In our country, oil is the main natural resource on which the entire Russian economy is currently based. But there are interesting facts about oil, which you most likely do not even know about. It is about them that we will tell you in detail in this article.
Meaning of the word
The Russian word "oil" was borrowed from the Turkish language, which in turn adopted this word from Persian, which came from the Semitic languages. The Assyrian word naptn comes from the Semitic word nptc, the original meaning of which is “to cast out” or “cast out” (from the Arabic naft, “cast out” or “cast out”).
An interesting fact about oil is that the word "oil" has other meanings. For example, according to some historical data, the word comes from the Akkadian word napatum, the meaning of which is “flash”, “ignite”. There is also a version that the Russian word "oil" comes from the ancient Iranian naft, which means "wet substance", "liquid".
An interesting version of the occurrence of this fluid
This interesting fact about oil will seem strange to many oil specialists, but among ordinary people and people not related to this industry, it is believed that oil was formed from the remains of ancient animals and, in particular, dinosaurs.
In a sense, this theory is true - deposits of mineral matter really formed from the remains of ancient living creatures. However, they were creatures much smaller than dinosaurs. Some scientists believe that this flammable liquid came from such source material as microorganisms and marine plankton, which inhabited the deep sea and coastal regions of the Earth.
Do you think that underground there are oil rivers and seas?
Many experts in this field are surprised when they hear this unusual, but very interesting fact about oil from people who have nothing to do with the extraction of this substance. It turns out that many people think that underground rivers and lakes flow.
This is one of the many misconceptions that people who know nothing about oil and its production sin. Naturally, no rivers and lakes exist in nature. The entire earth's crust consists of rocks of various densities and chemical composition. Oil, gas, water are some kind of constituent rocks that are able to contain substances with a liquid composition, called fluids. These rocks are called reservoirs and can accommodate both solid and liquid components.
Oil is not a product of the industrial revolution
For children, an interesting fact about oil may be that it began to be used not with the advent of cars, but back in ancient times. In ancient Babylon, a derivative of this substance (bitumen) was used to seal buildings and build merchant ships. And such an oil product as tar was first used in the VIII century in Arabia for the construction of roads. In ancient Egypt, and then in ancient Greece, lamps were used to illuminate the premises, the fuel for which was oil.
In the Byzantine Empire, with the help of a "combustible mixture", which was again based on oil, the soldiers terrified the enemy, because the mixture burned even more when trying to extinguish it with water. The original recipe for the “combustible mixture” has been lost, but scientists suggest that it was a mixture of processed products and other combustible substances.
Once oil saved whales from extinction
One of the most interesting facts about oil is that once, thanks to the discovery of the properties of this natural resource, whales did not disappear completely as a species. Some two centuries ago, whale oil was at a great price and was actively used. Its property to slowly burn, without emitting an unpleasant odor, people noticed in ancient times. Whale fat was used in all sectors of human life - to lubricate clockworks, cover the first photographs, pharmacology, light and cosmetic industries.
As you might guess, by the middle of the 19th century, the whale population had almost disappeared from the face of the earth. Fortunately, people began to use cheaper kerosene, which also burned without leaving an unpleasant odor, and its extraction was much more humane occupation than the extraction of whales. In the US whaling fleet, for example, in 1846 there were about 735 ships, and by 1879 there were only 39 of them. By the beginning of the 20th century, whaling was almost stopped, as its unprofitability and cruelty became apparent to society.
The only field of application of whale fat in the modern world is space research and experiments. Subcutaneous fat of sperm whales has discovered an amazing property not to freeze at the colossally low temperatures that prevail in outer space. That is why whale oil is an ideal lubricant for parts of spaceships.
Useless and cheap gasoline. Is this even possible?
In chemistry, an interesting fact about oil is that gasoline was not initially interesting to either producers or consumers. The main oil refining product was kerosene, which was used for lighting. Cars were not yet widespread, people traveled mainly on horses, and locomotives and trains were used for long distances. Demand for gasoline increased sharply in the 30s and 40s of the 20th century; in its beginning gasoline had practically no value. The only area of application of gasoline is the treatment of head lice (infection with lice), paint thinner and removing stubborn stains from clothes. Sometimes corporations so devalued gasoline that they simply poured it into rivers.
UAE and Russia: a fundamental difference. Interesting about oil in two different countries
Over time, the complex and costly technology for extracting this natural oily combustible liquid was greatly facilitated and automated. Saudi Aramco is a national oil production and refining company in Saudi Arabia. It is wholly owned by the state and works to increase its well-being. This oil giant is one of the largest oil producing concerns in the world.
I wonder how much it costs this company to produce one barrel of oil? Now we find out.
According to Forbes magazine, the situation is as follows: Saudi Aramco is the company with the largest profits in the oil market. According to the most conservative estimates (and this despite the fact that she does not advertise her financial indicators at all), her income is approximately $ 200 billion (approximately 13.4 trillion rubles) per year with a total annual income of about $ 350 billion (approximately 23.4 trillion rubles). The minister of this oil company (Ali Al-Naimi) in his interview said that the cost of oil production, and specifically one barrel of oil in Saudi Arabia, is approximately two dollars (133.8 rubles). And the wholesale sale price is approximately 130 dollars (about 8,700 rubles). After going through all the stages of processing and entering the plant, the income from the sale of one barrel of a substance is approximately 500 dollars (about 33,450 rubles).
Compared with Russia, the picture is as follows: the Russian oil company Rosneft spends about $ 15 (1,000 rubles) on the extraction of one barrel of oil. If we add to this the costs of exploration, drilling and other expenses, then the price of production of one barrel is approximately equal to 21 dollars (1400 rubles).
The situation of Russia at the beginning of the XX century
An interesting fact about oil production in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century - in 1900, the total amount of oil produced in the Russian Empire was 631.1 million pounds of oil. This is 51.6% of the total amount mined in the world.
At that time, oil was extracted in 10 countries: the Russian Empire, the USA, Holland, Romania, Austria-Hungary, India, Japan, Canada, Germany, Peru. The bulk of the production of flammable liquid was in Russia and the United States, which produced about 90% of the global volume.
The most successful year for Russia in terms of oil production was 1901, when 706.3 million poods of oil were produced, which amounted to 50.6% of the total amount of combustible liquid produced in the world. After that, the recession started when demand decreased and there were more offers. In 1900, the price per pound of oil was 16 kopecks per pound, and in 1901 it fell 2 times to 8 kopecks per pound. In 1902, the price of one pound of oil was already 7 kopecks per pound, after which there was a tendency to increase prices. The 1905 revolution crossed out this success.
The relationship between rising oil prices and the value of other goods
How does the rise in oil prices affect our life? In addition to the obvious increase in gas prices, some fatal consequences are not visible at first glance. The obvious and most important minus in raising oil prices for an ordinary person is the possible need to transfer to public transport or a bicycle.
An interesting chemical fact about oil - it is used not only as a raw material for fuel, but also as the basis for the production of many chemicals that are part of quite ordinary things for us on store shelves. Did you know that the shower gel and shampoo that you use contain refined products?
Accordingly, higher prices for this substance entail higher prices in stores. The opinions of experts were divided - someone believes that the price increase will continue, and someone considers the price increase due to problems with the oil trade and oil production a temporary phenomenon.
Inelastic Demand
The obvious fact about oil is that it is a non-renewable energy source. Accordingly, the question arises among scientists: "Is the complete disappearance of oil reserves from the bowels of our planet possible?"
In addition to the very vague threat of the complete disappearance of oil, there is a more urgent danger in the oil sector. It is lurking in the so-called inelastic demand for oil. Its essence lies in the fact that a small reduction in the volume of production of a substance can lead to a sharp rise in prices for it. The oil crisis in the oil production market in the 70s of the last century was due precisely to a 25% drop in supply. Because of this, prices for natural flammable liquid have risen by 400%. If oil production reaches its peak, then the decline is natural; accordingly, a global economic crisis in the global economy may well arise.