Petroleum (Crude Oil): Production and Consumption

In order to use the petroleum (crude oil), it must be refined. Once refined, it can be used in a variety of items including gasoline and diesel fuel.

Changing petroleum (crude oil) into gasoline is done in large refineries such as the one pictured here. In a refinery, the petroleum (crude oil) is chemically altered so the gasoline will burn in predictable ways. Basically, the chains of carbon atoms with attached hydrogen atoms are forced to change shape into specific forms.

Fuels are the most common use of petroleum (crude oil). However, petroleum is also used in plastics, wax, asphalt, and many other products.

Oil Exports

Today, petroleum (crude oil) is found on most of the world's continents, but is unevenly distributed. The processes that form petroleum (crude oil) are very specific and lots of conditions must be satisfied. Ideally, there needs to be good proximity of a source rock to a reservoir rock and a good stratigraphic or structural trap. Most of the world's oil is found in the Middle East where conditions for petroleum (crude oil) formation are the most ideal.