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There are several versions of the etymology of the word "oil". Some scientists believe that it comes from the Turkish "neft", which, in turn, took its origins from the Assyrian "nartn" - "erupted", "spewed out". Others argue that the word "oil" comes from the Akkadian "napatum" - "flare". Still others lean towards the ancient Iranian "naft" - "something wet." The question of the origin of oil has only one correct answer: billions of plankton, dying, settle to the bottom, where they become covered with silt and decompose, form a viscous mass, which, under the influence of temperature and pressure, becomes oil.
Here are 10 facts about oil, many of which may surprise you.
1. Oil has been used for over 6,000 years
People have been familiar with oil since ancient times: already in Babylon, bitumen was used to build buildings and ships. Starting from the 8th century, tar was used in the construction of roads in Baghdad. And in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece oil served as fuel for lamps and illuminated houses and streets.
2. Oil saved the whales
In the 19th century, whale oil was used for lighting lamps, candle making, lubricating clockwork, as a protective coating for photographs, and so on. The increase in demand has led to the almost complete extinction of these animals. But thanks to the appearance of kerosene, obtained in the process of oil refining, the need for whale oil has decreased, and whale hunting has almost completely stopped, as it has lost its economic benefit.
3. Gasoline was once very cheap.
Before cars became a popular means of transportation, kerosene was the target product of petroleum refining. Gasoline had low price and was not in demand. It was used exclusively as a lice treatment or as a solvent to clean grease stains from fabrics.
4. In 1901, Russia produced more than half of the world's oil production
Oil production in Russia reached its peak in 1901 - 706.3 million pounds, which accounted for 50.6% of world oil production. The price of oil, due to an excess of demand, began to decline and, compared with 1900, fell by 2 times - 8 kopecks per pood. After 1902, there was a tendency to restore consumption, interrupted by the revolution of 1905, accompanied by massive destruction of oil fields.
5. The most unexpected products are created from oil.
Today, many products on the market are the result of oil refining. Among them: lipstick and eyeliner, which include propylene glycol and coal tar dyes, wrinkle-resistant polyester clothing, chewing gum made from natural latexes combined with petroleum products or polyethylene and paraffin resins, nylon tights and aspirin, which is starting to be produced. from benzene and hydrocarbon.
6. Oil isn't always black
Oil is not only black, as many believe. It can be red, green, amber, blue and colorless. Its color depends on the amount, color and nature of the resinous substances contained in it. However, it does not affect the quality of oil.
7. The first oil rig was built in the 4th century
Back in the 4th century AD. The first oil rig was built in China. The Chinese used bamboo trunks as a modern auger. With their help, under pressure, the oil came up.
8. Unit of measurement of oil - "barrel"
Translated from English, "barrel" is a barrel. In the United States in 1866, several entrepreneurs teamed up to transport oil and, deciding to save money, began to buy already used barrels of 159 liters for this. This volume was considered optimal for loading into railway cars. Over time, it was approved as a common unit of measurement and was called a barrel.
9. Before the first pipelines, oil was poured into wineskins.
Until pipelines appeared, oil was poured into wineskins and barrels. They were taken out with the help of horses, which was extremely unprofitable: the delivery cost more than the amount of oil produced. For example, in 1877, a pood of oil in the Apsheron fields cost 3 kopecks, and delivery to a distance of 12 km to oil refineries cost 20 kopecks.
10. The largest ships in the world are oil tankers
The length of the big ship- Norwegian tanker Knock Nevis - 458 m, width - 69 m. The draft of the ship when fully loaded exceeds 24 m, so it cannot pass through the Suez or Panama Canals, or even through the English Channel.
Oil in modern world is a very important resource. Without it, the production of various goods is impossible, and wars are fought for control of the oil market. This review contains little-known and simply interesting facts about oil and gas.
The chemist Thomas Midgley was the first to put forward the idea that adding lead to gasoline would reduce engine knock. Some say this discovery did more damage environment than everything else in the world. 
Gasoline prices in the US are twice as low as those in the EU. 
America gets more oil from Canada and Mexico than from all countries in the Middle East combined. 
Norwegian oil company Statoil put one of its platforms up for sale with the following ad: “A well maintained 20 bedroom platform with panoramic sea views is for sale. There is also enough space for a helicopter.” 
The average annual salary for an oil rig worker was around $100,000 in 2011. 
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, pilots often suffered from diarrhea. 
Beverly Hills High School in California has 19 oil wells on its campus. The school earns about US$300,000 a year. 
Diesel engines were named after their inventor, not the fuel. In fact, some of the first diesel engines ran on peanut butter. 
The United States accounts for almost half of the world's oil consumption. 
In Turkmenistan, every driver receives 120 free liters of gasoline per month. 
Russia produces about 1 million barrels more oil daily than Saudi Arabia. 
In 2010, London-based broker Steve Perkins, while heavily drunk, accidentally bought more than $500 million worth of oil. He single-handedly managed to lower world oil prices to an 8-month high. 
According to World Organization health, diesel fuel is more carcinogenic than cigarettes. 
Norway has some of the highest gasoline prices in the world. The proceeds are used to provide free education and improving infrastructure. 
Even if all US corn and soybean production were concentrated in biofuel production, this would only satisfy about 10% of fuel demand. 
The engine room of the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, still leaks fuel, forming a stain on the surface of the water above the ship. 
Despite the fact that the US spent nearly $700 billion on the Iraq war, all oil contracts were bought by other countries. This came as a surprise to many people, but America was almost the only country that did not benefit from Iraq's oil reserves. 
From the oil pipeline in Ecuador flowed into rainforests The Amazon has more oil than the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez tanker accident in Alaska. 
Since there was a problem in remote areas of Australia with local Aborigines who snorted gasoline to achieve a state of euphoria, Opal brand gasoline (virtually devoid of chemical impurities) began to be used in the country. 
Oil drilling involves the process of drilling a well and pumping air into it. After the oil layer is reached, the oil begins to literally gush into the sky. 
Over the past 25 years, there have been nearly two dozen oil spills in the US. 
Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, estimated at almost 300 billion barrels. The US ranks 10th with 33 billion barrels. 
Oil has always been important to civilization. Ancient cultures used it to bond materials and also as a waterproof sealant. 
Have you ever wondered what language the name of oil came from? Hardly - we rarely think about what seems natural. Well, the more interesting it will be to find out that "oil" came from Turkish " oil", which, in turn, took its origins from the Persian " naft" (borrowed from Semitic languages). Thus, the Assyrian nartn” literally means “spewed out”, “spewed out”.
However, this is not the only version of the etymological name of the fossil. Other scholars claim that the word "oil" comes from " napatum"(Akkadian word), which means "flare up", and still others - that it came from the ancient Iranian " naft"Something wet."
The Chinese, who were the first to drill an oil well in the 3rd century AD, named the find according to their poetic mentality " shi yo"-" mountain oil ". By the way, in the 21st century they continue to call oil the same way.
Where does she come from?
We recall the curriculum of the school - oil was formed by the remains of plankton organisms that live in sea depths tens of millions of years ago. Living for a very short time, but multiplying with astonishing speed, billions of plankton, microscopic living creatures, die and settle to the bottom. After that, they become covered with silt, decompose, become viscous. The mash, being at a depth of 2,000 meters, at a temperature of 65 ° C and high pressure becomes oil. This takes millions of years (having found itself in the same conditions, but at temperatures above 135 ° C, the dead plankton become gas). Being under impermeable rocks, oil seems to be stored under an airtight lid. This is the answer to the question why a fossil lying “freely” on the bottom needs to be mined.
The "discoverer" of oil is considered to be the American Edwin Drake, who in 1859 instead of water, which he was trying to find, found an oil field with the help of drilling. With this happy incident, the “oil fever” began.
How much is it?
If we divide the oil reserves that modern mankind knows about by the duration of the geological epochs during which this extremely useful mineral was formed, we get the amount that is formed daily - 150 barrels.
At the same time, modern oil companies produce at least 85 million barrels a day - it took nature 1,500 years to create such an amount. The annual consumption of oil by modern humanity was produced by Mother Nature for half a million years (humanity exists much less).
Today there are 40 thousand oil fields on our planet. 60% of the total amount of "black gold" is produced by 300 giant deposits discovered in the middle of the last century (elephants). The remaining 40% is produced by the so-called mice - deposits with a very short lifespan.
The notorious Safania field (what is located in Saudi Arabia), with a width of 15 kilometers, extends for fifty kilometers. Safania, which was discovered in 1951, today has 37 billion barrels and at least 150 billion cubic meters, respectively, of oil and gas. All this could satisfy the demands of the United States of America for 5 years. That's why the people of Saudi Arabia "do not live in poverty" - the national company SaudiAramco is the most profitable on the planet. Well, even if she does not disclose financial indicators - Forbes magazine knows that her annual net profit is at least $ 200 billion.
What color is oil?
It would seem that, funny question- everyone knows that this is "gold" black. But, it turns out, and not necessarily black! Oil can be red, green, blue and even... colorless! Interestingly, its color is unimportant (gold is also gold in Africa). Experts say that the shade of a mineral depends on the characteristics of the resinous substances contained in it (quantity, nature, color). It is noteworthy that the share of non-hydrocarbon impurities affects the quality of oil, but not the color - the quality of oil does not depend on it. Colorless (and maybe white) oil is, in essence, gas condensate.
Ambiguous benefit of a mineral
If you have so far been vaguely aware of the significance litigation, in which cases of spilling oil into water bodies are considered, and the companies guilty of them are subject to fabulous fines, you should imagine an oil drop weighing half a gram. It forms a film on the surface of the water, whose diameter is 30 cm. This film does not allow air to pass through, thereby creating a vacuum for all living creatures living in this area.
A fish that lives in water, in which there is only 0.1 mg per liter. oil, has a smell, which she will get rid of only after a month of life in an ideal clean water.
The studies of Jacques-Yves-Cousteau have a clear formulation: the presence of petroleum products in sea waters in just 20 years led to the extinction of 40% of living organisms.
Barrel (from the English barrel - letters: barrel) - a unit of volume used in the oil industry in a number of countries, equal to 42 US gallons; distinguish between a simple barrel (119.24 liters), an oil barrel (158.76 liters) in the UK it is equal to (163.65 liters);
Oil is not only black, but also colorless, green, brown, yellow and even red. In addition, each color has its own shades;
Even one barrel of oil contains a gigantic amount of energy. It is equal to approximately 20 thousand man-hours of work. One hundred people have to work for a whole month for 7 hours a day without days off (say, harvesting) in order to expend the amount of energy contained in one barrel of oil;
When oil was discovered (sometime in the 16th century), it was collected from the surface of the river and used as a remedy, and since this substance had oily properties, it was also used for lubrication;
The first oil well was drilled in 1859 in the US state of Pennsylvania by a group of entrepreneurs led by Edwin Drake;
Computers are 80-90% of the end product of oil. Oil is used to produce DVDs and CDs;
During the entire time of the current "oil era" (mostly over the past 70 years), approximately 950 billion barrels of oil have been burned in the world. Now, about 30 billion barrels of oil are burned worldwide per year (about 80 million barrels per day).
The remaining oil reserves in the world (excluding deposits that may be discovered in the future) do not exceed 1,150 billion barrels;
0.82 m - the edge of the cube, which will fit all the oil consumed in 2005 on average per 1 inhabitant of the Earth;
11.37 m - the edge of the cube, which will fit the oil reserve of Saudi Arabia on average per 1 inhabitant of this country;
Buying gasoline at night is more profitable than during the day, since at low temperatures its density increases, so that with the same amount of fuel there will be more;
One drop of oil renders 25 liters of water unfit for drinking. Oil spills on the surface of the water in a thin layer. Protect the environment! It is no coincidence that she hid the oil underground - away from human eyes.
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- Barrel (from the English barrel - letters: barrel) - a unit of volume used in the oil industry of a number of countries, equal to 42 US gallons; distinguish between a simple barrel (119.24 liters), an oil barrel (158.76 liters) in the UK it is equal to (163.65 liters); - ...
"/>It is no coincidence that today such a mineral as oil is called black gold or even “the blood of modern civilization”. Almost everything is made from oil: from film to plastic goggles for swimming. We have collected 14 most interesting facts about oil and oil production:
1. 1. What does the word "oil" mean?
In Russian, the word oil came from Turkish (from the word oil), which comes from the Persian naft, and which in turn was borrowed from the Semitic languages. Akkadian (Assyrian) word nartn"oil" comes from a Semitic verbal root npt with the original meaning "spew, spew."
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 "flare, ignite," according to others - from the ancient Iranian naft, meaning "something wet, liquid."
But, for example, the Chinese, the first, by the way, who drilled 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 the 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 commercial oil production begin?
The world history of industrial 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 fire" coming from the sacred mountain Yanadarg come from?
Here, in the suburbs of Baku, the most famous of the volcanoes, Yanadarg, known as the Burning Mountain, is located. Natural gas comes out of its bowels, which has been burning for several centuries, but the fire does not go beyond the mountain.There is always a strong smell of gas in the air.Natural 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 loose sandstone or fractured limestone, and may even move to soak into layers like water soaks into a sponge. In the course of geological processes, horizontal layers are bent, and oil begins to migrate more actively along them. Due to the fact that at depth the pressure is greater than at the surface, oil does not flow down, but, on the contrary, tends to rise. Once in such a fold, oil cannot leave it. Geologists call such a structure a "hydrocarbon trap", in which a huge amount of oil accumulates, 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 the earth for oil, was considered crazy?
Outside of Russia, the first oil well was drilled in 1859 in the United States by Colonel Edwin Drake in the vicinity of Titusville, Pennsylvania, the general representative of the Seneca Oil Company. Due to attempts to use drilling to find and extract oil locals thought Drake was crazy. In addition, Drake, by his own account, invented the casing pipe, "without which no one could drill in the lowlands where the earth is flooded."
6. 6. When did oil production begin in Russia?
In Russia, until the middle of the 19th century, oil was extracted from Absheron Peninsula from wells, and already on July 14, 1848, in the place of Bibi-Heybat, the world's first oil well was drilled using a percussive method using wooden rods.
In 1900, 631.1 million poods of oil were produced in Russia, which accounted for 51.6% of the total 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 that, due to the economic crisis and falling demand, oil production in Russia began to decline. The price of oil, which in 1900 amounted to 16 kopecks. per pood, in 1901, due to an overabundance of supply, it fell by 2 times to 8 kopecks. for a pud. In 1902, the price was 7 kopecks. per pood, after which there was a tendency to restore demand and volumes of oil production. 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". The data obtained from each profile makes it possible to build a section of rocks, on which all underground structures will be clearly visible. If geophysicists find a "hydrocarbon trap", then most likely there will be a field.
Most effective method oil exploration - seismic exploration. The principle of this method is similar to medical ultrasound. In doctors, the device generates ultrasonic waves that are reflected from the tissues of the 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 bowels, 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 thickness.
8. 8. What is a seismic vibrator and how does it work?
Seismovibrator- This is 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 harm the environment.
A group of seismic vibrators must move exactly along the profile on which the geophones are installed. After every 100 m, the seismic vibrators stop to give out a powerful vibration impulse. The support platform is lowered, lifting the 20-ton machine. At this time, a signal from a seismic station arrives in the driver's cab.
The car starts to "bounce" 80 times per second. It is not visible to 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 with a thin wire, freely suspended on a spring. The incoming wave shakes the body of the receiver along with the magnet, and the coil begins to move. The magnetic field induces an alternating voltage in it, repeating the shape of the oscillations. 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, 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, which is used to treat colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases, and para-aminosalicylic acid, used in anti-tuberculosis drugs.
Various oil derivatives are used in preparations to help people get rid of allergies, headaches, nervous stress, or infectious diseases. Esters and alcohols are often used in the production of antibiotics.
11. What legend tells about the discovery of the healing properties of Naftalan oil?
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 one, the weakest and sickest, was allowed to get drunk and stay to die so that he would no longer suffer. On the way back, the caravaners met an abandoned companion - the camel was completely healthy. He was helped by an oily liquid, which was under the turbidity of the water. People smeared their wounds with it and were healed.
12. Is it true that oil can save humanity from starvation?
Oil can save humanity not only from disease, but also from hunger. Processing only 2% of the volume of oil produced annually makes it possible to 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 are 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?
Forbes magazine knows this. Here is what he writes (in my rather loose translation):
Saudi Aramco is the most profitable company on the planet. It does not fully disclose its financial figures, but a rough approximation of its net income is $200 billion a year with annual income in excess of $350 billion. Last year, Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi told reporters that on average, the A barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia is $2. This barrel of oil is sold for $130. If you pass the same barrel of oil through an integrated petrochemical plant, it will easily bring in $500 in revenue.
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 of wells and modernization of the refinery, it turns out to be $21 per barrel.
14. Why does an increase in oil prices lead to a change in the dollar and an increase in prices for all goods?
What if the price of oil goes up? Even if it grows many times, and after it the price of gasoline, it would seem, what ordinary person before this thing? You can walk to work or ride a bike.
And here's the thing: once upon a time there was a dollar. For him they gave 35 rubles. Thus, at an oil price of $100 per barrel, the country's budget received conditionally 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 conditionally 1,750 rubles at a constant ruble exchange rate. Thus, there is a shortage of money in the budget and a deficit arises, and the ruble exchange rate weakens to compensate for the shortfall in the budget. As a result, in order to get the same 3,500 rubles from 1 barrel of oil at a price of $50 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
