Petroleum industry facts for kids
The petroleum industry is a huge global business. It's all about finding, getting, and using petroleum (also known as crude oil). This industry explores for oil deep underground. It then pulls the oil out of the ground and turns it into useful products. The most common products are fuel oil and gasoline (which is also called petrol). These fuels help power cars, trucks, planes, and many other things we use every day.
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What is the Petroleum Industry?
The petroleum industry includes many different steps. These steps work together to bring oil from the ground to your car or home. It is a very important industry because so much of our world relies on energy from oil.
Finding Oil: Exploration
Before oil can be used, it first needs to be found. This step is called exploration. Scientists and engineers look for places where oil might be trapped underground. They use special tools and maps to study the Earth's layers. They often look in areas that were once ancient oceans, where tiny sea creatures died and turned into oil over millions of years.
Getting Oil Out: Extraction
Once oil is found, the next step is to get it out of the ground. This is called extraction. Workers drill deep holes into the Earth to reach the oil. These holes are called oil wells. Pumps are then used to bring the crude oil up to the surface. Sometimes, oil can even seep out of the ground naturally, like a spring.
Making Products: Refining
The crude oil that comes out of the ground is not ready to be used. It needs to be cleaned and changed into different products. This process is called refining. Oil is sent to special factories called refineries. At the refinery, the crude oil is heated and separated into many different products. These products include gasoline for cars, diesel for trucks, jet fuel for planes, and even plastics.
Moving Oil Around: Transport
After refining, the oil products need to be moved to where they will be used. This step is called transport. Oil is moved in many ways. Large ships called oil tankers carry huge amounts of oil across oceans. Long pipes called pipelines carry oil over land. Trains and trucks also help move oil products to different cities and towns.
Selling Oil Products: Marketing
The final step is selling the oil products to people and businesses. This is called marketing. Gasoline is sold at gas stations for cars. Fuel oil is sold to heat homes. Other products, like plastics, are used to make countless items we use every day. The petroleum industry makes sure these products are available around the world.
Images for kids
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World oil reserves, 2013.
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Oil Field in Baku, Azerbaijan, 1926
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Natural oil spring in Korňa, Slovakia.
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Galician oil wells
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World crude oil production from wells (excludes surface-mined oil, such as from Canadian heavy oil sands), 1930-2012
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NIS refinery in Pančevo, Serbia
See also
In Spanish: Industria petrolera para niños
