Interesting facts about oil and gas. Remarkable but little-known facts about oil

Oil in modern world is a very important resource. People began to use oil at the dawn of civilization, although in ways that seem naive and even strange today. Today, without it, it is impossible to produce various goods, and wars are being waged for control of the oil market. Our review contains little-known and simply interesting facts about oil and gas.

1. Lead in gasoline

Chemist Thomas Midgley first came up with the idea that adding lead to gasoline could reduce engine knocking. Some say the discovery did more damage environment than everything else in the world.

2. Gasoline prices

Gasoline prices in the US are half the price of gasoline in the EU.

3. Castor oil and pilots

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.

4. USA, Canada, Mexico...

America gets more oil from Canada and Mexico than from all Middle Eastern countries combined.

5. Statoil

Norwegian oil company Statoil has put one of its platforms up for sale with the following advert: "For sale is a well maintained platform with 20 bedrooms offering panoramic sea views and plenty of space for a helicopter."

6. 120 free liters of gasoline

Just recently, in Turkmenistan, each driver received 120 free liters of gasoline per month.

7. Average annual salary of a US oil worker

The average annual salary for an oil rig worker was about US$100,000 in 2011.

8. The school pumps oil

high school Beverly Hills, California has 19 oil wells on its campus. The school earns approximately $300,000 per year.

9. Diesel

Diesel engines were named after their inventor, not their fuel. In fact, some of the first diesel engines ran on peanut oil.

10. Half of the world's oil consumption

The United States accounts for nearly half of the world's oil consumption.

11. Saudi Arabia is falling behind

Russia produces about 1 million barrels more oil daily than Saudi Arabia.

12. Drunken price drop

In 2010, London broker Steve Perkins, while heavily inebriated, accidentally purchased more than US$500 million worth of oil. He single-handedly managed to lower world oil prices to an 8-month high.

13. DT against cigarettes

According to World Organization health, diesel fuel is more carcinogenic than cigarettes.

14. The most expensive AI-95

Norway has some of the highest gasoline prices in the world. The proceeds are used to provide free education and improve infrastructure.

15. Biofuel

Even if all U.S. corn and soybean production were focused on biofuels, this would only satisfy about 10% of fuel demand.

16. Battleship Arizona

Fuel is still leaking from the engine room of the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, forming a stain on the surface of the water above the ship.

17. Oil reserves of Iraq

Despite the fact that the US spent almost $700 billion on the war in Iraq, all oil contracts were bought by other countries. It came as a surprise to many people, but America was almost the only country that did not benefit from Iraq's oil reserves.

18. Oil pipeline in Ecuador

An oil pipeline in Ecuador leaked into rainforests The Amazon has more oil than the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

19. Aborigines are drug addicts

In the USA it is severe ecological situation.

Over the past 25 years, there have been nearly two dozen oil spills in the United States.

22. 300 billion barrels

Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, estimated at almost 300 billion barrels. The US ranks 10th with 33 billion barrels.

23. Waterproofing sealant and glue

Oil has always been important to civilization. Ancient cultures used it to glue materials together and also as a waterproofing sealant.

For curious readers, we have collected and. Everyone should know this for their own safety.

In our country, oil is the main natural resource on which the entire Russian economy is currently based. But there are interesting facts about oil that you most likely are not even aware of. We will tell you about them in detail in this article.

Meaning of the word

The Russian word "oil" was borrowed from the Turkish language, which in turn adopted the word from Persian, which originated from the Semitic languages. The Assyrian word naptn comes from the Semitic word nptc, the original meaning of which is “to vomit” or “to vomit” (from the Arabic naft - “vomited” or “vomited”).

An interesting fact about oil is that the word "petroleum" has other meanings. For example, according to some historical data, the word comes from the Akkadian word napatum, the meaning of which is “to flare up”, “to ignite”. There is also a version that Russian word"oil" comes from the ancient Iranian naft, which means "wet substance", "liquid".

An interesting version of the origin of this liquid

This interesting fact about oil will seem strange to many oil specialists, but among ordinary people and people not associated with this industry, there is an opinion that oil was formed from the remains of ancient animals and, in particular, dinosaurs.

In a sense, this theory is correct - deposits mineral matter really formed from the remains of ancient living beings. However, these were creatures much smaller than dinosaurs. Some scientists believe that this flammable liquid came from source material such as microorganisms and marine plankton that inhabited the deep sea and coastal areas of the Earth.

Do you think that there are oil rivers and seas underground?

Many experts in this field are surprised when they hear this unusual, but very interesting fact about oil from people who have nothing to do with the extraction of this substance. It turns out that many people think that oil rivers and lakes flow underground.

This is one of the many misconceptions that people who know nothing about oil and its production make. Naturally, no rivers or lakes exist in nature. The entire earth's crust consists of rocks of varying densities and chemical composition. Oil, gas, water are a kind of rock components that are capable of containing substances with a liquid composition, called fluids. These rocks are called reservoirs and can contain both solid and liquid components.

Oil is not a product of the industrial revolution

For children, an interesting fact about oil may be that it began to be used not with the advent of cars, but in ancient times. In ancient Babylon, a derivative of this substance (bitumen) was used to seal buildings and build seagoing cargo ships. And such a product from oil as tar was first used in the 8th century in Arabia for the construction of roads. IN Ancient Egypt, and then in Ancient Greece Lamps fueled by oil were used to illuminate the premises.

In the Byzantine Empire, with the help of a “flammable mixture”, the basis of which was again oil, soldiers terrified the enemy, because the mixture burned even hotter when trying to extinguish it with water. The original recipe for the “combustible mixture” is lost, but scientists suggest that it was a mixture of processed products and other flammable substances.

Oil once saved whales from extinction

One of the most interesting facts about oil is that once upon a time, thanks to the discovery of the properties of this natural resource, whales have not completely disappeared as a species. Just two centuries ago, whale oil was at a high price and was actively used. Its ability to burn slowly without emitting an unpleasant odor was noticed by people back in ancient times. used in all sectors of human life - for lubricating watch mechanisms, coating the first photographs, pharmacology, light and cosmetic industries.

As you might guess, by the middle of the 19th century the whale population had almost disappeared from the face of the earth. Fortunately, people began to use cheaper kerosene, which also burned without leaving an unpleasant odor, and its extraction was a much more humane activity than the extraction of whales. The US whaling fleet, for example, had about 735 ships in 1846, but by 1879 there were only 39. By the beginning of the 20th century, whaling had practically ceased, as its unprofitability and cruelty became obvious to society.

The only area of ​​application for whale oil in the modern world is space research and experiments. Subcutaneous fat sperm whales discovered the amazing property of not freezing at enormous low temperatures, which predominate in outer space. This is why whale oil is an ideal lubricant for spare parts. spaceships.

Useless and cheap gasoline. Is this even possible?

The thing about oil is that gasoline was initially of no interest to either producers or consumers. The main product of oil refining was kerosene, which was used for lighting. Passenger cars were not yet widespread, people moved mainly on horses, and for long distances they used locomotives and trains. The demand for gasoline increased sharply in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century; at its beginning, gasoline had virtually no value. The only uses for gasoline are the treatment of pediculosis (lice infestation), paint thinner, and removing stubborn stains from clothing. Sometimes corporations devalued gasoline so much that they simply poured it into rivers.

UAE and Russia: fundamental differences. Interesting facts about oil in two different countries

Over time, the complex and costly technology for extracting this natural oily flammable liquid was significantly simplified and automated. Saudi Aramco is a national oil production and refining company in Saudi Arabia. It is completely owned by the state and works to increase its well-being. This oil giant is one of the largest oil-producing concerns in the world.

I wonder how much it costs this company to produce one barrel of oil? We'll find out now.

According to Forbes magazine, the situation looks like this: Saudi Aramco is the company with the largest profit in the oil market. According to the most conservative estimates (and this despite the fact that their financial indicators it does not advertise at all) its income is approximately 200 billion dollars (approximately 13.4 trillion rubles) per year, with a total annual income of about 350 billion dollars (approximately 23.4 trillion rubles). Minister of this oil company(Ali Al-Naimi) in his interview said that the cost of oil production, and specifically one barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia, is approximately two dollars (133.8 rubles). And the wholesale selling price is approximately 130 dollars (about 8,700 rubles). After passing through all stages of processing and entering the plant, the income from the sale of one barrel of the substance is approximately $500 (about 33,450 rubles).

If we compare it with Russia, the picture is as follows: the Russian oil company Rosneft spends approximately $15 (1,000 rubles) to produce one barrel of oil. If we add to this the costs of exploration, drilling and other expenses, then the price of producing one barrel is approximately equal to 21 dollars (1,400 rubles).

The situation of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century

An interesting fact about oil production in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century - in 1900, the total amount of oil produced in the Russian Empire amounted to 631.1 million pounds of oil. This is 51.6% of the total amount mined in the world.

At that time, oil was produced in 10 countries: Russian empire, USA, Holland, Romania, Austria-Hungary, India, Japan, Canada, Germany, Peru. The main share of flammable liquid production came from Russia and the USA, which produced about 90% of the world's volume.

The most successful year for Russia in terms of oil production was 1901, when 706.3 million pounds of oil were produced, accounting for 50.6% of the total amount of flammable liquid produced in the world. After that, there was a decline when demand decreased and supply increased. In 1900, the price for one pood of oil was 16 kopecks per pood, and in 1901 it fell by 2 times to 8 kopecks per pood. In 1902, the price of one pound of oil was already 7 kopecks per pound, after which there was a tendency for the price to increase. The revolution of 1905 erased this success.

The connection between rising oil prices and the cost of other goods

How does rising oil prices affect our lives? Apart from the obvious increase in gasoline prices, no fatal consequences are visible at first glance. The obvious and most important disadvantage of rising oil prices for the average person is possible need change to public transport or bicycle.

An interesting chemical fact about oil - it is used not only as a raw material for fuel, but also as a basis for the production of many chemical substances, which are part of things that are quite common for us, standing on store shelves. Did you know that the shower gel and shampoo you use contain petroleum products?

Accordingly, an increase in prices for this substance entails an increase in prices in stores. Experts' opinions are divided - some believe that the rise in prices will continue, while others consider the increase in prices due to problems with oil trade and oil production to be a temporary phenomenon.

Inelastic demand

An obvious fact about oil is that it is a non-renewable source of energy. Accordingly, scientists have a question: “Is it possible for oil reserves to completely disappear from the bowels of our planet?”

Apart from a very vague threat complete disappearance oil, there is a more pressing danger in the oil sector. It lies in the so-called inelastic demand for oil. Its essence lies in the fact that a slight reduction in the volume of production of a substance can lead to a sharp rise in its prices. The oil crisis in the oil production market in the 70s of the last century was caused precisely by a 25% drop in supply. Because of this, prices for natural flammable liquid have risen by 400%. If oil production reaches its peak, then the decline is natural, and accordingly, a global economic crisis may well arise in the world economy.

Oil in the 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.

Chemist Thomas Midgley first came up with the idea that adding lead to gasoline could reduce engine knocking. Some say this discovery has caused more environmental damage than anything else in the world.

Gasoline prices in the US are half the price of gasoline in the EU.

America gets more oil from Canada and Mexico than from all the countries in the Middle East combined.

Norwegian oil company Statoil has put one of its platforms up for sale with the following advert: “For sale is a well maintained platform with 20 bedrooms offering panoramic sea views. There is also ample space for a helicopter.”

The average annual salary for an oil rig worker was about US$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 approximately $300,000 per year.

Diesel engines were named after their inventor, not their fuel. In fact, some of the first diesel engines ran on peanut oil.

The United States accounts for nearly half of the world's oil consumption.

In Turkmenistan, each driver receives 120 free liters of gasoline per month.

Russia produces about 1 million barrels more oil daily than Saudi Arabia.

In 2010, London broker Steve Perkins, while heavily inebriated, accidentally purchased more than US$500 million worth of oil. He single-handedly managed to lower world oil prices to an 8-month high.

According to the World Health Organization, 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 improve infrastructure.

Even if all U.S. corn and soybean production were focused on biofuels, this would only satisfy about 10% of fuel demand.

Fuel is still leaking from the engine room of the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, forming a stain on the surface of the water above the ship.

Despite the fact that the US spent almost $700 billion on the war in Iraq, all oil contracts were bought by other countries. It came as a surprise to many people, but America was almost the only country that did not benefit from Iraq's oil reserves.

An oil pipeline in Ecuador leaked more oil into the Amazon rainforest than the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

Because in remote areas of Australia there was a problem with local Aborigines snorting gasoline to achieve a state of euphoria, the country began to use Opal brand gasoline (virtually free of chemical impurities).

Oil drilling involves the process of drilling a well and pumping air into it. Once 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 United States.

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 glue materials together and also as a waterproofing sealant.

The word oil came into the Russian language from Turkish (from the word oil), which comes from Persian naft, and which in turn was borrowed from Semitic languages. Akkadian (Assyrian) word nаptn"oil" comes from a Semitic verbal root npt With original value"to spew out, to vomit" (Arabic naft, nafta- “erupted, ejected”).

There are other versions of the meaning of the word oil. For example, according to some sources the word oil comes from Akkadian napatum, which means “to flare up, ignite”, according to others - from ancient Iranian naft meaning “something wet, liquid.”

But, for example, the Chinese, who were the first, by the way, to drill 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 British call crude oil, also, by the way, means “mountain oil” and comes from the Greek petra(mountain) and Latin oleum(oil).

2. Do you think oil came from extinct dinosaurs?

It may seem strange to petroleum experts, but many people outside the oil industry think that oil came from dinosaurs and other ancient animals.

Oil actually came from organic material(remains of living organisms), but these were organisms much smaller than dinosaurs. According to scientists, the starting material for the formation of oil were microorganisms inhabiting coastal sea ​​waters- plankton, 90% of which is phytoplankton.

3. Or maybe you think that oil lies underground in the form of oil lakes or seas?

This is another misconception that people who are far from oil industry. In fact, there are no oil lakes in the bowels of the earth. The earth's crust is composed of rocks of different mineral composition and different densities. Rocks with a relatively low density, which have the property of containing mobile substances (fluids), such as oil, gas, water, are called reservoirs. Such reservoir rocks, saturated with oil, form oil fields.

4. Oil has been used by humans for over 6,000 years.

Oil has been known to people since ancient times. In ancient Babylon, bitumen was used in the construction of buildings and for sealing ships. Tar was first used in the 8th century in Baghdad for road construction. The ancient Egyptians and subsequently the Greeks used primitive lamps for lighting, the fuel for which was light oil.

During the Byzantine Empire, “Greek fire”, an incendiary mixture, was a formidable weapon, since attempts to extinguish it with water only intensified the burning. Its exact composition is lost, but scientists suggest that it was a mixture of various petroleum products and other flammable substances.

5. Do you love whales? Good, because it was only thanks to oil that they were saved from complete destruction.

In the nineteenth century there was a huge demand for whale oil. Whale oil was widely used in lighting lamps because it burned slowly without producing smoke or an unpleasant odor. In addition, whale oil was used to make candles, as a lubricant for watch mechanisms, as a protective coating in early photographs, and as a necessary element in the manufacture of medicines, soaps and cosmetics.

Due to increased demand, whale hunting led to the almost complete extinction of these animals by the mid-19th century. But thanks to cheaper kerosene from petroleum distillation and the discovery of its safe use as a light source, demand for whale oil began to decline sharply. The US whaling fleet, for example, consisted of 735 ships in 1846, and by 1879 there were only 39 of them left. In the end, whaling almost completely ceased, as it lost any economic sense.

The only thing that whale oil is still used for is space exploration. It turned out that whale oil (more precisely, sperm whale oil) does not freeze even at abnormally low temperatures (such as exist in outer space). Thereby unique property whale oil is an ideal lubricant for use in space probes.

6. Gasoline was once extremely cheap... because it was useless.

At the dawn of the development of the oil industry, the target product of oil refining was kerosene. This was before cars became a popular and widespread means of transportation. Gasoline, which at that time was a by-product of distilling oil into kerosene, was not in significant demand. It was a very cheap product that was used to treat lice or as a solvent to remove grease stains from fabric. In fact, gasoline was so cheap that many oil companies simply dumped it into the river.

7. The reason why Saudi sheikhs are so rich.

Oil production is a rather complex process, but at the same time, oil production technology has been quite well studied and developed. Saudi Aramco is a national company producing oil in Saudi Arabia and 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's what he writes (in my rather loose translation):

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 wells and modernizing refineries, the price is already 21 dollars per barrel.

8. In 1900, Russia produced more than half of the world's oil production.

In 1900, 631.1 million poods of oil were produced in Russia, which amounted to 51.6% of all world oil production.

At that time, oil production was carried out in 10 countries: Russia, USA, 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 this, due to the economic crisis and falling demand, oil production volumes in Russia began to decline. The price of oil, which was 16 kopecks in 1900. per pood, in 1901, due to an oversupply, fell by 2 times to 8 kopecks. per pood. In 1902 the price was 7 kopecks. per pood, after which there was a tendency towards a recovery in demand and oil production volumes. This trend was interrupted by the revolution of 1905, which was accompanied by arson and the general destruction of the Baku oil fields.

9. An increase in oil prices inevitably leads to an increase in prices for all goods.

So what if the price of oil is rising? Even if it increases significantly, and gasoline prices follow suit, it would seem that to an ordinary person is that what it's all about? You can walk to work, or ride a bike, for that matter.

Although most oil is used to propel various types transport, yet part of it is used for heating needs and some part is used to obtain chemical components that are used in almost all consumer goods sold in stores today.

And although at first an increase in oil prices may not lead to an increase in prices for consumer goods (due to various reasons), however, most economists believe that this is just a matter of time.

Since oil is a non-renewable source of energy, many scientists and oil specialists are concerned about how long we will have enough oil and when it will run out. Peak Oil Theory was expressed in 1956 by the American geophysicist King Hubbert. He predicted that US oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970 and then decline. Subsequently, this concept was expanded to cover the entire world oil production.

Although the threat of complete depletion of existing oil reserves seems rather vague and very distant, there is a more real and closer threat besides it. This threat lies in the inelastic demand for oil. Inelastic demand for oil means that a relatively small drop in production can cause the price of oil to soar. The oil shock experienced Western countries in the 70s, was caused by a 25% drop in supply in the oil market. At the same time, the price of oil jumped by 400%. That is why reaching the peak of world oil production and the subsequent significant drop clearly brings with it significant problems for the entire world economy.

The concept of peak oil has both its ardent adherents and equally staunch opponents. Rising oil prices, according to supporters of peak oil, clearly indicate a lack of production volumes and the approach of its peak values. It is often pointed out that oil production has already peaked in many oil-producing countries, including the United States, where maximum production was reached in 1971 and has been falling steadily since then. And what happened in some oil-producing countries will inevitably happen in all others. The only question is when exactly this will happen, and how sharply production will fall.

Opponents of the peak oil concept point out that the projected date for the peak of global oil production has been revised more than once. Each time it is transferred to more late date, upon reaching which it is transferred again. Hubbert, who correctly predicted peak oil in the United States, greatly miscalculated his prediction of global peak oil production. According to his theory, world oil production should have increased until the year 2000, after which a global recession was predicted. As we know, nothing of the kind happened.

Critics of the peak oil theory point to the opportunities offered by the development of new oil production technologies and the involvement in the development of unconventional hard-to-recover oil reserves (heavy and extra-heavy oil, bitumen oil, shale oil). According to many prominent scientists and specialists, rates of growth global production will gradually decline. Then oil production stabilizes at a certain level that is quite acceptable for the world economy. In parallel, alternative, including renewable, energy sources will be developed. And thus, it will be possible to avoid any shocks due to oil shortages.

Question “Have we reached peak oil production?” still remains open and not fully clarified. So far, the trend of transition of the global oil industry from the production of light oil to the production of heavier and more difficult-to-reach oil is only clearly visible.

It is no coincidence that today such a mineral as oil is called black gold or even “blood.” modern civilization" Almost everything is made from oil: from film to plastic swimming goggles. We have collected 14 of the most interesting facts about oil and oil production:

1. 1. What does the word "oil" mean?

The word in Russian oil came from Turkish (from the word oil), which comes from Persian naft, and which in turn was borrowed from Semitic languages. Akkadian (Assyrian) word nаptn"oil" comes from a Semitic verbal root npt with the original meaning “to spew out, vomit out.”

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 “to flare up, ignite,” according to others, from the ancient Iranian naft meaning “something wet, liquid.”

But, for example, the Chinese, who were the first, by the way, to drill 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 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 industrial oil production begin?

World history industrial production 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 flame” coming from the sacred mountain Yanadarg come from?

Here, in the suburbs of Baku, is the most famous of the volcanoes, Yanadarg, known as Burning Mountain. From its depths comes natural gas, 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 crumbly sandstone or fractured limestone and can even move around, soaking into the layers like water soaking into a sponge. During geological processes horizontal layers become distorted, and oil begins to migrate more actively through them. Due to the fact that the pressure at depth is greater than at the surface, oil does not flow down, but, on the contrary, tends to the top. Once oil enters such a fold, it cannot leave it. Geologists call this structure a “hydrocarbon trap,” in which a huge amount of oil accumulates, forming a field. 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 for oil, was considered crazy?

Outside Russia, the first oil well was drilled in 1859 in the United States by Colonel Edwin Drake in the vicinity of Titusville, Pennsylvania, general representative of the Seneca Oil Company. Due to attempts to use drilling to find and extract oil, local residents considered Drake crazy. In addition, Drake, according to his own statement, invented the casing pipe, “without which no one could drill in the lowlands where the ground is flooded.”

6. 6. When did oil production begin in Russia?

In Russia, until the mid-19th century, oil was extracted from Absheron Peninsula from wells, and already on July 14, 1848, the world's first oil well was drilled in the town of Bibi-Heybat by impact using wooden rods.

In 1900, 631.1 million poods of oil were produced in Russia, which amounted to 51.6% of all world oil production.At that time, oil production was carried out in 10 countries: Russia, USA, 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 this, due to the economic crisis and falling demand, oil production volumes in Russia began to decline. The price of oil, which was 16 kopecks in 1900. per pood, in 1901, due to an oversupply, fell by 2 times to 8 kopecks. per pood. In 1902 the price was 7 kopecks. per pood, after which there was a tendency towards a recovery in demand and oil production volumes. 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". Data obtained from each profile allows you to build a section rocks, on which all underground structures will be clearly visible. If geophysicists find a “hydrocarbon trap,” then most likely there will be a deposit there.

Most effective method oil search – seismic survey. The principle of this method is similar to medical ultrasound. For doctors, the device generates ultrasonic waves that are reflected from tissues 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 subsoil, 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 strata.

8. 8. What is a seismic vibrator and how does it work?

Seismic vibratoris 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.

The group of seismic vibrators must move exactly along the profile on which the seismic receivers are installed. Every 100 m, the seismic vibrators stop to give out a powerful vibration pulse. The support platform lowers, lifting the 20-tonne machine. At this time, a signal from the seismic station arrives in the driver’s cabin.

The car begins to “bounce” 80 times per second. You can't see it with 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 of thin wire, freely suspended on a spring. The incoming wave vibrates the receiver body along with the magnet, and the coil begins to move. The magnetic field induces an alternating voltage in it, repeating the shape of the vibrations. 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, used to treat colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases, and para-aminosalicylic acid, used in anti-tuberculosis drugs, are produced from salicylic acid.

Various petroleum derivatives are used in drugs that help people get rid of allergies, headaches, nervous stress or infectious diseases. Esters and alcohols are often used to produce antibiotics.

11. What kind of legend tells about the discovery of the healing properties of Naftalan oil?

There is 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 they allowed one, the weakest and sickest, to drink and be left to die so that he would not suffer any longer. On the way back, the caravanners met their abandoned companion - the camel was completely healthy. He was helped by the oily liquid under the turbidity of the water. People smeared it on their wounds and were healed.

12. Is it true that oil can save humanity from hunger?

Oil can save humanity not only from disease, but also from hunger. Refining just 2% of the volume of annually produced oil can 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's what he writes (in my rather loose translation):

Saudi Aramco is the most profitable company on the planet. It does not fully disclose its financials, but roughly its net profit is $200 billion a year, with annual revenue exceeding $350 billion. Last year, Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi told reporters that the average cost of producing one a barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia is $2. This barrel of oil sells for $130. If you pass the same barrel of oil through a complex petrochemical plant, it will easily bring in $500 in income.

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 wells and modernizing refineries, the price is already 21 dollars per barrel.

14. Why does an increase in oil prices lead to a change in the dollar exchange rate and an increase in prices for all goods?

So what if the price of oil is rising? Even if it increases significantly, and gasoline prices follow suit, it would seem, why would an ordinary person care? You can walk or ride a bicycle to work.

Here's the thing: once upon a time there was a dollar. They gave 35 rubles for it. Thus, with an oil price of $100 per barrel, the country’s budget received roughly 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 a conditional 1,750 rubles at a constant ruble exchange rate. Thus, a shortage of money appears in the budget and a deficit arises, and the ruble exchange rate weakens to compensate for what was not received into the budget. As a result, in order to get the same 3 conventional 3,500 rubles from 1 barrel of oil at a price of 50 dollars 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