What is crude oil?
Crude oil is a fossil fuel that is made up of the remains of ancient plants and animals that were buried in sand and rock in the depths of the ocean and seas and compressed and converted into hydrocarbon compounds such as crude oil due to pressure and heat applied to them. This process began millions of years ago, right when small marine organisms were abundant in the seas. Crude oil is a complex and natural liquid whose most common ingredients are hydrocarbons. But this valuable substance also contains other compounds such as oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur compounds. We know oil as black gold. This valuable substance is used as fuel and is usually extracted from difficult and dangerous places with its own technology.
Oil extraction technology
Oil extraction from the depths of the seas and oceans is done in two ways: land drilling and offshore drilling. As the names of these two methods suggest, in land drilling, wells are drilled deep into the ground to access crude oil reservoirs. Offshore drilling also extracts oil from the seabed and oceans. After extraction, the oil is sent to refineries to be converted into petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and plastic. Now, in this section, we will discuss the stages of offshore drilling and oil extraction from the sea.
- Exploration
There are various technologies in this stage of oil extraction from the sea. In the first stage, rocks that are likely to contain oil are found and, using more technologies, they study their structure and formation. This analysis and study includes sending samples to a laboratory to accurately measure the potential of the rocks for development and extraction.
- Drilling
We reach the second stage, if the sample sent has the desired qualifications and if the reservoir is economically developed based on market price and other factors, drilling should begin. This phase involves the installation of various technologies and equipment at specific locations on permanent drilling platforms. This phase also continues the reservoir assessment by collecting data and initial resources and possibly installing additional wells to fully exploit the oil and gas.
- Production
This phase begins and can be used when the wells are drilled and ready for production, in fact, when the required equipment and devices are installed at that location and ready to be put into operation. Modern production methods include special production vessels, mobile production units and compatible structures that are anchored in the deep sea. There are also other facilities available for storing and transporting well fluids from land to the production platform.
Offshore animation production is usually arranged vertically but sometimes it is possible to discharge fluids through inclined or horizontal boreholes. Some production may be discharged by multilateral wells at different depths of the sea and several flow units. If the reservoir pressure is sufficient, production can be carried out in some places without water.
- Transportation
The final stage of oil refining is transportation, which, as we know, is carried out by underwater pipes or by ships that are specifically designed to transport oil. Pipes and oil transport lines may be buried and operated under the sea or above the sea, and there are places where they are connected to flow line systems that are transferred directly to nearby storage tanks or oil transport ships. These oil transport ships may work for one well or several wells, collecting oil from several wells and transporting it to the port and then to the terminal and the desired location.
The value of oil extraction
We all know that crude oil has a lot of value and its products are used in various industries. Industries such as agriculture, detergents, paints, rubber, plastics, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, transportation systems are just a small example of these applications. For example, oil can be used in modern transportation systems that are powered by gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel.
Summary
Crude oil is a fluid that has been produced over very long periods of time by the movement of sedimentary rocks and a series of chemical processes in the inner layers of the earth. However, the extraction and use of crude oil has many environmental impacts such as oil spills in the seas, water and soil pollution, and the production of greenhouse gases, and is a threat to wildlife and the environment. With the increasing concern of advanced societies and the reduction of oil resources, attention has been paid to renewable energies such as solar and wind energy, etc.