E n g lis h fo r S c ie n c e
&
T e c h n o lo g y
e a r th . B e c a u s e it b u m s w e ll, it is u s e d
as fuel and
in s o m e w a y s it is s u p e r io r to c o a l in th is
r e s p e c t. ,M a n y b ig
ships now
b u rn
o il in s te a d o f c o a l. B e c a u s e it b u rn s b rig h tly ,i t is used
fo r
illu m in a tio n ; c o u n tle s s h o m e s a re s till illu m in a te d w ith o il-b u rn in g la m p s . B e c a u s e it is v e ry
s lip p e ry
it is u s e d fo r lu b ric a tio n . T w o m e ta l s u rfa c e s ru b b in g to g e th e r c a u s e fric tio n
and heat; buti fth e y
are separated by
a thin
f ilm
of o il, the friction
a n d
heat are reduced. No
m a c h in e w o u ld
w ork
fo r
lo n g if it w e re n o t p ro p e rly
lu b ric a te d . T h e o il u sed
fo r th is p u rp o se m ust be of the correct
th ic k n e s s ; if it is to o th in
i tw ill r,o t g iv e s u ffic ie n t lu b ric a tio n , a n d
if it is too thick
it w ill not
re a c h
all parts that m usth
h e a te d .
t
T h e e x is te n c e o f o il w e lls h a s b e e n
k n o w n fo r a lo n g tim e . S o m e o f th e In d ia n s o f N o rth
A m erica
u s e d
to c o lle c t a n d
sell the oil from
th e w e lls o f P e n n s y lv a n ia . N o
one, how ever, seerns to have
re a lis e d th e im p o rta n c e o f th is o il u n tili t was found
th a t p a ra ffin -o il c o u ld b e m a d e fro m
it; this
le d
t o
th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e w e lls a n d to
th e m a k in g
o f eriorm ous profits. W hen
th e in te rn a l
c o m b u s tio ne n g in e w a s in v e n te d , o il b e c a m e o f w o rld w id e im p o rta n c e .
W h a t w a s th e o rig in o f th e o il, w h ic h
n o w
d riv e s o u r m o to rc a rs a n d
air- craft?S c ie n tis tsa re
c o n fid e n t a b o u t th e fo rm a tio n o f c o a l, b u t th e y
d o
not seem
so sure when
a s k e d
a b o u t o il. T h e y
th in k th a t th e o il u n d e r th e s u rfa c e o f th e e a rth o rig in a te d
in
th e d is ta n t p a s t, a n d
w as form ed from
llv in g th in g s in
th e s e a . C o u n tle s s b illio n s o f m in u te s e a c re a tu re s a n d
p la n ts liv e d a n d
s a n k to th e
seabed. They
w e re c o v e re d w ith h u g e deposirs of m ud; and
b y
processes of chem istry, pressure and
te m p e ra tu re w e re c h a n g e d th ro u g h lo n g a g e s in to w h a t w e k n o w
a s o il. F o r th e s e c re a tu re s to
becom e oil, it w as necessary
th a t th e y
s h o u ld b e im p ris o n e d
b e tw e e n
layers of rock for an
e n o rm o u s le n g th o f tim e . T h e s ta te m e n t th a t o il o rig in a te d in
the sea is confirm ed by
a glance at a
m a p s h o w in g th e c h ie f o ilfie ld s o f th e w o rld ; v e ry
fe w
o f th e m
are far distant from
th e o c e a n s o f
to d a y . In
som e places gas and oil com e up to the surface of the sea from
its b e d . T h e ro c k s in
w h ic h o il is fo u n d a re o f m a rin e o rig in to o . T h e y
a re sedim er~taryrocks, rocks that w ere laid down
b y
th e a c tio n
of w ater on the bed
o f th e o c e a n . A lm o s t a lw a y s th e re m a in s o f s h e lls , a n d o th e r
p ro o fs o f s e a life , a re fo u n d
cloSe to the oil.4
v e ry
c o m m o n s e d im e n ta ry ro c k is c a lle d s h a le ,
w hich is a soft rock -and was obviously form ed by
b e in g d e p o s ite d o n
the seabed. And
w h e re th e re
is shale there is likely
t o
b e o il.
G e o lo g is ts , s c ie n tis ts w h o s tu d y ro c k s , in d ic a te th e lik e ly p la c e s to
the oil drillers. In
s o m e c a s e s o il
c o m e s o u t o f th e g ro u n d w ith o u t a n y d rillin g a t a ll a n d h a s b e e n
u s e d
for hundreds of years. In
th e
island of T rinidad the oil is in
the form
of asphalt, a substance used
for m aking
roads. Sir W alter
R a le ig h
v is ite d
th e fa m o u s P itc h
Lake of Trinidad in
1 5 9 5 ; it is s a id to c o n ta in n in e th o tis a n d
m illio n to n n e s o f a s p h a lt. T h e re a re p ro b a b ly
h u g e q u a n titie s o f c ru d e o il b e n e a th
the surface.
T h e k in g
o f th e o~ lfieldis the driller. H e is a very
s k ille d m a n . S o m e tim e s h e s e n d s h is d rill m o re
th a n
a m ile into the earth. D uring the process of drilling, gas'and oil at great pressure may
s u d d e n ly b e m e t, a n d
if th is ru s h e s o u t a n d c a tc h e s fire th e o il w e ll m a y
n e v e r b e b ro u g h t in to
o p e ra tio n a t a ll. T h is d a n g e r is w e ll k n o w n
and steps are alw ays taken
to p re v e n t it.
There is a lot of luck in
drilling for oil. T he drill m ay just m iss the oil although it is near; on
th e
o th e r h a n d , it m a y
strike oil at a fairly
h ig h le v e l. W hen
th e d rill g o e s d o w n , it b rin g s u p s o il. T h e
s a m p le s o f s o il fro m
v a rio u s d e p th s a re e x a m in e d fo r tra c e s o f o il. If th e y
a re d is a p p o in te d a t o n e
p la c e , th e d rille rs g o to a n o th e r. G re a t s u m s o f m o n e y
have been spent, for exam ple in
th e d e s e rts
o f E g y p t, in
'p ro s p e c tin g ' fo r o il. S o m e tim e s little is fo u n d . W h e n
w e buy
a few
g a llo n s o f p e tro l
for our cars, w e pay
n o t o n ly
th e c o s t o f th e p e tro l, h u t a ls o p a rt o f th e c o s t o f th e s e a rc h th a t is
a lw a y s g o in g o n .
W hen
th e c ru d e
o ili so b ta in e d fro m
the field, it is taken
to the refineries to
b e tre a te d . T h e
com m onest form
o f tre a tm e n t is h e a tin g . W h e n
th e o il is h e a te d , th e firs t v a p o u rs to ris e a re c o o le d
a n d b e c o m e th e fin e s t p e tro l. P e tro l h a s a lo w
b o ilin g
p o in t; if a little is p o u re d
in to th e h a n d , it
s o o n
v a p o riz e s . G a s th a t c o m e s o ff th e o il la te r is c o n d e n s e d in to p a ra ffin . L a s t o f a ll th e
-
lu b ric a tin g o ils o f v a rio u s g ra d e s a re p ro d u c e d . W h a t re m a in s is h e a v y
oil that is used as fuel.
There are four m ain
a re a s o f th e w o rld w h e re d e p o s its o f o il a p p e a r. T h e firs t is th a t o f th e M id d le
East, and
in c lu d e s th e re g io n s n e a r th e C a s p ia n S e a , th e B la c k S e a , th e R e d
Sea and
the Persian
G u lf. A n o th e r is th e a re a b e tw e e n
N o rth
a n d
S o u th A m e ric a , a n d th e th ird , b e tw e e n A s ia a n d
A u s tra lia , in c lu d e s th e Islan,d of Sum atra, Borneo and Java.
The fourth area is the part near the North.P o le . W h e n a ll th e p re s e n t o il fie ld s a r e e x h a u s te d , iti s
p o s s ib le th a t th is c o ld re g io n
m ay
b e c o m e th e s c e n e o f o il a c tiv ity . Y et th e d iffic u ltie s w ill b e g re a t,
rin d
the costs m ay
b e so h ig h
th a t n o c o m p a n y
w ill u n d e rta k e th e w o rk . If p ro g re s s in
u s in g a to m ic
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