ROMANIAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

Petroleum has been and still remains, in equal measure, a friend and an enemy to humanity: a friend for its use in numerous applications over the years, from the lubrication of cart axles to jet fuel; an enemy for creating permanent conflicts between countries, leading to a global conflagration. This layout has perpetuated for over two millennia, until today.The problem of petroleum has a multitude of aspects: economic, political, financial, social, military, legislative and, last but not least, scientific and technical. It has taken a share of sacrifices, which may not be overlooked, to be rightfully called “black gold.” Subject to continuous development, petroleum is still indispensable to our quotidian life, although attempts have been made to replace it with alternative energy sources due to its negative effects on the planet, which are increasingly visible.The present state of petroleum industry is the result of a continuous labor of many generations of researchers, professors, engineers, technicians, foremen, and workers, especially from petroleum producing countries. Romania is one of the first petroleum producers and ranked first in Europe and among the first nations worldwide until the end of the 19th century. During the 20th century, a large number of oil and gas reservoirs were discovered in many countries on all continents; even today Romania still remains an important producer with encouraging perspectives.Romanian contributions to the progress of petroleum industry are noticeable, being appreciated and implemented by the major companies worldwide. This work intends to present just several of these contributions, some of which are highlighted and highly regarded.