NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY RESOURCES AND UTILISATION 39
The wavelength range is 0.29 to 2.5 micrometers. This energy is typically converted into usual energy
form through natural and man-made processes. Natural processes include wind and biomass. Man-made
processes include conversion into heat and electricity.
2.8.2PETROLEUM
Petroleum products are by far the most versatile and useful energy resources available at present.
Their low costs until 1973, ease of transportation and infinite divisibility are the three attributes that
made petroleum products the most suitable and economical commercial energy resources. Petroleum
products constitute 50–95 percent of commercial energy supplies and almost all the needs of transporta-
tion sector and mobile equipment are currently met by petroleum products. There are only a few possi-
ble substitutes that too on a limited scale. They also constitute the basic fuel for electric power plants
while coal, natural gas and hydro resources are used in those locations where they are available. Kero-
sene and LPG are the favored cooking fuels and kerosene is the major lighting fuel in areas where there
is no electricity. Before going further, it is interesting to know a bit on the history of oil and its economic
and political implications in the past.
Petroleum was first found in Pennsylvania (USA). Petroleum is used to make gasoline, heating
oil, diesel fuel, and lubricating oils. Following is brief times on energy development:
1879: Standard oil controlled 90% of refining capacity.
1870–1880: Kerosene is the largest volume manufactured good.
1882: Standard Oil Trust was established, which was a shield of legality and flexibility. Edison
demonstrates electricity.
1885: 250,000 light bulbs in use.
1896: Henry Ford was the chief engineer at Edison, where he builds his first gasoline-powered
engine.
1900: 8,000 automobiles, Drilling began in Texas.
1905: Oil discoveries in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
1909: Standard Oil Trust was broken up in 38 companies.
1912: 902,000 automobiles in use
1913: Ford introduced the assembly line.
1928: Texas number one oil producer.
1938: Oil discovery in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
1940’s: United States shifts from petroleum exporting to petroleum importing.
1960: OPEC formed.
1986: Oil price collapse.
Petroleum is rock oil that exists down in the earths crust. They drill for petroleum to determine
the size of the reserve and to produce oil at a controlled rate. There are three steps in recovering petro-
leum. The first step is the primary recovery, which is when oil flows by natural pressure or simple
pumping. The maximum recovery is usually 30% of the oil available in the well. The next step is the
secondary recovery, which is when water or gas is pumped into the well to force oil out. This adds an
additional 10–20% to be recovered. The third step is the tertiary recovery, where hot gases and chemi-
cals are pumped into the well to make the oil less viscous for easier pumping. Petroleum is classified
according to its viscosity and sulfur contents. Pennsylvania’s crude oil is low in sulfur and viscosity,