Dictionary
N-alcanes
straight-chain (normal) alkanes (paraffins), belonging to the group of saturated hydrocarbons.
Naphthenes (cycloalkanes, cycloparaffins)
saturated cyclical components that contain only carbon and hydrogen. Cyclo-pentane and cyclo-hexane are the most simple of the naphthenes and can be found in petroleum. Naphthenes can also appear as condensates (steranes and triterpanes) and consist of multiply condensate rings with five or six carbon atoms.
Petroleum field
wells and discovered reservoirs of petroleum; when reservoirs are brought into production, the petroleum field also encompasses all above-ground facilities and plants for the production of petroleum and gas.
Petroleum-gas field
wells and discovered individual reservoirs of petroleum or natural gas; when brought into production, the petroleum-gas field also encompasses all above-ground facilities and plants for the production of petroleum and gas.
Petroleum/oil
(gr. naphtha – earth/rock oil), liquid mixture of hydrocarbons of mineral origin; mineral raw material of highest importance in terms of energy; recovered from underground by mining-petroleum activities, that is, by drilling and production through wells; refined into petroleum products in refineries.
Petroleum window
a depth-temperature interval in which the parent rock generates the biggest portion of petroleum hydrocarbons. Petroleum windows occur in temperature areas between 60 and 160 <sup>0</sup>C, that is, in catagenesis.