What Color is Crude

Crude oil is not always black as is often depicted in movies. Petroleum is another name for crude oil, which is unprocessed oil. The outputs of processing crude oil are called petrochemicals. The color varies greatly from clear to black, and and in viscosity, from water to almost solid, based on the concentration of hydrocarbon molecules and other compounds in the mixture. For instance, Pennsylvania grade crude oil is typically greenish in color.

Gas Facts

Gas is one derivative of crude oil. Heat from one gallon of gas is enough to power a 1,500-watt space heater on full blast for 24-hours. If it were possible for humans to digest gasoline, a gallon would contain about 31,000 food calories. That is about equivalent to the energy in about 110 McDonald's hamburgers.

Gas Prices

When the price of crude oil goes up a dollar, the price we pay per gallon goes up about 2.5 cents a gallon. When you read about oil going up to a hundred dollars a barrel in the next few weeks, you can expect to pay about 25 cents more at the pump.