Oil is often called “black gold”, as it brings good profit to those people who extract it. Many people wonder how oil was formed and what its composition is. Next, try to figure it out.
Main components
The composition of oil includes the following components:
- Hydrocarbon. This component is divided, in turn, into naphthenic, methane and aromatic elements.
- Asphalt-resinous. The group of these elements is divided into substances soluble in gasoline. They are called asphaltenes. As well as insoluble elements (resins).
- Ash. These are various chemicals that are formed during the burning of oil.
Destination
This product is of two types. Namely, there is crude and refined oil. In the first case, we mean a substance that was formed in nature. Among other things, it includes rock fragments, gases, water and salts. Due to the fact that these components do not carry anything useful to humans and harm the equipment of oil producers, they are disposed of by refining oil.
Of this mineral, plastic, cleaning products, paints, and explosives are made. Diesel fuel and gas are also produced from oil. Even car tires are made from this mineral. Some medicines are also made from oil.
The specified fossil is a fuel feed. And from this comes the conversion of energy. Namely mechanical, thermal, etc. If oil reserves are exhausted, then people will have to look for a replacement for her. This substance will most likely replace the hydrogen in the water. But humanity still has to learn how to obtain energy from hydrogen. Today, scientists are working on this issue.
How was oil formed?
Consider this item in more detail. There are two theories about how oil was formed. Today they have their opponents and supporters among scientists.
Theory No. 1 is called biogenic. According to her, the process of oil formation was carried out from organic residues of various animals and plants for many millions of years. This theory was first put forward by the famous Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov.
Human civilization is developing much faster than the rate of oil production. Therefore, it is a non-renewable natural resource. According to biogenic theory, oil will dry up in the near future. Some scientists predict that the extraction of "black gold" will last no more than 30 years.
Another theory is much more optimistic and gives hope to the largest oil companies. They call it abiogenic. The founder of this theory was D.I. Mendeleev. One day, visiting Baku, he met the famous geologist German Abih, who shared with him his thoughts on how oil was formed. Abih noted that all the large deposits of this fossil are located mainly next to the cracks and faults of the earth's crust.
Taking into account this information, Mendeleev created his own theory about how oil is formed in nature. It says that surface waters, which penetrate deep into the earth's crust through cracks, react with metals and their carbides. As a result, hydrocarbons are formed. They rise gradually along the same cracks in the earth's crust. Over time, an oil field forms in these places. This process lasts no more than 10 years.
This theory of how oil was formed on earth gives scientists the right to assert that the supply of this substance will last for many centuries. That is, the deposits of this mineral can be restored if a person stops production for a while. It is absolutely impossible to do this in conditions of constant population growth. One hope remains for new deposits. To date, work is being done to identify the latest evidence of the truth of abiogenic theory. A well-known Moscow scientist showed that if any hydrocarbon that has a polynaphthenic component is heated to 400 degrees, pure oil will be released. This is a reliable fact.
Artificial oil
In laboratory conditions, you can get this product. They learned to do this in the last century. Why do people extract oil deep underground, and not get it through synthesis? The fact is that it will have a huge market value. It is completely unprofitable to produce it.
The fact that this product can be obtained in laboratory conditions confirms the above abiogenic theory. It has been recently supported by many.
What natural gas is made of
Let us consider for comparison the origin of this mineral. Deceased living organisms, having sunk to the bottom of the sea, were in such an environment where they did not decay either as a result of oxidation (there is practically no air and oxygen), or under the influence of microbes. As a result, silt sediments formed from them. Thanks to geological movements, they sank to great depths, penetrating into the bowels of the earth. For millions of years, these precipitations have been exposed to high temperatures and pressures. As a result of this, a certain process took place in these deposits. That is, the carbon that was contained in the sediment passed into compounds called hydrocarbons. This process is not insignificant in the formation of the specified substance.
High molecular weight hydrocarbons are liquid substances. Of these, oil was created. But low molecular weight hydrocarbons are gaseous-type substances. In nature, there are a considerable number of them. Just from them natural gas also turns out. Only this requires higher pressures and temperatures. Therefore, where oil is extracted, natural gas is always present.
Over time, many deposits of mineral data went to a considerable depth. Over millions of years, sedimentary rocks blocked them.
Determination of the price of oil
Consider this terminology. The price of oil is the cash equivalent of the ratio of supply and demand. There is a certain relationship. That is, if supply falls, then before alignment with demand, value increases.
The price of oil also depends on the quotation of futures or contracts for a given product of one or another grade. This is a significant factor. Thanks to the quick quotation of oil, it is sometimes beneficial to trade stock index futures. The cost of this product is indicated in the international format. Namely, in US dollars per barrel. So, a price of 45.50 on UKOIL means that 1 barrel of this Brent brand product costs $ 45.50.
Oil price is a very important indicator for the Russian stock market. Its significance has a great influence on the development of the country. Basically, the dynamics of this indicator is determined from the economic situation in the United States. It is important to know when deciding how the price of oil is formed. To effectively forecast the dynamics of the stock exchange, a review of the value of a given mineral for a certain time (per week) is necessary, and not just what the price is today.
