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Viscosity: Varies, depending on oil field source. Can range from 8 cPs. to several thousand cPs.; some crudes have to be heated before they can be easily handled.

Remarks: All crude oils are complex mixtures of paraffin, naphthene and aromatic hydrocarbons with small amounts of aromatic hydrocarbons with small amounts of sulfur. The terms paraffin base crude, asphalt base crude and aromatic base crudes are used to indicate the most prevalent constituents of crudes from various fields. Crude oil is a flammable liquid varying in color from yellow to dark reddish-brown, has a peculiar heavy odor; specific gravity ranges from 0.78 to 0.97; crude is refined to give natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel oil, lubricating oil, paraffin wax, road oil, asphalt and coke. Crude oil and some of its fractions are major raw materials for many chemicals.

Pump Notes: Cast iron construction is satisfactory although some crude oils may require use of some stainless steel parts. Some crudes contain sand, salt water, and significant traces of sulfur. Any one of these conditions can determine preferred construction. Elastomer recommendation depends on the particular grade of crude and may range from buna n to PTFE.

See also:  Oil Production, Oil Refining