Petroleum Glossary

API

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is a United States trade association that represents 400 corporations in the petroleum industry.

Abel tester

A closed-cup flash tester. Used to test the flash point of kerosene and other distillates.

Acidity

The pH of an oil, which may or may not influence the behavior of the oil, depending on the exact mechanism of by which the pH is achieved.

Air-Fuel Ratio

The ratio of air consumed to fuel consumed, by weight, in an internal combustion engine or other fuel-burning apparatus. Has impact on performance and efficiency.

Aliphatic

Any hydrocarbon in chains. Includes the alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes among many others.

Alkanes

The largest class of hydrocarbons. These include linear and branched chain molecules typically used in the production of fuel.

Annular Blowout Preventer

Invented in 1952, these are often referred to as “Hydrils.” These blowout preventers use a rubber seals to close around the drill string and seal the well.

API Gravity

The standard by which all crude oils are measured. API gravity is used to determine the specific gravity of crude oil and thus its density. Lighter crudes are more valuable because they are more easily refined into gasoline. Crude with an API gravity of 10 is equivalent in density to water.

Aromatic Hydrocarbon

Any hydrocarbon that contains a dream structure in which all of the bonds are of intermediate character between single and double bonds. They are often referred to as 1.5 bonds.

Ash

Inorganic residue that remains from burning combustible material. It is the same as ash that remains after wood is burned.

Asphaltenes

Insoluble, semi-solid particles. They have a high carbon to hydrogen ratio and are used in the production of asphalt.

ASTM

American Society for Testing Materials. This is the group that develops products for testing grade of petroleum products.

Atomization characteristics

How well particular oil can be broken into fine particles via mechanical means.

Barrel

A volume measure equal to 42 U.S. gallons or approximately 160 liters.

Bbl

Abbreviation for barrel.

Benchmark Crude

Benchmark crude oils are used as references for pricing oils. There are approximately 161 different benchmark oils, of which the main three are West Texas Intermediate, Brent Crude, and Dubai Crude.

Benzene

An aromatic hydrocarbon which is obtained chiefly from coal tar. It is used as a solvent for resins and in dye manufacture. It is one of the top 10 chemicals produced by volume.

BHP

Brake horsepower or British Horsepower. This is a standard measure of power output for engines.

Biodiesel

Any diesel fuel that is created through the transesterification of fat. Comes in various mixtures of 100%, 20%, 5%, and 2%.

Biofuel

Any fuel that is derived from biological carbon fixation that has occurred relatively recently.

Biogas

Methane produced from fermentation. Often produced by farmers via fermentation of animal waste and used to offset fuel costs.

Bitumen

Bitumen is the geological term that refers to the sticky, highly viscous semi-solid hydrocarbon present in most natural petroleum. It is alternatively called pitch, resin, and asphaltum.

Blowout Preventer

A mechanical device designed to prevent oil from escaping a well during the process of drilling. Called BOP for short. Blowout preventers come in two varieties: ram style and annular. In general, both styles are combined for added security. A single BOP usually contains at least two annular BOPS and three or more Ram BOPS

Bonny Light

This crude oil comes from Nigeria and has an API gravity of 32.9°. Its sulfur content is 0.16%.

Brent Crude

Named after a goose, this light, sweet crude comes from the north sea. It has an API gravity of 38.06 and a sulfur content of 0.37%.

British Petroleum

The former name of petroleum company currently called BP. It is the third largest publicly traded oil company in the world with

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