Types of Oil
Oil is not just one single substance - there are many different kinds of oil.
The petroleum industry uses geographical locations to classify crude oils, such as North Sea Crude and Persian Gulf Crude.
Oil from different geographical locations has its own unique properties, and varies in consistency from a light volatile fluid to a semi solid state.
The types of oil differ from each other in their Viscosity, Volatility and Toxicity. What does that mean?
Viscosity relates to the oil's resistance to flow.
Example: Crude oil with high viscosities are more difficult to pump from the ground and also to transport.
Volatility refers to how quickly the oil evaporates into the air
Toxicity refers to how toxic the oil is to people, animals and other organisms
Having knowledge of the types of oil is necessary when oil spills occur. When an oil spill occurs, the clean up and environmental affects are dependent upon the type of oil - and each oil type presents a different clean up procedure.
Here are four main oil types, and the problem presented when oil spills occur:
1. Very Light Oils or Light Distillates
This oil type includes: Jet Fuel, Gasoline, Kerosene, Light Virgin Naphtha, Heavy Virgin Naphtha, Petroleum Ether, Petroleum Spirit, and Petroleum Naphtha.
These oil types are highly volatile, and normally evaporate within 2 days. With these oils there is a high concentration of toxic compounds, and the impact to water and intertidal organisms. (Intertidal organisms are part of the complex marine ecosystem found at the shorelines - like clams, barnacles and mussels, etc).
Clean up is not possible.
2. Light Oils or Middle Distillates
This oil type includes: Fuel Oil (grades 1 and 2), Diesel Fuel Oils (grades 1 and 2), Domestic Fuel, and Marine Gas Oil - Light Crude falls into this category.
Oils of this type are moderately volatile, and normally leave up to 1/3 of the spill after a few days. The toxic concentration is moderate, however the intertidal organisms will have long term contamination.
Clean up can be effective.
3. Medium Oils - Most Crude Oil falls into this category
This type of oil MAY causes long term, severe damage to fish, waterfowl, fur bearing animals and intertidal organisms. About 1/3 of medium oils evaporate within 24 hours.
Clean up is effective when done very quickly.
(The response time to a clean up of this type will greatly influence whether this oil type MAY or WILL adversely affect fish, birds, animals and other organisms).
4. Heavy Fuel Oils
This category includes heavy crude oil, Fuel Oil No. 3 & 4), Fuel Oil No. 5 (Bunker B), Fuel Oil No. 6 ( Bunker C), Marine Intermediate Fuel, and Marine Heavy Fuel.
There is little evaporation with heavy oils. Severe contamination of intertidal areas, along with fish, birds, and fur bearing mammals. Long term contamination of sediments are also possible. This oil type weathers very slowly.
Clean up is extremely difficult.
Oil Viscosity
Light Crude - Light crude is defined as having a low concentration of wax. This classification of oil is easier to pump and transport.
Sweet Crude has small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, and is used primarily in gasoline.
Heavy Crude usually contain high concentrations of sulfur and several metals, particularly nickel and vanadium (high amount of wax). These are the properties that make them difficult to pump out of the ground or through a pipeline and interfere with refining. These properties also present serious environmental challenges to the growth of heavy oil production and use.
Oil Price - Benchmarks
Oil production from Europe, Africa and Middle Eastern oil flowing West tends to be priced off the price of Brent Crude, which forms a benchmark.
Dubai is used as benchmark for Middle East oil flowing to the Asia-Pacific region.
Oil by Geographical Location
The Brent oil field has been Scotland's most productive offshore oil asset, however in recent years production has gone down. Brent Crude is one of the major classifications of oil consisting of Brent Crude, Brent Sweet Light Crude, Oseberg and Forties. Brent Crude is sourced from the North Sea.
Arabian Extra Light - Light Crude
Greater Burgan, Kuwait - Very Light & Light Crude
Isthmus Light - Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico - Light Crude
Bonny Light - Bonny region of Nigeria - Light Crude
Fateh Dubai - Light Crude
Iranian Light - Light Crude
Ekofisk, Norway - Light Crude
Tapis Malaysia - Light Far East Crude
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - North American Light & Sweet Crude
Arab Light Saudi Arabia - Light & Sweet Crude
Saharan Blend Algeria- Sweet Crude
Minas Indonesia - Light & Heavy Far East Crude
Nasser, Libya - Light, Sweet & Heavy Crude
Tia Juana Light Venezuela - Light, Medium & Heavy Crude
Venezuela Orinoco Oil Belt - Heavy Crude
Athabasca Oil Sands - Alberta, Canada - Heavy Crude
Olenik Oil Sands - Siberia, Russia - Heavy Crude
Arabian Heavy - Heavy Crude
Iranian Heavy - Heavy Crude
Alaska Crude - Heavy Crude