Table Of Content^ivivlvivl'lviv.vivlvX'XvlTX
||JU^RltecJ::by:::;:::;::::
iliWil^i^DitEli
•••••••••••a
••••••
_rm»_» »ttm•a a ama aaamaa m• a «m*a a a ama a m
S^SS^&SS;*
tl^±x£.
0-381-99624-7RB $5.95
The Reason Why Series
PETROLEUM
gas,oiland asphalt
Irving Adler
Illustrated by Peggy Adler
The petroleum that we take out of the
earth and from under the sea took nature
millions of years to produce. It has been
used in large amounts for only about a
hundred years. And it will take only one
hundred more years to use it all up.
We use petroleum for energy when we
We
burn it as oil, gas or gasoline. also
change it to make many different things,
from paint to explosives, from synthetic
fibers to antifreeze. This book tells how
petroleum came to be in the ground, and
how we find it and get it out. It tells how
we split petroleum, change it and use it.
And we learn about the two most impor-
tant problems arising from our increasing
use of petroleum: pollution and a rapidly
diminishing supply of this vital product.
In clear and understandable language,
Irving Adler shows us the present neces-
sity ofconserving the petroleum still avail-
able and the potential sources of this
much-needed product for the future.
CENTENNIAL SCHOOL LIBRARY
SCIO. OREGON
THE REASON WHY SERIES
PETROLEUM
and
gas, oil asphalt
ADLER
IRVING
illustrated by Pegsy Adler
The John Day Company • New York
THE REASON WHY SERIES
AIR-ReviscdEdition, 1972 LEARNING ABOUT STEEL:
ATOMIC ENERGY THROUGH THE STORY OF A NAIL
ATOMS AND MOLECULES MACHINES
THE CALENDAR MAGNETS
NUMBERS OLD AND NEW
CCOOAMLM-UReNvIiCsAedTIEdOitNion,1974 NUMERALS: NEW DRESSES
DIRECTIONS AND ANGLES FOR OLD NUMBERS
OCEANS
THE EARTH'S CRUST
RIVERS
ENERGY
SETS
EVOLUTION
SHADOWS-RevisedEdition,1968
FIBERS-UpdatedEdition,1972 STORMS
HEAT AND ITS USES TASTE, TOUCH AND SMELL
RevisedEditionofHEAT,1973 THINGS THAT SPIN:
HOUSES FROM TOPS TO ATOMS
INSECTS AND PLANTS TREE PRODUCTS
INTEGERS: POSITIVE WHY? A BOOK OF REASONS
AND NEGATIVE WHY AND HOW?
IRRIGATION: CHANGING A SECOND BOOK OF REASONS
DESERT INTO GARDEN YOUR EARS
LANGUAGE AND MAN YOUR EYES
Copyright © 1975 by Irving Adler
All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of
this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording,
andinanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem isforbiddenwithoutthewritten
permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Fitzhenry 6-
Whiteside Limited, Toronto.
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Adler,Irving. Petroleum. (HisThe Reason whybooks) Includes index.
SUMMARY: Discusses the different kinds of oil, how they are found and
recovered, their uses, and the problems ofpollution, oil conservation, and oil
shortage.
1. Petroleum—Juvenileliterature. [1. Petroleum!
I. Alder,Peggy, ill. II. Title.
TN870.A247 1975 553'.28 75-2431
ISBN0-381-99624-7RB
987654321
10
Contents
Petroleum 4
Oilinthe Ground, andHow ItGot There 6
Early Discoveryand Uses 8
The Kerosine Lampandthe Automobile 10
Other UsesofPetroleum 12
Underground PoolsofOil 14
Oilinthe United States 16
The Oilofthe World 18
Locating Oil 20
Drillingfor Oilon Land 22
DrillingforOilat Sea 2A
Bringing Oilto the Surface 26
WhatIsinPetroleum 28
Refining Oil 32
Transporting Gas, Oiland OilProducts 34
Petrochemicals 36
PollutionProblems 40
How LongWill OilLast? 42
The World'sEnergy 43
OilConservation 44
Oilforthe Future 45
Index 47
Petroleum
Petroleum comes from the ground. It is
found in many parts of the world.
We
drill wells for it on land and under
the sea.
We We
burn it to produce energy.
change it chemically to make such differ-
ent things as paint, phonograph records,
explosives, fibers, antifreeze andfood con-
tainers.
It took millions of years to make petro-
leum. It has been used in large amounts
for only about one hundred years. It will
J.S.S.R
take only a hundred years more to use it
all up.
This book tells the story of petroleum
and its uses, and describes some problems
related to its use. It tells how petroleum
came to be in the ground, and how we
find it and get it out. It tells how we split
it and change it and use it. And it tells of
two important problems that arise from
the use of petroleum: Using petroleum
dirties the air we breathe, so we have a
cleanup problem; andpetroleumwill soon
be used up, so we have the problem of
finding something to take its place.
Oil in the Ground, and How It Got There
The word petroleum means rock oil. It comes from
two Latin words, petra (rock) and oleum (oil), and
refers to oil and oily substances that are found in the
ground. Petroleum may be a gas, called natural gas,
or a liquid, called crude oil, or a solid substance, called
asphalt.
6
