what is a barrel of oil course hero

What's in a barrel of oil?

Have you ever wondered what, exactly, is in a barrel of oil? It's certainly not full of monkeys, that's for sure. The obvious answer, you might be thinking, is 42-gallons of gooey, black crude. And that's technically correct.

What happens to a barrel of unrefined oil?

Every barrel of unrefined oil also has the potential to be transformed into a number of different products. But before anything can be made, the petroleum must first be refined. Since crude oil contains various types of hydrocarbons, these need to be separated to form the desired end product (because not all petroleum products are created equally).

What's at the bottom of the barrel in petrochemical products?

These —bottom of the barrel " petrochemical products include thousands of different items, ranging from makeup to medicine. In fact, we highlight these —Bottom of the Barrel " products in our Petroleum Product of the Week series to showcase just how many products we rely on daily are made using petroleum (at some point in the process).

Why is crude oil called BBL?

The company used blue barrels to transport its crude oil. There is another origin belief that “bb” came from the addition of the two extra gallons that were added for spillage during transport. Either way, bbl is the standard acronym that is used to describe the price per barrel of oil today.

How much of a barrel of oil is gas?

However, while gasoline production is one of the largest petroleum-based products currently manufactured, gas makes up less than half of a barrel of crude oil.

What is crude oil?

Also known as petroleum, crude oil is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and some small amount of metal found below the earth's surface. Petroleum is created through the heating and compression of very old organic matter (prehistoric plants and animals) over a long period of time.

Why is crude oil considered a fossil fuel?

Crude oil is considered a fossil fuel because it is the natural byproduct of decaying plants and animals. Over this long period of time, the prehistoric algae, zooplankton, and other organic matter settled to the bottom of ancient bodies of water where it all combined with mud.

What percentage of oil goes into asphalt?

Three percent of the crude oil goes into the production of asphalt to pave roads and parking lots. One percent of this goes into the manufacturing of lubricants: the greases and fluids that help keep our world running smoothly. The remaining fifteen percent is classified as other.

Is the oil barrel full of monkeys?

It's certainly not full of monkeys, that 's for sure. The obvious answer, you might be thinking, is 42-gallons of gooey, black crude. And that's technically correct. However, there is so much more potential in that barrel of oil than fossil fuel alone.

Is oil consumption dependent on other people?

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer, to be quite honest. One person's oil consumption is entirely dependent on another person 's consumption, as well as some random company's consumption. Oil consumption extends well beyond transportation (even if that's the biggest consumer of oil).

Can unrefined oil be refined?

But before anything can be made, the petroleum must first be refined.