EASC 107 - Topics 5 & 6
present gas use
> 25% of energy needs in US and Europe for heating, cooking, and electricity - also used to manufacture chemicals for plastics, drugs, etc
Joule
Electrical unit of measurement
British thermal unit (BTU)
Energy needed to raise temperature of 1lb of water 1F
CO2 injection
Experimental use of waste CO2 as injection, most remains underground and increases oil flow
Calorie
Heat unit of measurement
"Alternate" energy
Hydroelectric energy = most important now
Power
Measure of energy used per unit of time
Watt
Power unit (1 joule / second)
sulphur
a common byproduct of oil refining methods
fractionation
a form of petroleum refining that heats oil to 500 degrees C which causes separation into lighter vs heavier fractions that can be directly separated
thermal cracking
a form of petroleum refining where heat and pressure is added to crude oil to break larger hydrocarbon compounds into smaller, lighter ones
chemical flooding
add chemicals to injection system
natural gas
almost entirely made of methane
secondary oil recovery
artificial techniques to enhance flow of oil from reservoir to open drill holes (ex; water, steam, or chemical flooding, and gas injection)
early burial metabolic reactions
breakdown by bacteria, fungi, etc which commonly produces methane gas
metagenesis
burial below 3.5 - 4 km with a temperature of 150 degrees C - any organics converted to natural gas (methane)
catagenesis
burial between 1.5 - 3.5 km with temperatures > 50 degrees C but < 150 degrees C - where organic matter is cooked under pressure; loses most water and altered to different types of hydrocarbon liquids (main oil liquids)
anthracite
cleanest, hottest, and most rare burning; used in power generation, steel making, and gasification
conventional fossil fuels
coal, petroleum, and natural gas
accumulation of hydrocarbons
concentrations of oil and gas occur when dispersed hydrocarbons form in original sediments during burial (the source rock) - needs to be a reservoir rock with spaces in them to allow for hydrocarbon migration and accumulation
oil trade
considered the main single component of the world trade market
oil recovery techniques
conventional oil is recovered from drilled wells through primary and secondary extraction techniques
islamic scientific use of petroleum
distilled kerogen from bitumen and major use of lamp fuel (replaced whale oil)
pre-industrial revolution energy use
energy from wood, wind, water, and animals
structural traps
folded/faulted sedimentary rocks where reservoir rock is overlain by impermeable (cap) rock or abutus against a fault which seals the reservoir rock and traps hydrocarbons in it
petroleum formation
form at times when there is a lot of marine plankton around (oil and gas found in younger/mesozoic rocks)
formation of coal
forms in coastal swamps where dead masses of plants accumulate and are buried before decomposition by biogenic activity
fossil fuels
fuels from remains of biological matter that provide > 85% of energy today (oil and gas, coal)
where do you find conventional oil?
gas and oil occurs in sedimentary basins and most have at least a bit of oil and gas in them
bituminous coal
important for power generation and in steel making process (metallurgical coal) and also increasingly for coal gasification processes
further burial and time
increases temperature and pressure which drives off water and causes a breakup of hydrocarbon molecules that changes them into different more concentrated hydrocarbons
water flooding
inject water down wells on margins of reservoir to enhance flow of oil to collection of wells
gas injection
minor natural gas recovered with oil may be recovered and re-injected to increase pressure on oil flow
primary oil recovery
natural pressure in reservoir pushes oil into open drill holes (and sometimes to the surface)
petroleum and natural gas
natural products of burial of organic matter, decomposition and changes with time
where does oil and gas come from?
oil deposits come from marine organic sources while gas comes from marine and terrestrial organic sources
coal mining methods
open pit (strip) mining and underground mines
pores
open spaces between grains or cracks in the rock
where do fossil fuels come from?
organically derived carbon-based material occurring in various types and quantities used as energy sources
stratigraphic traps
porous reservoir rocks sealed off by overlying impermeable rocks
industrial revolution energy use
powered by steam (from wood) initially, then changed to coal
diagenesis
reflects progressive breakdown of organic matter with time and burial
energy sources
renewable (wood, water, wind) and non-renewable (fossil fuels) resources
post WW2 energy use
rise in fossil fuel usage in industrialized countries (nuclear energy and hydroelectricity use = important starting in 1960s)
steam flooding
same as water flooding but uses heated steam in injection wells
most common reservoirs
sandstones and limestones
petroleum
specific name for the various types of liquid hydrocarbons we call oil
stages of coal formation
swamps form peat which causes coalification to occur
unconventional fossil fuels
tar sands, oil shales, and heavy oils
energy
the ability to do work - humans use it to heat and power aspects of our civilizations (measured in joules, calories, BTU, watts)
coal
the compacted preserved remains of land plants
gas recovery
the same methods are used for gas and oil recovery (ex; drilling methods)
distribution of gas
through extensive pipeline systems and overseas transport by liquified natural gas (LNG) - widely distributed (more than oil)
commercial gas use
used as heat and light source in 1920s USA
pre-industrial petroleum use
used as tar and bitumen (solid, soft petroleum) as a glue or waterproof coating for boats
production of gas
world production approximately equals consumption and is increasing simultaneously