Concept in Definition ABC

"Rock oil"... that is what we actually say when we say "Petroleum" , which like almost everything we talk about derives from Greek words as well. And we also talk about oil because besides being a raw material more than fundamental to our favorite object of desire, the car; it is producing a world crisis that one will know when it will end.

The “black gold” (well earned these days it has that nickname ...) is, to put it in simplified terms, a heterogeneous mixture of hydrocarbons that do not dissolve in water. It is worth remembering that hydrocarbons are organic molecules of a certain complexity, in which a chain of atoms of carbon is covalently bonded with hydrogen atoms (in all cases) and varying proportions of oxygen and others elements.

The relationship of oil with man is ancient, millennial we could say.
About 6,000 years ago on Assyria and Babylon the oil flowed naturally and in those places it has come to be used to glue bricks and stones in different constructions, as well as medicinal uses and it has been used on the building of old boats.

In the old Egypt It was used to grease skins, in the Middle Ages it was used exclusively for curative purposes and some pre-Columbian tribes they have come to paint sculptures. As can be seen, "rock oil" was part of the most varied fields in cultures that were completely distant and independent, almost as an announcement of the importance that would emerge for the use of oil in modern civilization global.

It was just in the century XVIII that the work carried out by G.A. Hirn related to oil with uses similar to those we can give it today. That was the germ seed since Hirn, thanks to different types of refined, he managed to obtain different derivatives that began to be used in the greasing of machines. The remarkable heterogeneity in the composition of oil has, in effect, facilitated its use in various fields related to machinery.

In the XIX century It also began to be used for lighting and it was only in 1.859 when Edwin drake He made the first drilling of a well in the North American state of Pennsylvania. From then on the known history that with the appearance of the internal combustion engine opened a new panorama for the use of oil, mainly with one of its derivatives: the gas. From there began an endless race that, far from being limited to automobiles, gave rise to the fuel necessary to mobilize the most versatile means of transport and machinery, as well as to give way to the first phases of the plastics industry.

But... to all this, What is oil?Oil is the result of the transformation of organic matter that comes directly from zooplankton and algae (that is, fossil material of organic origin) that, once deposited in the bottoms of the seas or lake areas, were literally buried (with the passage of thousands of years) by heavy layers of sediment. In successive stages there is then a transformation (which can occur by heat and pressure) from bitumen to hydrocarbons that rise to the surface (since they are lighter and less dense due to liquids or gases) thanks to the pores in the rocks sedimentary. When some circumstances prevent them from surfacing to the surface, it is when the oil fields.

Not all oil is the same everywhere and in all fields where it is located. It can vary in its color, density, viscosity, heat capacity, etc. etc. etc. depending on the different proportions of hydrocarbons it contains. Likewise, the nature of the organic material that has given rise to it is a factor that generates differences in the final characteristics of the product, since the proportion of vegetable or animal matter is associated with differences in the physical and chemical conditions of the oil.

Obviously it is a non-renewable natural resource and, needless to say, it is the main source of Energy of developed countries.

How is it extracted? Well, a drilling is required on the reservoir. If the fluid pressure is sufficient, the oil will flow naturally from the well and, through the connection to pipelines, is sent to plants for primary treatment. If, on the other hand, the reservoir pressure decreases, it will be necessary to use other methods for extraction such as pumps, water or gas injection. This need makes the final price of the product and its derivatives more expensive in a variable proportion that is modified depending on the quality of oil and the magnitude of the reserve of the reservoir itself.

As a more than interesting data, let us also say that if oil extraction worldwide is maintained as it has been doing since 2.002, reserves around the world would only be enough for a few 42 more years, it is worth saying that still some 143,000 tonnes of usable black gold remain. Black future... like oil. Consequently, there is an accelerated need to search for alternative forms of energy production, with special emphasis on renewable variants, such as generation from electricity for him movement of engines by means of consumption from other fuels or from the forces of nature (wind power or hydrothermal). The crisis produced by the imminent depletion of oil will undoubtedly motivate the creation of a ingenious solution that will allow humanity not to stop its constant advance towards a better future.