Where does oil come from?

[JHZR2]

Hi, OK, the dumb topic name to get readers... I know that regular mineral oils come from the distillation of crude oils, and so on. My curiosity is regarding oil production and the varieties of crude that they are coming from. Are motor oils essentially the heavy bottoms from the distillations that produce gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuels? Oils like the shell xhvi base are hydroisomerized slack waxes, the 'wax' portion saying to me that the precursor to the motor oil is more like a #5 or 6 diesel fuel that is semi solid at normal temperatures, and must be heated before combustion. I ask this becasue I want to determine if most of the bases of common mineral motor oils are byproducts of the crude that is used to make the fuels to operate our IC engines (the optimal way), or if they come from other specialty or heavier crudes that must be drilled for and pumped out in and of themselves (worse way becasue it causes us to take even more fossil fuel products, and creates even more byproducts then if we were using a byproduct itself to make the oil, as in the first case). Thanks very much for the info, JMH [ March 14, 2003, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]

 

[3 Mad Ponchos]

Oil comes from bottles. Cheers, 3MP

 

[Jay]

If you are a refiner evaluating a crude oil for mostly lube oil production via solvent extraction, then your choices of crude are very limited. Paraffinic crudes are the best because they yield oils with the highest viscosity indexes. A good crude for gasoline may be not be suitable for lubricating oils and vice-versa. The hydrocracking process can make otherwise unsuitable crudes economically viable for lube oil products. Don't worry about extra crude being removed from the earth for lube oils. All crudes yield many desirable things. [ March 14, 2003, 11:21 PM: Message edited by: Jay ]

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah, they do yield lots of desirable things... But what is not desirable is the need to buy the crude from OPEC countries... Diesel is being severely price gouged, gas is going high, and those things are to be expected. But even if it sounds silly, If I can help avoid importing just one extra barrel of oil from over there, I'm happy. I agree in some ways with that anti-suv commercial about buying gas paying terrorists. I run my car on heated vegoil (because I'm cheap, no other reason, really), and if I can avoid buying more barrels of oil from the middle east, then great JMH

 

[MolaKule]

The anti-SUV commercials are simply leftist (aka socialist) and Green's propaganda. These aforementioned groups do not want anyone to have a choice in deciding what vehicle you can drive. It is not about terrorists or terrorism, it's about controlling the economy of a independant nation. SUV owners pay more for fuel as well as upfront costs. It's their decision to pay more, not yours.

 

[3 Mad Ponchos]

Heh, I heard about those ads, they don't have the guts to show them around here though. The problem with the logic is that we don't import OPEC oil because we can't find any of our own, it's because OPEC oil is cheaper than what we can produce locally. Good old slave wages and all that. So if we consume less oil, companies are going to have to cut back on their production. And if you are a company looking to save production costs, where do you start? With the most expensive production costs of course. And oops, that would be us. Cheers, 3MP

 

[Ray H]

quote:

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Originally posted by MolaKule: SUV owners pay more for fuel as well as upfront costs. It's their decision to pay more, not yours.

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That'll be small comfort to me and many others driving less thirsty vehicles if the pump is dry after the Ford Excursion in front of me slurps it dry... I'm not a tree hugger, but the rules have changed and will stay changed long after the cessation of the expected hostilities with Iraq. Just because affluence enables bearing the cost and maintenance of 11 mpg profligate fuel wasters, it does not entitle their owners the privilage of denying others the availability of fueling their less thirsty vehicles. I'm not advocating class war, but to avoid it may necessitate rationing on a gallons-per-month plan instead of an ability-to-pay arrangement as your post implies. Nothing personal intended, MolaKule - just expressing a counter opinion. [ March 15, 2003, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: Ray H ]

 

[icruse]

Ray, like you said, nothing personal man, but I also have a counter opinion. You are not advocating class warfare just perpetuating it, read you own post. I do not see nor hear of anyone being denied the freedom to fuel their vehicle on the account of someone elses choice of vehicle. The way to defeat a problem is to overcome not to succumb. I believe the best way to handle a "perceived problem" is to not allow more of our freedom (that is what personal responsible choices are) to be mandated by politicians in a centralized bureaucracy (who generally speaking do not know anything about what they are mandating for others) to punish those who have WORKED for and SUCCEEDED to buy a legal product of their own choice. Again, I am not flaming, nor trying to start such on this wonderful forum, but I do want to express my "counter opinion." After all, as we all know, the "oil experts" gather here and are of immense help to multitudes. Thank You & Good Day, Steven

 

[Steve S]

The world was supposed to run out of oil in the 90's what happened .In the 70's the ice age is comming,now global warming the earth will be like Venus except isn't Venus a bit closer to the sun duh, I tell anyone who believes these problems are real ,to save the earth and kill themselves to spare the earth.

 

[zam]

Well, I've got a totally different take on the mideast oil thing. I say buy as much of there oil as we can. Pump them dry. Then they won't have anything but a sandfilled desert. Use it up that's what I say.

 

[JHZR2]

Well, I have a kind of weird outlook... I don't have a problem with SUVs, in fact I kind of like them... I'm not a tree hugger, nor am I against anything that is somewhat environmentally watchful. I do have a chevy 4x4 (S10 ZR2), with a big V6 that doesnt get very good MPG (20 if Im lucky). I also have a BMW with a nice small engine, and an MB diesel that is really cheap to run, and that sometimes I run on waste vegetable oil. I was just curious because, well, I am pretty cheap. I like the idea of efficiency and minimalization of wastes. Yeah, I said about the SUV commercial, and I do think it is kind of right, but I'm not saying that people can't drive their expeditions and suburbans if they want to. Sure, it may be silly for one person to be driving down the road at 80 mph with a giant 6000lb vehicle running on 10 cyllinders, with 8 seats empty, but thats not my call. So, no argument or class war intended, just more of a curiosity regarding the refining of crude, the origins of our beloved dino motor oils, and a striving on my part to be a bit more efficient with usage of all resources... JMH