Transcript Chapter 19
Oil & Natural Gas What do you think? Do Americans use too much oil? Should we try to produce more oil in America (“drill here, drill now”)? Fossil Fuel Formation Oil and Natural Gas Originated from microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and were covered by sediment Natural gas often forms on top of oil Oil and Gas Formation Olive oil Oil History When was the first commercial oil well drilled? –1859 Where drilled? was it –Titusville, PA What are the top oil producing states in the U.S.? Oil Refining http://www.howstuffworks.com/oilrefining2.htm Petroleum Products What products can be made from petroleum? Issues Related to the Use of Oil Present technology only removes 1/3 of an oil deposit. Secondary recovery methods are used to recover more oil, such as forcing water or gas into wells to drive the oil out. As oil prices increase, more expensive and aggressive secondary recovery methods will need to be used. Which countries are in OPEC? Benefits of Using Oil Oil is more concentrated than coal, burns cleaner, and is easily transported through pipelines. Can be used to make many products It causes less environmental damage than coal mining. Drawbacks of Using Oil Oil spills Oil well blowouts Pipelines and transportation routes Air pollution when burned Oil Drilling Oil Derrick - starts the well Pump - Removes oil from ground Oil Pump Steam can be added to recover more oil - secondary recovery Exxon Valdez March 24, 1989 – Exxon Valdez struck a reef and spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound Trying to prevent oil from spreading Other oil spills Number of Major Oil Spills Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Should we drill? Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ANWR For In 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives passed for the tenth time a motion that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Growing foreign dependence on oil threatens American security and that drilling in ANWR would help reduce that dependence Drilling and extraction of oil would not meaningfully harm the environment Drilling would promote the economy and create new jobs Against U.S. dependence on foreign oil is inevitable and that drilling in ANWR would not significantly reduce dependence It would damage a sensitive ecology and undermining the principle of national environmental protection Drilling is supported by many politicians, and critics charge that they are doing favors for their friends in “Big Oil” Energy Production Impact - Oil ✤ CO2 - “greenhouse gas” - Climate Change ✤ SO2 - “greenhouse gas” - Climate Change ✤ N2O - “greenhouse gas” & Acid rain ✤ Thermal pollution of rivers - water used to cool power plants ✤ unburned hydrocarbons Pollution Control & Prevention Catalytic converters, wet and dry scrubbers reduce pollution Reduce use of oil = reduce pollution Major transportation accidents (ships) Do You Agree? “It wasn't the Exxon Valdez captain's driving that caused the Alaskan oil spill. It was yours.” – Greenpeace advertisement, New York Times, 25 February 1990 How should we reduce oil use? Should we rely more on technological improvements OR changing driving habits? Should the government reduce the amount of subsidies it gives oil companies? Should we increase the sales tax on gasoline? Should there be a “per mile” tax? Natural Gas Natural Gas Mostly methane (CH4) Also found in natural gas: – Ethane (C2H6) – Propane (C3H8) – Butane (C4H10) Formed the same way as oil Where in the world is Natural Gas? Benefits of using Natural Gas Cleaner to burn than coal and oil High energy yield Relatively cheap Enough to last about 125 years Drawbacks of using Natural Gas Nonrenewable Still creates CO2 Difficult and somewhat unsafe to ship around the world Civic GX - NGV