signal from the receiver is transmitted to the seismic station.
9. 9. Is it true that oil can be used to embalm the dead?
IN Ancient Egypt the oil was used to embalm the dead. In those days, petroleum bitumen was used to embalm mummies and to cover boats.
10. Is it true that oil can be used as medicine?
In 1874, the principle of producing salicylic acid from phenol was discovered, and since then acetylsalicylic acid, or simply “aspirin,” has become one of the most popular in the world medicines. Everyone knows that aspirin has antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. In addition, the antiseptic phenyl salicylate is produced from salicylic acid, used to treat colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases, and para-aminosalicylic acid, used in anti-tuberculosis drugs.
Various petroleum derivatives are used in drugs that help people get rid of allergies, headaches, nervous stress or infectious diseases. Esters and alcohols are often used to produce antibiotics.
11. What kind of legend tells about the discovery of the healing properties of Naftalan oil?
There is an interesting legend about how they were discovered healing properties Naftalan oil. Many centuries ago, a trade caravan passed by the place where the city of Naftalan is located today. There travelers saw numerous lakes with muddy water. They drove their camels away from suspicious reservoirs, but they allowed one, the weakest and sickest, to drink and be left to die so that he would not suffer any longer. On the way back, the caravanners met their abandoned companion - the camel was completely healthy. He was helped by the oily liquid under the turbidity of the water. People smeared it on their wounds and were healed.
12. Is it true that oil can save humanity from hunger?
Oil can save humanity not only from disease, but also from hunger. Refining just 2% of the volume of annually produced oil can produce up to 25 million tons of protein. This is enough to feed 2 billion people for a year. This protein is used in the production of most different products, and replaces animal protein, which is sorely lacking to meet the needs of the ever-growing population of our planet.
12. 13. Why Saudi sheikhs so rich?
Saudi Aramco is a national company that produces oil in Saudi Arabia and is wholly owned by the state. This company is the world's largest oil company in terms of oil production.
Do you know how much it costs Saudi Aramco to produce one barrel of oil?
It knows Forbes magazine. Here's what he writes (in my rather loose translation):
Saudi Aramco is the most profitable company on the planet. It does not fully disclose its financials, but roughly its net profit is $200 billion a year, with annual revenue exceeding $350 billion. Last year, Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi told reporters that the average cost of producing one a barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia is $2. This barrel of oil sells for $130. If you pass the same barrel of oil through a complex petrochemical plant, it will easily bring in $500 in income.
For comparison: in the Russian oil company Rosneft, the cost of producing one barrel of oil averages $14.57. And taking into account the costs of exploration, drilling wells and modernizing refineries, the price is already 21 dollars per barrel.
14. Why does an increase in oil prices lead to a change in the dollar exchange rate and an increase in prices for all goods?
So what if the price of oil is rising? Even if it increases significantly, and gasoline prices follow suit, it would seem that to an ordinary person is that what it's all about? You can walk or ride a bicycle to work.
Here's the thing: once upon a time there was a dollar. They gave 35 rubles for it. Thus, with an oil price of $100 per barrel, the country’s budget received roughly 3,500 rubles. However, then the price of oil began to fall, and with an oil price of $50 per barrel, the country’s budget began to receive a conditional 1,750 rubles at a constant ruble exchange rate. Thus, a shortage of money appears in the budget and a deficit arises, and the ruble exchange rate weakens to compensate for what was not received into the budget. As a result, in order to get the same 3 conventional 3,500 rubles from 1 barrel of oil at a price of 50 dollars per barrel, the exchange rate should be about 70 rubles per dollar. http://mirnefti.ru/index.php?id=21
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3 years ago
Oil in modern world is a very important resource. People began to use oil at the dawn of civilization, although in ways that seem naive and even strange today. Today, without it, it is impossible to produce various goods, and wars are being waged for control of the oil market. Our review contains little-known and simply interesting facts about oil and gas.
1. Lead in gasoline
Chemist Thomas Midgley first came up with the idea that adding lead to gasoline could reduce engine knocking. Some say this discovery has caused more environmental damage than anything else in the world.
2. Gasoline prices
Gasoline prices in the US are half the price of gasoline in the EU.
3. Castor oil and pilots
During World War I, aircraft used castor oil as an engine lubricant. Due to the fact that the remains of unburned castor oil were thrown out of the exhaust pipe, and pilots often suffered from diarrhea.
4. USA, Canada, Mexico...
America gets more oil from Canada and Mexico than from all Middle Eastern countries combined.
5. Statoil
Norwegian oil company Statoil has put one of its platforms up for sale with the following advertisement: "For sale is a well maintained platform with 20 bedrooms offering panoramic sea views and ample space for a helicopter."
6. 120 free liters of gasoline
Just recently, in Turkmenistan, each driver received 120 free liters of gasoline per month.
7. Average annual salary of a US oil worker
The average annual salary for an oil rig worker was about US$100,000 in 2011.
8. The school pumps oil
High school Beverly Hills, California has 19 oil wells on its campus. The school earns approximately $300,000 per year.
9. Diesel
Diesel engines were named after their inventor, not their fuel. In fact, some of the first diesel engines ran on peanut oil.
10. Half of the world's oil consumption
The United States accounts for nearly half of the world's oil consumption.
11. Saudi Arabia is falling behind
Russia produces approximately 1 million barrels of oil daily than Saudi Arabia.
12. Drunken price drop
In 2010, London broker Steve Perkins, while heavily inebriated, accidentally purchased more than US$500 million worth of oil. He single-handedly managed to lower world oil prices to an 8-month high.
13. DT against cigarettes
According to World Organization health, diesel fuel is more carcinogenic than cigarettes.
14. The most expensive AI-95
Norway has some of the highest gasoline prices in the world. The proceeds are used to provide free education and improving infrastructure.
15. Biofuel
Even if all U.S. corn and soybean production were focused on biofuels, this would only satisfy about 10% of fuel demand.
16. Battleship Arizona
Fuel is still leaking from the engine room of the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, forming a stain on the surface of the water above the ship.
17. Oil reserves of Iraq
Despite the fact that the US spent almost $700 billion on the war in Iraq, all oil contracts were bought by other countries. It came as a surprise to many people, but America was almost the only country that did not benefit from oil reserves Iraq.
18. Oil pipeline in Ecuador
An oil pipeline in Ecuador leaked into tropical forests The Amazon has more oil than the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
19. Aborigines are drug addicts
In the USA it is severe environmental situation.
Over the past 25 years, there have been nearly two dozen oil spills in the United States.
22. 300 billion barrels
Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, estimated at almost 300 billion barrels. The US ranks 10th with 33 billion barrels.
23. Waterproofing sealant and glue
Oil has always been important to civilization. Ancient cultures used it to glue materials together and also as a waterproofing sealant.
For curious readers, we have collected and. Everyone should know this for their own safety.
1. Oil consists of thousands of substances, of which most(about 80-90%) - liquid hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds, consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
2. The most common color of oil is black, but emerald green and even colorless oil is occasionally found.
3. Oil is located at depths from tens of meters to 5-6 kilometers. The maximum number of oil deposits is found at a depth of 1-3 kilometers.
4. According to the most common theory, oil was formed from the remains of ancient living organisms and algae. This oil formation process takes from 50 to 350 million years.
5. It is believed that Russian word“oil” was borrowed from the Turkish language - neft “oil”, where it came from the Persian language - naft “oil”.
6. Oil has been known since ancient times, as evidenced by archaeological excavations. Around 6000 BC Oil and its formations were used as a binding material in construction. In ancient Egypt, oil was used to embalm the dead.
7. Turned to oil great attention only after it was proven that kerosene can be isolated from it. This was proven by the Russian factory practice of the Dubinin brothers (since 1823), and in America by the chemist Benjamin Silliman (1855).
8. The idea of using a pipeline to pump oil (oil pipeline) was proposed by Dmitry Mendeleev in 1863. The first Russian oil pipeline was built in 1878 in the Baku region.
9. The world's first oil well drilling was carried out in 1846 in the village of Bibi-Heybat near Baku, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire.
10. The most popular material for candle production these days, paraffin, is a product of petroleum distillation.
11. Before the engine internal combustion Basically, only kerosene was distilled from oil, and everything else was disposed of.
12. In the process of oil refining, many products are obtained, the main ones being: plastics, gasoline, asphalt, fuel oil, kerosene, paraffin, tar, diesel fuel.
13. There are more than 30 oil refineries in Russia that produce tens of millions of tons of gasoline per year.
14. If the current level of consumption is maintained, world oil reserves will last for about 40-50 years.
15. Crude oil is practically not used directly in global industry.
16. The world's first oil refinery was built in 1856 by chemist and pharmacist Ignacy Łukasiewicz. He also invented the kerosene lamp and created a method for producing kerosene by distilling crude oil.
17. The three largest oil-producing countries are Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
18. The global industry consumes about 84 million barrels of oil per day (≈ 13.3 billion liters).
19. The total cost of one refinery is about $9 billion.
20. The International Energy Agency estimates that the Arctic contains about 13 percent of its oil reserves.
21. Oil spills at sea are much more destructive than on land, as oil spills can spread hundreds of nautical miles. Oil spills kill huge numbers of birds, mammals, shellfish and other organisms in the .
22. There is a claim that the advent of kerosene, which is obtained by refining oil, saved some species of whales from extinction. The early world industry produced whale oil on a large scale, obtained from the top of the head of whales and used as fuel for oil lamps. After the introduction of kerosene, the sale and use of whale oil virtually ceased.
23. Widely Use The introduction of refined oil began only in the second half of the 19th century thanks to a new method of extracting oil using boreholes instead of wells.
24. Among the three countries with largest reserves oil countries include Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
25. Previously, gasoline and other types of fuel were sold in pharmacies. The first gas station was a pharmacy in German city Wiesloch (1888).
Oil consumption map. Increasing from light to dark color: dark - the largest amount; gray - no data
Scientists are still debating the origin of the word “oil”. Most of them are sure that it has Turkish roots, and the Turks, in turn, borrowed it from the ancient Assyrian “nartn”, which means “to spew out”. Other linguists associate the name of the mineral with the Akkadian verb “napatum” - “to ignite.” There is an assumption that this may be an Iranian borrowing of the word “naft”, that is, “liquid substance”.
Oil is not only black, but also truly living gold. After all, it is based on sea water and plankton that lived on Earth tens of millions of years ago. Although scientists made this discovery relatively recently. There was a time when the source of education natural wealth whale urine was believed to be so heavy that it settles on seabed, then is absorbed into the soil and penetrates into its deep layers through underground channels.
The five Persian Gulf states have the largest oil reserves known today. They account for 2/3 of the discovered deposits.
Just one drop of “black gold” can spoil 25 liters of drinking water.
Oil spilled on the surface of the ocean is considered an environmental disaster. But there is a known case in history when she became not a destroyer, but a savior of animals. In the 19th century, whales were hunted to extinction because their oil was ideal for use in lamps. He did not smoke, did not have unpleasant odor and was spent very sparingly. This substance was also used for other purposes - for example, to make cosmetics, to lubricate mechanisms and to make candles. The whale population was rapidly declining, the largest animals on Earth were on the verge of extinction. The whales were helped by the invention of kerosene, a product of petroleum distillation.
At the dawn of the automobile industry, gasoline, obtained, as is known, from oil, was extremely cheap and was practically not in demand. After all, only a few could afford to buy a car, and therefore there was no need for large quantities there was no gasoline. It was purchased more for hygienic purposes - as a remedy against lice or to remove greasy stains on fabric.
A jump in oil prices inevitably leads to higher prices for consumer goods. « Black gold It is no coincidence that it becomes their indicator. After all, in addition to gasoline, it is spent on heating needs, and chemical and synthetic products made from it are widely used for the production of consumer goods.
We spend approximately as much oil per day as nature created over the course of one and a half thousand years. This earthly wealth is not replenished, and someday, although in the very distant future, the oil reserves on Earth will be exhausted.
In fact, oil is the same coal, only liquid: these natural resources are so close in chemical composition. They even refer to general group– caustobiolites. The first to guess about their relationship was Mikhail Lomonosov, who published the work “On the Layers of the Earth” in 1763.
The ancient Chinese were the first to obtain oil through drilling, and this happened in the 4th century BC. They made a hole 240 m deep in the soil using pipes made of bamboo.
Modern science believes that oil production has already reached its peak, which occurred in 2005. Then, for several years, the pumping of the earth's resource was smooth and at the level of an imaginary plateau. Since 2011, a gradual decline began.
Black gold is a leading factor in the world economy. Many people argue about its origin and there is no clear understanding. In a selection of interesting facts about oil, we will touch on all these issues.
From surface to subsurface
The ancients referred to oil as “something emitted by the earth.” The liquid was believed to be whale urine. The most probable of all versions of the birth of oil is the theory organic origin. She talks about the formation of a fossil from decomposed living organisms.
For the first time, residents of the Middle East discovered oil, or rather petroleum bitumen, around the 6th millennium BC in the territory of Mesopotamia. The fossil was collected by hand. It quickly found application in construction.
The first building that can be called oil well, was made in 347 AD by the Chinese. Bamboo stalks were used to extract black gold. The depth of the wells reached 24 meters.
According to the facts about oil set forth by Herodotus, in the 3rd millennium BC. They have already learned how to extract it from the bowels of the Earth. For this purpose, wells were dug. A special lever device “crane” was used. A bag of skin was attached to one end of the mechanism and immersed in the well. The extracted liquid was poured into special containers, where it was separated.
Application in antiquity
Oil was used mainly for the construction and laying of roads. Bitumen was added to building mixtures for the bunch. There are historical information about the presence of similar mixtures during the construction of the walls of Babylon, the Gardens of Babylon, and the Great Wall of China.
Since time immemorial, people have known about such an interesting fact about oil as the waterproofness of the material. Thanks to this property, bitumen received widespread in the manufacture of boats and kitchen utensils. In everyday life, liquid oil was used to make lamps. Such fuel was extremely rare; animal fat and oil were more often used.
The ancients used oil-based weapons
In 677, the Byzantines, fighting the Persians, launched most powerful weapon petroleum based. It was a copper pipe from which flames burst out. There is also earlier evidence of the use of oil for military purposes by the Egyptians and Chinese.
Many sources indicate the use flammable liquid in medicine. The Sumerians talked about the benefits in treating abscesses and joints. Hippocrates echoed them, adding recipes for medicines for eye diseases. Interestingly, the substance was also used for embalming.
Industrial scale
First well modern type were drilled in the area Russian Empire. The head of the administration of the Transcaucasian region wrote about the need to deepen wells in 1846. Two years later, a well 21 meters deep was dug in the Baku region. In the USA, such depths were reached only in 1859.
In the early 60s of the 19th century, foreign geologists provided their Russian colleagues with facts about the futility of oil production. The reality is this: Russia then accounted for half of the world's supply of strategic raw materials, which irritated foreigners. According to some reports, Russian authorities introduced a ban on this “futile occupation.” But the first oil gusher was obtained precisely in Russia from a depth of 2000 meters, contrary to current legislation. By the beginning of the 20th century, the United States occupied the leading position in the production of black gold.
Interestingly, the creation of the first light bulb initially had a negative impact on the development oil industry. However, the invention of the first gasoline cars and airplanes, and the widespread electrification of cities quickly put everything in its place.
The First World War begins in 1914 World War. One of its reasons is to gain control over oil fields.
In 1969, a monument to the discoverers of oil in Tataria was erected as historical evidence of the construction of the first Bashkir oil derrick.
Destroyer and Savior
You can often find information in the media about the consequences of oil spills from damaged derricks, tankers, and pipelines. This leads to the destruction of all living things that stand in the way of the spilled liquid. The largest environmental disaster occurred in 1991 in Persian Gulf. About 4 million barrels of oil were spilled.
Under the oil film there are birds, mammals, marine fauna. Surprisingly, the mining of black gold saved whales from complete extermination.
In the 19th century, sperm whale fat was widely used in lighting lamps, candles, and for the manufacture of medicines and hygiene products. It was used to cover photographs and lubricate clock mechanisms. Whaling industry flourished. With the advent of kerosene, the need for whale oil almost completely disappeared and hunting was carried out on a smaller scale. Currently, fat is used only for space research.
Oil production has given rise to a collection of interesting facts, the origins of which are hidden in the ruins of ancient civilizations. Now, we know a little more about this substance. Scientists have yet to figure out exactly how oil is formed.
To appreciate the role oil plays in our lives, we recommend watching the film “What will happen if oil disappears?”