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Minerals. Oil is a mineral

Oil is a mineral that is an oily liquid. It is a flammable substance, often black in color, although the color of petroleum is different areas vary. It can be brown, cherry, green, yellow, and even transparent. From a chemical point of view, oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with an admixture of various compounds, for example, 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.

The hydrocarbons that make up oil are chemical compounds consisting of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms. IN general view hydrocarbon formula - CxHy. The simplest hydrocarbon, methane, has one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, its formula is CH4 (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 its 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. A 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 theory today is the theory of the organic origin of oil or, as it is also called, the biogenic theory. According to this theory, oil was formed from the remains of microorganisms that lived millions of years ago in vast water pools(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 hydrocarbons formed were in gaseous state(the lightest), part in the liquid (heavier) and some part in the solid. Accordingly, a mobile mixture of hydrocarbons in gaseous and liquid states, under the influence of pressure, gradually moved through the 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 a so-called trap formed by a reservoir layer and an impermeable capstone layer covering it (picture on the right). In this trap, a mixture of hydrocarbons gradually accumulated, forming what we call an oil field. As you can see, the deposit is not actually a birthplace. It's more of a cluster. 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.

Oil- one of the representatives of the class of liquid minerals (in addition to it, it also includes artesian water). It got its name from the Persian “oil”. Together with ozokerite and natural gas forms a group of minerals called petrolites.

WHAT IS OIL FROM THE POINT OF PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY

It is a fatty, oily substance, the color and density of which varies depending on where it is mined. It can be bright green or cherry red, yellow, brown, black, and in rare cases, colorless. The fluidity of oil also varies greatly: one will be like water, the other will be viscous. But what do such different people have in common? physical properties substances, so these are theirs chemical composition, which is always a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. Impurities are responsible for other properties - sulfur, nitrogen and other compounds, of which the smell depends mainly on the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur compounds.

The name of the main component of oil - “hydrocarbons” - speaks volumes about its composition. These are substances consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms, whose general formula written as SkhNu. The simplest representative of this series is methane CH4, present in any oil.

The elemental composition of average oil can be expressed as a percentage:

84% carbon
14% hydrogen
1-3% sulfur
<1 % кислорода
<1 % металлов
<1 % солей

FEATURES OF OIL AND GAS OCCUPATION

Oil and gas are usually travel companions, that is, they are found together, but this only happens at a depth of 1 to 6 kilometers. Most fields are located in this range, and the combinations of oil and gas vary. If the depth is less than a kilometer, then only oil is found there, and above 6 kilometers - only gas.

The formation where oil is found is called a reservoir. Usually these are porous rocks, which can be likened to a solid sponge that collects and retains oil, gas, and other mobile fluids (for example, water). Another prerequisite for oil accumulation is the presence of a cap layer, which prevents further movement of the fluid, which is why it becomes trapped. Geologists look for such traps, which are then called deposits, but this is not an entirely correct name. Because oil or gas originated much lower, in layers under high pressure. They get to the upper layers because, being light fluids, they tend upward. They are literally squeezed to the surface of the earth.

WHERE AND WHEN OIL WAS ORIGINED

To understand the mechanism of oil formation, you need to travel back millions of years. According to the biogenic theory (also known as the theory of organic origin), starting from the Carboniferous period (350 million years BC) and up to the mid-Paleogene (50 million years BC), numerous areas of shallow water became places where remains of organic matter accumulated. life - dying microorganisms and algae fell to the bottom, forming bottom layers of organic matter. Very slowly these layers were covered by other, inorganic ones - sand deposits, for example, and sank lower and lower. The pressure increased, the covering layers hardened, and there was no oxygen access to the organic matter. In the darkness, under the influence of pressure and temperature, the remains were transformed into simple hydrocarbons, some of which became gaseous, some - liquid and solid.

As soon as the fluids were given the opportunity to escape from the parent formation, they rushed upward until they were trapped. True, the climb also took a lot of time. In traps, fluids are usually distributed as follows: gas at the top, then oil, and water at the very bottom. This is due to the density of each of them. If the fluids did not encounter an impermeable layer along the way, they ended up on the surface, where they were destroyed and dispersed. Natural oil seeps to the surface usually appear as pools of thick malta and semi-liquid asphalt, or it permeates sand, forming so-called tar sands.

THE HUMAN HISTORY OF OIL

The release of oil to the surface could not fail to attract the attention of ancient man. There is practically no information about the earliest stages of acquaintance, but during the period of well-developed material culture, oil was used in construction - this is evidenced by data from Iraq, where evidence was found of the use of oil to protect houses from moisture. In Egypt, oil was discovered to be flammable and was used for lighting. In addition, it has found use in mummification and as a sealant for boats.

Although rare, oil became a valuable commodity in ancient times: the Babylonians traded it in the Middle East. It is assumed that it was this trade that gave birth to many cities and villages. It is also possible that oil was used to create one of the famous “wonders of the world” - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There it was useful as a sealant that did not allow water to pass through.

The Chinese were the first who were not satisfied with the sources coming to the surface. It was they who invented drilling wells, using hollow bamboo trunks with a metal “drill” at the end. At first they were looking for salty sources to extract salt, but then they found oil and gas. With the help of the latter, they evaporated the salt - setting it on fire. There is no data on the use of oil in China at that time.

Another ancient way of using oil was to treat skin diseases. A similar practice among the inhabitants of the Absheron Peninsula is mentioned in the notes of Marco Polo.

Oil was first mentioned in Rus' only in the 15th century. Historians have found references to the collection of crude oil on the Ukhta River, where it formed a film on the surface of the water. There it was collected and used to make medicine or a source of light - usually as an impregnation for torches.

A new use for oil was found only in the 19th century, when the kerosene lamp was invented. It was developed by the Polish chemist Ignatius Lukasiewicz. It is possible that he was also the inventor of a method for extracting kerosene from oil. A few years earlier, Canadian Abraham Gesner came up with a way to produce kerosene from coal, but obtaining it from oil turned out to be more profitable.

Kerosene was actively used for lighting, so the demand for it was constantly growing. Therefore, it was necessary to solve the issue of its extraction. The oil industry began in 1847 in Baku, where the first well was drilled that produced oil. Soon there were so many wells that Baku was nicknamed the Black City.

But those wells were still drilled by hand. The first well, drilled by a steam engine that drove a drilling rig, appeared in Russia in 1864 in the Kuban region. Two years later, mechanical drilling of another well was completed at the Kudakinskoye field.

In the world, the beginning of industrial oil production was laid in 1859 by Edwin Drake, who on August 27 of this year drilled the first oil well in the United States - it had a depth of 21.2 meters and was located in the town of Titusville in Pennsylvania, where previously, when drilling artesian wells, it was often found oil.

Drilling oil wells sharply reduced the cost of oil production and led to the fact that this product soon became the most important for modern civilization. At the same time, this marked the beginning of the development of the oil industry.

OIL APPLICATIONS

Currently, we no longer use pure oil. However, there are many products of its processing, without which our world is unthinkable. After the first distillation, five types of fuel are obtained:

aviation and motor gasoline
kerosene
rocket fuel
diesel fuel
fuel oil

The fuel oil fraction is the source of another series of further distillation products:

bitumen
paraffin
oils
boiler fuel

The further fate of bitumen is to combine it with gravel and sand to produce asphalt. Another oil product that is also used for road work is tar, which is a concentrate of oil residues after its distillation. Another residue, petroleum coke, is used in the manufacture of ferroalloys and electrodes.

The chemical industry uses simple hydrocarbons as raw materials for reactions that change the formula of compounds. The result is plastics, rubbers, fabrics, fertilizers, dyes, polyethylene and polypropylene, as well as many household chemicals.

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 with an admixture of various compounds, for example, 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, which make up oil, are chemical compounds consisting of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms. In general, the hydrocarbon formula is 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.

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 influenced by the increasing pressure of the upper layers and rising temperatures. As a result of biochemical processes occurring without access to oxygen, organic matter was converted into 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 is generally much less than the density of the water that is always present in it (evidence of its marine origin), the oil invariably moves upward and accumulates above the water. If gas is present, it will be at the very top, above the oil.

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 part of a mummifying agent.

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 of Ceramids(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 oil found use in ancient China, only that 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, it was used here as a medicine and for household needs.

Although, as we see, oil has been known since ancient times, it has found rather limited use. The modern history of oil begins in 1853, when 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 on an industrial scale and founded an oil refinery in 1856 in the vicinity of the Polish city of Ulaszowice.

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 in much larger quantities. 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, so many oil wells were drilled in Baku, then part of the Russian Empire, that it became known as the Black City.

However, 1864 is 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.

News of the discovery of a new source of oil by drilling a well spread through the Titusville area like wildfire. By that time, processing, experience with kerosene and the appropriate type of lamp for lighting had already been developed. 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.

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Use of oil In the morning, people wash themselves with soap, which contains fatty acids, which are a petroleum product. Men shave using a cream made partly from petroleum and freshen themselves with cologne containing petroleum aromatic oils. We often walk on linoleum, partly made from a petroleum product, or on a floor coated with varnish, which contains petroleum oils. Viscose clothing, underwear, socks and ties contain petroleum derivatives. Writing pens, switches, telephones and other items are made from plastic, a component of which is petroleum products. Newspapers are printed with inks that contain petroleum. On the streets, cars with tires made of synthetic rubber and engines running on gasoline rush along asphalt pavements made from oil residues.

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Oil extraction Oil extraction occurs through boreholes supported by high-pressure steel pipes.

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Oil in people's lives Oil is perhaps one of the most important minerals. In the process of refining, humanity receives more than two thousand different products from oil, these are: gasoline, gas, clothing, household chemicals, cellophane, material for candles, paint for books, and so on. About a thousand different lubricants are produced from oil, which are necessary for the proper operation of virtually all mechanisms, from the mixer in our kitchen to steam locomotives. Plastic, one of the main products of oil, if we look back, we will see how widely this material is used in our lives, these include toys, dishes, things, and the housing of household appliances. Plastic is often used to make furniture, especially for outdoor cafes, and everyone probably knows about its use in construction, these are sewerage, heating and water pipes, room cladding both inside and outside, windows, doors, and so on. Petroleum products are also used for construction, or more precisely for road surfaces - bitumen, asphalt. Thanks to oil, fertilizers are also obtained, which are widely used not only for fertilizer in agriculture, but also to destroy various insect pests.

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Oil. Liquid mineral, which is an oily liquid. The color of oil depends on its composition and varies from light brown to black.

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Deposits In terms of oil reserves, Russia ranks second in the world after Saudi Arabia. Russia has enormous oil resources. In 2007, about 400 million tons of oil were produced in the Russian Federation. The main oil regions are Western Siberia. Volga-Ural region. North Caucasus and European North. Particularly promising areas are the continental shelves in the European North and Far East.

Oil is a mineral that is of great importance in human economic activity. Its main purpose is the production of fuels and lubricants, but a huge number of different items are made based on oil and its components. Because of its dark color and great importance in the global economy, oil has been nicknamed “black gold.”

general characteristics

Oil is a mineral that is an oily liquid. Most often, this flammable substance has a dark, almost black color, but other shades are also found in nature: brown, yellow, green, cherry, and even transparent. This variety of oil color is within normal limits and depends on the region where the mineral is produced.

In terms of its chemical composition, oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons. But, in addition to these substances, the composition includes many other compounds in small concentrations: nitrogen, sulfur, metals, mineral salts, water. Depending on the composition of the impurities, the smell of oil can also be very different, from unobtrusive to very heavy, toxic.

Rice. 1. Oil.

Oil deposits are located deep underground. Sometimes deposits are located at a depth of several tens of meters, but sometimes this figure can reach 5-6 km. Most often, the largest number of oil deposits is located at a depth of 2-3 km.

The most important indicator of oil quality is its density. Its value depends on this property of oil: the lighter the mineral, the higher its value. Oil remains the most important natural fuel raw material worldwide, and its share in the energy balance is almost 50%.

Oil extraction and use

Oil extraction from the depths of the earth is a complex technological process consisting of many stages.

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There are 3 methods of extracting fossil fuels:

Primary . Oil can gush out of the ground under natural pressure. For this purpose, pumps and pumps are used. This is how 15% of the world's oil is produced.
Secondary . When natural pressure becomes insufficient, air, carbon dioxide or water are pumped into the formation. In this case, the efficiency of oil production increases several times.
Tertiary . Used when the secondary method becomes ineffective. Water vapor is pumped into the formation or oil is heated to a liquefied state to make it easier to pump out.

Rice. 2. Oil production.

The extracted oil is purified from water, gases, and impurities, after which it is transported to oil refineries, where, as a result of complex processes, the necessary products are obtained.

Our ancestors began to use oil in ancient times. Thus, bitumen and asphalt were used in the construction of the walls of Babylon. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus in his writings described in detail the popular method of oil production. Oil was also widely used in construction work in Ancient India.

Currently, the range of uses of petroleum products is incredibly wide. They are used in almost all types of industry, in the automotive industry, rocketry, construction, medicine, and agriculture.

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