Ch. 19 Oil and Natural Gas
Why do we worry about when peak oil will occur? a. While we are experiencing peak oil, the price of oil will decline, and thus oil company profits will decline. b. After we reach peak oil, the price of oil will increase as supply drops, but demand stays high. c. Until we reach peak oil, we will not be able to meet the worldwide demand for oil. d. If we can't find a way to reach the deepest oil reserves, then we will never reach peak oil.
B) After we reach peak oil, the price of oil will increase as supply drops, but demand stays high
Oil forms over millions of years when microscopic organisms die and are ______. A) Hydraulically fractured B) Buried in sediment C) Eaten by bacteria D) Concentrated in wetlands E) Burned in forest fires
B) Buried in sediment
Meeting all of one's energy needs without importing any energy is called ______. A) Energy return on investment B) Energy independence C) Environmental optimism D) Unconventional hydrocarbons E) Peak oil
B) Energy independence
If we paid the true costs of using fossil fuels like oil or natural gas, the price to fuel our cars or heat our homes would: a. go up b. go down c. stay the same d. would go up for oil products like gasoline but down for natural gas uses such as heating our home.
B) Go up
Which of the following is true about the extraction of oil from conventional oil wells? a. The largest percentage of the retrieved oil comes from the wells' primary production. b. Pumping water into nearby wells can force out additional oil in secondary production. c. Tertiary production refers to the sum total of oil retrieved from primary and secondary production. d. The EROEI (energy returned on energy invested) goes up as we move from primary to secondary production.
B) Pumping water into nearby wells can force out additional oil in secondary production.
What is the name of the process used to refine crude oil? A) Complex Distillation B) Simple Distillation C) Fractioning D) Hydraulic Fractioning
B) Simple Distillation
Producing oil from a well by injecting steam into the reservoir rock to stimulate flow to the surface is known as ______ production. A) Secondary B) Tertiary C) Quaternary D) Primary
B) Tertiary
The state of ______ is the largest oil producing state in the United States
Texas (North Dakota 2nd)
Which of these is an advantage to the United States for pursuing its tight oil via fracking? a. It could lead to a decreased dependence on foreign oil. b. This is the cheapest method for accessing oil, so prices will go down. c. The Middle Eastern oil producers will stop trying to sell oil to the United States and its allies. d. It will provide energy security for nations that do not produce their own oil.
A) It could lead to a decreased dependence on foreign oil
Oil, natural gas and coal are considered to be __________ because society is consuming them much faster than they are naturally produced A) Nonrenewable B) Fossil fuels C) Strategic D) Continuous E) Hydrocarbons
A) Nonrenewable
One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the biggest threat to the ocean ecosystem near the spill was from ____________. A) oil that coated the ocean floor, which endangered bottom-dwelling species and created a dead zone B) oil that had been ingested by marine species and bioaccumulated up the food chain C) oil that floated on the surface of the ocean, which affected interactions between atmospheric gases and ocean water
A) oil that coated the ocean floor, which endangered bottom-dwelling species and created a dead zone
What's a proven reserve?
Amount of fuel in a deposit that is technologically and economically feasible to remove under current conditions
About how much of the crude oil that is extracted goes to the chemical industry to produce plastics and other non-fuel products? a. 10% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75%
C) 50% (half)
Which area of the world has the most oil and natural gas reserves? A) Eurasia B) Central and South America C) Middle East D) North America
C) Middle East
Why might an environmentalist be willing to support the extraction of unconventional oil and natural gas? a. These sources of fossil fuels are less environmentally damaging to extract. b. These sources of fossil fuels are less environmentally damaging to burn. c. Using these fuels may buy time to transition to more sustainable sources of energy. d. These supplies are abundant enough to be considered sustainable energy sources.
C) Using these fuels may buy time to transition to more sustainable sources of energy
_______________ oil reserves hold crude oil that can be extracted with traditional oil wells.
Conventional oil reserves
Why is mountaintop removal used in Appalachia to harvest coal? A. It is too deep to harvest with other methods B. Miners prefer this method since it is more efficient and pays well. C. This is the method that produces the least environmental damage. D. It is the cheapest way to obtain the coal.
D) It is the cheapest way to obtain coal
All of the following are products of crude oil refining EXCEPT A) Liquefied petroleum gas. B) Diesel oils. C) Kerosene. D) Natural gas. E) Naphtha.
D) Natural Gas
Which of the following does not have environmental costs associated with it? a. Shipping oil by rail or sea. b. Drilling for oil. c. Oil exploration - looking for new deposits. d. None of the above; all come with environmental costs.
D) None of the above
Producing oil from a well as a result of pumping water in injection wells to drive the oil to the surface is known as ______ production. A) Quaternary B) Tertiary C) Primary D) Secondary E) Secondary
D) Secondary
Which method of extracting oil is the most energy and water-intensive, and the most environmentally damaging? a. Conventional oil wells b. Deep sea oil wells c. Fracking d. Tar-sands mining
D) Tar-sands mining
Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas are considered non-renewable because: a. they damage the environment when they are used. b. the forces that make them no longer exist on the planet. c. unlike other energy sources, they can't be recycled after use. d. we are using them much faster than they are replaced.
D) We are using them faster than they are replaced
Is oil consumption in the US increasing or decreasing?
Decreasing
Which of the following hydrocarbons is the heaviest and has the longest molecules? A) Kerosene B) Gasoline C) Paraffin oil D) Naphtha E) Lubricating oil
E) Lubricating oils
The type of sedimentary rock that is being hydraulically fractured in the Bakken formation to let the oil and natural gas trapped within escape is called ______.
Shale
Why is fracking used to access some deposits of oil or natural gas? a. Using this method is less expensive than obtaining it from conventional oil or gas wells. b. Fracking is used in U.S. states that don't allow conventional oil or gas wells. c. When the oil or natural gas in a deposit is abundant but widely dispersed, conventional wells won't work well. d. When natural gas is located above the oil in an underground deposit, you have to use fracking technology.
c. When the oil or natural gas in a deposit is abundant but widely dispersed, conventional wells won't work well.
The tar sands of Canada provide much of the oil to the US
extracted using strip mining-very damaging to the habitat; energy and water intensive to extract and process the thick oil; difficult to ship
Unconventional oil and natural gas sources
not accessible with conventional drilling, substantial supplies in north america, lower EROEI, higher environmental impact, more expensive to extract, fracking for deep NG or tight oil; tar sands