"The End of Cheap Oil: Are You Ready?"
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Blowout in the Gulf: the BP Oil Spill Disaster and the Future of Energy in America
UCLA Electronic Green Journal Title Blowout in the Gulf: The BP Oil Spill Disaster and the Future of Energy in America Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1ps043ht Journal Electronic Green Journal, 1(32) Author Ferrara, Enzo Publication Date 2011 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Review: Blowout in the Gulf: The BP Oil Spill Disaster and the Future of Energy in America By William R. Freudenburg and Robert Gramling Reviewed by Enzo Ferrara L'Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Italy Freudenburg, William R. and Gramling, Robert. Blowout in the Gulf. The BP Oil Spill Disaster and the Future of Energy in America. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2011. 240 pp., 5 graphs. ISBN: 9780262015837.US$18.95, cloth. On April 20th 2010, eleven oil workers died as the Deepwater Horizon, a gigantic offshore plant rented by BP to drill deep in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and, after burning for 36 hours, sank, causing an uncontrolled eruption of oil one mile below the sea level. Oil poured out at a rate of 56,000 barrels per day, until July 15th, causing one of the largest marine disasters in the history – second only to Saddam Hussein’s intentional opening the oil spigots as his forces retreated from Kuwait in 1991 – and frustrating the hopes of the Gulf residents, reassured in vain by BP and the government of a quick solution of the spill. Just like the complexity of its assessment, the magnitude and duration of the Gulf disaster were distinctive, due to its wide-reaching and prolonged impact in the region associated with the extensive use of dispersants. -
The Way I Saw Things
The Oil Drum | The Way I Saw Things http://www.theoildrum.com/node/10198 The Way I Saw Things Posted by Robert Rapier on August 23, 2013 - 4:56pm I often find myself wondering where my life would be today had I not stumbled across The Oil Drum in 2005. I don’t know that I would still be writing today were it not for my early experiences with TOD readers. As TOD winds down, I thought I’d share my story, which I have not told before. In 2005 I was a chemical engineer at the ConocoPhillips Refinery in Billings, Montana. I worked in the group that among other things did refinery economics. We optimized the refinery for which crude slates to run and how the refinery should be run, depending on the crude slate as well as whether margins were higher for diesel or for gasoline. We could shift production about 5% one way or the other. We often joked about the fact that my boss was the Director of Optimization, Process, and Economics (the “DOPE”). At that time the Montana government was in the midst of trying to implement an ethanol mandate for the state, and the refinery manager knew I had some background with ethanol from my graduate school days at Texas A&M University. So whereas other refineries in the state were sending their plant managers to testify, I was asked to go to the Montana State Legislature to provide testimony on this bill. As I was preparing for my testimony, I wanted to be sure I also emphasized the dangers of being overly dependent on a depleting resource like petroleum. -
Peak Oil, Peak Energy Mother Nature Bats Last
Peak Oil, Peak Energy Mother Nature Bats Last Martin Sereno 1 Feb 2011 (orig. talk: Nov 2004) Oil is the Lifeblood of Industrial Civilization • 80 million barrels/day, 1000 barrels/sec, 1 cubic mile/year • highly energy-dense • easy to transport, store • moves goods and people • allows us to fly (there will never be a battery-operated jet plane) • digs huge holes and puts up huge buildings • ballooned our food supply (fertilize, cultivate, irrigate, transport) • our 'stuff' is made from it (iPods to the roads themselves) • we're not "addicted to oil" -- that's like saying a person has an "addiction to blood" Where Oil Comes From • raw organic material for oil (e.g., from plankton) is present in low concentrations in ‘all’ sedimentary rocks, but esp. from two warm periods 90 million and 140 million years ago • temperature rises with depth (radioactivity, Kelvin’s mistake) • oil is generated in rocks heated to 60-120 deg Celsius • rocks at this temp. occur at different depths in different places (N.B.: water depth doesn't count) • oil is ‘cracked’ to natural gas at higher temps (deeper) • abiotic oil from “crystalline basement” is negligible, if it exists • exhausted oil fields do not refill Recoverable Oil • oil must collect in a “trap” to be practically recoverable • a trap is a permeable layer capped by an impermeable one • obvious traps: anticlines, domes (“oil in those hills”) • less obvious traps found by seismic imaging: turned up edges of salt domes, near buried meteorite crater (Mexico) • harder-to-get-at traps: shallow continental shelf (GOM) • even-harder-to-get-at traps: edge continental slope (Macondo, resevoir pressure: 12,000 pounds [6 tons] per sq inch) • essentially no oil in basaltic ocean floor or granitic basement (Used to be!) Second Largest Oilfield Cantarell used to supply 2% of world oil (water) Guzman, A.E. -
Hydraulic Fracturing
www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC The Equipment: From Rig to Producing Well Hydraulic Fracturing Producing Well: 20+ Years Drilling Rig Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 13 www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Horizontal Drilling . Commences with Common Rotary Vertical Drilling . Wellbore then Reaches a “Kickoff Kickoff Point Point” ~6,300 feet Entry Point . Drill Bit Angles Diaggyonally Until ~7,000 feet the “Entry Point” . Wellbore Becomes Fully Horizontal to Maximize Contact Lateral Length with Productive Zones Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 14 www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Horizontal Drilling – Significant Surface‐Space Reduction Traditional Vertical Wells Horizontal Drilling Anadarko Petroleum Corporation www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Hydraulic Fracturing . Essential Technology in Oil and Natural Gas Production from Tight Sands and Shales . Involves Injecting a Mixture of Water, Sand and a Relatively Small Multiple Layers of 1+ Mile Separates Aquifer Amount of Additives Protective from Fractured Formation Under Pressure into Steel and Cement Targeted Formations . Pressure Creates Pathways, Propped Open by Sand, for Oil or Natural Gas to Flow to the Wellbore Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 16 www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Hydraulic Fracturing Equipment Water tanks Blender Blender Frac Van ellheadW ellheadW SdtkSand tanks Pump trucks 17 Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 17 www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Equipment Water Tanks Pump Trucks Sand Movers Blenders Frac Design Primarily Water and Sand Additives Include: . Gel (ice cream) . Biocide (bleach) . Friction reducer (polymer used in make‐up, nail and skin products) Anadarko Publicly Shares the Ingredients of All Hydraulic Fracturing Operations at www.FracFocus.org Anadarko Petroleum Corporation 18 www.anadarko.com | NYSE: APC Hydraulic Fracturing is Transparent . -
Information on Hydraulic Fracturing
an open pathway to the well. This allows the oil migration of fluids associated with oil and gas and gas to seep from the rock into the pathway, development. After it is determined that the well up the well and to the surface for collection. In is capable of producing oil or natural gas, a Colorado, the targeted formations for hydraulic production casing is set to provide an added fracturing are often more than 7,000 feet layer of separation between the oil or natural underground, and some 5,000 feet below any gas stream and freshwater aquifer. A well drinking water aquifers. survey called a cement bond log is performed to ensure the cement is properly sealed around the The process of hydraulic fracturing has been casing. Additionally, the COGCC requires that used for decades in Colorado, dating to the prior to hydraulic fracturing, the casing be 1970s. Hydraulic fracturing continues to be pressure tested with fluid to the maximum Colorado Department of Natural Resources refined and improved and is now standard for pressure that will ever be applied to the casing. virtually all oil and gas wells in our state, and The well’s construction design is reviewed by across much of the country. Hydraulic fracturing the professional engineering staff at the has made it possible to get the oil and gas out of COGCC. Any flaw in the design will be Information on rocks that were not previously considered as corrected prior to issuing the required drilling likely sources for fossil fuels. permit. Hydraulic Fracturing Common questions and answers about Q: What kinds of fluids do operators use to What is hydraulic fracturing? hydraulic fracturing. -
A Comparative History of Oil and Gas Markets and Prices: Is 2020 Just an Extreme Cyclical Event Or an Acceleration of the Energy Transition?
April 2020 A Comparative History of Oil and Gas Markets and Prices: is 2020 just an extreme cyclical event or an acceleration of the energy transition? Introduction Natural gas markets have gone through an unprecedented transformation. Demand growth for this relatively clean, plentiful, versatile and now relatively cheap fuel has been increasing faster than for other fossil fuels.1 Historically a `poor relation’ of oil, gas is now taking centre stage. New markets, pricing mechanisms and benchmarks are being developed, and it is only natural to be curious about the direction these developments are taking. The oil industry has had a particularly rich and well recorded history, making it potentially useful for comparison. However, oil and gas are very different fuels and compete in different markets. Their paths of evolution will very much depend on what happens in the markets for energy sources with which they compete. Their history is rich with dominant companies, government intervention and cycles of boom and bust. A common denominator of virtually all energy industries is a tendency towards natural monopoly because they have characteristics that make such monopolies common. 2 Energy projects tend to require multibillion – often tens of billions of - investments with long gestation periods, with assets that can only be used for very specific purposes and usually, for very long-time periods. Natural monopolies are generally resolved either by new entrants breaking their integrated market structures or by government regulation. Historically, both have occurred in oil and gas markets.3 As we shall show, new entrants into the oil market in the 1960s led to increased supply at lower prices, and higher royalties, resulting in the collapse of control by the major oil companies. -
Drilling Deeper
Drilling deeper Nia Kajastie looks at the evolution of underground drilling machinery and technologies, as well as the latest equipment releases for exploration, development and production applications Nia Kajastie 19 Dec 2016 10:00 Feature Underground drilling is a vital part of exploration and hard-rock mining activities across a wide range of applications, from diamond coring, short-hole drilling for development and long-hole drilling for production, to ground support to install rock bolts or cable bolts, secondary drilling and blasting to reduce oversize, or simply utility drilling. In line with the variety of possible functions, the Figure 1A Joy DR-1SB hydraulic jumbo drill, which features Intelsense drilling control system and hydrostatic drive for a requirements of drilling equipment for lower profile and tighter turning radius exploration, development and production are dependent on a number of factors. When it comes to exploration drilling, for example, target hole depths and core size are critical to choosing the best rig and tooling. The size of the drilling stations or tunnels is also important to the selection process. According to Boart Longyear, tooling is specific to the core size required. Rods come in different lengths – so you can use 5ft (1.5m) rods if you are drilling in a confined space. Likewise, core barrels come in 5ft or 10ft lengths (1.5m and 3m). On smaller, less powerful rigs, the company recommends freer cutting bits, while also considering the geological formation. The other factor to consider when selecting the right method, rig and tooling is the angle or dip of the hole. -
The Politics of Oil
SYLLABUS PS 399 (CRN 58533): The Politics of Oil Oregon State University, School of Public Policy Spring 2012 (4 credits) Tue & Thur 4-5:50pm, Gilkey 113 Instructor: Tamas Golya Office: Gilkey 300C Office Hours: Tue & Thur 10-11am Phone (during office hours): 541-737-1352 Email: [email protected] “The American Way of Life is not negotiable.” Dick Cheney, Former US Vice President “The species Homo sapiens is not going to become extinct. But the subspecies Petroleum Man most certainly is.” Colin Campbell, Founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil Course Description The world’s economic and political developments of the last century played out against the backdrop of a steadily rising supply of energy, especially oil. There are signs that this period of “easy energy” is coming to an end, turning energy into a major economic and political issue in its own right. Peak Oil is a term used by geologists to describe the point in time at which the world’s annual conventional oil production reaches a maximum after which it inevitably declines. Recent evidence suggests that we may pass this peak in this decade. In a broader sense, Peak Oil also stands for the economic, political, and societal effects of a dramatically changing energy supply. These effects will create unprecedented problems, risks and opportunities for policy makers as well as for consumers and businesses. In part due to higher oil prices, the US has begun to catch up to this issue, as evidenced by the founding of a Peak Oil Caucus in the House of Representatives in 2005 and by the demand of former President Bush to find ways to cure “America’s addiction to oil”. -
2. PEAK OIL 10 2.1 the Origin of Oil 11 2.2 History of Oil 12 3
Bachelor's thesis (Turku University of Applied Sciences) Degree Programme in International Business International Business Management 2012 Aleksi Rantanen, Lauri Stevens PEAK OIL – A study of the phenomenon and possible effects and alternatives in Finland BACHELOR´S THESIS | ABSTRACT TURKU UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES International Business | Management 2012 | 66 + 5 Emmanuel Querrec Aleksi Rantanen and Lauri Stevens PEAK OIL – A STUDY OF THE PHENOMENON AND POSSIBLE EFFECTS AND ALTERNATIVES IN FINLAND This thesis studies a phenomenon called oil peak; what does it mean, what are the possible effects and consequenses in Finland. The theoretical framework covers facts about oil and energy, different theories from microeconomics all the way to different oil theories. It provides comprehensive information on the subject. The empirical research includes two separate expert interviews with the aim of understanding peak oil and its effects in Finland from two different perspectives. The other expert coming from from private sector and the other expert from public sector. The research was conducted by using qualitative method and the questions were made mainly based on the theoretical framefork. Main findings of this study were that peak oil is recognized but experts still argue what does it mean practically; when is it going to happen or has it already happened. The era of cheap oil is coming to an end and it is time for Finland to investigate all possible solutions which could decrease our level of oil dependency. KEYWORDS: Peak oil, oil dependency, oil crunch, eroei, energy, alternative energy, energy in Finland, oil theory, energy production, energy consumption OPINNÄYTETYÖ (AMK) | TIIVISTELMÄ TURUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU International Business | Management 2012 | 66 + 5 Emmanuel Querrec Aleksi Rantanen and Lauri Stevens ÖLJYHUIPPU – TUTKIMUS ILMIÖSTÄ JA SEN MAHDOLLISISTA VAIKUTUKSISTA JA VAIHTOEHDOISTA SUOMESSA Tämä opinnäytetyö tutkii öljyhuippua ilmiönä; mitä se tarkoittaa ja mitkä ovat sen mahdolliset vaikutukset ja seuraukset Suomessa. -
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oil and the Northeastern United States’ Dependence on Heating Oil
Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oil and the Northeastern United States’ Dependence on Heating Oil Prepared for the Northeast Biomass Thermal Working Group by Dr. William Strauss, FutureMetrics, LLC July, 2010 Executive Summary The northeastern US consumes most of the heating oil used in the US. The New England states plus New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey consume 80.3% of all of the heating oil used in the US. These nine states consume on average more than 5.5 billion gallons per year of #2 oil for residential, commercial and industrial heating (that figure does not include diesel fuel for transportation). About 77.5% of that heating oil is refined in US refineries (most of the rest is from Canada). Between 80% and 90% of the heating oil that is refined in the US and used in the northeast is refined in Gulf coast refineries and transported to terminals along the northeastern seaboard. The crude oil that is refined into heating oil in the Gulf that is destined for the northeast comes either from domestic offshore wells or is imported. About 21% of the crude oil refined in the Gulf Coast area is from domestic offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico. The rest is imported. About 60% of the imports are from OPEC nations, about 19% are from Mexico, and the rest of the imports are from a variety of nations in South America, Europe, Africa, and also Canada. Of the OPEC imports, about half come almost equally from Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Because most of the money spent on heating oil does not stay in the northeast states’ economies, those state economies are very sensitive to any increase in heating oil prices. -
Drumbeat: August 3, 2007
The Oil Drum | DrumBeat: August 3, 2007 http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2842 DrumBeat: August 3, 2007 Posted by Leanan on August 3, 2007 - 9:08am Topic: Miscellaneous Venezuela: No fuel for export in 2008 "Provided that in 2008 the number of cars sold is similar to that expected to be sold this year, Venezuela will not have surplus fuel production for export, and the country will be faced with the risk of resorting to imports." Análisis Venezuela also estimated that if any domestic refinery faced operational problems cutting production by 10 percent, Pdvsa would be forced to import gasoline components or finished fuels. White House threatens to veto House energy bill The White House on Friday threatened to veto a massive energy bill slated for debate in the U.S. House of Representatives that sets aside about $16 billion in clean-energy incentives, mostly by repealing tax credits extended to oil companies. Solar IPOs shine Recent offerings, most out of China, have surged along with the sector in general. Is a correction coming? Food, water and oil - the hidden link Since World War II, agricultural research and development has dramatically increased crop productivity, which along with an increase in the areas under irrigation and cultivation, has allowed us to feed an ever increasing global population. Unfortunately, regional conflicts and droughts still cause famine, and poverty is largely responsible for 850 million people still suffering malnourishment. If we could overcome economic inequity, corruption and food distribution issues, we would be able to nourish everybody adequately. However, the situation we see today is changing rapidly. -
NEPA Exemptions, Tragic Results the Devastating 1969 Blowout and Oil
NEPA Exemptions, Tragic Results The devastating 1969 blowout and oil spill at the Union Oil platform Santa Barbara Channel was one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation’s history, and is widely regarded as one of the events that impelled the passage of NEPA in 1970. Alas, we don’t always learn from our mistakes. In response to the energy crises of the 1970s, the U.S. undertook to dramatically increase domestic oil production, which, unfortunately, enshrined exemptions to NEPA for the central and western Gulf of Mexico. The 1978 Amendment to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act required fast- tracked approvals of exploration plans and: “expressly singles out the Gulf of Mexico for less rigorous environmental oversight under NEPA. As a result of political compromise with oil and gas interests, the Act exempts lessees from submitting development and production plans (which include environmental safeguards) for agency approval. Accordingly, Gulf leases, unlike those applicable to other offshore areas, are not subject to the requirement of at least one NEPA environmental impact statement for development plans for a particular geographic area.” (BP Oil Spill Commission Report, page 80) The Interior Department went even further: “In January 1981, the Department promulgated final rules declaring that exploration plans in the central and western Gulf of Mexico were ‘categorically excluded’ from NEPA review” (page 81), and though it later allowed for NEPA reviews in certain circumstances, that was the exception rather than the rule. As a result, the Minerals Management Service “performed no meaningful NEPA review of the potentially significant adverse environmental consequences associated with its permitting for drilling of BP’s exploratory Macondo well” (page 82) or subsequent drilling permits, and therefore one of their plans “carefully considered site-specific factors relevant to the risks presented by the drilling of the Macondo well” (page 83).