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Text 5: «Other Uses of Petroleum».

When most people think of petroleum they think of gasoline and diesel fuel. They may even conjure up images of jet fuel, but most will rarely consider the other unexpected places that petroleum byproducts show up in modern life. Because crude oil contains a vast number of different hydrocarbons, various refined products have found their way into everything from plastics to pharmaceuticals.

The industry that uses petroleum to produce other chemicals is referred to as the petrochemical industry. It is estimated that industrialized nations currently consume petrochemical products at a rate of three and a half gallons of oil per day. That means that, excluding fuel oil, modern life results in each citizen of an industrial nation using over 1,200 gallons of oil per year.

One of the most important uses of petroleum is in the production of ammonia to be used as the nitrogen source in agricultural fertilizers. In the early 20th century, Fritz Haber invented a process that allowed for industrial scale production of ammonia. Prior to that, ammonia for fertilizer came only from manure and other biological processes.

The Haber process works in two steps. First, methane from natural gas is cleaned to remove sulfur and hydrogen sulfide. It is then reacted with steam over a catalyst to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In the next step, which is the actual Haber process, hydrogen and gaseous nitrogen are reacted at high heat and pressure to produce ammonia, which is siphoned off and added to chemical fertilizers.

Agriculture also depends on the use of pesticides to ensure consistent, healthy crop yields. Pesticides are almost all produced from oil. In essence, from running farm machinery to fertilizing plants, agriculture is one of the largest users of petroleum based products.

Plastic is a staple of modern life. From computer monitors to nylon to Styrofoam, plastics are integral aspects of many manufactured products. Polystyrene, from which Styrofoam is made, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were both products of post-World War II industrialization. Nylon, which is in everything from stockings to mechanical gears and even in car engines, is the most successful petroleum-based plastic to date. Most plastics come from olefins, which include ethylene and propylene.

Tires are made of rubber. Until 1910 all rubber was produced from natural elastomers obtained from plants. The need for synthetic rubber was relatively small until World War II, which resulted in embargos on natural rubber from South America and the need to produce synthetic rubber on a large scale. Rubber is primarily a product of butadiene.

Mineral oil and petrolatum are petroleum byproducts used in many creams and topical pharmaceuticals. Tar, for psoriasis and dandruff, is also produced from petroleum. Most pharmaceuticals are complex organic molecules, which have their basis in smaller, simpler organic molecules. Most of these precursors are petroleum byproducts.

Petroleum distillates such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and others provide the raw material for products that include dyes, synthetic detergents, and fabrics. Benzene and toluene are the starting materials used to make polyurethanes, which are used in surfactants, oils, and even to varnish wood. Even sulfuric acid has its origins in the sulfur that is removed from petroleum.

 

Topic 6. «Pipeline transport»

Перескажите текст, используя следующие разговорные формулы:

I can add; I’d like to say that; as a matter of fact; broadly speaking; as far as I know; to my mind; in my opinion; I’d like to say some words about; it’s important to say that; it should be pointed; as is known; it should be noted that.

 

1. The network of pipelines is one of the important parts of the Russian oil and gas industry.

2. Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe.

3. In general, pipelines can be classified into three categories depending on purpose: gathering pipelines, transportation pipelines, distribution pipelines.

4. Gathering pipelines are used to bring crude oil or natural gas from wells to a treatment plant or processing facility.

5. Transportation pipelines move products between cities, countries and even continents.

6. Multi-product pipelines are used to transport two or more different products in sequence in the same pipeline.

7. Distribution pipelines are used to take the products to the final consumer.

8. Feeder lines distribute gas to homes and businesses downstream.

9. Oil pipelines are made from steel or plastic tubes and natural gas pipelines are made of carbon steel.

10. Pipelines are the most economical way to transport large quantities of oil, refined oil products or natural gas over land.

 

Words and word combinations to the text:

steel – сталь

treatment plant – установка подготовки нефти

processing facility – технологическое оборудование

feeder line – соединительный трубопровод

gathering pipelines – межпромысловые трубопроводы

distribution pipelines – распределительные трубопроводы

business – торговое предприятие, фирма

downstream – транспортировка, переработка и сбыт нефтепродуктов

purpose – цель

 

 

Прочитайте и переведите следующий текст:

 

Text 6: «Pipelines».

 

Pipeline, line of pipe equipped with pumps and valves and other control devices for moving liquids, gases, and slurries (fine particles suspended in liquid). Pipeline sizes vary from the 2-inch- (5-centimetre-) diameter lines used in oil-well gathering systems to lines 30 feet (9 metres) across in high-volume water and sewage networks. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of metal (e.g., steel, cast iron, and aluminum), though some are constructed of concrete, clay products, and occasionally plastics. The sections are welded together and, in most cases, laid underground.

Most countries have an extensive network of pipelines. Because they are usually out of sight, their contribution to freight transport and their importance to the economy are often unrecognized by the general public. Yet, virtually all the water transported from treatment plants to individual households, all the natural gas from wellheads to individual users, and practically all the long-distance transportation of oil overland goes by pipeline.

Pipelines have been the preferred mode of transportation for liquid and gas over competing modes such as truck and rail for several reasons: they are less damaging to the environment, less susceptible to theft, and more economical, safe, convenient, and reliable than other modes. Although transporting solids by pipeline is more difficult and more costly than transporting liquid and gas by pipeline, in many situations pipelines have been chosen to transport solids ranging from coal and other minerals over long distances or to transport grain, rocks, cement, concrete, solid wastes, pulp, machine parts, books, and hundreds of other products over short distances. The list of solid cargoes transported by pipelines has been expanding steadily.

For thousands of years, pipelines have been constructed in various parts of the world to convey water for drinking and irrigation. This includes ancient use in China of pipe made of hollow bamboo and the use of aqueducts by the Romans and Persians. The Chinese even used bamboo pipe to transmit natural gas to light their capital, Peking, as early as 400 bc.

A significant improvement of pipeline technology took place in the 18th century, when cast-iron pipes were used commercially. Another major milestone was the advent in the 19th century of steel pipe, which greatly increased the strength of pipes of all sizes. The development of high-strength steel pipes made it possible to transport natural gas and oil over long distances. Initially, all steel pipes had to be threaded together. This was difficult to do for large pipes, and they were apt to leak under high pressure. The application of welding to join pipes in the 1920s made it possible to construct leakproof, high-pressure, large-diameter pipelines. Today, most high-pressure piping consists of steel pipe with welded joints.

 

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