I. Fossil Fuels - Our Principal Industrial Energy Source

• A. Fossil Fuels are Fundamental to the U. S. Economy
  
  • 1. 88% of our energy needs are met by coal, oil, & natural gas
    
• B. The Historical Development of Fossil Fuels
  
  • 1. Coal mining began 8 centuries ago on the north coast of England
    
  • 2. The use of fossil fuels was negligible before 1800
    
    • a. The production curves show how demand has grown
      
• C. National Importance of Large Energy Supplies
  
  • 1. A close relationship between national power and energy has existed since the start of the industrial revolution
    
    • a. Britain and Germany grew to prominence in the 19th century on their coal fields
      
• D. The Consumption Curve for Finite Resources
  

II. Oil And Natural Gas

• A. The Natural Occurrence of Oil and Gas
  
  • 1. Both resources require that some sort of geologic trap exist
    
• B. Oil Field Sizes
  
  • 1. Oil fields range from supergiant (>5 billion bbls) to small (5 million bbls)
    
  • 2. Few undiscovered supergiant or giants are believed to remain
    
    • a. Would be in very inaccessible areas
      
  • 3. Seems virtually certain they have all been found in the U.S.
    
• C. Getting Oil Out of the Ground
  
  • 1. Exploration
    
  • 2. Secure drilling rights
    
  • 3. Drilling
    
  • 4. Pumping
    
  • 5. Processing
    
• D. Oil Recovery Ranges from 10 to 80%
  
  • 1. The industry average is 30%
    
  • 2. Secondary Recovery
    
    • a. This is mostly water or natural gas injection
      
    • b. Raises recovery 2 to 10%
      
  • 3. Tertiary recovery is rarely done
    
    • a. In situ heating by burning or detergent injection are used
      
• E. Production Now and in the Future
  
  • 1. Ultimately Recoverable Oil Resources
    
    • a. World 1700 - 2300 10⁹ bbls
      
      • 1) Yet to be produced 1016 10⁹ bbls
        
    • b. North America 280 - 380 10⁹ bbls
      
      • 1) Yet to be produced 45 10⁹ bbls
        
    • c. Middle East 860 - 1140 10⁹ bbls
      
      • 1) Yet to be produced 534 10⁹ bbls
        
  • 2. U.S. oil production will continue to fall as the resource declines
    
    • a. Year 2000 5x10⁶ bbls/day CONSUMPTION 16 to 17 X10⁶
      
• F. Suppliers of Petroleum to the U. S.
  
  • 1. Importer nations must go to those who have oil regardless of politics
    
    • a. Middle Eastern nations hold a huge part of the world oil reserves
      
  • 2. Dependence on oil has forced reliance on distant sources as domestic resources fall
    
    • a. Worked well for Europe, U.S., and Japan where American military and political predominance existed
      
  • 3. Industrial powers now rely on politically unstable nations
    
    • a. Nigeria has threatened to cut off oil to nations trading with Zimbabwe
      
    • b. Iraq invaded Kuwait August 2, 1990 to gain control of a large part of the world oil supply
      
• G. Oil Shales
  
  • 1. 20% of the U.S. is underlain by oil shale
    
    • a. The Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah & Wyoming
      
      • 1) Covers 17,000 sq. miles and has 2 x 10¹² bbls oil
        
      • 2) Better deposits have 30 gallons/ton rock
        
      • 3) Most land is federally owned
        
  • 2. Best known recovery methods involve strip mining and surface retorting
    
    • a. Subsurface retorting is experimental
      
  • 3. Environmental problems
    
    • a. Retorting expands the shale 20% compounding disposal problems
      
    • b. Strip mining
      
    • c. Waste is very alkaline and pollutes streams
      
    • d. Air pollution from dust and many chemicals
      
    • e. Burning shale oil produces 1.5 to 5 times the CO₂ of conventional oil
      
      • 1) CO₂ is released from calcite
        
• H. Natural Gas (methane CH₄)
  
  • 1. History
    
    • a. Natural gas was once considered a nuisance and was routinely flared before 1940
      
      • 1) This was because of difficulty transporting gas
        
    • b. Now natural gas is either:
      
      • 1) Reinjected to maintain oil field pressure
        
      • 2) Shipped to market
        
      • 3) Preferably by pipeline
        
      • 4) LNG tankers are dangerous
        
• 2. The resource yet to be developed in the U.S. may be 1500 x10¹² cubic feet
  
  • a. 65 years supply at 1995 consumption rates
    
  • b. This high total may result from discoveries in the Rocky Mtn overthrust belt
    
• I. Coal
  
  • 1. Coal resources are more easily estimated
    
    • a. U.S. may have 400 - 500 billion tons of commercial coal
      
      • 1) A 600 year supply
        
      • 2) Resource is 10 times oil
        
      • 3) 4000 billion tons may ultimately be available
        
    • b. USSR has 3 to 4 X the U.S. resource
      
  • 2. Coal distribution in the U.S. - see map
    
  • 3. Important uses of coal
    
    • a. Electricity generation
      
    • b. Production of methane by gasification
      
    • c. Domestic and commercial heat
      
    • d. Heat for industrial processes
      
  • 4. Adverse environmental impacts
    
    • a. Strip mining
      
    • b. Occupational hazards - black lung, mine collapse, etc.
      
    • c. Stream pollution from mines
      
    • d. SO₂ and NO_x air pollution - acid rain
      
    • e. Particulate air pollution
      

I. Fossil Fuels - Our Principal Industrial Energy Source | II. Oil And Natural Gas | III. Energy Appendix | IV. Andrew Carnegie Story From NPR | Links | top | Geol 357 Lecture Home

III. Energy Appendix

• A. Cause of the Energy Crisis
  
  • 1. Lack of national energy plan
    
  • 2. Years of import restrictions depleted our domestic resource
    
  • 3. Federal regulations on the price of oil and natural gas
    
    • a. Consumer didn't know the real value
      
    • b. Depressed industry incentive
      
  • 4. Laws restricting the burning of coal
    
  • 5. Environmental opposition to strip mining, offshore drilling, refinery construction
    
  • 6. Growing population and increased demand per capita
    
  • 7. Inefficient homes, transportation, and manufacturing
    
  • 8. Wars
    
• B. A Brief History of OPEC (Oil Producing and Exporting Countries)
  
  • 1. Founded around 1960 by Venezuela because oil companies paid so little for the oil they extracted
    
  • 2. Other nations joined because their huge oil resources generated so little money
    
    • a. They needed money to develop and modernize
      
  • 3. In the early 1970's U.S. inefficiency forced us to switch from exporter to importer
    
    • a. Other industrial nations imported even more
      
    • b. Industrial nations were vulnerable
      
  • 4. The Shah of Iran urged price increases
    
    • a. bbl of oil rose to $10 on Dec 20, 1973
      
    • b. Reached $35 to $40/bbl by 1979
      
  • 5. OPEC production has fallen since 1977
    
    • a. 31x10⁶ bbl/day in 1981
      
    • b. 17.5x⁶ bbl/day in 1983
      
    • c. 20x⁶ bbl/day in 1988
      
    • d. Economic downturn
      
    • e. Conservation
      
    • f. Switch to alternate energy sources
      

I. Fossil Fuels - Our Principal Industrial Energy Source | II. Oil And Natural Gas | III. Energy Appendix | IV. Andrew Carnegie Story From NPR | Links | top | Geol 357 Lecture Home

IV. Andrew Carnegie Story From NPR

• A. Andrew Carnegie was approached by a man on the street who claimed to have the key to success written in a small book. For $20,000 Carnegie could have the book. Carnegie requested a sample of the suggestions:
  
  • 1. Each day make a list of the most important things to be accomplished.
    
  • 2. Do them!!
    
• B. Carnegie bought the book!!
  
• C. Such an approach to national problems in 1980 would have:
  
  • 1. Developed an alternative energy and conservation plan,
    
  • 2. Emphasized improved public schools
    
  • 3. Etc.
    
• D. We didn't do it. Now we pay the price.
  

I. Fossil Fuels - Our Principal Industrial Energy Source | II. Oil And Natural Gas | III. Energy Appendix | IV. Andrew Carnegie Story From NPR | Links | top | Geol 357 Lecture Home