Transcript energy and environment

Oil and Gas
• Geology of Oil and Gas
– Similar to coal (different source)
– Second most abundant liquid in the
crust
– Formation incompletely understood
– Environments
• Contain clay minerals
• Subsiding depositional basins
– Rapid and deep burial
– Heat and pressure
– Formation (biogenic to
thermogenic)
– Initiate migration
Geology of Oil and Gas
• Movement
– Primary migration
– Secondary migration
– Mostly found in geologically young rocks
• >100 My; mostly Cenozoic or late Mesozoic (Cretaceous)
– May have escaped from older rocks (preservation)
•
•
•
•
85% of total production comes from 5% of the fields
65% from 1% of the fields
15% of known reserves are in the Middle East
Most giant fields are located in tectonic belts that have been
active in the past 60-70 My
Geology of Oil and Gas
• Oil traps
– Cap rock-zone of
impervious rock
– Anticline (70%)
– Fault
– Unconformity (20%)
– Stratigraphic traps
– Salt domes (5%)
Geology of Oil and Gas
• Production
– Primary recovery
– Enhanced recovery
– Brine disposal
• Distribution of Gas and Oil
– US situation
– Future
•
•
•
•
New discoveries? Maybe
Coal derived processes
Nuclear fuels
Alternative energy sources
Natural Gas Reserves
Oil Reserves
Impact of Oil and Gas
Exploration and Development
• Negligible to significant
• Sensitive areas
• Development
–
–
–
–
Drilling wells
Disposing of waste water
Transporting
Converting
• Use
– Greenhouse gases
– Urban pollution
Impact of Oil and Gas
Exploration and Development
•
Gas Hydrates
–
–
–
–
Recently discovered in
young geologic
environments
“Ice crystals" of gas and
water
In 1997, estimate was
refined to 200,000 trillion ft3
Greater than all oil and coal
reserves.
Oil Shales and Tar Sands
• Geology of Oil Shales
– Oil shale• Origin similar to other
petroleum materials
• Sedimentary rock
containing kerogen
• Heating yields
significant
hydrocarbons
– Example
• Green River Formation
Oil Shales and Tar Sands
• Geology of Tar Sands
– Tar sands
•
•
•
•
Impregnated with tar oil, asphalt, and other organic materials
Difficult to recover by conventional methods
Berea Tar Pits in California
Best know in Canada at Athabasca
– Distribution of Oil Shale and Tar sands
• US: about 2/3 of oil shale resources
• Canada's tar sands: equal of about 50% of world oil reserves
– Current Economics
• Getting better
• Canadian dollar has risen dramatically against the US dollar;
has become a true "petrodollar"
Oil Shales and Tar Sands
• Impact of Exploration and Development
–
–
–
–
–
Uses conventional near surface techniques
Insufficient water for processing
Tar sands are in small scale production
Oil shales increase in volume after retorting (20-30%)
Modified in-situ processing
Fossil Fuel and Acid Rain
• Environmental Effects
of Acid Rain
– Damage to Vegetation
– Damage to Lake
Ecosystems
– Damage to Human
Structures
• A Solution to the Acid
Rain Problem
Areas Sensitive to Acid Rain
Oil in the 21st Century
• Crisis Indicators:
–
–
–
–
Consumed 50% of available resources
Rate of discovery is low
Peak world recovery will by 2020
US production will end by 2090
• Responses:
– Education and planning
– Develop known coal resources
– Develop alternative technology
Nuclear Energy: Fission and Fusion
• Energy from Fission
– Chain reactions
• Reactor design and operation
– Burner reactor
– Breeder reactor (uranium cycle; thorium cycle)
– Geology and distribution of uranium
– Risks associated with fission reactors
– The future of energy from fission
Nuclear Reactor
BWR
No body would build a reactor where the recirculating
fluid would be in contact with the nuclear material;
too dangerous!!
Energy from Fusion
– Tokamak magnetic bottle
– Cold Fusion (Stanley Pons and Martin Fleishman)
Geothermal Energy
• Geology of Geothermal
Energy
– Hydrothermal convection
systems
– Hot igneous systems
– Geopressured systems
– Groundwater systems
• Environmental Impact of
Geothermal Energy
Development
– The Future of Geothermal
Energy
Geothermal Energy
World Energy Resource Base
Gas Hydrate not included
Renewable Energy Sources
• Direct Solar Energy
– Active and passive systems
– Solar Cell
– Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
• Water Power
– Hydroelectric power
– Tidal Power
• Wind Power
– Objections have been growing
• Noise
• Bird kills
• Aesthetics
• Energy from Biomass
– Wood Wastes
Renewable Energy Sources
Policy and the Future
• Conservation, Efficiency, and Cogeneration
• Energy Policy for the Future
– Hard Path vs. Soft Path
– Sustainable Energy Policy
• Technology
– Hybrid vehicles (Honda, Toyota, etc.)
– Hydrogen economy
– Fuel cells
– Clean fossil fuel alternatives