Did you know that?

• Oil or petroleum, together with coal and natural gases are a part of the biogenic deposits which are found in the earth crust
• Raw oil (not refined) contains over 17 000 organic complex substances, reason for which is the most important raw material for the chemistry industry (paint, drugs, plastic materials) and the fuel producing
• As a curiosity, it could be mentioned that some types of petroleum become phosphorescent in the presence of ultraviolet light
• Oil was already discovered a few thousand years ago, through the fact that it has a lower density than the salted water, being found in caverns and in regions with calcareous, argillaceous or sandy sedimentation layers, at the surface, for example around Honovrei and Braunschweig from Germany
• The oil layers situated at the surface through oxidation transform in asphalt, this one being already discovered almost 12 000 years ago in Ancient Mesopotamia. People have learned to use the asphalt, by mixing the sand and other materials which makes the air-tight for the ship walls
• From the time of Babilon originates the name naptu (nabatu= illuminate) which indicates us the fact that oil was used for illuminate, this was mentioned in the Laws of Hammurabi in 1857 a.Ch. being the first written historical proof for regulating the oil use
• Petroleum is a word with roman origin which comes from “oleum petrae”= stone oil, name which the Romans had taken from Egyptians which discover oil at the surface of the earth in Suez Bay’s Mountains. It is supposed that in Antiquity Romans used the oil as a lubricant for the roman axle cart or in the time of the Byzantine Empire the oil was a part of the Greek fire, a feared weapon in the formerly naval battle
• Oil was used in the ancient medicine too, being sold as a miraculous universally cure
• Inextinguishable fire maintained by the gases which were bursting from the ground in the Apseron Peninsula oil field - where there are now the exploitation from Baku - have giving birth, in ancient times, to Zoroaster cult, the cult of fire
• Massif exploitation of the oil begins in the XIX century as a result of spreading the use of oil in illumination, which gave a better light producing less smoke comparing with the whale oil lamp or the waxen candles
• Asia holds the first place in the world for oil reserves and production
• Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil producer on the globe
• “The Science of Petroleum” certifies in 1938 the fact that Romania was the first country with an oil production of 275 tones officially registered in the international statistics. It was followed by the United Stated in 1859, Italy in 1860, Canada in 1862, Russia in 1863.
• The first refinery in the world was set up in Ploiesti, built by the Mehedinteanu brothers in the city’s outskirts, near the South Station
• The first School of Driller Foreman from Romania and from the world was established in 1904, in Campina
• In 1907, in Ploiesti was set up Concodia plant for repairing and producing the oil equipment
• In the first world war in Romania were destroyed 1677 oil well, from which 1047 productive, oil refinery, oil derrick and refinery with all their annexes equipment and a quantity of oil derivates of 827.000 tones
• Starting with 1929 and since 1938, all the oil based products obtained in the greatest Romanian refineries Concordia (Vega), Steaua Romana, Unirea (Orion and Speranta), Columbia, Creditul Minier (Brazi, Doicesti), Prahova (Petrolul Bucuresti), Xenia, Dacia Romana and Petrol Block (Standard) were asked for export
• A table regarding the world probably reserves (including the certain ones) sets Romania in 1937 on the 7th place in the world after: Russia, USA, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, Dutch Indies
• Romanian Scientist, Lazar Edeleanu, had managed, for the first time in the world, to refine oil based products with sulphur dioxide, in other words separation from the oil of some hydrocarbon groups, without their chemical alteration
• Ing. Virgiliu tacit and ing. Valeriu Puscariu had built up a valve, remained in the oil history under the name “Tacit Valve”, which adapted to the blowing out oil wells, could close them hydraulic from any distance, even if the eruptive oil well was on fire. It applies to the free eruptions with a maximum pressure of 100 atm. The valve was licensed in Romania on 15 May 1912, then in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Mexico and its license was asked in other countries in which the oil was exploited.