Science Common Sense
644 - What is crude oil, and how is it refined?
Crude oil is a type of liquid fuel that comes from deep within the Earth. It's made from the remains of tiny plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Imagine a big process machine that separates and transforms this crude oil into different useful liquids. That machine is called an oil refinery. Here's a simple overview of how it works:
- Crude oil extraction: Crude oil is pumped out of the ground from oil wells.
- Crude oil transportation: The crude oil is transported to the refinery via pipelines or big ships.
- Refining: At the refinery, the crude oil is heated and separated into different liquids, called fractions, based on their thickness and boiling points.
- Separation: These fractions are then separated into different products, such as:
- Gasoline (fuel for cars)
- Diesel fuel (fuel for trucks and generators)
- Jet fuel (fuel for airplanes)
- Heating oil (used for heating homes)
- Lubricants (like motor oil)
- Petrochemicals (used to make plastics and other materials)
- Treatment and storage: The separated products are treated and cleaned to remove any impurities and stored in tanks or pipelines for distribution.
Refining crude oil helps turn it into the many useful products we use every day.