The transport
Oil is present in sufficient quantities to start production only in certain areas of the world, therefore most of it needs to be transported to reach refineries and the place of consumption. Italy, for example, imports 91.4% of the oil it consumes (Source: eni, World Oil & Gas Review 2014).
In terms of transport, there are two complementary ways to transport oil: pipelines and oil tankers. Pipelines include a system of 10-12 metre long steel pipes electrically welded together. They are generally buried at a depth of 3-15 metres or positioned on the sea bottom. The flow of crude oil along the pipeline is ensured by large pumps distributed along the route at distances ranging from 50 to 250 km according to the characteristics of the territory to be crossed. Control and safety stations distributed along the route ensure transportation to ports and refineries.
The oil transportation stage is particularly delicate by sea, since it can turn into one of the main pollution sources of seas and oceans if shipwrecks occur.
A modern tanker is equipped with separate double hull storage compartments (i.e. equipped with a double metal shell to protect the oil being transported) and other complex failure prevention systems to minimize the risk of oil spills in the sea. Before the oil crisis in the 1970s, oil tankers were huge (450 m long, 500 tonnes of tonnage), but this trend was changed by the re-opening of the Suez canal (which called for smaller ships crossing it), the changed market conditions and, during the last years, environment preservation and safety considerations. To reduce the environmental impact of those ships, new tank cleaning systems were introduced which allow the collection of the oil residues to be treated in plants on the mainland instead of discharging them into the sea.
Special reports
-
13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
12 June 2022
Wind power in Italy: where do we stand?
Humans have been using wind power since ancient times. Indeed, wind power has been used for thousands of years in…
30 April 2022
Solar energy in Italy: where do we stand?
The Sun is the main source of energy on our planet, from which we derive almost all the forms of…
5 September 2021
Faraday, an electrifying biography
"The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly". Michael Faraday...
-
14 July 2021
Italy’s renewable sources
Renewable energy sources in Italy The Energy Services Operator (GSE) periodically publishes data and statistics on the renewable energy sources…
18 February 2021
Is lithium the new petroleum?
Today petroleum vies for the title of “contemporary gold” with several competitors, one of those is certainly lithium...
-
13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
-
12 June 2022
Wind power in Italy: where do we stand?
Humans have been using wind power since ancient times. Indeed, wind power has been used for thousands of years in…
-
30 April 2022
Solar energy in Italy: where do we stand?
The Sun is the main source of energy on our planet, from which we derive almost all the forms of…
5 September 2021
Faraday, an electrifying biography
"The important thing is to know how to take all things quietly". Michael Faraday...
-
13 May 2018
Small steps, great footprints
Have you ever wondered how much space is taken up by an apple or a steak?...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
-
Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
-
Some curiosities about methane hydrates
The melting of the ice cells, not only brings about the release of methane gas, but it also produces another…
Hydrogen from the sugar cane
The Centro di Ricerca Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (CIRPS) carried out a study in Peru...
Hydrogen from biomass
Hydrogen is an energy carrier that allows to generate energy in an environmentally sustainable way...
-
2 March 2011
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
-
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...
Electricity and electrons
In all electric plants, excluding photovoltaic solar plants, mechanic energy is transformed into electric energy through the same basic procedure...
-
Peat and peat-bogs
The age of coal starts towards the mid 1600s, stimulated by the need for finding an alternative energy source to…
Geographical distribution of energy
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need. Unfortunately we cannot exploit all this…
-
Orimulsion
In order to improve supply security, and therefore the diversification of sources to produce electric energy...
-
Cracking operations
At the end of the fractional distillation, long hydrocarbon molecules can be transformed into lighter molecules by means of more…
-
Where does energy come from?
Every day the Earth receives enough solar energy to satisfy the global energy need...