Petroleum - Chemical Composition, Formation, Technology used to Research Paper

Petroleum - Chemical Composition, Formation, Technology used to process, Products derived from petroleum, and History - Research Paper Example Petroleum powered nearly all conveyances, further it is used to generate electricity, and in making of paints, soaps, plastics, inks, and medicines, etc. Beyond any shadow of doubt today's world in incomplete without petroleum. However, petroleum cannot be used directly as a fuel or chemical producer because of its highly complex nature and presence of poisonous or corrosive impurities. Therefore, it is processed and refined to separate amalgams into simpler fractions that can be used as fuels, lubricants, or chemical producers. Tremendous growth and research is observed in the field of Petroleum due to its wide application, complex formation, structure, and refinement processing (â€Å"Petroleum†). Fomation of Petroleum Petroleum is originated from the debris of animal and plant i.e. perpetuated organic material, that’s why it is also known as a fossil fuel. Sea floor (oceanic anoxic events), Oxygen-minimum zones, and anoxic silled basins are the areas where organic ma terial can stockpile ("Petroleum Formation").  Ã‚  It is widely recognized because of low oxygen level organic material gets preserved i.e. prevents degradation. Kerogen (Tucker 262) a waxy substance is formed by the burial diagenesis of organic material. It believes high temperatures (50-80 oC)  is enough for developing the sedimented rocks and initiate the production of alkanes and cyclo-alkanes.  Ã‚  Subsequently, petroleum is formed by hydrocarbon pyrolysis on intense temperature and pressure. Oil window is the area, where the probability of petroleum production is highest, ordinally the temperature of the oil window is around 75-120 oC, and it located at a depth of 2-3.5 Km. Once the petroleum is generated, it is shifted to reservoir rocks from where it is collected. Unfortunately, the time required between the rock depositions to oil window, i.e. maturation period is not sorted out yet. However, generally it takes million of years. Among several factors behind petroleum generation, it believes that the significant quantity of oil may generate if burial time is huge even temperature is lower than required. For example, Paleozoic basins give rise to significant oil at 50 degrees Celsius while 115 oC are required for oil production via the younger Mio-Pliocene basins at nearly the identical burial depth. In addition to, it is observed that Paleozoic source rocks developed during the Cretaceous times, due to large tectonic activity occurring (Tissot, and Welte 699). Composition of Petroleum Hydrocarbon, non-hydrocarbon (S, O, N, etc.), organometallic compounds and inorganic salts are the constituent of petroleum ("Petroleum composition"). Hydrocarbon: Principal constituent of petroleum is the hydrocarbon; closely all types of hydrocarbon are present in petroleum. Alkenes and alkyne are the only two hydrocarbons which  are  not present in petroleum. Following  is the major classes of hydrocarbons present in petroleum. 1. Alkanes It is saturated hy drocarbon and also recognized as paraffins.  Ã‚  Generally, alkanes are symbolized by a formula CnH2n+2.  It is  present in a dissolved state within the petroleum. 2. Cycloparaffins It is saturated hydrocarbon and also known as napthenes, present in crude oil. However, its ratio is dependent on the type of petroleum. The lower members of naphthenes are cyclopentane, cyclohexane, and