Changing the geopolitics of oil, China and India are expanding their navies as they become dependent on lines of oil tankers from the Middle East, posing the beginning of a challenge to American hegemony in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The shortage of oil sets the stage for the coming oil wars of the 21st century.
This book describes and analyzes the geological basis for the current world petroleum situation. It explains the formation and accumulation of conventional and unconventional oil and gas and the methods used by geologists in the search for petroleum and petroleum-containing basins.
Unconventional Petroleum Geology, Second Edition presents the latest research results of global conventional and unconventional petroleum exploration and production. The first part covers the basics of unconventional petroleum geology, its introduction, concept of unconventional petroleum geology, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, and the origin and distribution of unconventional oil and gas. The second part is focused on unconventional petroleum development technologies, including a series of technologies on resource assessment, lab analysis, geophysical interpretation, and drilling and completion. The third and final section features case studies of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, including tight oil and gas, shale oil and gas, coal bed methane, heavy oil, gas hydrates, and oil and gas in volcanic and metamorphic rocks. - Provides an up-to-date, systematic, and comprehensive overview of all unconventional hydrocarbons - Reorganizes and updates more than half of the first edition content, including four new chapters - Includes a glossary on unconventional petroleum types, including tight-sandstone oil and gas, coal-bed gas, shale gas, oil and gas in fissure-cave-type carbonate rocks, in volcanic reservoirs, and in metamorphic rocks, heavy crude oil and natural bitumen, and gas hydrates - Presents new theories, new methods, new technologies, and new management methods, helping to meet the demands of technology development and production requirements in unconventional plays
This concise, accessible introduction to the history of oil tells the story of how petroleum has shaped human life since it was first discovered oozing inconspicuously from the soil. For a century, human dependence on petroleum caused little discomfort as we enjoyed the heyday of cheap crude—a glorious episode of energy gluttony that was destined to end. Today, we see the disastrous results in environmental degradation, political instability, and world economic disparity in the waning years of a petroleum-powered civilization—lessons rooted in the finite nature of oil. Considering the nature of oil itself as well as humans’ remarkable relationship with it, Brian C. Black spotlights our modern conundrum and then explores the challenges of our future without oil. It is this essential context, he argues, that will prepare us for our energy transition. Bringing his global perspective and wide-ranging technical knowledge, Black has written an essential contribution to environmental history and the rapidly emerging field of energy history in this sweeping, forward-looking survey.
Presented in this publication are the results of a major study of the petroleum resources of the world as analyzed by Total Petroleum Systems. The distribution and volumes of resources available in these systems are critically important for the future of the world's economies. Geologic insights gained from studying these 149 systems and their constituent assessment units in 128 provinces and 96 countries, exclusive of the United States, allow a new look at petroleum accumulations and the rocks that are intimately associated with them.
Explaining—and solving—the oil curse in the developing world Countries that are rich in petroleum have less democracy, less economic stability, and more frequent civil wars than countries without oil. What explains this oil curse? And can it be fixed? In this groundbreaking analysis, Michael L. Ross looks at how developing nations are shaped by their mineral wealth—and how they can turn oil from a curse into a blessing. Ross traces the oil curse to the upheaval of the 1970s, when oil prices soared and governments across the developing world seized control of their countries' oil industries. Before nationalization, the oil-rich countries looked much like the rest of the world; today, they are 50 percent more likely to be ruled by autocrats—and twice as likely to descend into civil war—than countries without oil. The Oil Curse shows why oil wealth typically creates less economic growth than it should; why it produces jobs for men but not women; and why it creates more problems in poor states than in rich ones. It also warns that the global thirst for petroleum is causing companies to drill in increasingly poor nations, which could further spread the oil curse. This landmark book explains why good geology often leads to bad governance, and how this can be changed.
Elements of Petroleum Geology, Fourth Edition is a useful primer for geophysicists, geologists and petroleum engineers in the oil industry who wish to expand their knowledge beyond their specialized area. It is also an excellent introductory text for a university course in petroleum geoscience. This updated edition includes new case studies on non-conventional exploration, including tight oil and shale gas exploration, as well as coverage of the impacts on petroleum geology on the environment. Sections on shale reservoirs, flow units and containers, IOR and EOR, giant petroleum provinces, halo reservoirs, and resource estimation methods are also expanded. - Written by a preeminent petroleum geologist and sedimentologist with decades of petroleum exploration in remote corners of the world - Covers information pertinent to everyone working in the oil and gas industry, especially geophysicists, geologists and petroleum reservoir engineers - Fully revised with updated references and expanded coverage of topics and new case studies
"This book on the Petroleum Resources addresses the challenges of transforming hydrocarbons that exist in underground, to valuable products that can be sold and delivered. It is intended for readers who have a professional or student interest in the petroleum industry, and a basic level of prior knowledge in the technical and commercial aspects of the industry. The goal of the book is to increase the reader's general understanding of key work processes in the "upstream" part of the petroleum industry; that is, the part of the industry that locates underground resources and converts them to valuable products."
Oil to Cash explores one option to help countries with new oil revenue avoid the so-called resource curse: just give the money directly to citizens. A universal, transparent, and regular cash transfer would not only provide a concrete benefit to regular people, but would also create powerful incentives for citizens to hold their government accountable. Oil to Cash details how and where this idea could work and how policymakers can learn from the experiences with cash transfers in places like Mexico, Mongolia, and Alaska.
A Thermo-Economic Approach to Energy From Waste provides readers with the tools to analyze the effectiveness of biomass waste conversion into value-added products and how thermochemical conversion methods can be commercialized with minimum environmental impact. The book provides a comprehensive overview of biomass conversion technologies through pyrolysis, including the types of reactors available, reactor mechanisms, and the upgradation of bio-oil. Case studies are provided on waste disposal in selected favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, including data on subnormal clusters and analyses of solid waste in the 37 slums of Catumbi. Step-by-step guidance is provided on how to use a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to analyze the potential impact of various waste-to-energy conversion technologies, and a brief overview of the common applications of LCA in other geographical locations is presented, including United States, Europe, China, and Brazil. Finally, waste-to-value-added functional catalysts for the transesterification process in biodiesel production are discussed alongside various other novel technologies for biodiesel production, process simulation, and techno-economic analysis of biodiesel production. Bringing together research and real-world case studies from an LCA perspective, the book provides an ideal reference for researchers and practitioners interested in waste-to-energy conversion, LCA, and the sustainable production of bioenergy. - Presents an overview of the technologies for the production of biofuels from waste via pyrolysis and gasification - Provides a guide to the utilization of LCA to assess the economic and environmental impact of value-added products - Describes real-world case studies on the implementation of LCA in waste-to-energy scenarios