What is Crude Oil? | Interesting Facts about Crude Oil

Interesting Facts about Crude Oil

What you think, do you know everything about oil or Crude oil? If your answer is in “Yes” then I promise, you are wrong. Because now I am sharing 20 interesting facts about crude oil and its other kinds. I hope you this will increase your knowledge.

What is Crude Oil?

Crude oil, generally known as petroleum, is a liquid consisting of hydrocarbons, organic compounds and small amounts of mineral in the ground. While hydrocarbons are the main element of crude oil, its composition can range from 50% to 97% depending on the type of crude oil and how it is extracted.

Fact# 1. An oil spill can happen either on land or sea. Both forms of pollution can cause considerable damage to the environment in the form of air, land or water pollution. When the oil has spilled over the water, it creates a shiny substance on the surface of it that prevents marine animals to survive.

Fact# 2. Though it has known that human-made factors are responsible for major oil spills, the fact is that tectonic events can also cause oil spills. Both factors can cause damage to the health of living organisms in surrounding area.

Fact# 3. The word “petroleum” literally translates as “rock oil.” It stems from the Greek word “petra,” meaning rock, and the Latin word “oleum,” meaning oil. Crude oil is considered the “mother of all commodities” because of its use in the manufacturing of numerous products, including gasoline, synthetic fabrics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.

Fact# 4. Approximately 50% of all the oil consumed in the U.S. is for the transportation industry. The states of Texas, Louisiana and California account for over half of all domestic refining capacity.

Leading State of Crude Oil | Interesting Facts about Crude Oil

Fact# 5. Texas is the leading state in crude oil production with over 5 billion barrels of reserves. Federal off-shore drilling areas in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of California produce about a quarter of all domestic crude-oil production. Crude oil has measured in barrels, which are each equivalent to 42 U.S. gallons.

Fact# 6. One barrel of oil represents approximately 19.15 tons of gasoline, 9.21 gallons of diesel, 3.82 gallons of stream fuel, 1.75 gallons of fuel oil. And about 7.3 gallons of diesel other petrochemical products such as tar, asphalt, bitumen, etc. Such as fertilizers, plastics, automotive tires, ammonia, perfumes and even chewing gum are synthesized using petroleum products obtained during the raw refining process.

Fact# 7. The crude varies in the consistency of the water to an almost solid state. New York has the lowest per capita energy consumption of any country. Cushing, Oklahoma, is the specified delivery point for NYMEX oil futures. In 2009, the United States imported about 51% of the oil it consumed this year.

Fact# 8. OPEC countries account for more than three-quarters of the world’s proven oil reserves, and this number is increasing. The United States has more than 200,000 miles of pipelines within its borders. The Ghawar oil field of Saudi Arabia contains about 85 billion barrels of oil (the largest in the world). The oil comes from the decomposition of organic materials under intense heat and pressure for millions of years.

Largest Oil Spill in History

Fact# 9. The largest oil spill in history, the Deepwater Horizon 2010 oil spill, pours 4.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. According to a critical study, about 80% of oil pollution is caused by human error. Oil has been used by people for over 5000 years when used as a medicine for the treatment of diseases such as gout and freezing.

Fact# 10. Saudi Arabia is today the largest oil producer and has the largest reserves (267 billion barrels). The United States is the biggest consumer of oil with more than 19.5 million. Thanks to vast oil reserves and government subsidies, in December 2010, the average gas price in Caracas, Venezuela, is 12 cents per gallon.

Eleventh Largest Oil Reserve | Interesting Facts about Crude Oil

Fact# 11. The United States has the eleventh largest oil reserve in the world at 21 billion barrels. The United States has 4% of the world’s population but consumes 25% of the world’s oil. Oil consumed in the United States leads almost twice by drivers in China and India combined. Saudi Arabia provides 8.1 million barrels of oil per day.

Fact# 12. Oil represents only 5% of the oil in the oceans. The Coast Guard estimates that US waters, wastewater treatment plants spill oil spills twice a year. Oil penetrated for the first time in the United States in Titusville, Pa., In 1859. Crude was pumped before the first Sichuan country in China 2,500 years ago. The first well coast was out of Louisiana in the 1950s.

Source: Wickedfacts.com