Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 6-10 Subject: Multidisciplinary

Petroleum Find

On May 16, 2000, a consortium of Western oil companies headed by Chevron Corp. announced the discovery of what might be the largest petroleum reserve in the past 20 years. The site is in the Caspian Sea off Kazakhstan, formerly a part of the Soviet Union. The site is believed to contain from 8 billion to more than 50 billion barrels of crude oil.

The new discovery is likely to escalate competition between the U.S. and Russia, both of which are vying for control over pipelines planned to deliver oil from the Caspian area to European markets.

The U.S. is backing plans for a pipeline from Azerbaijan's capital city, Baku, through Georgia to Ceyhan, a Turkish port on the Mediterranean coast. The U.S. hopes to keep Caspian pipelines from running south through Iran, and also hopes to prevent Russia from being the dominant owner of export routes.

The focus of this week's online lesson is not on the politics of oil production and shipping, but rather on the product itself. You will learn about the geology of fossil fuels and the history and engineering of petroleum refining.

Geography

Before turning to the science of fossil fuels, take a minute to visit MSN Encarta and read about the Caspian Sea region. What is special about this inland body of water? View the Map of the Caspian Sea and note the countries surrounding it. Also note the city of Baku on the West shore. This is where the proposed U.S. pipeline would begin. Trace the approximate path of the pipeline by visiting the country maps of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Why would the U.S. not want the pipeline running through Iran?

Geology

Petroleum—crude oil—is a fossil. It is the remains of plant and animal life from millions of years ago. Learn more about this useful fossil at the Ashland Oil Company's What's Oil? page. What are some common items made from petroleum? How is petroleum transported to refineries? What substance comes from the bottom layer of the refinery?

Another great place on the Web to learn about petroleum is the Chevron Learning Center. Visit the first three links in order: What is crude oil? What is a refinery? and A Prospecting Primer. This third page relates directly to the oil field discovered in the Caspian Sea. Click the image map to learn about the geologic conditions necessary to produce crude oil reserves, and to learn about the tools geologists use to locate places far underground where these conditions exist.

Math

It's time to get down to the numbers on petroleum refining (now's a good time to sharpen your pencil). Browse to the Facts About Oil page hosted by the American Petroleum Institute. There's no shortage of numbers on this page. Click What a Barrel of Crude Oil Makes or scroll down to that section of the page.

One barrel of crude oil contains 42 gallons, which, when refined, produces on average the amounts of products shown (gasoline, fuel oil, jet fuel, and so on). First, calculate the percentage for each product produced. To find the percentage of distillate fuel oil, divide 9.2 gallons by 42 gallons, which equals about 22 percent. After you find the percentage of each product, create a pie chart showing the percentage of each product refined.

History

The team of geologists and engineers who discovered the oil reserve in the Caspian Sea used modern equipment and the latest technologies. In the early days of oil prospecting, things were quite different. To learn more about the history of the great oil industry, visit the Oil History site by Samuel T. Pees. Read the introduction, and then browse the Table of Contents.

This is a large site with interesting stories and information. Focus on the Drake Chapters, which details the story of the first oil company. You can move from page to page by clicking the right arrow at the bottom of each block of text. If you have time, read the Central Powers section about early oil pumping, and then explore some early drilling tools.

Certainly many aspects of the oil industry have changed over the years, but what kinds of things remain the same?

Extension Activities

Compare the list of Petrochemical Products found on the American Petroleum Institute site to items pictured in articles and advertisements of your local newspaper. What kinds of materials would be used in place of petrochemicals (like plastic) if they were not available? Wood? Metal? Glass? How would the items you found be different?

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