OIL

By Crystal Vargas

SOURCES• Oil is naturally found in underground traps within the earth, in land or under the seafloor. After approximately 100-300 millions of years, the

accumulation of dead animals and plants were deprived of oxygen, then heated and compressed into the oil we use today.

Uses• Oil is not useable until it is refined. Since crude oil contains different lengths of hydrocarbons, it must be separated to create many products. Industrial Use:

Gases, gasoline, aviation fuel, heating oil, diesel oil, naptha, grease and wax, asphalt

Everyday Use: Plastics, cleaning products, medications, synthetic fabrics, crayons, gum,

cosmetics, etc.

Efficiency/CostAlthough oil has the net energy ratio that is currently high (because it is abundant, accessible, and inexpensive to extract), once this source depletes, the net energy ratio of oil will decline and its prices will drastically increase. Net energy- the amount of high-quality usable energy

available from a resource after subtracting the energy needed to make it available for use.

Efficiency/Cost• Total cost to produce crude oil

and natural gas is the upstream costs.

• The upstream cost includes lifting and finding costs.

• Lifting costs are the costs to operate and maintain oil and gas wells and related equipment and facilities to bring oil and gas to the surface.

• Finding costs are the costs of exploring for and developing reserves of oil and gas and the costs to purchase properties or acquire leases that might contain oil and gas reserves.

Equipment• In order to find the oil, geologists use satellite data, conduct ground and air surveys, drill rock cores and wells to help locate the underground deposits, and do seismic surveys by exploring. Also they use a large weight to thump the ground with to send sound waves

into the ground and then measure how they interact with rock and other underground formations. Computers analyze the seismic data to create 3-D images of the earth’s interior.

Equipment• Once the oil is located, oil rigs are built

Oil wells Oil drilling platforms [on legs]

• After the oil is obtained, it goes through a refining process• The crude oil is heated up until it turns into gases. Those

gases travel into the fractional distillation column. The gases then condense as it cools and turns into a liquid, thus separating the different substances.

Equipment

Fractional Distillation Column

Equipment• How does gasoline convert into energy?

Internal combustion engine Intake: The piston is the part that slides up and down in the

combustion chamber bringing fuel and air during its first cycle into the chamber and then compressing it.

Compressing: During its compression cycle, the fuel energy is converted into mechanical energy.

Energy: Sparks ignite the fuel and air causing a “tiny explosion”. The fuel burns and it releases hot gas that pushes off the piston back down. Energy is now powering the engine.

Exhaust: The piston is now forced back up the cylinder. Then it forces the exhaust gases out.

Equipment

Consumption/Usage

United States

• According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, “in 2013, the United States consumed a total of 6.89 billion barrels of petroleum products, an average of 18.89 million barrels per day.’

Worldwide

• According to International Energy Agency, “As of 2011, approximately 89 million barrels of oil and liquid fuels were consumed per day worldwide. That works out to nearly 32 billion barrels a year.”

And according to geologists, U.S. oil production peaked in 1974 and has declines since then. They predict that oil production will reach the 80% depletion point by about year 2055.

Consumption/Usage

Advantages• Supply for 42-93 years

• High net energy/ low cost

• Easily transported within and between countries

• Low land use

Disadvantages• Need an alternative resource within 50 years

• Low prices encourages waste and discourage the search for alternatives.

• Air pollution/releases CO2 when burned

• Water pollution

• Oil drilling endangers the environment

• Oil transportation (by ship) can lead to spills, causing environmental and ecological damage.

• Worldwide disputes leading to war

Ecological Problems• The accumulation of pollutants that derives from oil will continue to grow.

• Today we see the changes:• Air pollution

• Carbon dioxide• Rain water increases in acidity

• Water pollution• Oil spills

• The Odyssey (1988), The Haven (1991), Gulf War (1991), BP (2010), etc.

• Foreign warfare• Ecosystem destruction

• Human desire to want more stuff will increase the use of oil, especially when an alternative energy isn’t found, then having to deal with oil depletion in the future.• More stuff=more waste!

• Unless we get together and reverse the damage that has been done, the future earth will not look pretty.. It’d be a shame to witness humanity fail miserably, because our one planet that we call home was taken advantage of.

Ecological Problem• Hydraulic fracturing

A.K.A: Fracking The process of injecting liquids (water and chemicals) and sand (to prevent the cracks from closing) down a well at a high pressure into subsurface rock, then turned horizontally to a oil bearing rock. The main goal is to create many interconnected fractures that will act as pore spaces for the movement of oil (& natural gas) to the well bore.

Ecological Problem

• PROBLEM: This process uses 8 million liters of water (which is equivalent to the daily consumption of 65,000 people).

• The 200,000 liters of chemicals is used to thicken water into a gel, reduce friction, dissolve minerals, kill bacteria, control pH, etc. When the fracking is complete, the ‘fracking

fluids’ are pumped back into the earth and sealed with cement. PROBLEM: Contamination of water drinking

sources, because of the highly toxic chemicals.

• PROBLEM: Release of greenhouse gases, like methane.

• PROBLEM: Requires a large amount of energy.

• PROBLEM: Could cause earthquakes.

Ecological Problem• Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

A.K.A: BP Oil Spill On April 20, 2010, the manual and emergency preventers failed

to function when the oil rig blowout occurred. A combination of mud, oil, natural gas, and water erupted

from the well, went up the drill pipe, and igniting the surface causing an explosion.

Oil coated birds' feathers, causing birds to lose their buoyancy and the ability to regulate body temperature.

Mammals could have ingested oil, which causes ulcers and internal bleeding.

Sea turtles were covered in oil Dead and dying deep sea corals were discovered seven miles

from the Deepwater Horizon well. Sick dolphins! Stranded sea turtles! Declined fish populations!

Ecological Problem

References• Living in the Environment 15th Edition

• https://answersingenesis.org/geology/the-origin-of-oil/

• http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/what-we-do/finding-oil-and-gas/how-oil-and-gas-form.html

• http://www.livescience.com/24752-surprising-oil-uses.html

• http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=33&t=6

• http://www.iea.org/aboutus/faqs/oil/

• http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/07/07/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-oil-cons-disregarded-by-powerful-lobbies/

• http://www.livescience.com/6363-top-10-worst-oil-spills.html

• http://www.explainthatstuff.com/carengines.html

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti2niW2BRA

• http://geology.com/articles/hydraulic-fracturing/

• http://www.nwf.org/what-we-do/protect-habitat/gulf-restoration/oil-spill/effects-on-wildlife.aspx

• http://www.luxecoliving.com/the-bp-oil-spill-what-happened-and-who%E2%80%99s-to-blame/

• http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=367&t=6