Oil, petroleum, natural gas, hydrocarbons and crude are terms we commonly hear. If we are going to study the oil industry, we must first become familiar with the "lingo". Appendix I provides a glossary, but it will be useful at this point to introduce you to the some of the key terms.
There are many kinds of oils. We have “oils” that are used for cooking and sun tanning. Some of these oils come from different types of plants (such as vegetable oil) and animals (cod liver oil). The oil we are concerned with here is derived from rocks within the earth. It is called petroleum, a name taken from the Latin words meaning "rock oil". Throughout this text when we speak of oil, we will always mean petroleum.
There are many kinds of oils. We have “oils” that are used for cooking and sun tanning. Some of these oils come from different types of plants (such as vegetable oil) and animals (cod liver oil). The oil we are concerned with here is derived from rocks within the earth. It is called petroleum, a name taken from the Latin words meaning "rock oil". Throughout this text when we speak of oil, we will always mean petroleum.
The term hydrocarbons refers to the chemical makeup of petroleum. A detailed discussion of petroleum chemistry is beyond the scope of this manual, but it will suffice to say that petroleum is a compound made up predominantly of atoms of hydrogen and carbon; thus the name hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbons can combine in various ways to form many different compounds. They can form solids, such as the asphalt that is used to pave roads; liquids such as conventional liquid petroleum, and gases such as natural gas (not to be confused with gasoline). Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons that are in a gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure.
It consists mostly of methane, but also contains ethane, propane, butane and pentane, which are the simplest and lightest hydrocarbons. The different properties of hydrocarbon compounds are determined by differences in the number and arrangement of hydrogen and carbon atoms they contain. Carbon is much heavier than hydrogen and thus the weight of the hydrocarbon molecule is predominantly determined by the number of carbon atoms. Natural gas molecules will contain only a few carbon atoms per molecule while a heavy petroleum such as tar or asphalt may contain a great number of carbon atoms per molecule. Petroleum may also contain certain impurities such as nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. The term crude oil refers to oil in its "crude" or unrefined state; that is to say oil as it comes out of the ground. This crude oil must be transported to a refinery to be separated into constituents such as gasoline, aviation fuel, fuel oil, etc. before it can be used by the consumer
Hydrocarbons can combine in various ways to form many different compounds. They can form solids, such as the asphalt that is used to pave roads; liquids such as conventional liquid petroleum, and gases such as natural gas (not to be confused with gasoline). Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons that are in a gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure.
It consists mostly of methane, but also contains ethane, propane, butane and pentane, which are the simplest and lightest hydrocarbons. The different properties of hydrocarbon compounds are determined by differences in the number and arrangement of hydrogen and carbon atoms they contain. Carbon is much heavier than hydrogen and thus the weight of the hydrocarbon molecule is predominantly determined by the number of carbon atoms. Natural gas molecules will contain only a few carbon atoms per molecule while a heavy petroleum such as tar or asphalt may contain a great number of carbon atoms per molecule. Petroleum may also contain certain impurities such as nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. The term crude oil refers to oil in its "crude" or unrefined state; that is to say oil as it comes out of the ground. This crude oil must be transported to a refinery to be separated into constituents such as gasoline, aviation fuel, fuel oil, etc. before it can be used by the consumer
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