54.An Introduction to Petrochemicals .
54、 石油化工产品概述、
1. The petroleum era was ushered in by the 1859 finding at Titusville, Pennsylvania, but the flourishing of chemicals from petroleum has been only since the early twentieth century. Natural gas and petroleum are in fact our chief sources of hydrocarbons. Natural gas is quite variable in composition, but the major constituent (>60%) is methane. Other components are the homologous alkanes, ethane, propane, and higher hydrocarbons. In terms of volume, most of the natural gas produced is used for fuel, although a substantial amount is used as raw material for the synthesis of various types of chemicals.
1、1859宾西法尼亚洲Titusville地区钻出油井，开创了石油时代。但从石油中成功地提取化学产品，则直到20世纪早期才开始。实际上,天然气和石油是我们碳氢化合物的主要来源。天然气在成分上不大稳定，但主要成分(60%)是甲烷。，其他组分有同系烷、乙烷、丙烷以及高分子碳氢化合物。从数量看，尽管有相当数量的天然气用作各种合成化合物的原料，但所生产的大多数天然气用作燃料。
2. The chemical industry depends very heavily on petroleum, natural gas, and natural gas liquids as sources of raw materials. It is likely that in excess of 90% of the literally thousands of different basic organic chemicals employed today are derived from these sources.
2、化学工业的原材料来源严重依赖石油、天然气和液态天然气。当今所应用的上千种不同的基本有机化学产品中很可能有超过90%的产品来自这些资源。
3. The petrochemical industry has grown with the petroleum industry and is considered by some to be a mature industry. However, as is the case with the latest trends in changing crude oil types, it must also evolve to meet changing technological needs.
3、石油化学工业是随着石油工业发展起来的，而且有人认为已是一个成熟的工业部门。然而，从原油类型变化的最新趋势来看，石油化学工业同样需要进一步发展以适应技术发展的需要。
4. The manufacture of chemicals or chemical intermediates from petroleum and natural gas constituents is an excellent example of the conversion of such materials to more valuable products. The individual chemicals made from petroleum and natural gas are numerous and include industrial chemicals, household chemicals, fertilizers, and paints, as well as intermediates for the manufacture of products, such as synthetic rubber and plastics.
4、从石油和天然气组分中生产化学产品或化学中间产品极好地证明了这些物质能够转换成更有价值的产品。从石油和天然气提取的单个化学产品数量众多；包括工业产品、家庭用品、化肥、油漆、以及用于生产其他产品的中间产品，如合成橡胶和塑料。
5. The processing of petroleum hydrocarbon to yield materials that are, essentially, the building blocks of other chemicals industries, is now very extensive.
5、石油碳氢化合物通过加工所生产的物质，基本上是其他化学工业的预制品，这种加工目前范围十分广泛。
6. Petrochemicals are generally chemical compounds derived from petroleum either by direct manufacture or by indirect manufacture as by-products from the variety of processes that are used during the refining of petroleum. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, Lubricating oils, waxes, asphalts, and the like are excluded from the definition of petrochemicals, since they are not, in the true sense, chemical compounds but are in fact intimate mixtures of hydrocarbons.
6、石化产品一般指直接或间接地从石油中提炼的化合物，这些化合物往往是石油炼制各种过程中产生的副产品。汽油、煤油、燃料油、润滑油、石蜡、沥青以及诸如此类的产品不属于石化产品。因为，从严格意义上说，它们不是化合物，而是烃类的均质混合物。