Petroleum & Petroleum Products
Petroleum
Petroleum is a liquid that is drawn from underground. It comes in many different forms. The lightest form of petroleum is called natural gas. It is so light that it’s like air, except that you don’t want to breathe it. The heaviest form of petroleum is called tar. It is so thick that it will flow only when it is hot. In between natural gas and tar is oil. Oil is a form of petroleum that is a liquid. Oil has many uses, but the main one is to make gasoline.
Early History
People have been using oil in what is now Oklahoma long before Oklahoma was a state. In the early days, oil was used as a lubricant, as medicine for people and animals, and as a fuel for lamps. Oil was found by looking for it oozing out of the ground or floating in streams or ponds. Collecting it might have been as simple as scooping it up in a cup.
The first time that someone got oil in Oklahoma by drilling into the ground was in 1859, and that was by accident. The people were drilling into the earth to find salt, not oil. But once they found the oil, they used it. The first time that people drilled to find oil was in 1889. The first time that people drilled for oil in order to make money was in 1896 in Bartlesville. This oil well was called the Nellie Johnstone #1.
Large Scale Use of Petroleum
Gasoline
Soon after the Nellie Johnstone well started providing oil, people started to drive automobiles. Automobile production was very important to people in the oil business because there was a new and large use for oil, the production of gasoline. Automobiles run on gasoline, and since 1901, people have bought more and more cars and have used more gasoline.
Asphalt and Tar
As more cars and trucks were used in Oklahoma, many miles of asphalt roads were built. Asphalt is the black material that most roads are made of. It is made partly of very thick, heavy oil, and a lot of that oil comes from Oklahoma.
The roofs of most homes are covered with shingles made partly of tar. Tar shingles won’t let water pass through them and they lie flat on the roof. Many business buildings have roofs that are flat. They are completely covered with tar.
Plastic
Starting in 1951, plastic was made from oil. These days, plastic is just about everywhere. Plastic is in our clothing, furniture, computers, cups, telephones, and just about everything else. Everyone in the United States uses many things everyday that are made of plastic, and plastic is made from oil. Some of that oil comes from under the ground in Oklahoma.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is one of the many forms of petroleum. In Oklahoma, many people use natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food, heat their water, and to dry their clothes. These jobs are most of the big uses of energy in our homes. Oklahoma is the second largest producer of natural gas in the United States, so all or most of the natural gas that you use in your home came from underground in Oklahoma.
Propane
Propane is another part of petroleum. People who live away from cities and towns often use propane instead of natural gas in their homes. Many people also use propane for their camp stoves, lanterns and cooking grills. Hot air balloon pilots use propane to make balloon air hot.
Kerosene
Kerosene is one more product that comes from petroleum. Did you know that kerosene has helped to save whales? Before people had kerosene, they used whale oil for their lamps. So whales are much safer now because there is very little need for whale oil. Before people had electricity or natural gas in their homes, people used kerosene in their lamps and stoves. These days, the biggest use of kerosene is for jet fuel. However, some people use kerosene to run their heaters.
Information provided by Walter Eskridge, Curator of Education