Petroleum

Petroleum is an oil that is found underground.

Petroleum
means

rock oil
or
oil from the earth.

Petroleum is a Fossil Fuel.

It was made from plants
and animals.
The energy in petroleum
came from plants and
animals.

That energy came from

the sun.

The plants and

animals lived
millions of years
ago.
They were alive
before the
dinosaurs!
When they died, they
were buried on the
ocean floor.

Over the years,

layers of mud built
up, covering the
dead plants and
animals.

Heat and pressure

from these layers
helped the remains
turn into what we
today call crude
oil.

Petroleum is Non-Renewable.
The petroleum we use today
took millions of years to
form.

We cant make more in a

short time.
Thats why we call it a nonrenewable energy source.

Today, the oil is found underground.

Petroleum is buried underground
in tiny pockets in rocks.
The oil is trapped in
rocks almost like
water is trapped in a
wet sponge!

So how do we get petroleum

out of the ground?

We drill oil wells!

Pockets of
oil that
are deep
underground
are called
deposits
or
reservoirs.

Oil wells
pump out the
oil and bring it
to the surface.

Oil Well

Some oil wells

are more than
two miles
deep!

Oil is found in two places:

Underneath land.

Underneath the ocean.

(off-shore)

Land-Based
Well

Off-Shore
Well
Oil rigs that can
float are used to
reach oil beneath
the ocean.

Most of these
wells are in the
Gulf of Mexico.

After the oil is drilled, it is sent to

refineries.
We move oil in big ships called tankers.

Day 2

 Sometimes we move oil in pipes

under the ground.

We cant use crude

oil as it comes out of
the ground.

We must change it
into the fuels that we
can use.

A refinery is a factory that

processes oil.

At the refinery, the crude oil is separated

into many fuels and products.

Jet Fuel
Propane
Gasoline
Diesel

Over two-thirds
of the petroleum
mined is used to
make gasoline,
diesel fuel, and
heating oil!

Products made from one barrel of

crude oil
One barrel
of crude oil
produces
19.7 gallons
of gasoline!

We also
burn oil to
make
electricity!

The demand for petroleum-based

products is very high.
Petroleum use
impacts every part
of our lives!
Americans use
more petroleum
than any other
energy source!

Texas produces the most oil!

Unfortunately, we use much

more oil than we produce.
The U.S. only
produces about
one-third the
amount of oil that
we use!

Petroleum makes our lives

easier, but

Petroleum damages the

environment!
Drilling for oil
disturbs fragile
land and ocean
environments.

Transporting oil

may endanger
wildlife if its

spilled on rivers
and oceans.

Even careless disposal of

motor oil from our cars can

pollute streams and rivers!

 Gasoline

burned in our cars

pollutes the air.

 Oil

burned

in factories
causes
pollution.

The petroleum industry works

hard to protect the environment.
Oil is drilled and
transported as safely as
possible, to avoid spills.
Gasoline has been
changed to burn cleaner.

Discussion Questions
Where are most of the off-shore oil
rigs located?
What are some recent events that
impacted oil production in this area?
How did the disruption of oil
production impact your life?