Field-specific section Petroleum

Task 1. Scan the text below for highlighted words and create a mini-glossary¹ on the topic «Petroleum»:

For example, Petroleum (N) [U] /pəˈtrəʊ.li.əm/ US /-ˈtroʊ-/ - a dark, thick oil obtained from under the ground, from which various substances including petrol, paraffin, and diesel oil are produced.

Petroleum is a mixture of naturally occurring hydrocarbons which may exist in the solid, liquid or gaseous states, depending on the conditions of temperature and pressure to which it is subjected. Petroleum deposits occurring as a gaseous state are termed natural gas, in the liquid state as petroleum oil or crude oil and in the solid state as tars, asphalts and waxes. For a mixture with small molecules it will be a gas at normal temperature and pressure (NTP). Mixtures containing larger molecules will be a liquid at NTP and larger molecules as a solid state, for example, tars and asphalts. The exact origin of these deposits is not clear but is considered to be from plant, animal and marine life through thermal and bacterial breakdown.

Task 2. Unscramble the words from the text to correctly complete the sentences.

1. OMERPLEUT comes from the Latin petra meaning rock or stone and oleum meaning oil.

2. A ULDIQI is a substance which is not solid and can be poured.

3. EMLHRTA means related to heat or caused by heat.

4. If you ERSPUESR someone to do something, you try forcefully to persuade them to do it.

5. RCOUC means to exist or be present.

Task 3. Read the text and choose the correct answer.

1. Petroleum is….

1. a mixture of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

2. a mixture of solid, liquid and gas.

3. not a mixture.

2. Petroleum mainly occurs in the earth in combination of

1. two states.

2. three states.

3. five states.

3. NTP stands for

2. natural thermal petroleum.

3. normal temperature and pressure.

4. normal temperature of petroleum.

4. Crude oil refers to

1. liquid petroleum.

2. petroleum deposit.

3. solid state.

5. Solid forms of petroleum are commonly known as

1. asphalt, tars.

2. natural gas, crude oil, tars.

3. asphalt, tars and waxes.

Task 4. Read the text below and translate it.

The key properties for describing a petroleum reservoir are porosity, pore saturation, and permeability. Porosity refers to the capacity of the reservoir to hold fluids. It is basically the interstices, or pores, present within the reservoir rock. Typical porosities of oil reservoirs are of the order of 20%. While porosity represents the maximum capacity of a reservoir to hold fluids, pore saturation quantifies how much of this available capacity actually does contain fluids. For example, if a reservoir is 50% saturated with oil, this means that half of the available pore space in the reservoir actually contains oil. Permeability is a factor that quantifies how hard or how easy it is for the fluid to flow through the reservoir to the oil producing well; the greater the permeability, the easier the fluid flows.

Task 5. Webquest. Use the Internet, research one of the topics below and be ready to report back to the group.

1. Petroleum History

2. Petroleum Composition

3. Choose your own topic