ABSTRACT
Catalytic reforming is the process used in oil refineries for converting the low-value heavy naphtha fraction of crude oil to premium reformate, benzene, toluene and xylene, and hydrogen. John D. Rockefeller continued to lead and grow Standard Oil and the United States economy by his exceptional business acumen and practices. However, some of his business practices were unacceptable for his competitors. This chapter provides appropriate background for a good understanding of the sources of crude oil, crude oil and liquid production, crude oil consumption rate, conventional and unconventional oil qualities, and oil prices. Opportunity oils are crude or unconventional oils and oil fractions that become available at "opportune" times and at favorable discounted prices. Crude or petroleum oil is a complex mixture of thousands of hydrocarbon compounds with broad ranges of molecular weights and boiling points. Factors that are relevant in the ranking of countries with respect to oil reserves, daily oil production, and global oil consumption rates are provided.
