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Petroleum Industry

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Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

The petroleum industry includes all activities related to the exploration, extraction, refining, transportation and marketing of oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. Because oil, natural gas, and petrochemicals are vital to modern societies and standards of life, the petroleum industry has become a key component of international economy, national security, and advanced technology. Many oil and gas companies with their valuable products have a significant presence in stock exchange markets. The petroleum industry is one of the largest employers of geologists, engineers, business managers, and other professionals relevant to their activities. The petroleum industry has also contributed greatly to sciences (especially geology and chemistry) and technologies (for example, drilling and subsurface imaging).

Although asphalt, oil, and natural gas were known to and used by various peoples even in the ancient times, the modern petroleum industry equipped with mechanical drilling...

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References

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Correspondence to Rasoul Sorkhabi .

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Sorkhabi, R. (2017). Petroleum Industry. In: Sorkhabi, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_19-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_19-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02330-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02330-4

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