Crude oil makes up the petrol and diesel that we can pay for using a Fuel Card for our business vehicle. Fuel Card Services mean that employees don’t have to submit expense claims every time they buy fuel. In order for the oil to be turned into petrol or diesel, it is passed through a fractioning column. This is a column that heats up to temperatures of 400 degrees celsius. The temperatures need to be this substantial to separate the oil into different hydrocarbons. For example, diesel is produced when the temperature inside the fractioning column reaches 300 degrees celsius. The diesel and petrol are then channelled away from the column in different pipe networks.

But where does the crude oil come from in the first place?

Crude oil is a mixture of plants and organisms that lived millions of years ago. This matter has joined together and has been heated to high temperatures by the natural heating of the earth. Over time this has turned into a slick oil substance that can be found deep within the ground.

In order for us to find the natural oil reserves, we have to use satellite technology and seismic waves to locate the oil. Once it has been located oil well will be established. These are large holes that are dug into the earth and channelled down until they hit oil. This oil is then channelled into the oil plant and the fractioning columns mentioned above.