types of petroleum based oil

Major products of crude oil or petroleum:

plastic     chemicals     lubricant  asphalt     gasoline or petrol    diesel or diesel fuel     liquefied petroleum gas     fuel oil    kerosene    paraffin wax     tar      petrochemical     what is crude oil    what are petroleum products    a picture of petrochemical refinery

types of petrolem based oil :

petroleum based oil we can call it crude oil, because before refining it is in its natural form as found in the land , so it is basically crude oil and here we will discuss types of crude oil.crude oil is avaailable in different types in the earth based on the percentage of non hydrocarbon particles or materials in it,it can be classified into the categaries of 

sweet crude oil 

sour crude oil

heavy crude oil

light crude oil

sweet crude oil:

Sweet crude oil is a type of petroleum. Petroleum is considered "sweet" if it contains less than 0.5% sulfur,^[1] compared to a higher level of sulfur insour crude oil. Sweet crude oil contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. High quality, low sulfur crude oil is commonly used for processing into gasoline and is in high demand, particularly in the industrialized nations. "Light sweet crude oil" is the most sought-after version of crude oil as it contains a disproportionately large amount of these fractions that are used to process gasoline, kerosene, and high-quality diesel. The term "sweet" originated because the low level of sulfur provides the oil with a mildly sweet taste and pleasant smell. Nineteenth century prospectors would taste and smell small quantities of the oil to determine its quality.^{[citation needed]}

Sour crude oil:

Sour crulde oil  is crude oil containing the impurity sulfur. It is common to find crude oil containing some impurities. When the total sulfur level in the oil is > 0.5 % the oil is called "sour".^[1]

The impurities need to be removed before this lower quality crude can be refined into gasoline, thereby increasing the cost of processing. This results in a higher-priced gasoline than that made from sweet crude oil. Thus sour crude is usually processed into heavy oil such as diesel and fuel oil rather than gasoline to reduce processing cost.

The majority of the sulfur in crude oil occurs bonded to carbon atoms, with a small amount occurring as elemental sulfur in solution and as hydrogen sulfide gas. Sour oil can be toxic and corrosive, especially when the oil contains high levels of hydrogen sulfide.^[2] At low concentrations the oil has the smell of rotten eggs, but at high concentrations the inhalation of hydrogen sulfide is instantly fatal.^[3] At higher concentrations, the hydrogen sulfide can damage the olfactory nerve, rendering the gas effectively odorless and undetectable, while paralyzing the respiratory system. If exposure is not fatal, its effects on the human body are similar to that of Gulf War Syndrome including chronic fatigue, headaches, dizziness, skin problems, memory problems, birth defects, and a host of breathing problems such as asthma. Such sour crude oil needs to be stabilized by having hydrogen sulfide gas (H₂S) removed from it before being transported by oil tankers for safety reasons.

Heavy crude oil

Heavy crude oil or Extra Heavy Crude oil is any type of crude oil which does not flow easily. It is referred to as "heavy" because its density orspecific gravity is higher than of light crude oil. Heavy crude oil has been defined as any liquid petroleum with an API gravity less than 20°,^[1] meaning that its specific gravity is greater than 0.933 (g/ml). This mostly results from crude oil getting degraded by being exposed to bacteria, water or airresulting in the loss of its lighter fractions while leaving behind its heavier fractions.

Production, transportation, and refining of heavy crude oil present special challenges compared to light crude oil. The largest reserves of heavy oil in the world are located north of the Orinoco river in Venezuela^[2], the same amount as the conventional oil reserves of Saudi Arabia^[3], but 30 or more countries are known to have reserves. Heavy crude oil is closely related to oil sands, the main difference being that oil sands generally do not flow at all.Canada has large reserves of oil sands, located north and northeast of Edmonton, Alberta.

Physical properties that distinguish heavy crudes from lighter ones include higher viscosity and specific gravity, as well as heavier molecular composition. Extra heavy oil from the Orinoco region has a viscosity of over 10,000 centipoise (10 Pa·s)^{[citation needed]} and 10° API gravity ^[4]. Generally a diluent is added at regular distances in a pipeline carrying heavy crude to facilitate its flow.

Some petroleum geologists categorize bitumen from oil sands as extra heavy oil although bitumen does not flow at ambient conditions.

Light crude oil:

Light crude oil is crude oil with a low wax content. The clear cut definition of 'light' and 'heavy' crude is hard to find, simply because the classification so made is based more on practical grounds than theoretical. Since crudes with high viscosities are more difficult to transport/pump, those with apparently lighter wax content are referred to as 'light crude' and the ones with substantially more wax are classified as 'heavy crude'.