How do people use
petroleum to generate energy?
Why do people use
petroleum?
What are the problems of using
petroleum as a source of energy?
How do people use petroleum to generate energy?
Before petroleum or crude oil can be used for
anything, certain refining procedures have to be carried out to
remove water, soil or natural gas. One of the procedures is
called fractional distillation, which heats the oil and separates
the different oil end products by their weight. For example, the
molecular weight of gasoline for cars is the lightest, which is
at the top level of the distillation process. The fuel for
aircrafts is a little bit heavier and therefore it is in the
second level of the distillation process. In addition to
fractional distillation, other procedures like crystallization,
catalytic cracking and vapor recovery may also be required. As
mentioned, automobile fuel, aircraft fuel, diesel, and industrial
fuel are located at level one to four respectively. These fuels
are the most common use of petroleum for energy. The first three
levels are mostly used for engines in automobiles, aircrafts, and
trucks. The fourth level becomes industrial fuel and is commonly
used in power plants or assembly plants.1
According to Ontario Hydro, the power plant at Lennox near
Napanee is the only oil-fueled power plant in
Ontario.2
Similar to coal, oil is cheaper compared to many
other sources of energy. It is also easier to transport and a
little more widely available than natural gas. The multi-purpose
use of petroleum (as petroleum is the raw material for plastic,
asphalt, kerosene, waxes, lubricants, greases and more) is
another advantage.
What are the
problems of using petroleum as a source of energy?
The usage of petroleum triggers just as many
environmental problems as coal does. Many problems occur during
the transportation of crude oil. There stands a chance for
harmful spills from oil pipelines, supertankers and off shore
drilling. Examples of such oil spills are not hard to find.
Supertanker Amoco Cadiz's oil spill off the French coast in 1978,
Ixtoc I oil well's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979, and
the oil spill by Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Gulf of
Alaska, in March 1989 are just a few of them. Within these few
incidents, there have already been 5.14 million barrels of oil
spilt into our oceans. As it is extremely hard to clean an oil
leak, unrecoverable damages are performed to our
environment.3
Similar to burning coal, additional carbon dioxide is produced
and causes global warming. Carbon monoxide and other by-products
of incomplete combustion are also harmful to humans.
[Coal] [Petroleum] [Natural Gas]