Gasoline is a volatile, flammable liquid obtained from the refinement of petroleum, or crude oil.

It was
originally discarded as a byproduct of kerosene production, but its ability to vaporize at low
temperatures made it a useful fuel for many machines. The first oil well in the United States was struck
by Edwin L. Drake near Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859 at a depth of almost 70 feet (21 m). With the
development of the four-stroke internal combustion engine by Nikolaus Otto in 1876, gasoline became
essential to the automotive industry. Today, almost all gasoline is used to fuel automobiles, with a very
small percentage used to power agricultural equipment and aircraft.

Petroleum, a fossil fuel, supplies more energy to the world today than any other source. The United
States is the world's leading consumer of petroleum; in 1994, Americans used 7,587,000 barrels of oil
per day. Petroleum is formed from the remains of plants and animals that have been held under
tremendous pressure for millions of years. Ordinarily, this organic matter would decompose completely
with the help of scavengers and aerobic bacteria, but petroleum is created in an anaerobic environment,
without the presence of oxygen. Over half of the world's known crude oil is concentrated in the Persian
Gulf basin. Other major areas include the coasts of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

Petroleum products, including gasoline, are primarily a mixture of hydrocarbons (molecules containing
hydrogen and carbon molecules) with small amounts of other substances. Crude oil is comprised of
different lengths of hydrocarbon chains, with some short chains and some very long chains. Depending
on how much the oil is broken down, or refined, it may become any number of products. In general, the
smaller the molecule, the lower the boiling point. Therefore, gas, with very small chains of one to five
carbons, boils at a very low temperature. Gasoline, with 6-10 carbons, boils at a slightly higher
temperature. The heaviest oils may contain up to 25 carbon atoms and not reach their boiling point until
761°F (405°C).

Raw Materials

Gasoline is one of the products derived from distilling and refining petroleum. Compounds of organic
lead were added to gasoline in the past to reduce knocking in engines, but due to environmental
concerns this is no longer common. Other chemicals are also added to gasoline to further stabilize it and
improve its color and smell in a process called "sweetening."

The Manufacturing

Process

Exploration

1 The first step in the manufacture of gasoline is to find its parent ingredient, petroleum. Crude oil is
trapped in areas of porous rock, or reservoir rock, after it has migrated there from the area of its origin.
Possible areas of oil concentration may be pinpointed by looking for rock types that are commonly
found in those areas. Explorers may examine the surface features of the land, analyze how sound waves
bounce off Gasoline is a volatile, flammable liquid obtained from the refinement of petroleum, or crude
oil.

Gasoline is a volatile, flammable liquid obtained from the refinement of petroleum, or crude oil.

the rock, or use a gravity meter to detect slight differences in rock formations.

2 After a possible oil reservoir is found, the area must be test drilled. Core samples are taken from test
wells to confirm rock formations, and the samples are chemically analyzed in order to determine if more
drilling is justified. Although the methods used today are more advanced than any of the past, there is
still no certainty in oil exploration.

Drilling

3 Crude oil is recovered through wells that can reach over 1,000 feet (305 m) into the rock. The holes are
made by rotary drillers, which use a bit to bore a hole in the ground as water is added. The water and
soil create a thick mud that helps hold back the oil and prevent it from "gushing" due to the internal
pressure contained in the reservoir rock. When the reservoir is reached, the mud continues to hold back
the oil while the drill is removed and a pipe is inserted.

Recovery

4 To recover the oil, a complicated system of pipes and valving is installed directly into the drilling well.
The natural pressure of the reservoir rock brings the oil out of the well and into the pipes. These are
connected to a recovery system, which consists of a series of larger pipes taking the crude oil to the
refinery via an oil (liquid) and gas (non-liquid) separator. This method allows the oil to be recovered with
a minimum of waste.

5 Eventually, the natural pressure of the well is expended, though great quantities of oil may still remain
in the rock. Secondary recovery methods are now required to obtain a greater percentage of the oil. The
pressure is restored by either injecting gas into the pocket above the oil or by flooding water into the
well, which is far more common. In this process, four holes are drilled around the perimeter of the well
and water is added. The petroleum will float on the water and come to the surface.

Fractional distillation

6 Crude oil is not a good fuel, since it is not fluid and requires a very high temperature to burn. The long
chains of molecules in crude oil must be separated from the smaller chains of refined fuels, including
gasoline, in a petroleum refinery. This process is called fractional distillation.

A fractional distillation tower is a huge unit that may hold up to 200,000 barrels of crude oil. The oil is
first pumped into a furnace and heated to over 600°F (316°C), causing all but the largest molecules to
evaporate. The vapors rise into the fractionating column, which may be as tall as 150 feet (46 m). The
vapors cool as they rise through the column. Since the boiling points of all the compounds differ, the
larger, heavier molecules will condense first lower in the tower and the shorter, lighter molecules will
condense higher in the tower. Natural gases, gasoline, and kerosene are released near the top. Heavier
compounds used in the manufacture of plastics and lubricants are removed lower in the tower.
Fractional distillation itself does not produce gasoline from crude oil, it just removes the gasoline from
other compounds in crude oil. Further refining processes are now used to improve the quality of the
fuel.

Refining petroleum

7 Catalytic cracking is one of the most important processes in oil refining. This process uses a catalyst,
high temperature, and increased pressure to affect chemical changes in petroleum. Catalysts such as
aluminum, platinum, processed clay, and acids are added to petroleum to break down larger molecules
so that it will possess the desired compounds of gasoline.

Another refining process is polymerization. This is the opposite of cracking in that it combines the
smaller molecules of lighter gases into larger ones that can be used as liquid fuels.

Gasoline

Additives

8 Once gasoline is refined, chemicals are added. Some are anti-knock compounds, which react with the
chemicals in gasoline that burn too quickly, to prevent "engine knock." In leaded gasoline, tetraethyl
lead is the anti-knock additive. (Unleaded gasoline is refined further so the need for anti-knock additives
is minimal.) Other additives (antioxidants) are added to prevent the formation of gum in the engine.
Gum is a resin formed in gasoline that can coat the internal parts of the engine and increase wear.

Rating gasoline

9 Gasoline is primarily a mixture of two volatile liquids, heptane and isooctane. Pure heptane, a lighter
fuel, burns so quickly that it produces a great amount of knocking in an engine. Pure isooctane
evaporates slowly and produces virtually no knocking. The ratio of heptane to isooctane is measured by
the octane rating. The greater the percentage of isooctane, the less knocking and the higher the octane
rating. For example, an octane rating of 87 is comparable to a mixture of 87% isooctane and 13%
heptane.

Byproducts/Waste

On average, 44.4% of petroleum becomes gasoline. There really are no waste products from petroleum.
The lighter chemicals are natural gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), jet fuel, and kerosene. The heavier
products are used for the manufacture of lubricants, plastics, and asphalt. In addition, many less
valuable products can be chemically converted into more saleable compounds.
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