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In many ways, the mountain west (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming) is an energy colony for the rest of the United States: it is rich in energy resources that are extracted to fuel economic growth in the wealthier and more populous coastal regions. Federal agencies and global corporations often behave as if the mountain west is a place to be exploited or managed for the benefit of customers and consumers elsewhere. Yet, the area. is not vast empty space with a limitless supply of natural resources, but rather a fast-growing region with a diverse economic base dependent on a limited supply of water. New decision processes and collaborations are slowly changing this situation,...
This project was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using geothermal effluents for developing and maintaining waterfowl wetlands. Information in the document pertains to a seven State area the West where geothermal resources have development potential. Information is included on physiochemical characteristics of geothermal effluents; known effects of constituents in the water on a wetland ecosystem and water quality criteria for maintaining a viable wetland; potential of sites for wetland development and disposal of effluent water from geothermal facilities; methods of ‘disposal of effluents, including advantages of each method and associated costs; legal and Institutional constraints which could affect geothermal...
President Bush has identified US dependence on imported oil as an urgent energy, economic, and national security concern. The President's energy plan promotes the development of domestic resources, based on the assumption that economic incentives and the opening of frontier areas for exploration will increase domestic production. If realized, this will reduce dependence on imported oil and reduce OPEC's ability to affect aggregate oil supply and price. The evidence suggests, however, that this policy will not increase significantly US production of crude oil, will not reduce significantly OPEC's influence, and it will distort the US macroeconomy. Even if allowed, production from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...
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The human footprint map focuses on shrubland ecosystems and combines models of habitat use by synanthropic predators (“top-down” effects) and the risk of invasive plant presence (“bottom-up” effects) to estimate the total influence of human activities. Humans have dramatically altered wildlands in the western United States over the past 100 years by using these lands and the resources they provide. Anthropogenic changes to the landscape, such as urban expansion, construction of roads, power lines, and other networks and land uses necessary to maintain human populations influence the number and kinds of plants and wildlife that remain. We developed the map of the human footprint for the western United States from...
This report, released by the Energy andBiodiversity Initiative (EBI), is the resultof a collaborative effort by representa-tives of the nine member companiesand conservation organizations of theInitiative. The views expressed hereindo not necessarily represent the viewsof every EBI member.EBI members recognize that there is a continuing public debate aroundbiodiversity conservation and oil andgas operations. Although EBI was notintended to resolve all the issues in-volved in this debate, we believe theEBI products and process will make a significant contribution to con-structive dialogue to accompany thatdebate. We welcome your commentsand feedback on this document or any other EBI products.
This report, released by the Energy andBiodiversity Initiative (EBI), is the resultof a collaborative effort by representa-tives of the nine member companiesand conservation organizations of theInitiative. The views expressed hereindo not necessarily represent the viewsof every EBI member.EBI members recognize that there is a continuing public debate aroundbiodiversity conservation and oil andgas operations. Although EBI was notintended to resolve all the issues in-volved in this debate, we believe theEBI products and process will make a significant contribution to con-structive dialogue to accompany thatdebate. We welcome your commentsand feedback on this document or any other EBI products.
Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future. Recent advances in drilling technologies—including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—have made vast reserves of natural gas economically recoverable in the US. Responsible development of America’s oil and gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique used to maximize production of oil and natural gas in unconventional reservoirs, such as shale, coalbeds, and tight sands. During hydraulic fracturing, specially engineered fluids containing chemical additives and proppant are pumped under high pressure into the well to create and hold open fractures...
Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future. Recent advances in drilling technologies—including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—have made vast reserves of natural gas economically recoverable in the US. Responsible development of America’s oil and gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique used to maximize production of oil and natural gas in unconventional reservoirs, such as shale, coalbeds, and tight sands. During hydraulic fracturing, specially engineered fluids containing chemical additives and proppant are pumped under high pressure into the well to create and hold open fractures...
Sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in depleted oil reservoirs is one of the viable options for carbon management. This paper describes the preliminary modeling and flow simulation part of a DOE sponsored CO2 sequestration project. The main objective of the project is to understand the feasibility of long term sequestration of CO2 in a depleted oil reservoir through a field demonstration experiment. Before the actual CO2 injection begins, it was necessary to determine feasibility of injection. Advanced geologic modeling and flow simulation techniques were used to develop a model for the proposed target interval. A geologic model was developed using data available from well logs and cores. Subsequently, porous...
Sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in depleted oil reservoirs is one of the viable options for carbon management. This paper describes the preliminary modeling and flow simulation part of a DOE sponsored CO2 sequestration project. The main objective of the project is to understand the feasibility of long term sequestration of CO2 in a depleted oil reservoir through a field demonstration experiment. Before the actual CO2 injection begins, it was necessary to determine feasibility of injection. Advanced geologic modeling and flow simulation techniques were used to develop a model for the proposed target interval. A geologic model was developed using data available from well logs and cores. Subsequently, porous...
Noise exposure is known to cause hearing loss and a variety of disturbances, such as annoyance, hypertension and loss of sleep. It is generally accepted that these situations are caused by the acoustical events processed by the auditory system. However, there are acoustical events that are not necessarily processed by the auditory system, but that nevertheless cause harm. Infrasound and low frequency noise (ILFN, <500Hz) are acoustical phenomena that can impact the human body causing irreversible organic damage to the organism, but that do not cause classical hearing impairment. Acoustical environments are normally composed of all types of acoustical events: those that are processed by the auditory system, and those...
This paper investigates the potential for systematic errors in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) widely used Annual Energy Outlook, focusing on the near- to midterm projections of energy demand. Based on analysis of the EIA’s 22-year projection record, we find a fairly modest but persistent tendency to underestimate total energy demand by an average of 2 percent per year after controlling for projection errors in gross domestic product, oil prices, and heating/cooling degree days. For 14 individual fuels/consuming sectors routinely reported by the EIA, we observe a great deal of directional consistency in the errors over time, ranging up to 7 percent per year. Electric utility renewables, electric utility...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: fossil fuel, gas, oil, politics, subsidies
We examine the effect of air quality regulation on productivity in some of the most heavily regulated manufacturing plants in the United States, the oil reŽ neries of the Los Angeles (South Coast) Air Basin. We use direct measures of local air pollution regulation to estimate their effects on abatement investment . ReŽ neries not subject to these regulations are used as a comparison group. We study a period of sharply increased regulation between 1979 and 1992. Initial compliance with each regulation cost $3 million per plant and a further $5 million to comply with increased stringency. We construct measures of total factor productivity using Census of Manufacturer s output and materials data that report physical...
Cumulatively, headwater streams contribute to maintaining hydrologic connectivity and ecosystem integrity at regional scales. Hydrologic connectivity is the water-mediated transport of matter, energy and organisms within or between elements of the hydrologic cycle. Headwater streams compose over two-thirds of total stream length in a typical river drainage and directly connect the upland and riparian landscape to the rest of the stream ecosystem. Altering headwater streams, e.g., by channelization, diversion through pipes, impoundment and burial, modifies fluxes between uplands and downstream river segments and eliminates distinctive habitats. The large-scale ecological effects of altering headwaters are amplified...
Miscanthus is a newly introduced crop grown primarily to produce biomass for energy production and the area grown in the UK is anticipated to increase. Major differences in crop management from conventional arable crops have led to speculation that miscanthus may also have effects on farmland biodiversity. Six miscanthus fields were paired with six of a conventional crop, winter wheat, and bird diversity and abundance were compared in winter and during the breeding season along with potential food sources. Miscanthus fields had a greater abundance and diversity of birds than did wheat in winter and summer. In winter, the greater numbers of birds in miscanthus fields were probably attracted by the shelter provided...
Biofuels world production has increased sharply in recent years. Oil reserves depletion, the oil high price and the confidence in biofuels “carbon neutrality” are the main causes of this phenomenon. However, claims related to the negative consequences of biofuel programs are frequent; mainly those related to the biofuels/food competition and sustainability. This paper aims to contribute for the development of a framework for sustainability indicators as a tool for performance assessment. The most used indicators to measure the biofuels sustainability are: Life Cycle Energy Balance (LCEB), quantity of fossil energy substituted per hectare, co-product energy allocation, life cycle carbon balance and changes in soil...
A logistic function is used to characterize peak and ultimate production of global crude oil and petroleum-derived liquid fuels. Annual oil production data were incrementally summed to construct a logistic curve in its initial phase. Using a curve-fitting approach, a population-growth logistic function was applied to complete the cumulative production curve. The simulated curve was then deconstructed into a set of annual oil production data producing an “idealized” Hubbert curve. An idealized Hubbert curve (IHC) is defined as having properties of production data resulting from a constant growth-rate under fixed resource limits. An IHC represents a potential production curve constructed from cumulative production...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Peak oil, oil, peak, peaks, threat
This study examines the time series behaviour of oil production for OPEC member countries within a fractional integration modelling framework recognizing the potential for structural breaks and outliers. The analysis is undertaken using monthly data from January 1973 to October 2008 for 13 OPEC member countries. The results indicate there is mean reverting persistence in oil production with breaks identified in 10 out of the 13 countries examined. Thus, shocks affecting the structure of OPEC oil production will have persistent effects in the long run for all countries, and in some cases the effects are expected to be permanent.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are greenhouse gases with high global warming potentials that are mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Historically, they were emitted only slowly from such systems and long term containment remains an important engineering and environmental issue. As part of their commitment under the Rio convention, nations are required to report annual calculated production and emissions of all greenhouse gases and the reports submitted by the European countries have been examined to determine the extent to which containment of HFCs (expressed as the rate of emission from the bank remaining in equipment) has changed with time. Although there is wide variation between countries, the annual...
A recent report published by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) in the United States predicted a 50–60% growth in total global demand for energy by 2030. Because oil, gas, and coal will continue to be the primary energy sources during this time, the energy industry will have to continue increasing the supply of these fuels to meet this increasing demand. Achieving this goal will require the exploitation of both conventional and unconventional reservoirs of oil and gas in an environmentally acceptable manner. Such efforts will, in turn, require advancements in materials science, particularly in the development of materials that can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature, and high-stress conditions.
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Arctic, Gas, Oil


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