Brief information about oil. How oil was formed in nature

Mountain oil from. Thinking about a food product or a cosmetic product? A resident of the Middle Kingdom would have thought of something else.

Mountain oil in China is called oil. Shi yo, that’s roughly what its name sounds like in the original. In the 21st century, oil is produced everywhere.

But China is the first country where a well was drilled. This happened back in 347. Bamboo trunks were used for drilling.

Oil reserves used as fuel for evaporation sea ​​water. The Chinese received it from it.

Oil was also supplied to the army of the Celestial Empire. they poured fuel into ceramic pots, set them on fire and threw them at enemies.

As you can see, even at the beginning of our era, the people of China knew and appreciated the properties of oil. But the Chinese found it difficult to answer what it is. By the 21st century, scientists have understood this issue in detail.

What is oil

Oil is black gold. A well-known phrase emphasizes the importance of liquid and its significant role in history.

However, oil has nothing in common with anything else. The nature of the precious metal is inorganic.

The same is a mineral of supposedly organic origin.

From 80 to 90 percent of its composition are hydrocarbons. Another 9-18 percent is occupied by simple hydrogen.

Oxygen, , and other inorganic components account for no more than 10%.

However, hydrocarbons, which are considered to be a consequence of the decomposition of organic matter, that is, plant remains and may also be of inorganic origin.

Theories related to this include: oil is formed. There are three of them. Details in a separate chapter. For now, let's continue looking at fuel.

It is liquid and really oily. Depending on the composition, oil and petroleum products There are brown, greenish, yellowish.

There is even completely transparent fuel. This exists, for example, in the Caucasus.

From an economic point of view oil today- This is a raw material product, the price of which determines the cost of other products.

A separate chapter will also be devoted to this issue. From a political point of view, liquid energy is the cause of large-scale wars and local conflicts.

Everyone wants to control oil fields, but not everyone has them. The presence of deposits is not yet a guarantee of success and economic well-being.

Oil formula may be different, which means the properties will also differ. The efficiency of the fuel, its quality parameters, and “requests” for modification depend on them.

Properties of oil

Eat oil fields flowing like water and resinous. It's a matter of energy density.

The higher the number of asphalt-resinous substances, the higher the indicator. This is a high-molecular organic compound based on sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon.

The presence of asphalt resins promotes the formation of water-oil emulsions, that is, mixtures of mutually insoluble components.

Industrialists have to purify hydrocarbons from water, which increases the cost of processing. Conclusion: Tar oil is considered low quality.

Resinous hydrocarbons have increased sulfur content. This is another risk. Sulfur accelerates the corrosion of equipment, and in oil production, as is known, it is not cheap.

The density of oil varies from 8 to 9.98 grams per cubic centimeter.

The lower bar is energy carriers rich in light fractions. It is from them that gasoline and diesel distillates are obtained.

It turns out that less dense, light oil is more valuable than dark, oily oil. However, benefits can be gained from both types. We'll talk about this in the "Application" chapter.

Light fractions of oil boil away at temperatures up to 350 degrees Celsius. A 60% presence of light components is desirable.

This is the norm, for example, for the production of diesel fuel. If the content of the light fraction is less, it means there is a lot of paraffins. They negatively affect the quality of the fuel.

The properties of oil are also affected by the concentration of chlorides. Their presence in the composition is a consequence of contamination of the raw material during its extraction.

You have to desalt. Otherwise, as with excess sulfur, equipment corrosion increases.

It manifests itself especially “brightly” if it is carried out oil refining saturated with water.

At high temperatures, it dissolves chloride salts, which means hydrogen chloride is formed. This is what corrodes the surfaces.

Water is often included in oil emulsions, the same ones that are found in abundance in resinous varieties.

But there is also an energy carrier in which moisture is contained in pure form, separately.

Water, by the way, is a constant companion of oil. If it is not part of it, then it is located nearby.

Oil formation

The presence of water next to oil is one of the evidence of its organic origin. It is also called biogenic.

It is believed that the energy resource was formed in reservoirs. Prerequisites– standing water, its high temperature, abundance of life, and therefore death.

When algae, fish, and plankton died, they sank to the bottom, where they rotted. There is little oxygen in stagnant water, so the process was not completed completely.

When organic matter decomposed, gases were released. Sand and water were squeezed between biogenic materials.

If the reservoir was located among sandstones and other porous rocks, silty masses from the bottom seeped through them.

Encountering impenetrable ones on the way, the masses stopped, spreading between layers contrasting in structure earth's crust.

Now all that remained was to cover the oil with an impenetrable layer on top. The reservoir disappeared over time.

Movements of lithospheric plates, weathering and other stones containing , led to sedimentation over oil lakes.

So the raw materials fell into the trap. Below and above there are layers, on the sides there is water.

After all, it also seeped through the rocks, almost did not mix with hydrocarbons, moving away from them.

Oil lies in traps in anticlines. They serve as evidence of the tectonic processes to which the area was once subjected.

Anticlines are rock layers that curve upward. Deposition of the earth's crust is formed horizontally.

If waves appear, it means that something was pressing from below, and this is magma breaking through between the lithospheric plates when they crack and collide.

It turns out that oil should be looked for where there once were seas, lakes, and tectonic activity.

According to the biogenic theory of the origin of the energy carrier, it takes millions of years to form.

Some scientists even believe that oil is a stage of anthracite transformation, that is,.

Its formation takes approximately 400,000,000 years. What then can we say about liquid hydrocarbons?

In general, if we adhere to the organic theory, oil is an irreplaceable product, since it is consumed faster than it is produced.

Second theory of origin liquid fuel– inorganic or mineral.

It was put forward in 1805, and by 1877 it was even supported by an adherent of biogenic views on the birth of oil.

The essence of the hypothesis is the formation of raw materials at great depths, where high temperatures reign.

If there is water and metal carbides here, they will react. This is how it is formed oil.

TO 2016 A lot of successful experiments were carried out in the inorganic synthesis of hydrocarbons.

The first experiments took place in the 1870s. Reaction example: 2FeC + 3H 2 O = Fe 2 O 3 + H2COCOCH 4.

According to the mineral theory, oil can be quickly replenished, and humanity is in vain raising alarm bells about its shortage.

You just need to look for newly formed deposits. Over time, tectonic movements and pressure push them closer to the surface.

Biogenic and mineral theories of oil formation are rivals. But there is a third hypothesis, which stands apart and is supported by few.

Promoted at the end of the 19th century, it can be considered a subspecies of inorganic. It is said that oil was formed from the same mineral substances, but at the initial stage of the planet’s life.

This idea was prompted by the presence of hydrocarbons in the tails of comets. At first, hydrocarbons were in the gaseous shell of the Earth.

But, it cooled down, formed rocks. They absorbed hydrocarbons and accumulated them.

If this is true, then oil, as in the case of biogenic origin, is a non-renewable resource.

Oil production

What kind of oil in anticlines? Unrefined, of course. Hydrocarbons are mixed with gases and water.

The pressure formed in the trap depends on their quantity and the temperature in the layers of the deposit.

It may be weak. In this case, industrialists have to install special pumps to pump the liquid to the surface.

But the pressure can go off scale. Then, the raw materials independently rush to wells that are not yet equipped, which creates problems.

The movement of fluid to the well is the first stage of production. Oil rate from the bottom to the mouth - the second stage.

Collection of raw materials and their division into fractions is the pre-final stage. All that remains is to purify the oil and transport it to refiners.

Application of oil

When oil is processed, gas is released. But it is not used due to non-compliance with guests.

It takes a lot of effort and money to ensure that the resource can be put through pipes.

If you start supplying gas from oil in its unprocessed form, it will, at best, end in soot in rooms with gas stoves.

Now, about the hydrocarbons used oil. Russia, like other countries, consumes about 5 main fractions.

The lightest is gasoline. It is used to produce gasoline, both aviation and automobile.

The second fraction is naphtha, needed for tractor fuel. Kerosene hydrocarbons are purchased for launching rockets and jet aircraft.

Diesel fuel is the fourth fraction, called gas oil. Compared to the light fraction, its boiling point increases at least 3.5 times.

The fifth fraction of oil is fuel oil. This is the heaviest component, consisting of hydrocarbons with a large number atoms.

Separated from them barrel of oil- a hot commodity. But there are also benefits in fuel oil. Solar and lubricating oils, petroleum jelly and paraffins are obtained from it.

Do not forget that oil serves as a raw material for the production of many synthetic fabrics, rubbers, and plastics.

In general, there are much more hydrocarbons in a person’s life than there are in the tank of a personal car.

Oil price

The energy standard is considered Brent oil. It is mined in the North Sea, that is, it is Russian.

The product is not just one type of fuel, but a mixture of several. As of June 22, 2016 oil price Brent stamp is almost 51 rubles.

For the domestic economy, this is better than the established average annual forecasts of 40 rubles per barrel, that is, about 160 liters.

Foreign currencies and the cost of almost all products largely depend on the price of oil.

Even what is produced domestically often contains imported components. So, "Brent" - chief of Russia and her main hope for a bright future.

Oil is an important mineral. It is of sedimentary origin and is mined all over the world. On her in the literal sense of the word everything is holding together world economy.

Production

Oil is being extracted in those places where geologists discover its deposits. In such places, special oil production facilities are built. They may be not only on land, but also on water. After all, very often oil deposits are discovered when the coastal shelf is examined.

It's a fossil fuel also called "black gold", because without it no one can exist developed country. Russia is one of the main suppliers of oil throughout the world. There are rich deposits in Siberia, the Urals and Far East, on Northern Caucasus, as well as in some other areas.

But the largest reserves were found in Arab countries: Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. Their economy is almost entirely built on the fact that they sell oil to other countries of the world. Why “black gold”?

Usage

Just mined (crude) oil is not usually used. But its processing makes it possible to obtain many types of fuel, such as gasoline and kerosene. Fuel oil is obtained from oil, and plastic and other materials are made from it. Thanks to this, traffic does not stop throughout the planet. Most common items are also made from petroleum-based materials. These are literally all the attributes modern life, starting from packages and plastic windows and ending with cases for the latest computers.

Different petroleum products are made using different technologies. Their prices are also different. For example, gasoline is purified from impurities, and the purer it is, the more expensive it is. However, such valuable raw materials as oil also have negative properties. Its extraction and processing are harmful environment. And when fuel, plastic and other artificial materials are burned, substances that are toxic to all living things are released into the atmosphere. If a tanker ship with a cargo of oil on board crashes, it becomes an environmental disaster.

Reserves

Like extracted oil sooner or later it will end. In a few decades it will begin to run out, and we will have to look for new types of fuel and produce new materials. Now engines have already been developed and tested that do not require either gasoline or kerosene.

But for now these are all just experiments. Therefore, the world economy remains entirely dependent on oil. Many things in the world cost based on how much a barrel costs (the basic unit of measurement is equal to 159 liters). The challenge for people is to stop being entirely dependent on oil. Many analysts believe that then there will be much fewer wars in the world, and the economy will become much more stable.

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State educational institution

Secondary school No. 2011

Named after three times hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal I.N. Kozhedub

ABSTRACT

By subject:

The world around us

Composition and use of oil.

History of oil development 4

Oil composition 6

Oil production, development, refining and use 7

Conclusion 12

History of oil development

In ancient times, oil was also used for military purposes. Chronicles say that the ancient Greeks tied a vessel with a mysterious mixture to a throwing spear launched by a giant sling. When the shell reached the target, an explosion occurred and a cloud of smoke rose. The flames immediately spread in all directions. Water couldn't put out the fire. The composition of “Greek fire” was kept strictly secret, and only Arab alchemists of the 12th century managed to unravel it. The entire basis of this mysterious recipe was oil with the addition of sulfur and saltpeter.

In the XVII-XVIII centuries. oil was also used as a medicine. In the middle of the 17th century. French missionary Paret Joseph de la Roche d. Allen discovered mysterious “black waters” in western Pennsylvania. The Indians added them as a binder to paints to paint their faces. From these waters, which were nothing more than lakes of oil, the priest created his miraculous balm. In many European countries it was used as a medicine.

However, oil did not receive the proper assessment everywhere. In 1840, the Russian governor of Baku sent samples of Baku oil to the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in order to determine its suitability for industrial needs. He received a very “instructive” answer: “This stinking substance is only suitable for lubricating wheels and carts.”

Only in the second half of the last century did man discover the amazing possibilities of “black gold”. The development of industry required a huge amount of lubricants, new fuel that was cheaper and more efficient than coal, and fundamentally new light sources. Only oil could provide all this. Moloch industry increasingly and more insistently demanded oil and petroleum products for its growth. Its widespread mining began. The dawn of a new oil era was dawning. The first herald was the oil rigs of Colonel Drake. In the North American town of Titusville, Pennsylvania, his well produced oil. This happened on August 27, 1859. The modern oil industry of the world dates back to this date.

The race for oil has begun. In all corners of the world, in inhabited and unexplored areas, on land and at the bottom of the ocean, they searched for this black and brown “earth blood”, oily to the touch and with a characteristic pungent odor. The oil rush was spurred by the invention in January 1861 of cracking, a modern method of oil refining. The substance, to which few people paid attention for thousands of years, began to be widely used for industrial and military purposes, became an object of trade and speculation, and became a kind of bone of contention for various states of the world.

However, despite active exploration, at the end of the last century, only about 5 million tons of oil were produced per year, which is a drop in the ocean by today’s standards. Mining was carried out in a primitive way.

In Absheron, where the enterprising Swedish businessman E. Nobel was in charge, oil was delivered in wineskins from simple wells. At the end of the 80s of the last century, more than 25 thousand workers worked for his “oil empire”. Naturally, it was difficult to increase oil production using such means.

As science and technology developed, the process of drilling oil wells and their operation improved. As a result, already in 1900, 20 million tons of “black gold” were produced worldwide.

The real explosion of oil production occurred in the post-war years: in 1945, 350 million tons of oil were produced in the world, in 1960 - over 1 billion tons, and in 1970 - about 2 billion tons. Maximum production falls in 1979 . (3.2 billion tons), and then its pace decreased. Now about 3 billion tons of “black gold” are pumped out of the earth’s interior annually (2.8 billion tons in 1984) (Fig. 1).

The production of oil's constant satellite, combustible gas, developed at the same pace. Its use begins only in the first half of the 20th century. In 1920, annual gas production amounted to only 35 billion m3, and in 1950 it increased to 192 billion m3. Since 1960, gas production has increased sharply, reaching a maximum in 1984 (1560 billion m3).

The development of modern industry is unthinkable without hydrocarbons. This is, first of all, the most profitable and efficient type of fuel. Oil and combustible gas provide 65% of the world's energy needs and 100% of transport fuel. 90-95% of extracted hydrocarbons are used to obtain energy. However, D.I. Mendeleev also said that burning oil and gas in furnaces is the same as heating a furnace with banknotes.
Oil and gas are sources of many vital products. These are synthetic rubber and plastics, building materials and artificial fabrics, dyes and detergents, insecticides and herbicides, explosives and medications, aromatic compounds for perfumes and fertilizers, growth stimulants and artificial food protein, various oils, gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, without which the operation of machines, automobiles, airplanes, and missiles is impossible.

If suddenly the sources of oil and gas suddenly dried up, world civilization would be on the brink of disaster. As we see, people are very dependent on oil. This was felt especially acutely in the early 70s of this century, when the “fuel crisis” broke out. Its echo was the general increase in the high cost of living in Western countries. People have become even more dependent on oil. To get rid of this dependence, a person is looking for an alternative source of energy, using the energy of wind, rivers, atom, coal. Some progress has been made in this direction, but for the next 20-30 years, oil and gas will determine the “fuel face” of the world.

Oil composition

IN oil composition They isolate hydrocarbon, asphalt-resin and ash components. Also as part of oil also secrete porphyrins and sulfur. Hydrocarbons contained in oil are divided into three main groups: methane, naphthenic and aromatic. Methane (paraffin) hydrocarbons are the most chemically stable, while aromatic hydrocarbons are the least stable (they have the minimum hydrogen content). At the same time, aromatic hydrocarbons are the most toxic oil components. The asphalt-resin component of oil is partially soluble in gasoline: the soluble part is asphaltenes, the insoluble part is resins. Interestingly, in resins the oxygen content reaches 93% of its total amount as part of oil. Porphyrins are nitrogenous compounds of organic origin; they are destroyed at a temperature of 200-250°C. Sulfur present as part of oil either in free state, or in the form of compounds of hydrogen sulfides and mercaptans. Sulfur is the most common corrosive contaminant that must be removed in the refinery. Therefore, the price of high-sulfur oil is much lower than that of low-sulfur oil.

Ash part of oil composition- This is the residue obtained when it is burned, consisting of various mineral compounds.

Crude oil is called oil obtained directly from wells. When leaving an oil reservoir, oil contains rock particles, water, as well as salts and gases dissolved in it. These impurities cause corrosion of equipment and serious difficulties during transportation and processing of petroleum raw materials. Thus, for export
this or delivery to oil refineries remote from production sites is necessary industrial crude oil processing: water, mechanical impurities, salts and solid hydrocarbons are removed from it, gas is released. Gas and the lightest hydrocarbons must be separated from composition of crude oil, T.To. they are valuable products and may be lost during storage. In addition, the presence of light gases during transportation of crude oil through the pipeline can lead to the formation of gas bags on elevated sections of the route. Purified from impurities, water and gases crude oil delivered to oil refineries (ORPs), where during the processing process they obtain various types petroleum products. Quality like crude oil and petroleum products obtained from it are determined by its composition: it is this that determines the direction of oil refining and affects the final products.

The most important characteristics of the properties of crude oil are: density, sulfur content, fractional composition, as well as viscosity and content of water, chloride salts and mechanical impurities.
Oil density, depends on the content of heavy hydrocarbons such as paraffins and resins.

Extraction, development, refining and use of oil.

Oil production has been carried out by mankind since ancient times. At first, primitive methods were used: collecting oil from the surface of reservoirs, processing sandstone or limestone soaked in oil using wells. The first method was used in Media and Syria, the second - in the 15th century in Italy. But the beginning of the development of the oil industry is considered to be the appearance of mechanical drilling for oil in 1859 in the USA, and now almost all the oil produced in the world is extracted through drilling wells.

Over more than a hundred years of development, some fields have been depleted, others have been discovered, the efficiency of oil production has increased, oil recovery has increased, i.e. completeness of oil extraction from the reservoir. But the structure of fuel production has changed.

The main machine for oil and gas production is a drilling rig. The first drilling rigs, which appeared hundreds of years ago, essentially copied a worker with a crowbar. Only the crowbar of these first machines was heavier and shaped more like a chisel. That's what it was called - a drill bit. He was suspended on a rope, which was then raised with the help of a gate, then lowered. Such machines are called shock-rope machines. They can be found here and there even now, but this is already a thing of the past: they make a hole in the stone very slowly and waste a lot of energy in vain.

Another method of drilling is much faster and more profitable - rotary, in which the well is drilled. A thick steel pipe is suspended from an openwork metal four-legged tower the height of a ten-story building. It is rotated by a special device - a rotor. At the lower end of the pipe there is a drill. As the well gets deeper, the pipe is lengthened. To prevent the destroyed rock from clogging the well, a clay solution is pumped into it through a pipe. The solution flushes the well and carries destroyed clay, sandstone, and limestone up through the gap between the pipe and the walls of the well. At the same time, the dense liquid supports the walls of the well, preventing them from collapsing.

But rotary drilling also has its drawbacks. The deeper the well, the harder it is for the rotor motor to work, and the slower the drilling goes. After all, it is one thing to rotate a pipe 5-10 m long when drilling a well is just beginning, and quite another thing to rotate a pipe string 500 m long.

In 1922, Soviet engineers M.A. Kapelyushnikov, S.M. Volokh and N.A. Kornev were the first in the world to build a machine for drilling wells in which it was not necessary to rotate the drill pipes. The inventors placed the engine not at the top, but at the bottom, in the well itself - next to the drilling tool. Now the engine spent all its power only on rotating the drill itself.

This machine also had an extraordinary engine. Soviet engineers forced the same water, which previously only washed away destroyed rock from the well, to rotate the drill. Now, before reaching the bottom of the well, the mud rotated a small turbine attached to the drilling tool itself.

The new machine was called a turbodrill; over time it was improved, and now several turbines mounted on one shaft are lowered into the well. It is clear that the power of such a “multi-turbine” machine is many times greater and drilling goes many times faster.

Another remarkable drilling machine is an electric drill, invented by engineers A.P. Ostrovsky and N.V. Aleksandrov. The first oil wells were drilled with an electric drill in 1940. The pipe string of this machine also does not rotate, only the drilling tool itself works. But it is not a water turbine that rotates it, but an electric motor placed in a steel jacket - a casing filled with oil. The oil is always under high pressure, so surrounding water cannot penetrate into the engine. In order for a powerful engine to fit in a narrow oil well, it was necessary to make it very high, and the engine turned out to look like a pillar: its diameter is like a saucer, and its height is 6-7 m.

Drilling is the main work in oil and gas production. Unlike, say, coal or iron ore, oil and gas do not need to be separated from the surrounding massif by machines or explosives, and they do not need to be lifted to the surface of the earth by conveyor belts or in trolleys. As soon as the well reaches the oil-bearing formation, the oil, compressed in the depths by the pressure of gases and groundwater, itself rushes upward with force.

As the oil flows to the surface, the pressure decreases and the remaining oil in the depths stops flowing upward. Then water begins to be injected through wells specially drilled around the oil field. Water puts pressure on oil and pushes it to the surface through the newly revived well. And then there comes a time when only water can no longer help. Then a pump is lowered into the oil well and oil begins to be pumped out of it.

The development of an oil field means implementation of the process of moving liquids and gas in formations to production wells. Control of the process of movement of liquids and gas is achieved by placing oil, injection and control wells in the field, the number and order of their commissioning, the operating mode of the wells and the balance of reservoir energy. The oil field development system adopted for a specific deposit predetermines the technical and economic indicators. Before drilling a deposit, a development system is designed. Based on exploration and trial operation data, the conditions under which the operation will take place are established: its geological structure, reservoir properties of rocks (porosity, permeability, degree of heterogeneity), physical properties of fluids in the reservoir (viscosity, density), saturation of oil rocks with water and gas, reservoir pressure. Based on these data, an economic assessment of the system is made and the optimal one is selected.
In deep-lying reservoirs, high-pressure gas injection into the reservoir is successfully used in some cases to enhance oil recovery.
Oil is extracted from wells either by natural flow under the influence of reservoir energy, or by using one of several mechanized methods of lifting fluid. Typically, in the initial stage of development, flowing production operates, and as flowing weakens, the well is transferred to a mechanized method: gas lift or air lift, deep pumping (using rod, hydraulic piston and screw pumps).
The gas lift method makes significant additions to the usual technological scheme of the field, since it requires a gas lift compressor station with a gas distributor and gas collection pipelines.
An oil field is a technological complex consisting of wells, pipelines, and installations for various purposes, with the help of which oil is extracted from the bowels of the Earth in the field.
In the process of oil production, an important place is occupied by in-field transportation of well products, carried out through pipelines. Two infield transport systems are used: pressure and gravity. With pressure systems, self-pressure at the wellhead is sufficient. In case of gravity flow, the movement occurs due to the elevation of the wellhead mark above the mark of the group collection point.
When developing oil fields confined to continental shelves, offshore oil fields are created.

Oil refining

Cleaningoil– this is the removal of undesirable components from petroleum products that negatively affect the performance properties of fuels and oils.
Chemical cleaningoil is produced by the action of various reagents on the removed components of the purified products. Most in a simple way is purification with 92-92% sulfuric acid and oleum, used to remove unsaturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. Physicochemical purification is carried out using solvents that selectively remove undesirable components from the product being purified. Non-polar solvents (propane and butane) are used to remove aromatic hydrocarbons from oil refining residues (tars) (deasphalting process). Polar solvents (phenol, etc.) are used to remove polycyclic aromatic carbons with short side chains, sulfur and nitrogen compounds from oil distillates.
During adsorption purificationoil Unsaturated hydrocarbons, resins, acids, etc. are removed from petroleum products. Adsorption purification is carried out by contacting heated air with adsorbents or filtering the product through adsorbent grains.
Catalytic purificationoil- hydrogenation under mild conditions, used to remove sulfur and nitrogen compounds.

Application of oil.

Various products are isolated from petroleum, having a large practical significance. First, dissolved hydrocarbons (mainly methane) are separated from it. After distilling off volatile hydrocarbons, the oil is heated. Hydrocarbons with a small number of carbon atoms in the molecule and having a relatively low boiling point are the first to go into the gaseous state and are distilled off. As the temperature of the mixture increases, hydrocarbons with a higher boiling point are distilled. In this way, individual mixtures (fractions) of oil can be collected. Most often, this distillation produces three main fractions, which are then further separated.

Currently, thousands of products are obtained from oil. The main groups are liquid fuel, gaseous fuel, solid fuel (petroleum coke), lubricating and special oils, paraffins and ceresins, bitumen, aromatic compounds, soot, acetylene, ethylene, petroleum acids and their salts, higher alcohols. These products include flammable gases, gasoline, solvents, kerosene, gas oil, household fuels, a wide range of lubricating oils, fuel oil, road bitumen and asphalt; This also includes paraffin, petroleum jelly, medicinal and various insecticidal oils. Oils from petroleum are used as ointments and creams, as well as in the production of explosives, medicines, cleaning products; petroleum products are most used in the fuel and energy industry. For example, fuel oil has almost one and a half times higher calorific value compared to the best coals. It takes up little space during combustion and does not produce solid residues when burned. Replacing solid fuels with fuel oil at thermal power plants, factories and in railway and water transport provides huge cost savings and contributes to the rapid development of key industries and transport.

The energy direction in the use of oil still remains the main one throughout the world. The share of oil in the global energy balance is more than 46%.

However, in recent years, petroleum products are increasingly used as raw materials for chemical industry. About 8% of produced oil is consumed as raw material for modern chemistry. For example, ethyl alcohol is used in approximately 150 industries. The chemical industry uses formaldehyde (HCHO), plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, ammonia, ethyl alcohol, etc. Petroleum products are also used in agriculture. Growth stimulants, seed protectants, pesticides, nitrogen fertilizers, urea, greenhouse films, etc. are used here. In mechanical engineering and metallurgy, universal adhesives, parts and components of plastic devices, lubricating oils, etc. are used. Wide Application found petroleum coke as an anode mass for electric smelting. Pressed carbon black is used for fire-resistant linings in furnaces. IN food industry Polyethylene packaging, food acids, preservatives, paraffin are used, protein and vitamin concentrates are produced, the starting raw materials for which are methyl and ethyl alcohols and methane. In the pharmaceutical and perfume industry, ammonia, chloroform, formaldehyde, aspirin, petroleum jelly, etc. are produced from petroleum derivatives. Petroleum derivatives are widely used in the woodworking, textile, leather, footwear and construction industries.

Conclusion

Oil is the most valuable natural resource, which has opened up amazing possibilities for “chemical transformation” for humans. In total, there are already about 3 thousand oil derivatives. Oil occupies a leading place in the global fuel and energy economy. Its share in total energy consumption is constantly growing. Oil forms the basis of the fuel and energy balances of all economically developed countries. Currently, thousands of products are obtained from oil.

Oil will remain in the near future the basis for providing energy to the national economy and raw materials for the petrochemical industry. Here, much will depend on successes in the field of prospecting, exploration and development of oil fields. But natural oil resources are limited. The rapid expansion of their production over the past decades has led to the relative depletion of the largest and most favorably located deposits.

In the problem of rational use of oil, increasing the coefficient of their useful use is of great importance. One of the main directions here involves deepening the level of oil refining in order to meet the country's needs for light oil products and petrochemical raw materials. Another effective direction is to reduce the specific fuel consumption for the production of thermal and electrical energy, as well as a widespread reduction in the specific consumption of electrical and thermal energy in all parts of the national economy.

A mineral that is an oily liquid. It is a flammable substance and is often black in color, although the color of oil varies from area to area. It can be brown, cherry, green, yellow, and even transparent. From a chemical point of view, oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons mixed with various compounds, such as sulfur, nitrogen and others. Its smell can also be different, as it depends on the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds in its composition.

Hydrocarbons, of which oil is composed, is chemical compounds consisting of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms. IN general view hydrocarbon formula - C x H y. The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, has one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, its formula is CH 4 (it is shown schematically on the right). Methane is a light hydrocarbon, always present in oil.

Depending on the quantitative ratio of the various hydrocarbons that make up oil, its properties also vary. Oil can be transparent and fluid like water. And it can be black and so viscous and inactive that it does not flow out of the vessel, even if it is turned over.

From a chemical point of view, ordinary (traditional) oil consists of the following elements:

• Carbon – 84%
• Hydrogen – 14%
• Sulfur – 1-3% (in the form of sulfides, disulfides, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur itself)
• Nitrogen – less than 1%
• Oxygen – less than 1%
• Metals – less than 1% (iron, nickel, vanadium, copper, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, etc.)
• Salts – less than 1% (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium chloride, etc.)

Oil(and the accompanying hydrocarbon gas) lies at depths from several tens of meters to 5-6 kilometers. At the same time, only gas is found at depths of 6 km and below, and only oil is found at depths of 1 km and above. Most reservoirs are found at depths between 1 and 6 km, where oil and gas occur in varying combinations.

Oil lies in rocks called reservoirs. Reservoir- is a rock capable of containing fluids, i.e. mobile substances (this can be oil, gas, water). To put it simply, a reservoir can be thought of as a very hard and dense sponge, the pores of which contain oil.

ORIGIN OF OIL

Oil formation is a very, very long process. It goes through several stages and, according to some estimates, takes 50-350 million years.

The most proven and generally accepted today is theory of organic origin of oil or, as it is also called, biogenic theory. According to this theory, oil was formed from the remains of microorganisms that lived millions of years ago in vast water basins (mainly in shallow waters). As these microorganisms died, they formed layers with a high content of organic matter at the bottom. The layers, gradually sinking deeper and deeper (let me remind you, the process takes millions of years), were exposed to increasing pressure upper layers and temperature rise. As a result of biochemical processes occurring without access to oxygen, organic matter converted to hydrocarbons.

Some of the resulting hydrocarbons were in a gaseous state (the lightest), some in a liquid state (heavier) and some in a solid state. Accordingly, a mobile mixture of hydrocarbons in gaseous and liquid states, under the influence of pressure, gradually moved through permeable rocks towards lower pressure (usually upward). The movement continued until they encountered a thick layer of impenetrable layers on their way and further movement was impossible. This is the so-called trap, formed by the reservoir layer and the impermeable capstone layer covering it (figure on the right). In this trap, a mixture of hydrocarbons gradually accumulated, forming what we call oil field. As you can see, the deposit is not actually place of birth. It's more likely locality. But, be that as it may, the practice of naming has already developed.

Since the density of oil, as a rule, is significantly less than the density of water, which is always present in it (evidence of its marine origin), oil invariably moves upward and accumulates above the water. If gas is present, it will be at the very top, above the oil.

In some areas, oil and hydrocarbon gas, without encountering a trap on their way, reached the surface of the earth. Here they were exposed to various surface factors, as a result of which they were dispersed and destroyed.

HISTORY OF OIL

Oil known to man since ancient times. People have long noticed the black liquid oozing from the ground. There is evidence that already 6,500 years ago, people living in the territory of modern Iraq added oil to building and cementing materials when building houses in order to protect their homes from moisture penetration. The ancient Egyptians collected oil from the surface of the water and used it in construction and for lighting. Oil was also used to seal boats and as component mummifying substance.

During the times of ancient Babylon, there was quite an intensive trade in this “black gold” in the Middle East. Some cities even then literally grew up on the oil trade. One of the seven wonders of the world, famous Hanging Gardens Seramides(according to another version - Hanging Gardens of Babylon), also could not do without the use of oil as a sealing material.

Not everywhere oil was collected only from the surface. In China, more than 2000 years ago, small wells were drilled using bamboo trunks with a metal tip. Initially, the wells were designed to produce salt water, from which salt was extracted. But when drilling to greater depths, oil and gas were extracted from the wells. It is not known whether the oil has found application in ancient China, it is only known that the gas was set on fire to evaporate water and extract salt.

About 750 years ago, the famous traveler Marco Polo, in his description of his travels to the East, mentions the use of oil by the inhabitants of the Absheron Peninsula as a cure for skin diseases and fuel for lighting.

The first mention of oil in Russia dates back to the 15th century. Oil was collected from the surface of the water on the Ukhta River. Just like other peoples, here it was used as medicine and for household needs.

Although, as we see, oil has been known since ancient times, it has found rather limited use. Modern history oil dates back to 1853, when the Polish chemist Ignatius Łukasiewicz invented a safe and easy-to-use kerosene lamp. According to some sources, he discovered a way to extract kerosene from oil in industrial scale and founded an oil refinery in the vicinity of the Polish city of Ulaszowice in 1856.

Back in 1846, Canadian chemist Abraham Gesner figured out how to produce kerosene from coal. But oil made it possible to obtain cheaper kerosene and at a much higher cost. more. The growing demand for kerosene, used for lighting, created a demand for the starting material. This was the beginning of the oil industry.

According to some sources, the first in the world oil well was drilled in 1847 near the city of Baku on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Soon after this, in Baku, which at that time was part of Russian Empire, so many oil wells were drilled that it became known as the Black City.

However, 1864 is generally considered to be the birth of the Russian oil industry. In the fall of 1864, in the Kuban region, a transition was made from the manual method of drilling oil wells to the mechanical shock-rod method using a steam engine as a drilling rig drive. The transition to this method of drilling oil wells confirmed its high efficiency on February 3, 1866, when the drilling of well 1 at the Kudakinsky field was completed and a gush of oil began to flow from it. This was the first oil gusher in Russia and the Caucasus.

Start date of industrial world oil production, according to most sources, is considered to be August 27, 1859. This is the day when the first oil well in the United States, drilled by “Colonel” Edwin Drake, produced an influx of oil with a recorded flow rate. This 21.2-meter-deep well was drilled by Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania, where water drilling was often accompanied by oil shows.

The news of the discovery of a new source of oil by drilling a well spread throughout the Titusville area with speed. forest fire. By that time, processing, experience in handling kerosene and suitable type the lighting lamps had already been used. Drilling an oil well made it possible to gain fairly cheap access to the necessary raw materials, thus adding the final element to the birth of the oil industry.

Oil is a fossil substance that is an oily, flammable liquid. Oil deposits are found at depths from several tens of meters to 5-6 kilometers. Maximum quantity The deposits are located at a depth of 2-3 kilometers. Oil remains the main fuel raw material in the world. Its share in the global energy balance is 46%.

Characteristics and types of oil

By chemical composition oil is a mixture of about 1000 substances. The main "ingredient" is hydrocarbons with different molecular weight. There are about 80-85% of them in oil. There are three types of hydrocarbons: paraffinic (methane), naphthenic and aromatic. The latter are the most toxic.

About 4-5% of the oil composition is occupied by organic compounds- sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen. Other components: hydrocarbon gases, water, mineral salts, metals, mechanical impurities (sand, clay, limestone).

The color of oil varies from light yellow to dark brown. There is also black oil, and rich green and even colorless. The smell can also be different: from light and pleasant to heavy. It all depends on the content of sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen in oil.

Most important indicator The quality of oil is its density. The lighter it is, the higher it is valued. There are: light oil (800-870 kg/m³), medium (870-910 kg/m³) and heavy (over 910 kg/m³). The indicators depend on the composition of the oil, temperature, pressure and amount of gas content. Oil density is measured with a hydrometer.

Other parameters by which the quality of oil is determined: viscosity, crystallization, combustion and flash points, electrical conductivity and heat capacity.

Oil field

Oil is a non-renewable resource. Deposits of this mineral are classified in different ways: depending on the geographical location, on exploration and study, on the shape and size of the deposits.

The richest country in oil is Saudi Arabia (36 billion tons). This is followed by Canada (28 billion tons), Iran (19 billion tons) and Libya (15 billion tons). Russia is in 8th place on this list (13 billion tons).

Super-giant oil fields with reserves exceeding 5 billion tons: Rumaila in Iraq, Cantarel in Mexico, Tengiz in Kazakhstan, Al-Ghawar in Saudi Arabia, Samotlor in Russia, Burgan in Kuwait and Daqing in China.

Work is constantly underway to develop new deposits. According to the BP Statistical review of world energy, Venezuela and Canada are very promising in this regard. Experts believe that at the current rate of industrial development, oil in these two countries alone will last the entire world for 110 years.

Oil production and refining

Oil production is a very complex process consisting of many stages.

There are three methods of oil production:

Primary - the oil itself gushes out under the natural pressure of the upper layers. In order for oil to rise to the surface, they use submersible pumps and pumping machines. Up to 15% of the world's oil is produced this way.

Secondary method. When natural pressure is no longer enough, water is pumped into the formation to increase pressure. fresh water, carbon dioxide or air. The oil recovery factor in this case is 45%.

The tertiary method is used when the secondary one is no longer relevant. In this case, either water vapor is pumped in or the oil is liquefied by heating it to a certain temperature. In this way, another 15 percent of oil can be pumped out of the field.

Oil refining is a multi-stage cycle of operations that is carried out to obtain petroleum products from raw materials. First, oil is purified from gases, water, and various impurities, then transported to oil refineries, where complex operations receive industrial products.

Application of oil

People began to use oil long before our era. For example, asphalt and bitumen were used in the construction of the walls of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar heated a huge furnace with oil. And the ancient Greek historian Herodotus described the method of oil production used by the ancient Greeks. And in Ancient India Oil was widely used in construction.

Currently, the list of products derived from oil numbers in the thousands. Suffice it to mention that petroleum products are used in almost all types of industry: energy, heavy and light, chemical and food. Petroleum products are used in the automotive industry, medicine, rocketry, agriculture and construction.