One Crude, Many Products: Why Oil Splits So Many Ways
In short: Why one crude oil yields so many fuels and materials: a varied chemistry formed by heat underground, separated by boiling point in refineries and reshaped by cracking, with real uncertainty about how predictable the geology is.
A 1:59 short film in the series “Why Did…?”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Springer Nature (chapter by Chang Samuel Hsu and Paul R. Robinson, in Petroleum Science and Technology, 2024), “Elemental and Chemical Compositions”; Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (chapter by Bernard P. Tissot and Dietrich H. Welte, 'Petroleum Formation and Occurrence', 1978), “Formation of Petroleum in Relation to Geological Processes. Timing of Oil and Gas Generation”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Petroleum - Formation, Maturation, Kerogen | Britannica”; BBC Bitesize (British Broadcasting Corporation), “Fractional distillation of crude oil - Fractional distillation of crude oil - 4th level Science Revision - BBC Bitesize”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Crude oil distillation and the definition of refinery capacity - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)”; United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), “Petroleum Refineries (Catalytic Cracking, Catalytic Reforming and Sulfur Recovery Units): National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) | US EPA”.
Sources used in this film
- Springer Nature (chapter by Chang Samuel Hsu and Paul R. Robinson, in Petroleum Science and Technology, 2024) — Elemental and Chemical Compositions · View →
- Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (chapter by Bernard P. Tissot and Dietrich H. Welte, 'Petroleum Formation and Occurrence', 1978) — Formation of Petroleum in Relation to Geological Processes. Timing of Oil and Gas Generation · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Petroleum - Formation, Maturation, Kerogen | Britannica · View →
- BBC Bitesize (British Broadcasting Corporation) — Fractional distillation of crude oil - Fractional distillation of crude oil - 4th level Science Revision - BBC Bitesize · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Crude oil distillation and the definition of refinery capacity - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · View →
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · View →
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) — Petroleum Refineries (Catalytic Cracking, Catalytic Reforming and Sulfur Recovery Units): National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) | US EPA · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Springer Nature (chapter by Chang Samuel Hsu and Paul R. Robinson, in Petroleum Science and Technology, 2024): Elemental and Chemical Compositions
- Also: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (chapter by Bernard P. Tissot and Dietrich H. Welte, 'Petroleum Formation and Occurren: Formation of Petroleum in Relation to Geological Processes. Timing of Oil and Gas Generation
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Petroleum - Formation, Maturation, Kerogen | Britannica
- Also: BBC Bitesize (British Broadcasting Corporation): Fractional distillation of crude oil - Fractional distillation of crude oil - 4th level Science Revision - BBC Bitesize
- Also: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Crude oil distillation and the definition of refinery capacity - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Also: www.eia.gov — Refining crude oil - the refining process - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- Also: United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA): Petroleum Refineries (Catalytic Cracking, Catalytic Reforming and Sulfur Recovery Units): National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) | US EPA
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